National Park Service Removes Harriet Tubman From Underground Railroad Webpage

The National Park Service has removed Harriet Tubman’s photograph and famous quote from its official Underground Railroad webpage. In its place, visitors now see a row of commemorative stamps featuring abolitionists with the phrase “Black/White cooperation.” The new version of the page barely mentions slavery and replaces strong language about resistance with softer words about unity.

Tubman’s Legacy Erased from the Page

Harriet Tubman once stood at the center of the Underground Railroad page. Her quote—“I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger”—framed the site with pride and clarity. Today, that quote is gone. Her image has disappeared. In its place is a general summary that avoids naming her or highlighting the dangers she and others faced.

The page now claims the Underground Railroad was “one of the most significant expressions of the American civil rights movement.” It says the Railroad “bridged divides of race” and united people across differences. But it no longer describes what enslaved people risked or how they fought to be free.

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Changes Downplay the Role of Slavery

The edits removed direct mentions of laws like the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The act forced people to return escaped slaves to their so-called owners. Previous versions of the page included this law to explain the high stakes of running and the deep cruelty of the time. Now that context is gone.

Language that once described “enslaved African Americans” has been softened to “enslaved workers.” Even that phrasing appears less frequently. The site no longer highlights how slavery shaped early America. Instead, it shifts focus to how people came together across race.

Other Pages Also Softened

The National Park Service also changed other pages, not just the Underground Railroad site. The Washington Post reviewed other edits on the National Park Service website and found similar patterns. A page about Benjamin Franklin no longer discusses his relationship with slavery. Mentions of systemic racism and historical bias disappeared from sections about Black soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. The National Historic Site for Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, removed all references to his being a slaveowner.

Experts Warn Against Whitewashing

Historians and authors have criticized these changes. Fergus Bordewich, who wrote Bound for Canaan about the Underground Railroad, told CNN the site now feels “diminished.” He called the new version “offensive and absurd.” Other experts say the updates erase the truth about slavery and America’s long fight for freedom.

The Wayback Machine reveals what the National Park Service removed and when they made the changes. These archived snapshots show how deeply the National Park Service changed its tone and focus.

Trump Administration Pushes Historical Edits

These edits follow a broader trend under Donald Trump’s administration. Just weeks ago, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the removal of “divisive or anti-American ideology” from federal institutions. He targeted the Smithsonian and other museums for content that shows racism or injustice.

The Department of Defense also removed stories about Jackie Robinson’s military service. They took down materials about the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots. After public backlash, some of those pages were restored. But the message from the administration is clear. They want a version of history that avoids hard truths.

Why This Matters Now

Erasing Harriet Tubman’s presence from the story of the Underground Railroad is not a small change. She is one of the most important figures in American history. She led people to freedom at great personal risk. Taking her off the page is not about space. It is about control.

This version of history hides the pain and courage that defined the Underground Railroad. It turns a story of resistance into a tale of quiet cooperation. It tells readers less about what happened and more about what some people want to remember.

History should be honest. We owe it to history to tell Harriet Tubman’s story. The Underground Railroad stands as a bold fight for freedom, not a tale to be watered down. That truth demands honesty, not revision. Not now. Not ever.