A leaked Department of the Interior database reveals that the Trump administration has launched a systematic effort to rewrite American history on public lands through Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, this effort includes removing exhibits, pulling books from shelves, and dismantling interpretive frameworks at various sites nationwide.
The analysis found that the leaked database contains data from 171 parks where exhibits were flagged for removal or revision. This represents approximately one-third of the 433 official units in the National Park System, spanning 43 states, three territories, and Washington, D.C. The database, which was leaked on March 2, 2026, by a group described as civil servants on the front lines, includes various media such as signage, books, podcasts, videos, and maps.
Of the 171 flagged parks, 152 were identified as having exhibits related to erasing history or censoring science. Black history was the most heavily targeted category, with 82 parks flagging content. Other targeted categories included Indigenous history (74), science content (55), women’s history (20), immigrant history (11), labor (10), and LGBTQ+ history (3).
Specific examples of flagged content include exhibits at Independence National Historical Park regarding enslaved people at the President’s House Site and language at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument concerning Indian boarding schools. In science-related censorship, 55 parks flagged content, including exhibits at Acadia National Park regarding climate change and pollution, and waysides at Zion National Park regarding endangered pollinators.
The administration has also been accused of attempting to rename geographical features, such as flagging sixty waysides and 18 exhibits at the Gulf Islands National Seashore for using the name Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America.
On June 12, 2026, a federal judge temporarily blocked the National Park Service from removing or revising additional exhibits at parks across the country. This follows a previous injunction that stated the administration was attempting to rewrite the nation's history using a white-out pen.
The Center for American Progress stated that these actions represent a coordinated campaign to determine whose history is worth telling. The analysis notes that these efforts occur as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
