The National Park Service faced mounting criticism on Friday over changes to slavery exhibits at the President's House site in Philadelphia, where displays about enslaved people held by George Washington were revised under the Trump administration. Historians and local officials called for the original interpretation to be restored.

The President's House memorial, located near the Liberty Bell in Independence National Historical Park, commemorates the site where Washington and John Adams lived while Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. It has long highlighted the nine enslaved Africans Washington kept there, including Ona Judge, who escaped in 1796.

The revisions follow President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order directing the Interior Department to remove content deemed to portray American history negatively. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has overseen a review of exhibits across the National Park Service, drawing objections from historians and civil rights groups.

Mayor Cherelle Parker's office and members of Philadelphia's city council pressed the Park Service to reverse the changes. The Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, which campaigned for the memorial's creation, said the revisions erased the contributions and suffering of the enslaved.

A National Park Service spokesperson said the updated exhibits comply with federal directives and continue to acknowledge the site's full history. Democratic members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation vowed to seek answers about the extent of the changes.