The National Park Service is drawing criticism for quietly rewriting history under Donald Trump’s administration. Recent edits to its website about the Underground Railroad have erased key references to Harriet Tubman and diluted the brutal truth about slavery in America. Read more inside.
As reported by The Washington Post and highlighted in Phil Lewis’ What I’m Reading Substack, Trump’s administration is making a valiant effort to change history right before our eyes. Previously, the Park Service’s “What is the Underground Railroad” webpage featured a powerful photo of Harriet Tubman and a quote where she described herself as a “conductor” on the freedom-seeking network. That’s now gone.
The newly updated site instead showcases U.S. Postal Service stamps of abolitionists and emphasizes “Black/White cooperation,” stripping away the harsh realities Tubman and other Black freedom fighters actually faced.
Even more alarming is the shift in language. The original webpage explicitly discussed enslaved African Americans escaping bondage and referenced the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The revised version now describes the Underground Railroad as “one of the most significant expressions of the American civil rights movement” that “bridged the divides of race,” glossing over the violent, racialized terror that made the Underground Railroad necessary in the first place.
These edits are part of a wider trend. The Washington Post also found softened language and historical omissions across other Park Service sites. Descriptions of “enslaved African Americans” were changed to “enslaved workers.” A page about Benjamin Franklin’s relationship to slavery was quietly removed. Mentions of “systemic racism and historical bias” in Black Revolutionary War soldier accounts vanished. References to Thomas Stone’s status as a slaveowner? Gone.
Historians are sounding the alarm. “The site has been diminished in value by its brevity,” said Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan. “These changes are both offensive and absurd.”
This sanitized rebranding follows Trump’s executive order to scrub any “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from federal institutions, including the Smithsonian. He specifically targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Just weeks ago, military history pages about Jackie Robinson, the Tuskegee Airmen, and Women Airforce Service Pilots were removed from a Defense Department website under the same anti-DEI mandate. It was later restored only after public backlash.
The erasure of Tubman’s legacy is not just about a website update, but it’s a warning sign. History is being rewritten in real-time, and the truth is getting whitewashed. Comment your thoughts on these changes below, and be sure to support the efforts of writers who ensure Black stories aren’t being erased.