Overview

• Forty-five Philadelphia history organizations sent a Sept. 9 letter urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to drop plans to alter or remove exhibits at Independence National Historical Park.
• Visit Philadelphia CEO Angela Val said the agency will find a new public home in the historic district for any removed slavery-related panels or commission a replacement display if transfers are not permitted.
• The push follows President Trump’s March executive order directing Interior to ensure federal memorials avoid content deemed to inappropriately disparage Americans, specifically naming Independence National Historical Park.
• Park staff previously flagged more than a dozen exhibits for review, with the President’s House Site—where nine people enslaved by George Washington are memorialized—identified as a focal point; other sites were reportedly flagged as well.
• Media reports indicate edits could begin as early as Sept. 17, and the coalition’s letter set July 4, 2026 as a deadline for any changes tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.