Statement regarding the removal of references to slavery in Independence National Historical Park

The Independence Hall Association exists to preserve and make accessible a full and accurate history of the founding of the United States. We are incensed by the recent removal of references to slavery and enslaved people from the historical markers at the President's House site in Independence National Historical Park.

The President's House is a central part of U.S. history. It is where George Washington lived and governed, leading the formation of U.S. policies in every area and initiating many presidential traditions -- while holding human beings in bondage. To remove this history is to intentionally obscure the profound contradictions at the nation's founding and the visible manifestation of an issue that will be at the heart of division and conflicts across this nation.

The American ideals articulated in Philadelphia, those of liberty, equality, and self-government, cannot be meaningfully understood without acknowledging the system of slavery that coexisted with them. The self-evident truths underlying these ideals and slavery are not competing narratives; they are inseparable. Public history exists to inform us, not to comfort or coddle us. Visitors to Independence Hall deserve a complete and truthful account of how the nation was formed, whose freedom was protected, and whose freedom was denied.

The Independence Hall Association affirms the importance of preserving and interpreting the history of slavery at the President's House and throughout Independence National Historical Park. Efforts to erase this history not only weaken public understanding, but represent an assault on our shared civic heritage.