The United States National Park Service has removed a slavery exhibit from a historic site in Philadelphia following directives linked to President Donald Trump’s claims of what he described as “anti-American ideology” at historical and cultural institutions, Reuters reported on Friday.
According to the news agency, the decision has drawn criticism from civil rights groups, who have strongly rejected the president’s claims and warned against attempts to rewrite or sanitise American history.
The exhibit was located at the President’s House Site within the Independence National Historical Park, a landmark area where George Washington lived during the period when Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital.
The display had documented the history of slavery in the early United States and highlighted Washington’s ownership of enslaved people, offering visitors a broader context of the contradictions between the country’s founding ideals and its historical realities.
Reuters reported that the removal followed recent directives aimed at curbing what the Trump administration considers ideological narratives in public institutions. However, critics argue that the action undermines efforts to present an honest account of the nation’s past.
Civil rights organisations described the removal as a setback for historical education, insisting that acknowledging slavery is essential to understanding American history rather than an attack on patriotism.
The National Park Service has not indicated whether the exhibit will be reinstated, but the development has intensified debate over how slavery and race should be represented at federally managed historical sites.
The controversy comes amid renewed national discussions over history, memory and the role of public institutions in addressing the legacy of slavery in the United States.
