PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After a lengthy court battle over displays at the President’s House on Independence Mall, the National Park Service installed new materials overnight, shifting the focus off of the slaves held at the site.
Gone is the focus on the nine people President George Washington held enslaved in the house, when it served as the first White House in the 1790s. Instead, the new materials assert that Washington had “doubts” about slavery and took steps to reduce it in his own household.
Installation of the new panels was expected, since the Third Circuit Court of Appeals gave the final go-ahead two weeks ago. Michael Coard, the driving force behind the original exhibit, said he intends to keep fighting, though he did not specify what action he might take.
“This is much bigger than changing the story of slavery in Philadelphia. This is changing the history of America,” he said. “Every American should be frightened that the government could come in and, out of whole cloth, fabricate what it wants American history to be.”
The Interior Department defended the new panels, saying they are “full of historical context and highlight the momentous events that took place in the President’s House.” In an emailed statement, it said, “They acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies” — language taken directly from the Third Circuit Court’s ruling on the dispute.
The exhibit was targeted by the Trump administration after an executive order that national park exhibits should not disparage founding fathers. In January, workers removed the displays, but the city sued, and a federal judge ordered they be restored. They were about halfway back up when the Third Circuit Court halted the work. Earlier this month, the court dismissed the city’s claims and approved the installation of the new panels.
The new panels can be seen on the National Park Service website.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city intends to seek a rehearing of the “serious legal issues” in the Third Circuit Court’s ruling. She said the fact that the panels were replaced overnight, “under cover of darkness … shows [the government] understands the action is shameful.”
