Slavery Exhibit Removed from President’s House Site

The U.S. National Park Services removed slavery exhibit plaques at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on Thursday, Jan. 22.

Removal of a historical exhibit

This came after President Donald Trump released an executive order (EO) on March 27, 2025, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

In the EO, Trump outlines his intentions and the changes that would be made.

“It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing,” the EO reads.

The exhibit was at the President’s House Site and showed the history of slavery, including George Washington owning slaves on that property.

The removal of this exhibit was met with lots of backlash from the community and the City of Philadelphia, who were not told about the removal before it took place, sued the Interior Department and director of the National Parks Services.

“Defendants’ actions to remove the panels referencing slavery are arbitrary and capricious because they lack the authority to remove the panels and the removal directly contradicts Congress’s express purpose to preserve and recognize important historical sites of the Underground Railroad,” the suit reads.

Effect on education

Liam Anderson, a political science professor at Wright State University (WSU), shared why it is important to teach all history, and not just the good parts of history.

“Erasing history is dangerous, because it is always the bad stuff that gets erased, and if we educate people to be unaware of the bad stuff, then we lose the ability to perceive ourselves accurately, and lack the capacity to understand why others might perceive us differently,” Anderson said.

Other EOs being signed into effect have had an impact on schools, including WSU.

The EO “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” was released on Jan. 20, 2025, and led to the closure of WSU's Asian and Native American Center, the Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center, the Latino Center, the LGBTQ+ Center and Women’s Center.

“The more clear and present danger in my view is self-censorship; that faculty [and] students do not feel comfortable expressing certain opinions. Students should take ownership of their education, by which I mean they should continually challenge what they are being taught, in a respectful way, of course,” Anderson said.

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