Brittany Smith, 38, from Tampa, Fla., and her family in line to see the Liberty Bell on Independence Mall.The Globe and Mail
On a recent sunny day in Philadelphia, Brittany Smith stood in a slow-moving queue, watching crowds of tourists trickle past the deep foundations of the President’s House Site on their way to the entrance of the Liberty Bell.
If it weren’t for a few makeshift signs pasted to the thick panels of glass surrounding the archeological ruins, visitors might never know anything was amiss. They might also leave the outdoor memorial – which sits just next to the Liberty Bell – without learning that George Washington rotated enslaved workers between this spot and his Virginia estate to evade Pennsylvania’s emancipation laws.
Ms. Smith and her family had travelled from Tampa, Fla., to see the nearby African American Museum – but they made a detour to the site after learning it had become a battleground between the federal government and the city that served as America’s first capital. They wanted to see it, Ms. Smith said, “before it disappears.”
“You can’t do better if you don’t learn about the past,” she said.
Philadelphia is preparing to welcome a large influx of tourists who are descending on the city for a rare cluster of mega-events.Chris Wilson-Smith/The Globe and Mail
As the United States approaches the coming July 4 commemorations of its 250th year of independence, the site of the country’s first executive mansion is now at the centre of a fierce legal dispute moving to a federal appellate panel. On Tuesday, June 2, judges will hear oral arguments to decide whether the Oval Office can permanently strip the slavery exhibits away under President Donald Trump’s sweeping “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order issued in March, 2025.
The directive prompted the National Park Service in January to remove exhibits detailing the lives of enslaved workers at the open-air Philadelphia site – triggering a preliminary injunction to temporarily restore the displays. The administration immediately appealed, plunging the monument into legal limbo just ahead of peak summer travel.
But the timing is particularly critical as Philadelphia prepares to welcome a massive influx of tourists, who are descending on the city for a rare cluster of mega-events: the FIFA World Cup, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. Local officials are mounting an aggressive campaign to convert an estimated US$1-billion economic windfall into structural changes that could shape the city’s fortunes for decades.
Judges on Tuesday will consider whether Trump’s executive order allows the Oval Office to permanently remove the slavery exhibit.Chris Wilson-Smith/The Globe and Mail
Gregg Caren, president and chief executive officer of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the city’s goal is to persuade people who come for familiar sights – like Independence Hall and the Rocky steps – to stay for a fuller version of Philly, including its vibrant cultural scene and three newly minted Michelin-starred restaurants. But it doesn’t mean hiding the complexities that come with being a major American city.
“Our job is to tell a story and give people an understanding of why they should be here under any circumstances,” he said. “But maybe now even more than ever.”
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said she could not comment publicly about active litigation. But Mayor Cherelle Parker previously said the city would “celebrate the return of our history at this important site” and handle challenges “with the same rigour and gravity.”
The coming ruling will also set a major national precedent, either drawing a boundary against the censorship of public landmarks or handing the federal government the power to politically curate the official stories the nation tells of itself. Similar battles are unfolding from Fort Sumter in South Carolina to Grand Teton in Wyoming, where displays on rising sea levels and the massacres of Indigenous peoples have been purged from their respective visitor centres.
Brittany Smith and her sister, Latrisha, said they were worried about how much of the country’s history visitors will see, no matter which way the ruling falls. “Actually seeing where an exhibit has been stripped, because it depicted slavery, really puts it in perspective,” Latrisha said.
Nearby, a lone protester began reading aloud the text of the missing displays to a trickle of curious and bewildered onlookers. Patricia Smith, standing with her daughters, shook her head.
“We’re in a sad and bad place in our history today.”