The Times produced not just a magazine, but podcasts, a newspaper section, and even a curriculum designed to inject a new version of American history into schools. The 1619 Project became one of the most talked-about journalistic achievements of the year-as it was intended to. So far, that’s exactly what has happened. I was concerned that critics would use the overstated claim to discredit the entire undertaking. Overall, the 1619 Project is a much-needed corrective to the blindly celebratory histories that once dominated our understanding of the past-histories that wrongly suggested racism and slavery were not a central part of U.S. In addition, the paper’s characterizations of slavery in early America reflected laws and practices more common in the antebellum era than in Colonial times, and did not accurately illustrate the varied experiences of the first generation of enslaved people that arrived in Virginia in 1619.īoth sets of inaccuracies worried me, but the Revolutionary War statement made me especially anxious. I explained these histories as best I could-with references to specific examples-but never heard back from her about how the information would be used.ĭespite my advice, the Times published the incorrect statement about the American Revolution anyway, in Hannah-Jones’ introductory essay. The editor followed up with several questions probing the nature of slavery in the Colonial era, such as whether enslaved people were allowed to read, could legally marry, could congregate in groups of more than four, and could own, will or inherit property-the answers to which vary widely depending on the era and the colony.

The idea of america gordon wood