In a quiet Washington suburb, a century-old fountain stands as a testament to a complicated past. For years, the site was the center of a local struggle over how to remember Senator Francis Griffith Newlands, a man whose legacy of white supremacy was etched into the very foundations of the surrounding Chevy Chase neighborhood. For a brief window, a compromise existed: a modern interpretive panel that provided the necessary historical context regarding Newlands’ racist views.
That compromise has vanished. The sign was removed under the direction of the Trump administration, leaving behind only a weathered sandstone inscription from 1932 that describes Newlands as a statesman who “held true regard for the interests of all men.” This quiet disappearance is the first visible sign of a broader effort—what critics describe as Trump’s scrubbing of history—across hundreds of federal landmarks.
The removals are the result of a March 2025 executive order titled “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” The mandate requires the U.S. Department of the Interior and its subsidiary, the National Park Service, to ensure that all monuments and markers focus on the “greatness” of American achievements. Crucially, the order forbids the use of materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
In practice, the directive has triggered a systemic review of signage, videos, books, and souvenirs at more than 400 sites. The goal, according to leaked internal communications, is to present a sanitized version of the national narrative, glossing over racial tensions, the brutality of slavery, and references to climate change as the United States prepares for its 250th independence anniversary in July.
The ‘Dead of Night’ Removals
The removal of the Newlands placard has sparked a legal battle. Attorney David Sobel filed a lawsuit last month to uncover the specifics of how the sign, titled “What’s in a Name?”, was stripped away. The panel had detailed Newlands’ role in enforcing prohibited property sales to Black and Jewish residents in the late 19th century.
Sobel has likened the stealthy removal of these historical markers to “book burning” under the Nazi regime, though he notes the lack of public spectacle makes it more insidious. “Your information and history are being removed in the dead of night,” Sobel said. “And in some ways, I think that’s even more frightening.”
The Interior Department has defended the move, stating that the administration is simply implementing the president’s directive. In an email, the department stated that the president has directed federal agencies to review interpretive materials to ensure “accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values.”
A number of exhibits and displays in Independence National Historic Park Philadelphia are currently under review by the National Park Service for potential removal or editing.
A Pattern of Revisionism
The Newlands fountain is not an isolated case. Across the country, National Park Service staff have been tasked with scrubbing “denigrating” language from educational materials. Leaked feedback from March reveals a pattern of questioning whether factual descriptions of violence and oppression violate the new executive order.
At the conserved Washington home of Carter Woodson, a pioneering Black historian, staff inquired if video scripts should be edited to remove references to “white men” terrorizing Black communities. Similarly, at Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia, guides were asked to reconsider a description of an 1837 incident where a mob murdered a Presbyterian minister who supported the abolition of slavery. Staff asked headquarters: “Does this denigrate the murderers?”
Some changes have already been implemented. In January, signage regarding slavery was stripped from the “President’s House” in Philadelphia, where George Washington once resided. This led to a legal clash with the city of Philadelphia, which sued for the restoration of the panels. While some signage has been returned pending a court decision, the site remains a flashpoint for the administration’s approach to historical memory.
Summary of Content Reviews
| Site Location | Original Content | Proposed/Implemented Change |
|---|---|---|
| Carter Woodson Home | References to white men terrorizing Black communities | Removal of specific mentions of “white men” |
| Harper’s Ferry | Description of a mob murdering an abolitionist minister | Review for “denigrating” the murderers |
| President’s House | Interpretive signage regarding slavery | Complete removal of slavery-focused panels |
| Newlands Fountain | Context on white supremacist housing policies | Removal of interpretive placard |
Restoring Confederate Honors
Beyond the removal of critical context, the administration is actively restoring symbols of the Confederacy. President Trump has reverted the titles of several U.S. Military bases to their previous names, honoring Confederate generals who fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War.
This move reverses policies established during the Biden administration, which sought to remove such dedications following the Black Lives Matter protests. The restoration of these symbols is becoming increasingly visible in the capital:
- In October, the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike, the only outdoor monument of its kind in Washington, was restored.
- In April, a statue of Caesar Rodney reappeared at Freedom Plaza. While Rodney was a key figure in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, he is viewed critically by some historians because he owned slaves.
The restored statue of Confederate General Albert Pike stands near Judiciary Square in Washington, DC.
The Interior Department maintains that as the 250th anniversary approaches on July 4, the administration is committed to “acknowledging the full breadth of our nation’s history.” However, advocacy groups argue that “breadth” is being used as a cover for erasure.
Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association described the effort to “restore truth and sanity” as punitive and unnecessary. “It’s un-American, because great countries do not hide from their history,” Spears said. “We learn from it.”
The legal battle over the President’s House in Philadelphia and the Newlands fountain in Washington will serve as the next critical checkpoints in determining the limits of executive power over historical interpretation. Court filings are expected in the coming weeks as the city of Philadelphia awaits a final ruling on the restoration of its heritage signage.
Do you believe historical markers should be updated to reflect modern values, or preserved exactly as they were? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
