Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway in TN preserves a piece of American history that the public has trusted the National Park Service to protect and interpret. The exhibit panels at this site have been developed over years by historians, subject-matter experts, and park staff — and are now being reviewed under Secretary's Order 3431.

Among the content targeted: “Traveling Shows, Circuses and Minstrelsy.” — language that the administration has flagged for review under its directive to review historically accurate interpretive materials.

Why this matters: The specific language being targeted at Blue Ridge Parkway — including “Traveling Shows, Circuses and Minstrelsy.” — is historically accurate content developed by professional historians and park staff. When this language is revised or removed, visitors lose access to the documented record of what happened here.

Blue Ridge Parkway in TN preserves a piece of American history that the public has trusted the National Park Service to protect and interpret. The exhibit panels at this site have been developed over years by historians, subject-matter experts, and park staff — and are now being reviewed under Secretary's Order 3431.

Why this matters: Blue Ridge Parkway is part of a network of over 400 national parks that serve as America's classrooms. The interpretive materials here were developed by subject-matter experts to help visitors understand the full story of this place. When historically accurate content is removed, the public loses access to its own history.

At Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service has worked for years to document and interpret the history of slavery at this site — a history that was ignored for much of the park's existence. The exhibits, waysides, and publications now under review represent a hard-won commitment to telling the complete American story.

From the internal review records: “please review for inappropriate content. Many of waysides would fall into Beauty, Granduer and Abundance catagory. Others could be viewed as disparaging past AMericans as topics include, segregation, enslavement and Trail of Tears and broken treaties with teh American government.”

Why this matters: The history of slavery at Blue Ridge Parkway was suppressed for generations. The materials now being targeted represent decades of work by historians, descendants of enslaved people, and community advocates to ensure these stories are finally told. Removing them would re-erase history that has only recently been acknowledged.