Perhaps when you think of the founding of the United States, you think of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers. Now, the New York Times wants to “reframe” your understanding of the nation’s founding.
In the Times‘ view (which it hopes to make the view of millions of Americans), the country was actually founded in 1619, when the first Africans were brought to North America, to Virginia, to be sold as slaves.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of that event, and the Times has created something called the 1619 Project. This is what the paper hopes the project will accomplish: “It aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are.”
Another, more concise statement from the Times: “The goal of The 1619 Project is to reframe American history.”
The basic thrust of the 1619 Project is that everything in American history is explained by slavery and race. The message is woven throughout the first publication of the project, an entire edition of the Times magazine. It begins with an overview of race in America — “Our democracy’s founding ideals were false when they were written. Black Americans have fought to make them true.” — written by meswriter Nikole Hannah-Jones, who on Twitter uses the identity Ida Bae Wells, from the crusading late 19th-early 20th century African American journalist Ida B. Wells.
The essays go on to cover the economy (“If you want to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation.”), the food we eat (“The sugar that saturates the American diet has a barbaric history as the ‘white gold’ that fueled slavery.”), the nation’s physical health (“Why doesn’t the United States have universal healthcare? The answer begins with policies enacted after the Civil War.”), politics (“America holds onto an undemocratic assumption from its founding: that some people deserve more power than others.”), daily life (“What does a traffic jam in Atlanta have to do with segregation? Quite a lot.”), and much more.
The Times promises more 1619 Project stories in the future, not just in the paper’s news sections, but in the business, sports, travel, and other sections. The Times‘ popular podcast, The Daily, will also devote time to it.
More at The Washington Examiner
I’m pretty old and school was different when I went than it is now, but I learned about slavery in the US, the South and the Civil War. Furthermore, my wife and I vacationed in Louisiana and visited numerous plantations, reviewing the plantation system, how slaves were treated and their plight. We were in Charleston one summer and visited the museum that is the old slave trading market.
I get it. But, you know what? The United States overcame slavery. We eradicated it. It serves no purpose to try and paint the nation with the left wing racist brush… well, one, maybe.
Here we are, a racist nation that embraced and supported slavery. Hell, we have a lot of people supporting a racist supporter of slavery (according to them). What can we do? Woe is us, what can we do?
Why, elect one of these bleeding-heart, reparations-supporting… racists. They are all that stands between “puttin’ ya’ll back in chains” and freedom, guaranteed share of wealth and socialist goodness.
However, this recounting will leave out the major fact that much of the slave trade was driven by Muslims. Pointing that out might generate hate and desire for revenge aimed in the wrong direction. This indoctrination should not overwhelm us with TOO much knowledge, after all.
Besides, if this followed the usual liberal playbook, they would be blaming the boats.
I agree. Let’s start looking into the corporate boardrooms of Mastercard, Bank of America, Google, Apple, Facebook and the host of lefties who backslap at Bilderberg, including Soros. Let’s expose all the globalist “geniuses” who want to rule the world once they disarm and chain the American mob. These are the ones with the power. The smart set… the “elites”.
They’re so smart they even have a plan to control Xi Jinping once they resume and complete the Obama plan to weaken America. I’m sure they do. They probably got a pinkie promise from him to behave and let them rule the world.
So, now the blacks and libs can be snowflaking their tantrums at the UK.
After all, the Americas were COLONIES back in 1619.
None of the territories had autonomy.
All did as ordered by their colonizers.