Court Blocks Trump Administration From Altering Washington Slavery Display
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit detailing the lives of nine people enslaved by George Washington at his former Philadelphia residence, ruling that its removal likely violated federal law.
The decision, issued on Presidents Day by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, requires the National Park Service to reinstall the explanatory panels at Independence National Historical Park while litigation over the exhibit’s removal continues.
Philadelphia Challenges Exhibit Removal
The city of Philadelphia filed suit in January after the National Park Service removed the panels from the historic site, where George and Martha Washington lived during the 1790s when Philadelphia served briefly as the nation’s capital.
The removal followed an executive order issued by Donald Trump directing federal agencies to eliminate displays that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.” The order, described as an effort to restore “truth and sanity” to American history, prompted changes at several federal sites.
Judge Rufe ruled that all materials must be returned in their original form and barred officials from replacing them with altered interpretations. She did not set a deadline for compliance. Federal officials may appeal.
Judge Invokes Orwell In Sharp Rebuke
Rufe, appointed by George W. Bush, opened her written opinion with a reference to 1984, comparing the administration’s actions to the fictional “Ministry of Truth” that rewrote history to suit political goals.
“As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts,” Rufe wrote. “It does not.”
During earlier hearings, she described Justice Department arguments defending the removal as “dangerous” and “horrifying.”
Stories Of Enslaved People At Washington’s Philadelphia Home
The exhibit, created about 20 years ago through a partnership between city and federal officials, presented biographical details about nine enslaved people who lived at the Washington residence.
Among them was Oney Judge, born into slavery at Mount Vernon who escaped from the Philadelphia household in 1796 and fled to New Hampshire. Washington declared her a fugitive and placed advertisements seeking her return. In 2022, the Park Service designated the site as part of a national Underground Railroad network recognizing acts of resistance to enslavement.
Judge Rufe noted that removing information about Oney Judge concealed the site’s connection to that network.
Only the engraved names of Oney Judge and the others — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Richmond, Giles, Moll, Joe, and Christopher Sheels — remained after federal employees reportedly used a crowbar to remove plaques on January 22.
Hercules also escaped in 1797 after being returned to Mount Vernon and later lived in New York City under the name Hercules Posey.
Broader Changes At Federal Historic Sites
The Philadelphia site is not the only location where historical content has been altered. At Grand Canyon National Park, signage referencing the displacement of Native American tribes and exploitation of land resources has reportedly been removed.
At Stonewall National Monument, a rainbow flag was taken down, and references to transgender participants in the 1969 uprising were removed from federal webpages.
Local elected officials and Black community leaders gathered at the Philadelphia site to rally for restoration. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the ruling reflected community resistance to what he called an effort to “whitewash our history.”
“Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together,” Kenyatta said.
The Interior Department had not publicly commented on the ruling as of Monday evening.
