Judge orders slavery exhibit must be restored at President's House in Philadelphia
Slavery exhibit at President's House restored: what we know
A federal judge has ordered the Department of the Interior to immediately restore slavery exhibits at the President’s House site in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park.
PHILADELPHIA - A federal judge has ordered the Department of the Interior to immediately restore slavery exhibits at the President’s House site in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park.
What we know:
In a memorandum filed Monday, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe granted a preliminary injunction in favor of the City of Philadelphia, effectively halting the federal government's efforts to alter the historic site under a recent executive order.
The judge ruled that the federal government’s removal of the displays was unlawful, "arbitrary and capricious."
Immediate restoration
The court found that the removal of the displays caused "irreparable harm" by erasing historical truth and undermining public trust.
Judge Rufe mandated that all 34 panels and video exhibits must be re-installed; removed items must not be damaged or destroyed; and further alterations made to the site must be made with the written mutual agreement of the City of Philadelphia.
150 rally in Philadelphia after National Park Service removes slavery exhibit
About 150 people rallied at Philadelphia’s President’s House site, demanding the National Park Service restore slavery exhibit panels recently removed, as legal and community efforts continue.
What we don't know:
The judge has yet to give a deadline date for when the removed panels and video exhibits must be returned and restored to the site.
What they're saying:
The court’s opinion likened the government’s actions to the totalitarian regime in George Orwell’s "1984."
"As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's ‘1984’ now existed…this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims to dissemble and disassemble historical truths," Judge Rufe wrote. "It does not."
The judge rejected the government’s argument that it had the absolute right to "choose the message it wants to convey" at federal sites. The opinion noted that an agency cannot "arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership."
Mayor Cherelle Parker responds
"As mayor of Philadelphia and a student of history, please know that I am grateful for the judge's decision," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in an Instagram reel posted Tuesday afternoon. "It is with this in mind that I want to thank each of the parties that submitted amicus briefs in support of the city's case."
"This summer, Philadelphia will lead a litany of semiquincentennial celebrations in honor of America's 250th birthday," she said. "Please know that we will do so with a great deal of pride, a pride that comes from acknowledging all of our history and all of our truth, no matter how painful it may be."
"It will be the truth when it's told accurately," Parker added. "We will not allow anyone to erase our history."
Interior Department to file an appeal
The other side:
The Office of Communications for the Department of the Interior said in a statement provided to FOX 29 that it disagrees with the court's ruling.
"The National Park Service routinely updates exhibits across the park system to ensure historical accuracy and completeness," the statement read. "If not for this unnecessary judicial intervention, updated interpretive materials providing a fuller account of the history of slavery at Independence Hall would have been installed in the coming days. The Department is planning to file an appeal."
Slavery exhibits removed from President's House at Independence National Historical Park
National Park Service workers removed slavery exhibits at the President’s House site at Independence National Historical Park on Thursday. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have both responded to the removal, with the city reviewing its agreement with the federal government regarding exhibit changes.
The backstory:
The legal battle centers on the President’s House, the site of the first official presidential residence used by George Washington and John Adams.
The open-air exhibit, which opened in 2010, memorialized nine enslaved people owned by George Washington, and addressed the history of slavery in early America.
Removal of slavery exhibits at the President’s House in Philly sparks controversy
The removal of exhibits depicting slavery at the President’s House in Philadelphia has sparked strong reactions, with city officials taking legal action and community members posting signs of their own in protest.
On January 22, the National Park Service removed 34 educational panels and deactivated accompanying video exhibits under an executive order that directed the Secretary of the Interior to remove content that "inappropriately disparage[s] Americans past or living" and to focus instead on "the greatness of the achievements…of the American people."
The City of Philadelphia sued, arguing that the removal violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and breached decades-old cooperative agreements.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from court documents, a statement from the Dept. of the Interior, Instagram and previous reporting by FOX 29.