Slavery Exhibit Returns to Philadelphia
The National Park Service has begun reinstalling the slavery exhibit at Philadelphia's President's House, following a federal judge's order. The exhibit details the lives of nine people enslaved by George Washington and was previously removed by the Trump administration. Nearly half the panels were reinstalled by Thursday, with full restoration expected at Independence National Historical Park.
- The original exhibit, titled "The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation," opened in 2010 after years of advocacy and archaeological work which uncovered the quarters of the enslaved people. - The removal of the exhibit in January 2026 was a result of an executive order by President Donald Trump titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which aimed to eliminate "divisive narratives" from national sites. The Interior Department stated the removal was to "ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values." - The City of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, arguing that the removal violated a 2006 agreement that required the city's consent for any changes to the exhibit. - In her ruling ordering the exhibit's reinstallation, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, an appointee of President George W. Bush, compared the Trump administration's actions to the totalitarian regime in George Orwell's novel "1984." - The nine enslaved people owned by George and Martha Washington at the President's House were Hercules, Oney Judge, Austin, Christopher Sheels, Giles, Paris, Moll, Richmond, and Joe. Two of them, Oney Judge and Hercules, successfully escaped to freedom from Philadelphia. - While living in the President's House, George Washington signed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which authorized the capture and return of escaped enslaved people. He also rotated the people he enslaved between Philadelphia and his Mount Vernon plantation to avoid a Pennsylvania law that could have granted them freedom. - Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, the first Black woman to hold the office, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro were vocal critics of the exhibit's removal, accusing the Trump administration of attempting to "whitewash" history. - The Trump administration is appealing the judge's ruling, with a spokesperson stating that the National Park Service "routinely updates exhibits across the park system to ensure historical accuracy and completeness."
