At one of the most important historic sites in the United States, a vital piece of truth has just been erased. Staff at a National Park site in Philadelphia have dismantled and removed an exhibit that documented slavery at the President's House. The fact is, George Washington lived while enslaving human beings. The exhibit examined the deep contradiction between slavery and freedom at the nation's founding. Now, it's gone.
This removal did not happen by accident. It followed direct pressure from the Trump administration, which has ordered federal agencies to strip or revise materials it claims reflect "anti-American ideology." Civil rights groups warn this is nothing less than an attempt to whitewash history.
Sign now to demand the immediate restoration of this exhibit and protection of honest historical interpretation.
The exhibit was located at Independence National Historical Park, a place meant to educate the public about the foundations of American democracy. Removing factual history about slavery does not promote unity or patriotism. It does the opposite: it hides the truth and undermines public understanding of how deeply slavery shaped the nation.
Historians, educators, and civil rights advocates are sounding the alarm. They warn that erasing slavery from public spaces is part of a broader effort to roll back progress, silence uncomfortable truths, and control how Americans understand their own history.
Acknowledging slavery is not "anti-American." It is essential to understanding America.
Public institutions exist to tell the truth, not to sanitize it for political convenience. If the federal government can remove exhibits about slavery today, it can remove exhibits about civil rights, Indigenous history, or any other chapter of the past tomorrow.
Sign the petition to demand the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior immediately restore the slavery exhibit at the President's House site and commit to protecting historically accurate, inclusive interpretation at all public landmarks.
