Harriet Tubman stands as one of the most important figures of the abolitionist movement, and her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad cemented her in history. As part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order that seeks to rewrite history, information on Harriet Tubman was edited on the National Park Service’s website, but was later restored.
As observed by many online, the National Park Service removed information about the Underground Railroad, replacing language about the movement to free slaves from the southern states and taking down a photo and quote from Tubman.
“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger,” was the quote that appeared on the website segment under a photo of Tubman. According to a Washington Post report and other accounts, the photo was removed and then replaced with a smaller photo alongside white abolitionists.
The New York Times reports that the changes appeared to have happened back in February after President Trump’s sweeping order, which seeks to do away with DEI initiatives. With historians, educators, and readers all providing intense pushback on the deleting and editing of Tubman’s historic contributions from the NPS website, the segment was restored to its original state.
CNN followed up with the NPS and obtained a quote from an NPS spokesperson.
“Changes to the Underground Railroad page on the National Park Service’s website were made without approval from NPS leadership nor Department leadership. The webpage was immediately restored to its original content,” the statement read.
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Photo: Source: Universal History Archive / Getty
