Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro Files Brief Against Removal of Slavery Exhibit

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed an amicus brief on Tuesday in support of the city of Philadelphia’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s removal of an exhibit about slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.

The exhibit, titled “Freedom and Slavery in the Formation of the New Nation,” commemorates the nine slaves who worked at the Presidential Mansion, where George Washington lived for much of his presidency. (The White House was not completed until 1800, during the presidency of John Adams.) Other panels in the exhibit discussed the slave trade and the slave economy, according to the association. new york times.

Independence National Historic Park, which also includes Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, is managed by the National Park Service. The Interior Department removed the exhibit last week, citing President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order in which he designated Independence National Historical Park as the subject of a “corrosive ideology” that acknowledged the historical accuracy of slavery in this country and that the U.S. president owned slaves through what he falsely called “historical revisions.”

in a statement eraThe Interior Department said it has reviewed the interpretive materials at Independence National Historical Park and “is currently taking action to remove or modify the interpretive materials in accordance with the order.”

The city’s lawsuit says the city has had an agreement with the National Park Service since 2006 that “requires the parties to meet and negotiate if any changes to the exhibit are to be made.” cbs news. The National Park Service and Interior Department “did not engage with the city or obtain approval from the city to make unilateral changes to the exhibit at the Presidential Palace,” the lawsuit adds, which seeks to reinstate the exhibit.

Shapiro’s amicus brief supports Philadelphia’s lawsuit to “defend the integrity of shared governance of nationally significant historic sites and reaffirm the federal commitment to preserving an accurate, inclusive history,” according to a press release from the governor’s office. In filing the brief, the release continued, Shapiro “continues his administration’s work to support Pennsylvania communities, protect local authorities, and ensure history is preserved — not erased.”

“Donald Trump will take every opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history, but he chose the wrong city and the wrong commonwealth,” Shapiro said in a statement. “In Pennsylvania, we learn from history, even when it’s painful. We won’t erase it or pretend it didn’t happen. Because when we know where we’ve been, we can chart a better course for the future. These displays are more than just signs, they represent our shared history, and if we want to move forward as a nation, we must be willing to tell the full story of where we came from.”