How Trump Brought the Fight Over American History to Philadelphia

Nytimes reports that workers arrived unannounced with crowbars on Jan. 22 and pried 30 interpretive signs from the walls of the President’s House, an open-air site in Philadelphia that commemorates George Washington and the enslaved people who served him. The removals have made the site a focal point in a larger political battle over how American history is presented.

The National Park Service said it was complying with President Trump’s executive order calling for the removal or revision of displays that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living." The signs at the President’s House had been flagged as problematic during a review ordered last June by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the Park Service said.

Philadelphia officials filed a federal lawsuit, arguing the Park Service violated a 2006 agreement that created the site, and residents have taped messages and left flowers where the panels stood.

United States, Philadelphia