The National Park Service has taken down an exhibit on slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Interior Department said on Thursday, following President Trump’s directive to remove materials that promote “corrosive ideology.”
The outdoor exhibit, called “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation,” memorialized nine people enslaved by George Washington at the President’s House Site, where the first president once lived. The exhibit “examines the paradox between slavery and freedom in the founding of the nation,” according to a description on the Park Service website.
Videos and photos of workers removing the panels, including one that detailed the slave trade and slave economy, circulated on social media on Thursday. The exhibit’s page on the Park Service website was still accessible on Thursday night.
The move follows an executive order issued by Mr. Trump in March 2025 instructing the Park Service, a part of the Interior Department, to review materials at national sites to ensure they “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people” and do not “inappropriately disparage Americans.”
The directive specifically flagged Independence National Historical Park for promoting “corrosive ideology.” It claimed the Biden administration had “pressured National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history” and taught visitors that “America is purportedly racist.” The exhibit opened in 2010, during the Obama administration.
The Department of the Interior said in a statement to The New York Times that the exhibit was dismantled in accordance with the executive order.
“The President has directed federal agencies to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values,” the statement said. “Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking action to remove or revise interpretive materials in accordance with the Order.”
Michael Coard, a criminal defense attorney and activist, called the move “outrageous and blatantly racist” in a statement posted on social media. He is a founding member of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, a group of Black activists that formed in 2002 and advocated for the creation of the slavery memorial at Independence National Historical Park.
The removal of the exhibit comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to de-emphasize Black history. The National Park Service has removed merchandise related to diversity, equity and inclusion from its gift shops, and cut Martin Luther King’s Birthday and Juneteenth, two holidays honoring Black history, from its list of free entrance days this year.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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