US judge cites '1984' in ordering reinstatement of slavery exhibit
"The government claims it alone has the power to erase, alter, remove and hide historical accounts," the judge wrote in her ruling, which cited George Orwell's defining work about a dystopian, authoritarian state.
A person views posted signs on the locations of the now removed explanatory panels that were part of an exhibit on slavery at President's House Site in Philadelphia, Jan 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)
WASHINGTON: A US judge on Monday (Jan 16) ordered the Trump administration to put back up an exhibit on slavery in Philadelphia, citing George Orwell's "1984" in her ruling.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has taken aim at educational and historical curricula and exhibits that talk about race relations in the United States, asserting unprecedented control over cultural institutions.
His drive has focused on erasing mentions of systemic discrimination against minorities and papering over the history of slavery in the country.
An executive order issued in March tasked the government "to restore Federal sites dedicated to history", pushing back against what it claimed was 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 video presentations at the Presidential House in Philadelphia that 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 Monday ruling, which cited Orwell's defining work about a dystopian, authoritarian state.
"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 - to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts," Rufe wrote.
"It does not."
The Presidential House was the official residence of George Washington, the country's first president, when Philadelphia was the new country's temporary capital.
It also hosted his slaves.
The exhibition, called "Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation", opened in 2010 and paid tribute to the nine people enslaved there by the Washingtons.
The ruling - which came on the federal holiday celebrating Washington's birthday - is only a temporary measure, pending further litigation.
"I'm proud of our country and its founding ideals. That means we tell the full truth about our history, the good and the bad," Representative Brendan Boyle, a Democrat who represents parts of Philadelphia, said in response to the ruling.
