A US judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate a slavery exhibit, invoking George Orwell’s ‘1984’ in a ruling against historical erasure.
WASHINGTON: A US judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate a slavery exhibit in Philadelphia, citing George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” in her ruling.
The decision is a temporary measure pending further litigation.
President Donald Trump has targeted educational and historical content on race relations since returning to office. His administration asserts unprecedented control over cultural institutions.
This drive focuses on erasing mentions of systemic discrimination and the history of slavery.
An executive order in March tasked the government with “restor[ing] Federal sites dedicated to history”. It pushed back against what it called years of casting the country’s “founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light”.
In January, the National Park Service removed 34 educational panels and deactivated videos at Philadelphia’s Presidential House. The removed materials referenced slavery, prompting the city to sue.
“The government claims it alone has the power to erase, alter, remove and hide historical accounts,” Judge Cynthia M. Rufe wrote in her ruling.
“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,” she wrote.
Rufe concluded that “it does not”.
The Presidential House was the official residence of President George Washington when Philadelphia was the temporary capital. It also housed his slaves.
The exhibition, “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation”, opened in 2010. It paid tribute to the nine people enslaved there by the Washingtons.
The ruling coincided with the federal holiday celebrating Washington’s birthday.
“I’m proud of our country and its founding ideals,” said Representative Brendan Boyle, a Democrat representing parts of Philadelphia. He added that this means “we tell the full truth about our history, the good and the bad”.