Explainer: Why the President's House slavery exhibit was removed, and what happens next

Posted Sunday, February 1, 2026 5:43 pm
By Jack Tomczuk

A federal judge is weighing the request of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration to order the National Park Service to restore the slavery exhibit at the President’s House.

Attorneys representing the city and President Donald Trump’s administration sparred in court Friday, and an initial ruling is expected in the coming days. NPS staff abruptly removed the display panels Jan. 22.

The exhibit examines the contradiction of slavery and freedom in early America, with a particular emphasis on the nine enslaved individuals George Washington kept in the house when he lived there as the nation’s first president.

Background

Controversy arose in 2002, when, during the relocation of the Liberty Bell to its current location at 6th and Chestnut streets, historians noted that visitors would be lining up above the remnants of the house’s slave quarters. Parts of the home, at 6th and Market, were uncovered during an archaeological dig.

More:
https://metrophiladelphia.com/stories/presidents-house-slavery-exhibit,125981