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Philadelphia Sues After Park Service Removes Slavery Panels From President’s House Site

The removal followed a Trump order to review displays deemed disparaging, the city says in court filings.

The names of enslaved people who lived in the President's House are carved into a monument in Independence National Park on August 9, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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The names of enslaved people who lived in the President's House are carved into a monument in Independence National Park on August 9, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Video still of Park Service employees removing an exhibit. From Ed Krassenstein's X post.

Overview

  • National Park Service crews dismantled the outdoor panels on Jan. 22 at Independence National Historical Park, with video showing workers prying down signs including one titled "The Dirty Business of Slavery."
  • The removed installation memorialized nine people enslaved by George Washington and formed part of the exhibit "Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation" created through a city–federal partnership.
  • Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to restore the displays and halt further changes, alleging no notice, a breach of a 2006 cooperative agreement, and arbitrary and capricious action under the Administrative Procedure Act.
  • The Interior Department said the action complies with Executive Order No. 14253 directing agencies to remove or revise interpretive materials that "inappropriately disparage" Americans, and the suit names Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting NPS Director Jessica Bowron.
  • Public officials and advocacy groups, including Gov. Josh Shapiro and the National Parks Conservation Association, condemned the removal as whitewashing history, and the panels remain off-site as the legal challenge proceeds.