{"id":12447,"date":"2026-02-17T08:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12447"},"modified":"2026-02-17T08:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T08:32:16","slug":"judge-orders-trump-administration-to-restore-philadelphia-slavery-exhibit-slavery-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12447","title":{"rendered":"Judge orders Trump administration to restore Philadelphia slavery exhibit | Slavery News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Judge accuses the US government of trying to rewrite history by taking down the exhibit in the city of Philadelphia.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 17 Feb 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">17 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A judge in the United States has ordered the National Park Service (NPS) to restore an exhibit about nine people who were enslaved by former President George Washington at a historical site in the city of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling on Monday came after Philadelphia sued President Donald Trump\u2019s administration over the takedown of several explanatory panels at the Independence National Historical Park, the site where Washington lived with his wife in the 1790s.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The removal came in response to a Trump executive order to restore \u201ctruth and sanity to American history\u201d at the nation\u2019s museums, parks and landmarks. It directed the Interior Department to ensure the sites do not display elements that \u201cinappropriately disparage Americans past or living\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>US District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled that all materials must be restored in their original condition while the lawsuit challenging the removal\u2019s legality plays out. She prohibited Trump officials from installing replacements that explain the history differently.<\/p>\n<p>In her scathing 40-page decision, Rufe accused the federal government of trying to erase US history, much like the fictional authoritarian regime that ruled George Orwell\u2019s dystopian novel 1984.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell\u2019s 1984 now existed, with its motto \u2018Ignorance is Strength,\u2019 this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims \u2013 to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts,\u201d Rufe wrote. \u201cIt does not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rufe had warned Trump administration lawyers during a hearing in January that they were making \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201chorrifying\u201d statements when they said government officials could choose which parts of US history to display at NPS sites.<\/p>\n<p>There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>The historical site is among several where the Trump administration has quietly removed content about the history of enslaved people and Native Americans. This included signage at the Grand Canyon National Park, which said settlers pushed Native American tribes \u201coff their land\u201d for the park to be established and \u201cexploited\u201d the landscape for mining and grazing.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s orders have also led to the restoration of Confederate statues and other moves \u200cthat \u200ccivil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress and undermine the acknowledgment of critical phases of US history.<\/p>\n<p>The Philadelphia exhibit, created two decades ago in a partnership between the city and federal officials, included biographical details about each of the nine people enslaved by the Washingtons at the home, including two who escaped.<\/p>\n<p>Several local politicians and Black community leaders celebrated the ruling, which came while many were out rallying at the site for its restoration.<\/p>\n<p>State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the community had prevailed against an attempt by the Trump administration to \u201cwhitewash our history\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhiladelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>State Representative Brendan Boyle, who also represents Philadelphia, welcomed the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud of our country and its founding ideals. That means we tell the full truth about our history, the good and the bad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge accuses the US government of trying to rewrite history by taking down the exhibit in the city of Philadelphia. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 17 Feb 202617 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A judge in the United States has ordered the National Park Service (NPS) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-canada-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}