“You can’t dismantle history”

The head of the court, Cynthia Rufeappointed by the also Republican president George W. Bushevoked the novel 1984 by George Orwell in his ruling and maintained that the executive does not have the authority to “dissimulate or dismantle historical truths.”

This judicial decision responds to a lawsuit filed by the city of Philadelphia, which alleged that it should be consulted before any modification to the President’s House, where they resided. George Washington y John Adams.

Rufe added in his court ruling that Congress expressly limited the Interior Department’s ability to alter the park without coordination with the city.

“The government can convey a different message in other places, but it cannot do so here without following the law,” he explained.

For his part, the president of the Philadelphia City Council, the Democrat Kenyatta Johnson, celebrated the rulingsaying in a post on X: “black history is American history and we will not let Trump erase our history.”

This dispute It comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to review content at cultural institutions ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.in a context marked by the plummeting popularity of Donald Trump.

In January, workers removed large panels from the display in what is known as the President’s House. As a result of this measure, the city sued the Government in federal court, arguing that it should be consulted before making any modifications.

Crews removed the display that included the names and other biographical details of the nine people enslaved by the Washingtons at the presidential mansion. Their names remained etched on a cement wall at the entrance.

Critics, like Pennsylvania’s Democratic governorJosh Shapiro, accused President Donald Trump of ‘whitewashing history’ after applying this cancellation policy, with the objective, according to the vision of the Republican leader, of ‘restoring truth and sanity in American history’ in museums, parks and monuments in the country.

Democratic local and state officials criticized the removal of the panels, while the White House defended its intention to promote a “positive” vision of American history, leaving behind the image of a dark past.

In a decree signed in March 2025, Donald Trump signed a decree in which he accused the Biden Government of promoting a “corrosive ideology” and ordered the removal of content from Independence Park that, according to him, “denigrates Americans.”

The White House has since launched a review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to remove what the Republican administration considers anti-American propaganda.

The slaves erased

Among the people who were enslaved in the mansion, is Oney Judgefamous for escaping in 1796 and remaining free for the rest of her life, despite Washington’s attempts to return her to slavery.

In addition to Oney Judge, there were Herculesthe head cook who escaped in 1797; Austin, his kitchen helper; Giles y Christopher Sheelspersonal assistants to the president; Parisalso employed as a servant; as well as Moll y Richmondwho performed domestic tasks in the house.

Slavery is a central element in the site’s historyis argued in the lawsuit filed by the city of Philadelphia’s legal team, adding that the management agreement between the city and the federal government provides the local government with the authority to approve any changes to the design of the site.

Critics harshly condemned this removal, stating that it confirms that the government of Trump “seeks to erase unflattering aspects of American history.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Dwight Evans made the same statement, noting that “the shameful desecration of this exhibit raises broader and worrying questions about this government’s abuse of power and its efforts to whitewash history.”