Slavery’s Brutal Reality Shocked Northerners Before the Civil War − and is Being Whitewashed Today by the White House

November 24, 2025

A media scholar draws parallels between 19th-century abolitionist journalism and contemporary debates over historical memory, particularly regarding President Trump's executive order targeting certain historical materials about slavery. Before the Civil War, abolitionists fought against pro-slavery propaganda by compiling extensive documented evidence of slavery's brutality, including eyewitness accounts, official records, and plantation owners' own advertisements in newspapers. Their methodical approach to exposing injustice through verified facts helped establish early investigative journalism techniques and influenced works like "Uncle Tom's Cabin," though ultimately it required civil war to end slavery.

Who is affected

Enslaved people and their descendants whose suffering is documented in historical materials
Museum visitors and the general public who access historical materials at national parks, history museums, and government facilities
Historians, educators, and scholars who study and teach about slavery and American history
Abolitionists from the 19th century whose work and legacy may be removed from public memorials
President Donald Trump (who issued the executive order)

What action is being taken

President Trump is purging public memorials and markers honoring enslaved people and those who championed their freedom
Materials are being flagged for removal from history museums, national parks, and other government facilities
An executive order named "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" is being implemented

Why it matters

This matters because it represents a fundamental conflict over how America confronts its history of slavery and racial injustice. Removing documented evidence of slavery's brutality risks repeating historical patterns of denial and propaganda that abolitionists fought against in the 19th century. The preservation of difficult historical materials like "The Scourged Back" photograph serves as a reminder of past atrocities and helps prevent future injustices by ensuring society doesn't look away from uncomfortable truths. The current debate echoes the two-century-old battle between those who sought to whitewash slavery as beneficial and those who demanded Americans face factual evidence of its horrors.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint