At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the National Park Service has removed an exhibit examining the legacy of slavery at the President's House site. The exhibit, advocated for by Black Philadelphians, documented the lives of people enslaved by George Washington while serving as president, and the profound contradiction between the nation's founding ideals and the reality of enslavement in its early capital.
Congress must oppose these efforts to sanitize our history.
This was not an isolated decision. Across the country, materials addressing slavery, racial injustice, and even climate science have been flagged for removal or quietly taken down under a political directive to "restore truth and sanity to American history." More than 1,000 signs and exhibits at national parks have reportedly been reviewed or altered.
A strong nation does not shy away from uncomfortable truths about its history. Our democracy has endured because we have been willing to confront past wrongs, learn from them, and strive toward a more perfect union. When history is edited to exclude entire chapters, we all lose the opportunity to understand our country honestly and fully. | 
