The National Park Service has officially reversed the controversial edits that were made to its webpages about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. This follows widespread public backlash to changes that downplayed the abolitionist’s involvement in the secret network to free slaves. The abrupt and unusual restoration comes after critics, historians, and concerned citizens accused the agency of whitewashing not just African-American history, but American history as a whole.
The edits were originally flagged by The Washington Post, which reported that changes stripped away key references to Harriet Tubman and softened language that once plainly conveyed the horrors of slavery. Removed from the page was the iconic image of Tubman and her self-description as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad—a role that solidified her legacy as a fearless leader in the fight for Black liberation. In its place, the webpage formerly titled “What is the Underground Railroad” featured Postal Service stamps of abolitionist figures, with a headline trumpeting “Black/White cooperation.”
Previously, the site had read: “The Underground Railroad — the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War — refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape.”
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That historical framing was replaced with more abstract language, calling the Underground Railroad “one of the most significant expressions of the American civil rights movement” that “bridged the divides of race.” But the revisions didn’t stop there.
The Post also found that changes had been made across other Park Service pages that appeared to soften or obscure America’s legacy of systemic racism. Phrases like “enslaved African Americans” were replaced with “enslaved workers.” A page detailing Benjamin Franklin’s evolution from slave-owner to abolitionist was removed entirely. Even the terms “systemic racism” and “historical bias” vanished from sections highlighting the contributions of Black soldiers in the American Revolution.
Notably, references to Founding Father Thomas Stone’s history as a slaveowner were removed from multiple pages about the Thomas Stone National Historic Site, but have now been restored. Collectively, these decisions sparked swift condemnation. “This is both offensive and absurd,” said Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America, in a statement to CNN. “The website has been diminished in value by its brevity.”
In response to the uproar, a National Park Service spokesperson told The Post: “The National Park Service has been entrusted with preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, safeguarding special places, and sharing stories of American experiences. We take this role seriously and can point to many examples of how we tell nuanced and difficult stories about American history.”
The controversy has also reignited concerns about historical erasure during the Trump administration. Trump, who is currently serving another term as President, previously signed an executive order that targeted what he labeled “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” within federal institutions. This included attempts to reshape exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, fueling fears that the representation of Black history could be distorted—or erased entirely.
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