In the midst of daytime showers drenching Philadelphia  —  when the driving rains fall at just the right angle over City Hall  —  it almost looks like William Penn is relieving himself onto the metropolis that he created. It’s probably a creative reminder that Philadelphia’s founder isn’t necessarily pleased with everything that transpires inside our city limits today.

But even in the late 1600s,  Penn had a very real sense that the future he and other European colonials had worked to build in the New World would eventually require a need to seek independence.

The reality is that some of our greatest Philadelphia and American historical figures  possessed imperfections (to say the least) regarding what would become their legacies. President George Washington bought and sold humans during his time in the President’s House at Sixth and Market Streets, Benjamin Franklin enjoyed numerous extramarital relationships with women, and ironically, Philadelphia’s creator himself, William Penn, who came to acquire Pennsylvania as consolation for a debt paid by the English Crown, perished back in mother England in 1718 unable to pay his own debts.

Now, we have learned that, thanks to a review of internal documents as reported by The New York Times , numerous exhibits in Center City Philadelphia are being investigated by the Trump administration for what is being categorized as “corrosive ideology.” The order signed by President Trump last March is specifically aimed at reviewing a portion of the more than 400 markers and videos (among other documents) specifically relating to and addressing historical restoration and parks that have been altered since the pandemic. Depending on the length of the review ,  the exhibits may already be changed by the time you read this.

One of the items under review is a public plate around the Liberty Bell  — detailing a trip it took across the United States in the 19th century  — that includes a mention of both the sexism and racism present in the nation at that time. Another spot, on Market Street just across from the bell, is the site of the President’s House, which preceded the White House and was once the residence of both George Washington and John Adams. An exhibit under review there details the enslaved people who lived and worked in the house under Washington as well as the treatment they received while in Philadelphia. In addition, media and signage with content at the historical site detailing the tenuous relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government are also under review.

Whether you wish to think that our founders were without fault, above reproach, or products of their time like many who followed them , Philadelphia’s history during the run-up to the declaration of our independence and directly after it  is on display for the thousands of tourists to see while they visit locations critical to America’s journey. Whether or not that display of historical truth will be the same by the nation’s 250th birthday celebration remains to be seen.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt is a member of the Old York Road Historical Society and has written about Southeastern Pennsylvania for more than 15 years.