‘A first step to fascism’: critics denounce Trump administration replacing slavery exhibit at George Washington’s home
Summary
The Trump administration replaced an exhibit at George Washington’s former Philadelphia home that focused on enslaved people’s lives with new panels it says give a fuller picture of history. This change followed legal battles with the city of Philadelphia and criticism that the new exhibit downplays the harsh realities of slavery.Key Facts
- The National Park Service removed the original slavery exhibit panels on January 22, 2026, to follow President Trump’s 2025 executive order on American history.
- The original panels told the story of nine enslaved people who lived at Washington’s Philadelphia home in the 1790s.
- Philadelphia sued to keep the original panels, and a federal judge initially ordered their reinstatement.
- A higher court ruled in mid-June that the Trump administration could replace the exhibit.
- The new panels emphasize Washington’s discomfort with slavery and suggest slaves had some freedoms not common in the South.
- Critics say the change whitewashes history and sanitizes the realities of slavery.
- The Department of Interior says the new panels acknowledge the evils of slavery and encourage people to learn about US history.
- Philadelphia’s mayor and others say the overnight removal under the “cover of darkness” was a disrespectful move that breaks community trust.
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