Submitted by Shannan Mason
April 28, 2025
At a time when the Trump Administration is quickly altering public interpretations of history and removing references to the past on websites and public spaces, it is vital that historians keep track of what is changing. The Early Republic Tracker is dedicated to documenting instances where the federal government is removing facts and stories essential to the public’s understanding American history from public historical sites, museums, websites, and executive agencies.
Where/When did the changes take place?
- Sometime between February 25th and February 28th, 2025 at the National Park Service’s educator resource page
What changed?
- An educational lesson plan page on Benjamin Franklin and slavery was taken down.
Why does the change matter?
- The NPS educational page contextualized Franklin’s evolving views on slavery. While Franklin in his later years became an abolitionist, he was an enslaver earlier in life. The “Benjamin Franklin and Slavery” lesson is significant because it reveals the evolution of Franklin’s views on slavery, challenging simplified narratives of the Founding Fathers. The lesson enabled students to confront the contradictions between revolutionary ideals and the realities of enslavement.
Website/location/document where change was made?
- Originally hosted at https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/franklin-and-slavery.htm the page is now listed as an empty “Page in Progress”
Evidence of change?
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20240710002134/https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/franklin-and-slavery.htm
- Washington Post Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/04/06/national-park-service-underground-railroad-history-slavery/
Additional sources?
- Benjamin Franklin House (UK) for overview (https://benjaminfranklinhouse.org/education/benjamin-franklin-and-slavery/)
- Franklin Proof of Enslaver Activities through “Penn and Slavery Project” (https://pennandslaveryproject.org/exhibits/show/slaveownership/earlytrustees/benfrank)
- Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. Macmillan, 2004.
