In Trump’s New Confederacy, Slavery Wasn’t Sin

October 22, 2025

A far-right Christian nationalist named Joshua Haymes recently proclaimed that slavery is not inherently evil and demanded Christians defend the right to own human beings, reflecting a broader movement within white Christian nationalism that includes connections to high-ranking government officials. Simultaneously, the Trump administration has ordered the National Park Service and Smithsonian Institution to remove or revise exhibits that discuss slavery's brutality, including directing the removal of historical photographs showing enslaved people's scars and panels describing George Washington's enslaving of people. This coordinated effort to sanitize American history extends beyond museum censorship, as young Republican groups have been exposed using racist slurs and celebrating violence in private communications.

Who is affected

Black Americans and descendants of enslaved people
Museum visitors and students learning American history
National Park Service and Smithsonian Institution staff
Historians and educators including Michael Coard and Michelle Flamer
Communities at historical sites like Fort Pulaski in Georgia and the President's House in Philadelphia
Members of the National Parks Conservation Association
The general public seeking accurate historical information

What action is being taken

The Trump administration is directing the National Park Service and Smithsonian Institution to remove exhibits mentioning slavery
Officials are removing photographs of enslaved people's scarred bodies from displays
The administration is reviewing and flagging panels at historic sites for revision or removal
Trump has promised to send lawyers to "go through the museums" and cleanse content
Joshua Haymes is actively preaching that slavery is not inherently evil through his podcast

Why it matters

This represents a coordinated governmental effort to erase the historical record of slavery and its brutality from public education and memory. By removing evidence of America's founders' involvement in slavery and censoring displays showing its physical horrors, the administration is preventing current and future generations from understanding the full truth of American history. This historical revisionism provides moral cover for rising white Christian nationalist ideology and racism, potentially enabling the repetition of past atrocities by eliminating cultural memory of them. The effort extends beyond museums into a broader cultural movement that includes openly racist rhetoric among young conservative groups, suggesting a systematic attempt to roll back progress on racial equality and truth-telling.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Michigan Chronicle