Federal Judge Orders Restoration of George Washington Slavery Exhibit

Exhibit about enslaved people at Washington's Philadelphia home must be reinstalled after Trump administration removed it.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore an exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington at his former home in Philadelphia. The city sued after the National Park Service removed the explanatory panels last month in response to a Trump executive order aimed at 'restoring truth' to American history. The judge ruled that the materials must be returned to their original condition while the lawsuit challenging the removal's legality plays out.

Why it matters

The exhibit provided important historical context about the enslaved people who lived with the Washingtons when Philadelphia was briefly the nation's capital. Its removal was seen as an attempt by the Trump administration to whitewash history and downplay the role of slavery in the founding of the country.

The details

The exhibit, created two decades ago, included biographical details about each of the nine enslaved people, including two who escaped. One of them, Oney Judge, fled north to New Hampshire in 1796. The National Park Service had previously added the Philadelphia house to a network of Underground Railroad sites, but the removal of the exhibit materials concealed this crucial historical connection.

  • The exhibit was removed by the National Park Service on January 22, 2026.
  • The federal judge issued the ruling on Presidents' Day, February 17, 2026.

The players

Oney Judge

One of the nine enslaved people who lived with the Washingtons in Philadelphia. Judge was born into slavery at the family's plantation in Mount Virginia and later escaped from their Philadelphia house in 1796, fleeing north to New Hampshire.

Hercules

Another of the nine enslaved people who lived with the Washingtons. Hercules also escaped in 1797 after being brought to Mount Vernon, where the Washingtons had many other slaves. He reached New York City despite being declared a fugitive slave and lived under the name Hercules Posey.

Donald Trump

The former president who issued an executive order directing the Interior Department to ensure that national parks and museums do not display elements that 'inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.'

Cynthia Rufe

The U.S. District Judge who ruled that the Trump administration must restore the exhibit about the enslaved people at George Washington's former home in Philadelphia.

Malcolm Kenyatta

A Pennsylvania state representative who celebrated the judge's ruling, saying the community prevailed against an attempt by the Trump administration to 'whitewash our history.'

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What they’re saying

“As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984 now existed, with its motto 'Ignorance is Strength,' this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not.”

— Cynthia Rufe, U.S. District Judge (Ruling)

“Philadelphians fought back, and I could not be more proud of how we stood together.”

— Malcolm Kenyatta, Pennsylvania State Representative (Statement)

What’s next

The federal government can appeal the judge's ruling. If the ruling is upheld, the National Park Service will have to restore the exhibit about the enslaved people at George Washington's former home in Philadelphia.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing debate over how to accurately portray the history of slavery and its role in the founding of the United States. The Trump administration's attempt to remove the exhibit was seen as an effort to whitewash history, but the court's ruling affirms the importance of preserving and presenting the full historical record, even when it includes uncomfortable truths about the nation's past.