Revised Slavery Panels Unveiled at Washington's Historic Site
WHO:
CNN - President Trump, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Michael Coard, Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC)
ABC News US - Trump Administration
WHAT:
CNN - The Lincoln Memorial Undercroft, a $69 million exhibit, opened on June 25 and features rare artifacts, including copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the U.S. Constitution's 13th Amendment.
City Cast DC - National Park Service employees reported that the display case for the historic documents has repeatedly reached temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a violation of professional standards for housing historic documents.
City Cast DC - Experts recommend that historic documents from the 19th Century should be stored at temperatures between 64F and 72F degrees to prevent decay.
CNN - The new panels will include information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement.
CNN - The replacement panels do not include critical headlines such as “The Dirty Business of Slavery.”
CNN - The city of Philadelphia intends to seek a rehearing “on serious legal issues” presented in the appeals court decision.
CNN - Michael Coard stated, “Trump is attempting to rewrite history,” during a press event near the site.
CNN - The Trump administration reworked and reinstalled panels about slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia.
CNN - The original panels were installed in 2010 and detailed the lives of nine slaves who lived with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s.
CNN - The new panels were installed on a Wednesday morning.
CNN - A lower court forced the federal government to remove the new panels in February after they had been installed earlier in the year.
CNN - A three-judge panel of the US 3rd Circuit of Appeals ruled on July 3 that the work could continue.
CNN - The new panels will include information on enslaved people, the abolitionist movement, the Constitution's treatment of slavery, the end of slavery in Pennsylvania, and perspectives from Washington and John Adams.
CNN - The replacement panels do not include details such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery.
WHERE:
CNN - The site is located in Philadelphia, specifically where the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
WHEN:
City Cast DC - The historic artifacts in the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft are on loan until June 2027.
CNN - The original panels were installed in 2010.
CNN - The new panels were installed on a Wednesday morning.
CNN - The ruling by the US 3rd Circuit of Appeals occurred on July 3.
WHY:
CNN - President Trump issued an executive order in 2025 to focus on the "greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people" at federally owned historic sites.
CNN - Critics argue that the new panels whitewash the history of slavery.
HOW:
ABC News US - The federal government removed the original panels "under the cover of darkness," as stated by Mayor Parker.
CNN - The federal government removed the original panels "under the cover of darkness" as stated by Mayor Parker.
CNN - The Justice Department argued that the administration alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties.
(UPDATED July 15, 2026 23:17 UTC)
The Lincoln Memorial Undercroft, a $69 million exhibit that opened on June 25, showcases rare artifacts, including copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the U.S. Constitution's 13th Amendment. However, National Park Service employees have reported that the display case for these historic documents has repeatedly exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which violates professional standards for their preservation. Experts advise that such 19th-century documents should ideally be kept at temperatures between 64 and 72 degrees to prevent decay, and these artifacts are on loan until June 2027.
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(UPDATED July 15, 2026 21:20 UTC)
The city of Philadelphia plans to seek a rehearing on serious legal issues related to an appeals court decision regarding the removal of historical panels, which Mayor Parker claims was done "under the cover of darkness." The new panels will feature information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement, but notably exclude critical headlines like “The Dirty Business of Slavery.” During a press event near the site, Michael Coard criticized Trump, stating, “Trump is attempting to rewrite history.”
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(UPDATED July 15, 2026 20:27 UTC)
President Trump has overseen the reinstallation of panels about slavery at George Washington’s home in Philadelphia, a project that follows a ruling from the US 3rd Circuit of Appeals allowing the work to continue. The new panels, installed on a Wednesday morning, will cover various topics including the abolitionist movement and perspectives from historical figures, although they omit details like slave trade routes. Critics, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, contend that these changes represent a whitewashing of history, as the original panels were removed "under the cover of darkness" following Trump's executive order aimed at highlighting American achievements at historic sites.