NPCA joins history advocates across the political spectrum in urging the administration to stop this unprecedented unraveling of our nation’s heritage.
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, The Washington Post published a new investigation finding that the National Park Service had rewritten key webpages on American history, including removing references to slavery from a page about the Underground Railroad.
This reporting follows weeks of chaos and confusion as the Trump administration issued an executive order reviewing national parks and other properties for content that “disparages Americans,” and also erased LGBTQ+ history from Park Service webpages.
More than two-thirds of America’s national park sites are devoted to protecting history and culture, from Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument to Gettysburg National Military Park.
The Park Service is one of the country’s largest repositories of American history, protecting millions of historic artifacts and landmarks. Park Service rangers teach park visitors about a wide variety of American stories at more than 430 national park sites throughout the United States. Students and scholars seeking to learn more about American history rely on the National Park Service’s expertise and accurate information, in person and on the agency website.
In response to the Washington Post’s reporting, Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association Senior Director of Cultural Resources, released the following statement:
“For more than a century, National Park Service staff have worked tirelessly to provide park visitors with the unvarnished truth about our history.
“But in the span of just a few weeks, this administration has worked to undermine the Park Service and replace American history with warmed-over nostalgia. They have tried to erase LGBTQ+ stories from our national narrative, rewrite Black history and women’s history, and muzzle the Park Service.
“We join history advocates across the political spectrum in urging the administration to stop this unprecedented unraveling of our nation’s heritage. Amid division in our country, our history is a rallying point for our country. The American people deserve nothing less than the truth about our history. We will not settle for smoke and mirrors.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org
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