Trump Administration Swaps Out Slavery Exhibit at George Washington's Philadelphia Home

Historians say the replacement display is not historically accurate; city's mayor has objected

The Trump administration has removed a slavery-focused exhibition at the site of George Washington's former home in Philadelphia, replacing it with a different version that historians say is not historically accurate, The Associated Press reported, according to The Hill.

The exhibit, which had examined the enslaved people held by Washington while he lived and worked at the property, was swapped out on Wednesday. The change has drawn criticism from historians who question the accuracy of the new material now on display at the site.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, a Democrat, has weighed in on the alteration, though the full scope of her objections was not detailed. The episode adds to ongoing tension over how federal and local institutions present the history of slavery at sites tied to the nation's founding figures.

Washington's Philadelphia residence has for years served as a point of public reckoning with the first president's ownership of enslaved people, an aspect of his life that historians have worked to document more fully at historic sites in recent decades. The decision to alter the exhibition marks a departure from that trend, though further details on what the new display contains, and why the administration made the change, were not immediately available.

— Compiled from reporting by The Hill and The Associated Press.