Brown paper covers the windows of the “African-American History Exhibit” found in the historic district of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. A sign says it’s closed for renovation.
Park staff would not confirm the reason for the closed exhibit or the renovations. But an executive order entitled “Restoring Truth And Sanity To American History” was signed by President Donald Trump on March 27.
It said that over the past decade, “Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology. This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
A similarly-worded May 20 order from the Secretary of the Interior – who oversees national parks among other sites – calls for assurance that “all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”…