Several signs depicting images from slavery were removed from the President’s House in Old City Philadelphia, a historic site operated by the National Park Service. Located at 6th and Market Streets, the President’s House was once the home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams before the construction of the White House was completed. The exhibit itself included depictions of nine enslaved African descendants who were owned by President Washington himself.
According to CBS News, the displays were removed following an edict from the Trump administration. In response, the city filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday seeking to have the signs put back. According to the complaint, the city has” prior agreements” with the National Park Service, which require that any disputes must be resolved “in an informal fashion through communication and consultation…or other forms of non-binding alternative dispute resolution that are mutually acceptable to the parties.” The lawsuit also states that the National Park Service and the Interior Department “did not engage with the city and do not have the city’s approval to make unilateral changes to the President’s House exhibit,” the lawsuit says.
Mayor Cherelle Parker issued a statement noting that the city’s agreement with the federal government dates back to 2006. The arrangement “requires parties to meet and confer if there are to be any changes made to an exhibit.”
“Our city solicitor, Renee Garcia, is working in conjunction with the amazing members of our law department team in working on following up on that cooperative agreement, and we will keep you posted as to the result of all of our action,” Parker said. “Removing the exhibits is an effort to whitewash American history,” Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson added in a statement Thursday. “History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable. Removing items from the President’s House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record.”
Philadelphia and the National Park Service agreed in 2006 to reflect “all those who lived in the house while it was used as the executive mansion, including the nine enslaved Africans brought by George Washington.” The exhibit opened in 2010. The move is the latest example in a series of executive actions to erase slavery and Black contributions from American history by the Trump Administration. By changing the names of public places and historical exhibits, the Trump administration is erasing the history of Black Americans and the multiracial stories of the people who shaped this country.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to only honor “visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past” when considering names for national treasures. Also, the order changed the name of Denali in Alaska to Mount McKinley. The following month, the National Park Service removed all references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. It changed the LGBTQ+ community to “LGB.”
In March 2025, Trump signed the executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The order says that the “Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.” A spokesperson for the Interior Department said in a statement on Friday (Jan. 23) that the displays were removed to comply and align with Trump’s executive order.
“All federal agencies are to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values. Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking appropriate action in accordance with the Order,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We encourage the City of Philadelphia to focus on getting their jobless rates down and ending their reckless cashless bail policy instead of filing frivolous lawsuits.”