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The National Park Service this past month rolled out new temporary signs at Arlington House: The Robert E. Lee Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, another step in NPS鈥檚 effort to tell the stories of the enslaved people who lived there.

These signs are part of a larger effort to change the way the history of the house is presented, including seeking congressional approval to change the name of the former planation house so it is no longer memorializing Lee.

These changes are driven in part by Lee’s descendants as well as those who were enslaved by his family.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been my desire to pull together as much of our history as we can and to share that with the public,鈥� said Stephen Hammond, a descendant of one of the enslaved families.

sits on top of a hill in the middle of Arlington National Cemetery. Robert E. Lee and his wife lived in the house before the Civil War. While walking through the Arlington House, visitors might not realize that hundreds of slaves also worked and lived there.聽

The house was built by George Washington Parke Custis, who was Martha Washington鈥檚 grandson and George Washington鈥檚 step-grandson. The couple raised Custis after his father died; he inherited the land that Arlington House sits on from Martha Washington’s family. Custis owned nearly 200 slaves, 63 of whom worked at Arlington House.

When Custis died, he left the mansion to his daughter, who was married to Lee. The property came with the enslaved people, who Lee forced to work for five years to pay off the Custis family debt.聽

After Lee joined the rebellion against the United States, the U.S. army seized the property. The land around the Arlington House eventually became a military cemetery. The federal government purchased the house from the Lee family and made it a memorial for Lee in the 1950s.聽

James 鈥淭y鈥� Seidule, author of 鈥淩obert E. Lee and Me鈥� and professor emeritus of history at West Point, said he believes Lee 鈥渃hose treason to preserve slavery.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 another enemy general in American history that killed more Union army soldiers than Lee,鈥� Seidule said.

Seidule also said that Lee was seen as a 鈥渃ruel enslaver.鈥�

鈥淟ee whipped enslaved people,鈥� Seidule said. 鈥淗e broke apart all slave families but one.鈥�

Currently, the historical plaques in the house, such as in the parlors and Lee鈥檚 office, only display the Lee family perspectives of what life was like at the house. The plaques leave out important slave experiences.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e done an amazing job with the talk of the lives of the enslaved where the slave quarters were, but in the big house, it鈥檚 almost like it鈥檚 still about the white family, even when there were so many enslaved people in there all the time,鈥� Seidule said.

Now, the National Park Service has taped laminated signs in the upper left hand corner of these plaques indicating that the plaques are 鈥渕issing important information.鈥�

Stephen Hammond is a descendant of the Syphax family, who were enslaved at the house. He said his branch of the family was enslaved at the Decatur House near the White House, but the two branches of the family kept in touch.

Hammond was visiting another NPS historical site when he noticed small laminated signs notifying the public of 鈥渕issing information.鈥� He said he thought this would be a good way of telling the public that changes were happening at Arlington House, so he notified Arlington House staff.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to take full credit for it,鈥� Hammond said. 鈥淭hey hadn鈥檛 done it before I suggested it. I鈥檒l just say maybe I was a catalyst.鈥�

The signs read, 鈥淭his panel is missing important information. Truthfully telling this history requires multiple perspectives. We are working on updating this sign in partnership with living descendants of the Branham, Custis, Gray, Henry, Lee, Parks and Syphax families.鈥�

Hammond said he and some of the Lee descendants feel it鈥檚 time the story of Arlington is more inclusive.

鈥淢y goal is to share the full Syphax story at Arlington House with the public. It鈥檚 kind of been overshadowed by the Robert E. Lee story, as have all the other descendants鈥�,鈥� Hammond said.

These racial inclusivity changes were facilitated prior to each family signing a contract that binds them to reshape how their family histories at Arlington House are presented to the public.

Each family has a connection to the Arlington House, whether that be through ancestors who were enslaved there, or who are descendants of Lee.聽

The binding part of the contract reads that Arlington House will collaborate with the families to change how 鈥渄escendant family histories and legacies are presented to the public, how the national significance of Arlington House has changed and continues to change over time, and how management of Arlington House will be more accurate, inclusive, and holistic.鈥�

John W. McCaskill, a park ranger who works at the site, said when he first started working at Arlington House 17 months ago, he was asked to read all the historical plaques in the house and thought everything looked fine. Looking back at it, he said he realized 鈥渘ot everything was fine.鈥�

鈥淲e were wrong, and we realized we were wrong,鈥� McCaskill said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e going to make it right.鈥澛�

鈥淲hat we at Arlington House are deciding to do is to put the enslaved community up first,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淲ithout the slave community, you don鈥檛 have the Lees and Custis鈥� being able to do the things that they did.鈥�

Scott Hill, who is another park ranger at Arlington House, said the historical priorities of the house were out of order for years.

鈥淭he primary focus at Arlington House had been to talk about first off, Robert E. Lee, and secondarily the Custis鈥� and Lees who owned the property for 59 years,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淎nd then as a tertiary it was to talk about the enslaved community and that group of individuals.鈥�

Hill said changing the order of these priorities is how the NPS is moving toward a more inclusive way of interpreting the historic stories they are protecting throughout the US.

Glenda Mackulin, who was visiting Arlington National Cemetery from California, said she is glad the Arlington House is making these changes.

鈥淚 feel like all history needs to be recorded,鈥� Arlington House visitor Mackulin said. 鈥淲e might not agree with it, but it needs to be a dialogue.鈥�

Emily Rich, another visitor, said she felt the signs gave her a mission to educate herself more on enslaved people held at Arlington House.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important because we don鈥檛 know a whole lot about it,鈥� Rich said. 鈥淚t makes me want to go read more when I walk out.鈥�

Hill said the community at Arlington House wants to make sure every visitor sees themselves as 鈥減art of the history.鈥�

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 receive a lot of people of color visiting Arlington House because they never saw themselves as part of the story,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淲ell now they see themselves as part of the story.鈥�

McCaskill and Hill said not all visitors are happy to hear about these changes.

鈥淣ot everyone is going to agree with what we鈥檙e talking about,鈥� McCaskill said. 鈥淭he park service is trying to tell a more complete story. Some people just walk off.鈥�

McCaskill said there are over 100 inconsistencies that need to be addressed, which NPS is trying to do through the temporary laminated signs, and eventually, install permanent signs.聽

鈥淚 hope it really brings to light that American history has left out significant portions of its stories in our telling before,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淲e have focused primarily on white, male, power individuals. We have left the people of color out.鈥�

Hill even said that his own perspective on racial inclusivity has changed.

鈥淚 grew up in a southern family in which the lost cause was very prevalent,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淚t took me to get away from that area and away from that learning that I had been instilled with and learn different aspects of that conflict that I hadn鈥檛 known in the past.鈥�

鈥淲hat鈥檚 put in the books is not the whole story,鈥� McCaskill said.聽

鈥淚t is our history, and it is our truth,鈥� Mackulin said. 鈥淯nderstand, learn and move forward.鈥�

Hammond said these changes to the information in the Arlington House is part of a bigger movement to change the name of the Arlington House: The Robert E. Lee Memorial to Arlington House: National Historic Site.

鈥淒on Beyer has introduced a House joint resolution and Tim Kaine has introduced a Senate joint resolution to modify or redesignate Arlington House,鈥� Hammond said.聽

Hammond added that he and some other descendants have started a petition on change.org that allows the public to state their support for the name redesignation.

鈥淧eople outside of Virginia care about this,鈥� Hammond said. 鈥淭his is not just a local issue.鈥�

The already has about 3,100 signatures out of a 5,000 goal. There are signatures from all 50 states and from 9 or 10 other countries.