Stephanie McCurry, a professor of #history at Columbia University who studies the Civil War & the Reconstruction era, said it was impossible to separate #slavery from the history of these sites.

“There is no history of the #US without slavery in it,” Dr. McCurry wrote in an email. “It is impossible to edit it out or bury its horrors. The evidence is everywhere & can’t be destroyed, certainly not in one presidential administration.”

During the #Biden administration, the #NS asked descendants of enslaved people at Arlington House, as well as descendants of Mr. Lee, to help tell a more complete story to visitors of all ages.

“We think that this space could be used as a place for conversation, healing & repair,” Mr. Hammond said. “So to have this booklet targeted is really a disappointment for us.”

#Trump officials determined that 2 sentences in the booklet, which has been given to children participating in the Park Service’s Junior Ranger program, ran afoul of the president’s executive order, Mr. Hammond said.

“In 1829, Robert E. Lee promised to serve the Army & protect the United States,” the sentences say. “In 1861, he broke his promise & fought for slavery.”

And at Arlington House in Virginia, the former home of Robert E. Lee, who led the Army of Northern Virginia on the #Confederate side, #Trump officials have instructed park staff to stop using a booklet that was designed to teach children about #slavery, said Stephen Hammond, a descendant of people who were enslaved at the house.

…At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, officials plan to substantially alter an exhibit that memorializes 9 people enslaved by George Washington. #Trump’s EO in March specifically flagged exhibits at Independence National Historical Park for review, claiming the #Biden admin had advanced “corrosive ideology” there that taught visitors that “America is purportedly racist.”

At Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, #Trump ofcls have instructed park employees to take down a sign that criticizes the post-Civil War “Lost Cause” ideology, which romanticized the #Confederacy & denied #slavery’s central role in the conflict.

…Elizabeth Peace, a spokeswoman for the #Interior Dept, the parent agency of the #NPS, said in an email that “all interpretive signage in national parks is under review.” She accused media outlets of spreading “false claims” & “misinformation” about the review, although she did not specify what information was incorrect.

At Fort Pulaski National Monument in Georgia, #Trump officials have directed Park Service staff to remove a reproduction of “The Scourged Back,” the famous photo that depicts the formerly enslaved man, who was known as both Peter & Gordon, exposing severe scars on his back from whippings, according to the emails & one of the people briefed on the matter.

https://www.harriettubmanmuseumcenter.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman#Artistic_portrayals