More Erasure of History: National Park Told to Hide Whipped Peter’s Scourged Back?
Infamous Civil War-era photo bears witness to horrors of US slavery
The Washington Post has reported that an order has allegedly come down from the Interior Department for the infamous Civil War photograph, the “Scourged Back,” to be removed from an unnamed national park.
According to CNN, the alleged move is tied to “an executive order Trump issued in March directing the US Interior Department to do away with content that disparages ‘Americans past or living.’”
Faithfully Magazine reported three years ago about the historical significance of the “Scourged Back,” on occasion of the “Emancipation” feature film about the photo’s subject, an escaped slave named Gordon.
Gordon (portrayed by Will Smith in the Apple movie) is also referred to as “Whipped Peter” due to the deeply scarred condition of his back, a testament to the brutality of U.S. slavery.
You can read more about the photo here, and also a statement from the National Parks Conservation Association slamming the alleged removal “as shameful as it is wrong.”