A judge accused the U.S. government of trying to rewrite history by removing exhibits in Philadelphia.
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Published February 17, 2026
A U.S. judge has ordered the National Park Service (NPS) to restore an exhibit about nine people enslaved by former President George Washington at a historic site in Philadelphia.
Monday’s ruling came after the city of Philadelphia sued President Donald Trump’s administration over the removal of several interpretive panels at Independence National Historical Park, where Washington lived with his wife in the 1790s.
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The removal came in response to President Trump’s order to restore “the truth and sanity of American history” to the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. It directed the Department of the Interior to ensure the site does not display elements that are “inappropriately disparaging of past or living Americans.”
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Roof ruled that all materials must be restored to their original condition pending litigation challenging the legality of the removal. She barred Trump officials from installing replacements that would explain history differently.
In a scathing 40-page judgment, Roof accused the federal government of trying to erase American history, much like the fictional authoritarian regime that ruled George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.”
“As if George Orwell’s “1984” Ministry of Truth now exists with the motto “Ignorance is Power,” this court is now being asked to determine whether the federal government has the authority it claims to have, the power to deconstruct and dismantle historical truth when it has a certain amount of territory over it,” Roof wrote. “it’s not.”
Roof warned Trump administration lawyers during a hearing in January that they were making “dangerous” and “terrifying” statements that government officials could choose which parts of U.S. history are shown on the NPS site.
There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration.
The historic site is one of several locations where the Trump administration has quietly removed content about the history of enslaved peoples and Native Americans. This included a sign in Grand Canyon National Park that said settlers had “displaced” Native American tribes from their lands and “exploited” the landscape for mining and grazing to establish the park.
President Trump’s order also leads to the restoration of Confederate statues and other efforts that civil rights advocates say could reverse decades of social progress and undermine recognition of an important stage in U.S. history.
The Philadelphia exhibit was created 20 years ago in collaboration with city and federal authorities and included biographical details for each of the nine people enslaved by the Washingtons in their home, including two who escaped.
Local politicians and black community leaders celebrated the ruling, which came as many people rallied at the site to demand repairs.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the community won a victory over the Trump administration’s attempts to “whitewash history.”
“Philadelphians fought back and I couldn’t be more proud that we stood together,” he said.
State Representative Brendan Boyle, who also represents Philadelphia, welcomed the ruling.
“I’m proud of our country and its founding principles, and that means telling the full truth about our history, both the good and the bad.”
