Donald Trump’s administration has taken a major step in reshaping how America’s history is told. Federal officials confirmed yesterday that the National Park Service has begun removing or flagging slavery-related signs, exhibits, and images at historic sites across the country.
One of the most striking removals involves the 1863 photograph known as “The Scourged Back,” which shows the deep scars left on the back of an enslaved man. That image shows slavery’s brutality. Under Trump’s March executive order, called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the picture and other exhibits are being taken down.
Sites like Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia and the President’s House site in Philadelphia, where George Washington enslaved people, are also under review. Park officials have been directed to identify content considered “disparaging” or “divisive” toward America’s founding figures.
Trump’s administration argues it is about “restoring balance” and celebrating the nation’s achievements.
