A historic photograph of an enslaved man's scarred back—long a powerful symbol of a troubling part of America's past—is among the exhibits being removed from national parks under a Trump administration directive to downplay references to slavery and racial injustice, according to sources who spoke to the Washington Post. The sources say the administration has directed the National Park Service to remove exhibits and signage related to slavery, including the well-known 1863 photograph that opened the eyes of many in the North during the Civil War era. The move follows a March executive order from President Trump aimed at eliminating what the administration calls "corrosive ideology" in federal institutions—broadly interpreted to include references to racism, sexism, and other forms of historic injustice.
Internal policies now reportedly require park employees to report any materials deemed out of line with the new mandate, and visitors have even been encouraged to flag what they see as "offending" content. However, most public responses have criticized the administration's approach rather than the exhibits themselves, the sources say. The policy is playing out at sites such as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia, home to John Brown's raid and exhibits on slavery, and the President's House Site in Philadelphia, where George Washington kept enslaved people. Staff at Harpers Ferry have reportedly been told to cover or remove more than 30 signs referencing discrimination and the experiences of the formerly enslaved. (More, including warnings from scholars about what this means, at the Post.)
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