PHILADELPHIA – In a move prompted by President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at “restoring truth and sanity” to historical presentations, the National Park Service has taken down a slavery exhibit at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park. This directive impacts displays across various national museums, parks, and landmarks.

On Thursday, work crews dismantled the exhibit at the President’s House Site, which previously showcased the names and personal stories of nine individuals enslaved by President George Washington. The exhibit had offered insights into Washington’s reliance on enslaved workers at his Philadelphia residence, highlighting his complex relationship with them.

In an effort to prevent the exhibit’s removal, Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, its Secretary Doug Burgum, and the acting National Parks Service Director, Jessica Bowron.

Last year, President Trump initiated a review of interpretive content at National Park Service sites to ensure they adhered to “accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values,” according to Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, in a statement to The Washington Post.

“After completing the necessary review, the National Park Service is proceeding with the removal or revision of interpretive materials as directed by the Order,” Peace further explained in the statement.

The removals confirmed what critics have long condemned as the Trump administration’s attempt to erase unflattering aspects of American history.

The order, which Trump signed last March, blamed the Biden administration for advancing a “corrosive ideology” at the nation’s historic sites.

“At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — where our Nation declared that all men are created equal — the prior administration sponsored training by an organization that advocates dismantling ‘Western foundations’ and ‘interrogating institutional racism’ and pressured National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist,” the order states.