Jake Spring, The Washington Post; Park Service removes slavery exhibit at Independence Park in Philadelphia
"National Park Service staff on Thursday took down an exhibit on slavery at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, which had been targeted last year by President Donald Trump in an executive orderon “restoring truth and sanity to American history.”
The exhibit was at the President’s House Site, where George Washington lived as president. The informational panels discussed Washington’s ownership of enslaved people, as well as the broader history of slavery, and included details about their lives.
The Park Service has been removing information on historic racism, sexism, LGBT rights, slavery and climate change since last year as it carries out Trump’s executive order...
The exhibit included information on the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 alongside images of slaves being beaten. Michael Coard, a founding member of the coalition, said removing the signs sought to erase history.
“Don’t you think that Black men, Black women, Black children were whipped and beaten before and after the Fugitive Slave Act?” Coard said.
The removals come as nearby Independence Hall is closed for renovations in preparations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“It’s not only the erasure of history. On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the birth of this country, this is a historical outrage,” Coard said. “This is historical blasphemy.”
Cindy MacLeod, former superintendent at the park, praised the work that had gone into the exhibit, calling the removal “vandalism.”
