By Betsey Piette
April 15, 2026

Philadelphia — In an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to whitewash U.S. history, on April 8 the National Park Service uploaded renderings of 11 proposed revisionist new panels for the Presidents House exhibit near the Liberty Bell. The proposed new panels seek to sanitize George Washington’s role as the enslaver of nine individuals at the first “White House” in Philadelphia by putting the first U.S. president in a more sympathetic light.

The Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) advocated and led the work over 20 years to establish the site — one of the only federal memorials recognizing the lives of enslaved Africans. ATAC’s press release issued April 9 called the proposed changes unacceptable, “deeply offensive” and “yet another troubling attempt to distort and censor American history.”

On April 10, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration is prohibited from making changes to the site while its appeal of a lower court injunction from February remains in force.

Offensive nature of Trump panels

Trump’s effort to sanitize Washington’s role in enslavement includes panels with statements like: “Slaves living in the President’s House experienced a greater modicum of autonomy than elsewhere in the South such as to explore the city and sometimes even attend the theater, with Washington buying the tickets.”

In his effort to portray Washington more favorably, the same panel titled “Presidents Washington and Adams on Slavery” says: “Caught between his private doubts about slavery and his public responsibility as president, George Washington navigated a nation deeply divided over slavery. … Privately, George Washington often expressed discomfort with the institution and a desire to see it abolished, yet as a Virginia plantation owner, his wealth and livelihood were deeply tied to it.”

Two of the proposed new panels titled “Celebrating Independence Throughout the Years” detail milestones the administration felt worthy of note, including the Union Army in the Civil War and the role they claim Christianity played in the abolition movement. What’s left out, among many things, is the importance of the artifacts related to enslavement that were found during the archaeological dig, especially in the basement where the nine people enslaved by Washington to serve him while he was living in the President’s House in Philadelphia carried out tasks.

‘The Dirty Business of Slavery’

The original panels that were removed on the administration’s orders in January 2026 tell a far different story. They explained that Washington held nine Africans in bondage in Philadelphia, despite prohibitions against enslavement in Pennsylvania. The graves of some of those enslaved were uncovered in 2002 during the relocation of the Liberty Bell.

One panel at the President’s House depicted Washington’s hand holding a quill signing the infamous 1793 Fugitive Slave Act that put those who escaped enslavement at risk of recapture for the rest of their lives. A posse of white men with clubs and guns are in the background shooting at four Black men escaping from enslavement.

Another of the original panels called “Life Under Slavery” illustrated the deprivation of food, clothing and shelter, whippings, beatings, torture and rapes endured by enslaved people. There was never a mention of alleged “theater tickets.”

While the new panels claim to tell the story of enslavement in the United States, they gloss over the specific history of the nine people enslaved by Washington in Philadelphia: Austin and Paris — horsemen and stable hands; Hercules — the chief cook; Christopher Sheels — Washington’s personal attendant; Richmond — Hercules’ son and kitchen worker; Giles — a driver and stable hand; Ona Marie Judge — Martha Washington’s personal maid; Moll — nursemaid to the Washingtons’ grandchildren; and Joe Richardson — a stable hand.

Since court hearings on the administration’s initial actions in removing the panels and then failing to restore them as ordered by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe on Jan. 21 are still pending, this struggle is a long way from resolution. But it’s not enough to rely on the courts. The battle must be returned to the streets where it first began.

ATAC founder Michael Coard said: “No one person — no president, no administration — has the right to dictate what history we tell. The truth is not optional. We will not stand by quietly while anyone attempts to erase, distort or whitewash the reality of slavery and its legacy in this country.” (ATAC press release)