Independence Park exhibit and displays flagged over Trump order
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The Liberty Bell. Photo: Courtesy of the National Park Service
The Trump administration is reviewing several items at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park as part of a nationwide effort to fight "corrosive ideology" at national parks, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The move follows the president's order from March, which called for the restoration of federal parks, public monuments, statues and the like that have been changed or removed since 2020 "to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history."
- Park staff had until last week to flag such displays or materials, per internal documents reviewed by the NYT.
- The public could also offer feedback through July 18.
State of play: At Independence Park, employees marked the following exhibits to be reviewed, per the NYT:
- A panel at the Liberty Bell that describes the bell's travels across the country during the late 1800s, which employees noted addresses racism and sexism at the time.
- The President's House outdoor exhibit itself, which highlights nine of Washington's slaves and includes descriptions of brutality against slaves.
- And displays addressing the federal government's strained relationship with Native American tribes.
Meanwhile, Independence Park received fewer than 20 comments through public submissions, U.S. Department of the Interior spokesperson Alyse Sharpe tells Axios.
- All public feedback will be reviewed and evaluated before being referred to a subject-matter expert, she added.
The White House and the National Park Service didn't immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
Catch up quick: Trump has called for focusing on the greatness of the achievements of the American people or grandeur of the landscape, per his March order.
- He also directed the secretary of the interior to make sure federal monuments, markers and sites don't "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living."
Zoom out: National Park Service employees from across the U.S. have also submitted content and displays at their parks and historic sites stemming from Trump's order, the NYT reports.
- Those sites include the National Mall in Washington, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
What they're saying: "This effort reinforces our commitment to telling the full and accurate story of our nation's past," Sharpe said.
The other side: Philly preservationist Faye Anderson, a founder of PHL Watchdog, worries that any attempts to alter or remove materials at Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed) could "erase Black history and whitewash American history."
- "In Philadelphia in particular, you cannot tell the story of America without telling the story of slavery," she tells Axios. "Our history is complicated and messy."
What's next: The deadline to remove all "inappropriate" content from parks is Sept. 17, per the NYT.
