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New Delhi: The administration of US President Donald Trump has installed new information panels about slavery at the site of George Washington’s former home in Philadelphia, replacing earlier displays that critics said presented a more direct account of the brutality of slavery. The move comes after a federal appeals court allowed the administration to proceed with changes at the historic site.

The changes were made at the President’s House site within Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, where George Washington lived during the 1790s while serving as the first US president.

The earlier exhibit reportedly included panels with headings such as “The Dirty Business of Slavery” and detailed the experiences of enslaved people who lived and worked at the residence. The new displays place greater emphasis on America’s independence and national history while continuing to mention slavery in less direct language.

The US Department of the Interior defended the revised exhibit, saying it provides visitors with broader historical context and still acknowledges the realities of slavery.

The changes have drawn criticism from Philadelphia city officials, historians and civil rights groups, who argue that the new exhibit softens the realities of slavery and reduces attention on the lives of the enslaved people who lived at Washington’s home.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker criticised the overnight replacement of the panels, while advocacy groups said the move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape how American history is presented at federally managed historic sites.

The replacement follows months of legal battles over the exhibit. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court allowed the administration to avoid restoring the previous version while the case continues through the courts. The dispute is one of several involving changes to exhibits on slavery and other sensitive historical topics at US national parks under the Trump administration.