Since the truth-telling interpretive panels were swapped for President Trump’s Orwellian signs, National Park Rangers and US Police are watching people at the President’s House Site.
In the coming weeks, the Park Service will install Verkada surveillance equipment, including two security camera module trailers, zoom camera, bullet camera, fisheye camera and four-camera multisensor camera.
The Orwellian surveillance system will not be installed to protect the public. According to the National Park Service Incident Reports, there were no incidents at the President’s House Site from 2002-2025. The cameras will monitor peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights.
Without their permission, the faces of people who visit the President’s House or walk pass the site on their way to the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall will be scanned. Their biometric data will be stored and accessible by police agencies.
Avenging The Ancestors Coalition is convening a “First Amendment: Know Your Rights” town hall via Zoom.
Registration is required. To register, click here.
Under the cover of darkness, the National Park Service replaced the interpretive panels that told the story of the paradox of slavery and liberty at the President’s House. The new Orwellian panels are a mix of obfuscations, omissions, equivocations and oxymorons.
In the name of “restoring truth and sanity to American history,” President Trump has turned the President’s House into an armed camp. The site is surrounded by National Park Service Rangers, U.S. Park Police and vehicles, and new security cameras.
This is what fascism looks like. Visitors on their way to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall will pass the President’s House Site with Big Brother watching.
During a press conference, Michael Coard, founder of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition, said, “This is nothing more than Big Brother’s Ministry of Truth, where the government turns the truth into a lie and the lie into a truth.”
President Trump’s Ministry of Truth claims the enslaved Africans living in the first executive mansion experienced a “modicum of freedom.” One is either free or enslaved. At the President’s House, as at Mount Vernon, President George Washington had absolute control over Austin, Christopher Sheels, Giles, Hercules, Joe, Moll, Oney Judge, Paris and Richmond.
While erasing the horrors of slavery, Trump’s revisionists note the president’s “discomfort” with slavery. Washington’s alleged “discomfort” did not lead him to free a single enslaved person in his lifetime. He pursued Ona Judge until the day he died. Ona was never caught.
Washington stole the labor and freedom of hundreds of enslaved Black people. The propagandists highlight a single instance when “Hercules’ son Richmond was caught stealing at Mount Vernon.” While Big Brother uses a racist trope, Washington recognized the theft was an act of resistance. In a letter to his farm manager, William Pearce, Washington suspected it was for “the purpose perhaps of a journey together.” Hercules self-emancipated from Mount Vernon three months later.
The City remains committed to the honest and accurate portrayal of history at the President’s House. A portrayal that was the hard-fought and hard-won result of the effort of countless federal, state, and local officials as well as advocates, including Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, dedicated to telling the truth. A broad coalition of people who worked together to identify, create, design, fund, and implement the President’s House. They did not always agree, but together they reached agreement. They shared a truth that I hold self-evident: you cannot erase American history.
Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President’s House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia. It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust. Which it is, and which it does. But the fight is not over, as we will continue the fight.
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To my fellow Philadelphians and Americans, please know: I will continue fighting on behalf of everyone who supports the core belief: All of our history must be told.”
History should not be rewritten or erased because it is difficult or uncomfortable. Removing educational materials that document the experiences of the enslaved people who lived and labored at the President’s House does not change what happened. It only denies future generations the opportunity to learn from our past.
The decision to remove these panels by the U.S. Government this week only reinforces how troubling this action is. Carrying out these removals violated the community’s trust and diminished a site built through years of public engagement, collaboration, and consensus.
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Removing the original exhibits is an effort to continue whitewashing American history. Removing items from the President’s House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record.
Ona “Oney” Judge (c. 1773-1848) was an enslaved Black woman held in bondage by George Washington and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon and the President’s House in Philadelphia. As Martha Washington’s personal servant, Ona was responsible for dressing and bathing her, managing her wardrobe, mending clothing, and cleaning personal rooms.
Ona “absconded” from the President’s House on May 21, 1796.
Ona was never caught.
Philadelphia City Council recently passed a resolution designating May 21 annually as “Ona Judge Day.”
City Council also recognized Michael Coard and Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) for their “sustained advocacy to ensure the truth about slavery at the President’s House is told, preserved, and publicly recognized.”
Join ATAC on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 3:30 pm for their 23rd annual Ona “Oney” Judge celebration at the President’s House Site.
May is Preservation Month, an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the importance of preserving historic places and cultural heritage. This year’s theme, “all people are created equal,” focuses on places that tell the full American story.
As the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, preservation demands urgency, honesty, and accountability. The words “all people are created equal” did not include Black people. The built environment carries the evidence of that contradiction.
At its core, historic preservation is about storytelling. At my upcoming walking tour, Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia, we will visit historic landmarks to tell the story of President George Washington’s enslaved chief cook. Places like Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall and Christ Church.
We will stop at sites that hold Hercules’ story. Sites such as Ricketts Circus and the High Street Market. We will also stroll down the 100 block of Black Horse Alley which was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places’ Historic Street Paving Thematic District in 1998. Some of the granite blocks date back to Hercules’ time in Philadelphia.
Walking in Hercules Posey’s Footsteps will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is free but reservations are required. To reserve a spot, go here.
In a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed, Michael Coard, founder of ATAC, wrote:
These were not restorations. They were revisions — an attempt to soften and sanitize George Washington’s deep involvement in slavery, recasting a man who enslaved African men, women, and children from the age of 11 until his death as someone merely “uncomfortable” with the institution. They even suggest the enslaved in Philadelphia experienced a “modicum of autonomy.”
Let’s be clear: There is no autonomy in enslavement.
If Washington felt “discomfort,” imagine the lived reality of the 316 African descendants he held in bondage. If NPS believes “autonomy” applies to human beings in chains, then it fundamentally misunderstands the brutality of slavery.
From his first breath at Pope’s Creek to his last breath at Mount Vernon, Washington was surrounded by enslaved people. Throughout his life, he was involved with the institution of slavery. While his views on slavery changed over time, Washington’s private musings are trumped by his public actions.
Fact is, Washington did not emancipate an enslaved person during his lifetime.
Washington “owned” outright 123 Black people. His personal servant, William “Billy” Lee, was the only one given “immediate freedom” upon Washington’s death. The remaining 122 enslaved people were to be freed after Martha Washington’s death.
Washington owned, bought, sold, rented and bargained for Black people. He pursued those who dared to seek their freedom. From 1771 to his death in 1799, he pursued freedom seekers including Harry, Hercules Posey and Ona Judge.
I am nominating President Washington’s enslaved chief cook, Hercules Posey, for a Pennsylvania historical marker. I will submit the nomination on May 15, 2026 in commemoration of the 214th anniversary of his death.
On Saturday, May 16, 2026, I will lead a walking tour of people, places and events in Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia. To join us, send your name and email address to phillyjazzapp@gmail.com.
This weekend, I led a teach-in at the President’s House Site organized by the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides.
There was a steady stream of visitors to the site. Most were aware that the National Park Service removed the interpretive signs and were ordered to reinstall them. However, they were surprised the President’s House Site has not been restored to its physical status as of January 21, 2026 as ordered by U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.
The Department of the Interior appealed Judge Rufe’s order to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Full restoration of the site was paused by Judge Thomas M. Hardiman. As the lawsuit, City of Philadelphia v. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, et al., moves through the federal courts, the President’s House Site will remain partially restored.
On the two-month anniversary of the removal of the interpretive panels, CBS Sunday Morning aired a report, “Signs of the times: Removing stories of America’s past from our national parks.”
Jim Axelrod interviewed Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources at the National Parks Conservation Association.
Spears has a clear message for those who cannot handle the truth about the “nuanced nature of our history”:
If you are thinking about visiting a national park, if you don’t want to tackle any of these large issues that make you think critically about race and slavery, and gender and other things like that, there are hundreds of thousands of places in the United States where you can go. Knock yourself out at Six Flags but don’t ruin it for the rest of us who have come to rely on national parks as places for that learning.
We want to maintain their ability, unimpaired, to be able to talk about the full scope of our history – wonder, warts and all.
President Trump wants to erase the fact-based history told at the President’s House Site. Removal of the interpretive panels is a “sign o’ the times.”
The fight to save the President’s House has brought renewed interest in the nine Africans enslaved by President George Washington in the shadow of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
Washington’s enslaved cook, Hercules Posey, the nation’s first celebrity chef, managed the kitchen at the President’s House. He became an ancestor on May 15, 1812. To honor his memory, I will submit my nomination of Hercules for a Pennsylvania historical marker on May 15, 2026.
Before Hercules, there was Hannah Archer Hill (1721-1826). Born into slavery, Hannah was General George Washington’s enslaved cook during the grueling winter at the Valley Forge encampment.
Hannah and her husband, Isaac, purchased their freedom in December 1778. She continued to work for General Washington as a salaried cook through all of his campaigns for the next six and a half years. For six months, her services were lent to the Marquis de Lafayette, who led troops under the command of General Washington.
The position of personal cook to the Commander-in-Chief required culinary skills as well as unwavering loyalty due to the threat of assassination by poisoning.
Following the Revolutionary War, Hannah and Issac made their home in Philadelphia where she lived until her death at age 105.
In 2015, Hannah was honored for her contributions during the Revolutionary War. She was recognized as a Patriot by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). A plaque was installed on her headstone in Historic Eden Cemetery. A DAR chapter was named in her honor.
During his triumphal tour of America, the Marquis de Lafayette stopped in Philadelphia in September 1824. Lafayette’s whirlwind of events included a three-mile-long welcoming parade, a temporary arch, and a Grand Ball where Francis “Frank” Johnson, a forefather of jazz, performed his composition, General La Fayette Bugle Waltz.
Lafayette made time to visit Hannah. When he learned that “Aunt Hannah” was behind on her ground rent, Lafayette sent her money to pay off her debt. The site of Hannah’s residence is a stop on my walking tour, Hercules Posey’s Philadelphia.
To be added to the mailing list for the walking tour, send your name and email address to andersonatlarge@gmail.com.
The recent Executive Order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” represents a disturbing attack on core institutions and the public presentation of history, and indeed on historians and history itself. The directive seeks to limit the ways in which history is taught to the public and understood, especially by discouraging the incorporation of perspectives that might challenge simplified, one-dimensional, and biased views of American history. The implications of this order are far-reaching and challenge the historian’s profession to its very core. It proposes to rewrite history to reflect a glorified narrative that downplays or disappears elements of America’s history—slavery, segregation, discrimination, division—while suppressing the voices of historically excluded groups.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. John Cole’s editorial cartoon, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, speaks volumes about President Trump’s efforts to censor uncomfortable truths about the paradox of slavery and liberty at the President’s House.
In her order, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe directed the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to restore the President’s House Site to its physical status on January 21, 2026.
The Defendants appealed Judge Rufe’s order. Restoration of the President’s House was paused by Judge Thomas M. Hardiman of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The federal government does not have to fully restore the President’s House Site for the duration of the lawsuit. Judge Hardiman ordered the federal government to preserve the slavery memorial’s physical status on February 20, 2026.
Congressman Brendan F. Boyle has introduced legislation to permanently restore the President’s House Site. The Protecting American History Act requires the National Park Service to restore the federal slavery memorial to its physical status on January 21, 2026.
Congressman Boyle said:
The Trump administration’s decision to remove slavery-related exhibits at Independence National Historical Park was wrong. We are the United States of America. We don’t censor our history, and I am not going to allow the Trump administration to start censoring our nation’s history. So federal legislation is clearly needed.
Rep. Boyle’s bill would prohibit any future changes of any kind at Independence National Historical Park, which includes the President’s House Site, without prior approval from Congress. Reps. Dwight Evans and Mary Gay Scanlon are lead co-sponsors of the legislation.
UPDATES: The President’s House Site was featured in the CBS Sunday Morning report, “Signs of the times: Removing stories of America’s past from our national parks,” aired on March 22, 2026.
In the wake of U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe’s order to restore the President’s House Site to its physical status as of January 21, 2026, the National Park Service began to reinstall the interpretive panels that were yanked from the walls.
The deadline to restore the President’s House Site was February 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM. The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service appealed Judge Rufe’s order to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
With an hour to go before the 5:00 PM deadline, Judge Thomas M. Hardiman granted a stay of execution. The federal government does not have to fully restore the President’s House Site for the duration of the appeal. Judge Hardiman ordered the federal government to preserve the slavery memorial’s physical status as of February 20, 2026.
The federal government cannot remove the 16 interpretive glass panels that were reinstalled or turn off the four functioning video monitors (the fifth monitor was nonfunctional prior to January 21, 2026). So, for the foreseeable future, the President’s House Site will be a mashup of the original glass panels and signs of creative resistance.
I spent the first day of Black History Month at the President’s House Site. Twenty days later, I was back at the slavery memorial leading a Truth in History Teach-In organized by the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides. I shared stories about the nine Black enslaved people who worked and lived in the shadow of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. I told the history that President Trump wants to whitewash, including Ona Judge who “absconded from the household of the President of the United States” on May 21, 1796.
Nine months later, President Washington’s enslaved chef, Hercules Posey, self-emancipated from Mount Vernon on February 22, 1797, Washington’s 65th birthday.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week in 1926 to honor African American contributions that were “overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.” February was chosen because Black Americans already celebrated the birthdays of the Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and the Great Orator Frederick Douglass (February 14).
One hundred years ago, to help highlight these achievements, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. We are grateful to him today for his initiative, and we are richer for the work of his organization.
Freedom and the recognition of individual rights are what our Revolution was all about. They were ideals that inspired our fight for Independence: ideals that we have been striving to live up to ever since. Yet it took many years before these ideals became a reality for black citizens.
Fifty years later, President Donald Trump is sending a different message. Trump aggregates unto himself the authority to overlook, ignore and suppress Black history, and whitewash “what our Revolution was all about.”
Without notice to the City of Philadelphia, the National Park Service dismantled the President’s House Site which opened on December 15, 2010 after years of cooperation between the Park Service, the City and the public.
On the eve of Black History Month, a hearing was held (here and here) in federal district court on the City’s complaint for a preliminary injunction to stop the suppression of the history of slavery. The City wants U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe to order the Defendants to restore the President’s House Site to its status as of January 21, 2026.
The Defendants claim “the National Park Service is the sole decision maker as to what is exhibited on its property.” They claim that Trump has absolute authority to order the signs removed. The “administration issued the executive order that resulted in this action… The government gets to choose the message it wants to convey.”
Judge Rufe said “that’s a dangerous statement. That’s horrifying to listen to. [History] changes on the whim of someone in charge? Sorry. That’s not what we elected anybody for.”
Judge Rufe plans to inspect the displays removed from the President’s House. She also will visit the site. When she does, she will see the Park Service cleared the snow on Independence Mall and left the President’s House Site covered in snow and ice.
Judge Rufe is likely to issue her ruling in March 2026.
In the meantime, I spent the first day of Black History Month at the President’s House Site. I posted the “runaway slave” ad that Frederick Kitt, steward of the presidential household, placed in the Philadelphia Gazette & Universal Daily Advertiser offering a ten-dollar reward for the return of Oney Judge who “absconded from the household of the President of the United States.”
It was heartwarming to see the steady stream of visitors in the bitter cold and the creative forms of resistance.
As soon as the weather breaks, I plan to reserve People’s Plaza, the public square near the President’s House Site where protesting is allowed. I will set up my boombox and play protest songs. I expect the Park Service will “say my music’s too loud.”
UPDATE: On February 2, 2026, Judge Cynthia M. Rufe conducted a visual inspection of the signs removed from the President’s House Site by the National Park Service. Thirty-four panels were removed, some of which “exhibited damage.” The panels are stored in a secure location at the National Constitution Center.
“The government is ORDERED to continue to securely store all removed panels and to mitigate any further deterioration or damage.”
With respect to the Memorial, the enclosed space near the entrance to the Liberty Bell Center that is in the footprint of President Washington’s slave quarters, “no further removal and/or destruction of the President’s House site will be permitted until further order of the Court.”
