PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� The Trump administration on Wednesday replaced an exhibit on slavery at the site of President George Washington鈥檚 home in Philadelphia with a version that historians say whitewashes the nation鈥檚 history.
The new exhibit was installed in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
鈥淥vernight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President鈥檚 House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia,鈥� Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said. 鈥淚t was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust.鈥�
The original panels were put in place in 2010 and told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation鈥檚 capital.
The changed exhibition comes as President Donald Trump has made dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives a priority in an aggressive campaign to overhaul some of America’s most sacred cultural, historic and educational institutions.
Trump issued an in 2025 that called for federally owned or controlled historic sites to not display information to 鈥渄isparage Americans past or living鈥� and to focus on the 鈥済reatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.鈥�
The directive has raised concerns about sanitizing and erasing dark sides of American history.
Trump has continued a broadside against culture he deems too liberal. In March, Trump revealed his at the with an that targeted funding for programs that advanced 鈥渄ivisive narratives鈥� and 鈥渋mproper ideology.” He has also pressured organizations outside of the government, including universities, to take similar actions with the stated aim of eliminating what he says are discriminatory practices.
The Trump administration began removing the old panels earlier this year, but a lower court forced the federal government to stop while the city appealed. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals reversed that and that the work could continue.
The three-judge panel praised the plans for the replacement installation, writing that they were 鈥渇ull of historical context,鈥� despite objections from historians and city officials that the content appears whitewashed.
The Interior Department told The Associated Press Wednesday in a statement that the new 鈥減anels are full of historical context and highlight the momentous events that took place in the President鈥檚 House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park.鈥�
鈥淭hey acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies, and, by telling the stories of the nine slaves that Washington kept in the President鈥檚 House, remind us of their essential humanity,鈥� the statement said.
The new panels still include information on enslaved people who lived in the home and details on the abolitionist movement, how the Constitution treated slavery, the end of slavery in Pennsylvania and how Washington and his successor, John Adams, viewed and treated slavery, as well as information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement.
However, the replacement panels do not include some of the detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery. They also avoid critical headlines such as 鈥淭he Dirty Business of Slavery.鈥�
The city of Philadelphia had sued the federal government over the removal of information previously included in the panels. It argued that the federal government must consult with the city before making changes to the President鈥檚 House Site. Justice Department lawyers argued the administration alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties.
Parker said the city intends to seek a rehearing 鈥渙n serious legal issues鈥� presented in the appeals court decision.
Michael Coard, an attorney and founder of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), said the Philadelphia-based history preservation group continues to work on legal strategies opposing the Trump administration鈥檚 changing of the panels.
ATAC joined the city鈥檚 lawsuit.
Trump is attempting to rewrite history, Coard told reporters Wednesday near the site.
鈥淲hat if there鈥檚 a president next time who doesn鈥檛 like the Liberty Bell because the Liberty Bell was used by abolitionists to support the end of slavery?鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat if there鈥檚 a president who doesn鈥檛 like the Statue of Liberty because too many immigrants come in? Do we remove the Statue of Liberty?鈥�
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Williams reported from Detroit.
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