"Please Don't Water Down Reality": Public Outcry Grows Over National Park History Censorship

Outrage pours into Interior Department’s inbox as visitors decry efforts to rewrite park history.

A new initiative ordered by President Trump and carried out by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has sparked growing outrage among National Park Service (NPS) visitors and historians alike.

The effort encourages visitors to identify and report “negative” or unflattering historical information displayed at parks and national historic sites. But rather than uncovering problematic content, responses so far have overwhelmingly criticized the policy as an act of censorship and historical erasure.

Censorship at the Park Gate

The directive follows President Trump’s March 27 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” in which he instructed federal agencies to remove or revise any public signage, exhibits, monuments, or materials that are deemed “negative” or “unpatriotic” toward American figures or that fail to emphasize the nation’s grandeur.

Acting under this order, Interior Secretary Burgum issued a department-wide memorandum on May 20 instructing superintendents to solicit visitor feedback via newly posted signs and QR codes, reviewing materials—including brochures, exhibits, and waysides—produced since January 2020.

NPS employees say no materials have yet been removed. Instead, submissions will now be grouped and forwarded to senior leadership in Washington, with follow-up actions expected by August.

Meanwhile, the Harpers Ferry Center is preparing templates and protocols to enable rapid removal, covering, or replacement of any content deemed non-compliant, with longer-term replacement plans under development.

While the initiative was intended to root out “anti‑American” narratives, the early results tell a very different story.

Visitor Submissions: A Chorus of Concern

Government Executive obtained nearly 200 visitor submissions from the initial days following the new signage rollout.

None cited specific examples of “negative” content. Not a single one.

Instead, most urged officials against erasing historical context. Common themes emerged, as shown by the following six messages sent by concerned park visitors.

“What upset me the most about the museum—more than anything in the actual exhibits—were the signs telling people to report anything they thought was negative about Americans. That isn't just frustrating, it's outrageous. It felt like an open invitation to police and attack historians for simply doing their jobs: telling the truth. Putting up signs like that doesn't protect anyone, [it] just tells visitors that the truth is a problem. And I can't think of anything more offensive than that.” - a visitor at Independence National Historical Park, Pennsylvania

“The executive order to asking for feedback is ****. Parks already do an amazing job telling stories that contain hard truths and everyone is entitled to the truth to make better decisions in our lives. So what if people feel bad?”- a visitor at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming