Federal documents obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The New York Times show the National Park Service has identified 13 total exhibits for possible revision or removal, including “Life Under Slavery” and “The Dirty Business of Slavery” at the President’s House Site. Other sites under review include the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Independence Hall and the Second Bank of the United States, as well as a wayside outdoor panel.
The ”Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” exhibit, which opened in 2010, deeply examines the lives of the enslaved within Washington’s Philadelphia household.
Roz McPherson stands in front of a panel exhibit about slavery during America’s early years. McPhereson served as project director during the development of the site which opened in 2010. (Carmen Russell-Sluchansky/WHYY)
The site is framed by landmarks that include narratives that complicate the story of liberty in the young democracy. “Life Under Slavery” includes information about Richard Allen, who bought his and his family’s freedom, and went on to found Mother Bethel. Another is an illustration of Washington signing the Fugitive Slave Act while a posse attacks Black men attempting to escape slavery.
Anthony Wong, a visitor from New Jersey, who was not involved in the protest, said that the exhibits are essential to ensure people like him better understand the country’s real history.
“Any records in general that outline our history is pretty important, even if they were in hindsight bad mistakes,” he said while viewing “The Dirty Business of Slavery” exhibit Saturday. “That’s how you learn. And erasing histories, it’s a sham. It’s just a total disappointment.”
He found it “contradictory” that the Founding Fathers were “writing the Constitution themselves while owning slaves.”
Philadelphia is slated to play a central role in the 2026 celebrations, and the federal government and philanthropies have committed $85 million dollars to renovate park infrastructure. Trump’s executive order also included language directing the Department of the Interior to allocate “sufficient funding” for “restoring” Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia ahead of the 250th anniversary. While much of that is earmarked for repairs and visitor experience upgrades, a significant portion is also meant to support “inclusive storytelling” that reflects the full complexity of American history.
Participants in Saturday’s rally expressed concern that visitors won’t get to know the real history of the country if the exhibits are whitewashed and will, therefore, leave uninformed.
However, Tyler said Philadelphians weren’t giving up and would make sure that visitors still learn the truth.
“If we have to stand out as volunteer docents on the corner, telling people who walked by about what happened on this site, we’re going to make sure this story is told,” he said. “African Americans haven’t always had these wonderful memorials, and so we know how to make sure that we tell our story with or without it.