Multiple national parks have been ordered to remove exhibits and photos relating to slavery, according to a source.
The Washington Post has reported that the order came from the Trump administration.
They have quoted 'four people familiar with the matter' had shared the news that signs and exhibits relating to slavery are to be taken down from the parks.
One of the scenes to be removed is a famous historic photograph of a man who had previously been enslaved, displaying the scars on his back.
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The sources apparently spoke on the condition that they would be kept anonymous because they were not permitted to speak to the media.
They also said that the removal comes from an executive order Donald Trump signed in March, where he directed the Interior Department to remove any 'corrosive ideology' which could be seen to be offensive or disparaging about historic Americans.
According to the Post, in light of this executive order, National Park Service officials are 'interpreting that directive to apply to information on racism, sexism, slavery, gay rights or persecution of Indigenous people'.
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In the wake of the executive order, agency employees were urged to report any signage or gift shop items that would fall foul of the order. They also asked park visitors to report any material that went against the rules.
Trump used his executive order to specifically name the 'corrosive ideology' at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park. This was the place where the founders signed the Declaration of Independence.
According to the sources, information has been removed from the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia, at a site where the abolitionist John Brown aimed to arm rebel slaves. More than 30 signs have reportedly been flagged for removal.
Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor in the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Post: “This represents an enormous increase in federal power and control over the things we learn, brought to you by the team that says education should be state and local.”
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At another national park, Park Service officials are removing a famous photograph called 'The Scourged Back'.
It was taken in 1863, and features the scarred back of a man believed to be called Peter Gordon.
The wounds were said to be inflicted by his masters when he was enslaved.
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Anne Cross, an expert in 19th-century photography, explained: “The bodies of enslaved people like Peter Gordon revealed to them realities they had never seen with their own eyes before and in many cases, it altered their political opinions about the need to defeat the Confederacy and preserve the Union."
Park Service spokesperson Rachel Pawlitz released a statement confirming that all signage is under review.
“Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,” it reads.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Jen Thomas