Administration under Trump Orders Elimination of Prominent Image of Previously Enslaved Individual from National Park
In a move that has sparked controversy, the Trump administration has directed the National Park Service (NPS) to remove exhibits, signs, and materials linked to slavery from various NPS sites. The order, first reported by The Washington Post, was made around 2025.
The decision has been met with criticism from historians and education experts. Alan Spears, a historian with the National Parks Conservation Association, expressed his concern, stating, "Great countries don't hide from their history. They learn from it and when necessary, they confront it."
One of the materials flagged for removal is the book "Shackles," a children's picture book by Marjory Wentworth, which tells the story of children finding shackles while digging for treasure on Sullivan's Island. Sullivan's Island, a location where hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans passed through when brought to colonial America, is one of the sites affected by the order.
Another notable material is a photograph known as "The Scourged Back," featuring a man named Peter Gordon with scars on his back. This photograph was used to advance the abolitionist movement in the 19th century and was removed from Georgia's Fort Pulaski National Monument.
The order follows a Trump executive order from March that directed the Department of the Interior to ensure national parks don't contain content that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." The NPS spokesperson stated that materials that "disproportionately emphasize negative aspects" of U.S. history and fail to note "broader context" or "national progress" could "unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it."
Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania professor of history of education, commented on the situation, stating that Trump's efforts signal an "enormous increase in federal power and control over the things we learn." The removal of materials about slavery is not limited to the sites mentioned above, as materials have also been flagged for removal at West Virginia's Harpers Ferry National Historic Park and the President's House site in Philadelphia.
Books on slavery could also be barred at several parks sites in South Carolina, adding to the controversy surrounding the order. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how this decision will impact the understanding and learning about a significant period in U.S. history.
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