AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris
As another school year comes to a close, education – and particularly how American history is taught in the classroom – continues to be a critical battleground in the Culture Wars. Since its publication more than two years ago in the New York Times, the 1619 Project, organized, edited, and partially written by Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, has remained at the center of this controversy, serving as a flagship for the left’s wholesale effort to indoctrinate students into believing that the United States and its greatest heroes are irredeemably evil and racist. While conservatives have gone on offense against this narrative, making Critical Race Theory a household term, often lost in the debate over the “politicization” of education is the fact that not only is the 1619 Project and its view of history socially destructive, but its central claims about American history are also demonstrably false.
When the 1619 Project first began making its case in a series of essays, it was met with high praise from mainstream media pundits and left-wing politicians, but skepticism and outright condemnation from actual historians, who immediately objected to glaring inaccuracies and falsehoods littered throughout the project. In a letter to the New York Times, several prominent historians from top American universities slammed the 1619 Project as a “displacement of historical understanding by ideology,” writing that they were “dismayed at some of the factual errors in the project and the closed process behind it.”
As one example among many, the scholars point to the project’s assertion that the American Revolution was fought primarily to “ensure slavery would continue.” This is the crux of Jones’ argument – that everything in American history and contemporary society revolves around preserving slavery and a racist system which disadvantages women and people of color. “Yet,” the letter reads, “every statement offered by the project to validate [this claim] is false.” The Declaration of Independence, far from a document intended to preserve the system of slavery, “proclaimed universal equality, for blacks as well as whites,” something which, as the historians’ letter also notes, Frederick Douglass recognized in calling the Declaration of Independence a “GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT.”
In a 2019 interview about the 1619 Project, Gordon Wood, one of the world’s most celebrated historians of the American Revolution and a signatory of the New York Times letter, expounded on his criticisms of Jones’ claim that the Revolution – and thus the establishment of the United States itself – was an effort to defend the institution of slavery. In fact, Wood argues, the opposite is true. “It’s the American Revolution that makes [slavery] a problem for the world,” Wood says. “And the first real anti-slave movement takes place in North America…The Revolution unleashed antislavery sentiments that led to the first abolition movements in the history of the world.”
Although Wood is widely recognized as one of the leading experts on the American Revolution, he was never asked to consult on the project. In 2020, another prominent expert of the American Revolution, Professor Leslie M. Harris, also revealed that she had been consulted, and had warned the Times that Hannah-Jones’ account of the Revolution was filled with factual errors.
James McPherson, another leading scholar of American history who, like Woods, was not consulted by Hannah-Jones or the New York Times, also blasted the 1619 Project for its assertion that “black Americans have fought back alone” to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.
“From the Quakers in the 18th century, on through the abolitionists in the antebellum, to the radical Republicans in the Civil War and Reconstruction, to the NAACP which was an interracial organization founded in 1909, down through the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, there have been a lot of whites who have fought against slavery and racial discrimination,” McPherson said.
McPherson also noted that Hannah-Jones makes barely a mention of the Civil War in her work, dismissing the conflict which saw more than 600,000 American dead as not doing much to improve the condition of black Americans. But, McPherson argues back, while Jim Crow and segregation were far from fulfilling the promise of America, “at least children couldn’t be sold apart from their parents, wives couldn’t be sold apart from their husbands, and marriage was now a legal institution for freed-people.” In ignoring this basic and obvious truth about how the condition of black Americans improved as a result of the Civil War, Hannah-Jones both undermines her own credibility and diminishes the incredible sacrifice of generations of abolitionists, black and white, who fought to eradicate slavery in the U.S.—not to mention the countless soldiers who gave their lives for that cause in the Civil War.
Phillip W. Magness, a leading economic historian, has also thoroughly discredited the 1619 Project’s “explicit anti-capitalist political message,” which he contends is “rooted in a fundamental misreading of economic history.” While the project argues that modern American capitalism is based on financial practices developed in the slaveholding south, Magness writes that most of these practices “predate plantation slavery by several centuries.” Furthermore, the claims made in the project plainly do not match up with the stated sources, to the point where the “thesis falls apart for want of evidence.”
Following this criticism, the New York Times stood by Hannah-Jones and stubbornly refused to correct historical inaccuracies in the project. Hannah-Jones herself dismissed the dissenters as “old, white male historians,” as if the age and race of those calling her out invalidated their critiques. In a letter of his own responding to the aforementioned historians’ letter, Times editor Jake Silverstein writes that he does not believe “that the request for corrections tothe 1619 Project is warranted.” Silverstein then goes a step further, doubling down on the claim that equality for black Americans has never been achieved – “not in 1776, not in 1865, not in 1964, not in 2008 and not today.”
Despite all this, schools throughout the country have continued to teach the 1619 Project, notjust as one interpretation of American history, but as an authoritative source and factual retelling of the country’s origin story. According to the Pulitzer Center, more than 3,500 classrooms are using the 1619 Project in their history curriculum. Though President Trump promised to penalize schools that taught the 1619 Project as part of their curriculum, the Biden Department of Education has explicitly endorsed the project as a resource educators should draw upon to “create inclusive, supportive, and identity-safe learning environments.”
To reverse this dangerous trend, conservatives – and indeed anyone who cares about the elevation of truth over falsehood – should not only highlight how the project promotes hate and division, but continue to emphasize that the 1619 Project, and Critical Race Theory more broadly, are wrong on matters of basic historical fact. The reason to oppose teaching these concepts in the classroom is not just that we do not like “focusing exclusively on America’s flaws,” as some conservatives like to say—it’s that the narrative the left is pushing is an abject lie. American history is the greatest story of progress and triumph over evil in the history of the world – a truth so obvious that it cannot be denied, despite the immense cultural and political power that has been directed at doing exactly that.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @Shane_Harris_
Both the 1619 Project and CRT are irredeemably wrong and incorrect. The Constitution of this country did NOT preserve slavery. Instead, it guaranteed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” to all citizens of this country. The truth of the matter is that we ALL are irredeemably lost, outside of the saving work of Jesus Christ and condemned to hell for our rebellion against God (See Romans 1: 18ff). Perversions of the goals of the Constitution are the result of sinful people and their aversion to the truth.
Racism is a product; racism is a business, that’s all. They’re salesmen. These people are the “Elmer Gantrys” of racial animosity for a dollar.
There is no truth in either CRT or the 1619 Project. Campaigning Democrate Joe Biden made an identifying statement during his run for election, which clearly describes the design of the socialist Democrate party. “You can’t confuse truth with fact”. That is his truth and the truth for people who adopt the same beliefs that they have been forced into a life of disappointment and unrealized success by others. It is not my doing, I didn’t study in school because I don’t need it, I didn’t show up to work on time because I needed space, I stole from others, I hurt people, it’s not my fault and you owe me, because! These conditions are truth and it is also a truth that unless these people accepted responsibility for their actions they will lose even more. They are being lied to by power hungry rule-or-ruin elitist, Democrates and since the democrates agree with this lack of responsibility behavior, these people beleive in them!Biden’s statement totally sums up the rule-or-ruin actions of the socialist DNC and the desperate Democrate run for power. The socialist elite have never been about anything other than power and wealth. That was true when people with this elitist mentality first stepped on American soil. After all the work and dangers to settle and build America were over come by the freedom loving and faithful people who came here from around the world. These elitist types safely traveled here, from Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America and Africa, after all the work and dangers to settle and build America were over come by the freedom loving and faithful people who settled here from around the world. New Americans came here, from every race and ethnicity, leaving their homelands to escaping that rule-or-ruin elitist mentality that distroyed their homeland; the same mentality now adopted by the DNC and the Democtatic party.You have to fight stupid and that takes a plan; however, you can work with ignorance by showing them the truth, facts, and you can stop the elitist the same way.The New York Times has stocks, advertisers and stock holders. Their truth is that they have to stay in business. If you have a stock portfolio that holds any New York Times stock, sell it. If you are retired and have a 401K or other retirement account you have to take an RDM every year. Instead of selling off other stocks to satisfy the RDM sell off any New York Times holdings first. Next look at the advertising in the New York Times. Start selling off these stocks next and keep doing that until the stockholders vote to fire editors like Jake Silverstein and then up the management ladder until, they adopt a new platform, the Truth!Jake Silverstein is an elitist and they don’t survive well in the light, so put a spotlight on him and all of the others who support the Democrate socialist rule-or-ruin agenda. You can change ignorance but you have to get rid of stupid. You see, stupid knows better (the truth) and does it anyway (lies for power).
The first slaves in the new world were White. Mostly young women and children form the slums of London, Ireland and Scotland! That’s where the term “Kidnapped” comes from.
Please peruse the excellent book “They Were White and They Were Slaves.” By Michael A. Hoffman 11 a definitive study of world wide slavery
I agree with TheHoneyBadger by banning teacher unions it will put money in everyone’s pockets through lower real estate taxes. The teacher’s pension is paid for by our property taxes yet those paying the tax have no say in how high it goes because most of it is for supposed education
FDR was right for once! Government employees should not be able to unionize. Ban the NEA and all other teachers’ unions!!!
The truth is that some form of bondage-slavery or serfdom- was the norm for the common people all over the world until the Industrial Revolution, and beyond. America may not be perfect, but no other country tries any harder to give everyone equal opportunity. It may not happen overnight, but things do change.
Teach 1619 but 1619 BC era
Make jokes about CRT, who speaks for Vulcan Americans??
Teaching this false history, is further justification, to remove the NEA.
I understand the marxist democrats minister of truth just resigned……finally realized there is NO truth in the marxist democrat party!!
Now that’s funny!!
How pathetic are these morons??
It amazes anyone that the anti American, racist, marxist democrat party lies?????
EVERYTIME the divisive democrat party speaks they distort the truth and change the name to cover their dishonest,divisive policies!
Example – the Florida ” don’t say gay bill”, a COMPLETE and INTENTIONAL LIE, to make it sound distasteful or discriminatory!
The democrat party have been the same corrupt,hateful group for 50 years – WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Throw them out!
Obama said it first that he( or at least the people that managed him) wanted to fundamentally change the United States. Everything “they” do is toward that goal. Truth and facts do not matter. The idea of letting children decide which is right, is complete nonsense. Boys that age, as my daughter likes to point about her teenage son and his friends, do not have a frontal lobe.
The argument I hear in the leftist Tampa Bay Times is that the 1619 project and CRT should be taught in schools along with conventional history so students will hear all sides of the issue and can make up their own minds. However, I don’t think anything that isn’t based on facts should be presented to young impressionable minds that haven’t learned how to separate fact from fiction yet. They will have plenty of time to learn of dreamed up theories that ignore facts later in life.
NO KIDDING! Don’t forget that the 1619 project started as a magazine article with any academic review. And the operative word regarding CRT is the word THEORY. It should have10 years of unbiased academic review and study.
Dems are staying true to form. They probably have biden coming up with a proclamation about their Decade of Decadence and remain in character by attributing it to everyone on the Right.
Why bother with facts when there is an entertaining story to tell? So sad that so many people bought this garbage hook, line and sinker.
It’s important we understand historical events accurately in order to learn from past mistakes. There never was an all White versus all Black attitude. White citizens opposed slavery while Black Africans profited from them. Fight racism! Stop allowing racists to continue dividing us based on our ethnic makeup.
History = His story = Her story = Hysteria = hyperbole = hyper baloney = another product of the “WOKE” elite morons. They can’t get their story straight. Just like they can’t tell their PROnouns from their CONnouns. All the quacks don’t come from ducks.
I wasn’t intending to bring politics into my comment but, with what’s happening in our society today it’s unavoidable. Growing up on Long Island, I never encountered RACISM until my days in High School. During those years BLACK STUDENTS were either very popular or despised mostly based upon their abilities in sports or, just the fact that they were DIFFERENT! It wasn’t until college that I had one on one contact with BLACK STUDENTS. At first, I found them to be always on the defensive and reluctant to really be themselves around me and other WHITE STUDENTS. They always banded together as if to show a unified defensive front. However, slowly but surely, we got to know each other and became friends.
As an adult, I was lucky enough to have friends and associates that are BLACK and throughout the entire 33 years of my career, I can only recall two instances when I was disappointed in them. As I grew older and I hope wiser, I began to realize how badly BLACK AMERICANS were being used and abused by THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. Before I continue, I DO NOT WANT ANYONE TO THINK THAT I CLAIM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS WITHOUT FAULT WHEN IT COMES TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION! But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that BLACK AMERICANS living in DEMOCRAT run cities are living in POVERTY AND CRIME INFESTED CONDITIONS! Has anything changed? THE ANSWER IS YES, FOR THE WORSE! Nothing will ever change until BLACK AND WHITE AMERICANS JOIN TO TOGETHER AS ONE UNITED FRONT AGAINST THE CORRUPTION AND TYRANNY THAT’S TAKING PLACE IN OUR INNER CITIES! One last thing, I’m sad to say that we cannot depend on the accuracy of THE NEWS as it’s reported today by the MEDIA! WE’RE ALL AMERICANS AND WE NEED TO START ACTING LIKE IT!
This is how we all know the schools no longer care about education.
They can not identify false history. The students are failing math, science reading and writing.
The teachers are perverts who would rather talk to a 6 year old about sex than teach addition.
It is time for 100% school vouchers. Dont want to teach the kids math, english and reading. Great they can take their money elsewhere.
the left always misjudge the intelligence of others to be less than themselves; it defines them as genuine elite ignorants.
Every left-wing progressive fascist socialist moron who tells us that America was built on racism and is the worst place on earth to live cannot answer this one question, “why does everyone throughout the world want to come here”?? The answer is that there is nowhere else on earth, no other country can be found that has more freedom, greater liberty and less racism than the United States of America. Period!!
History is History. You can choose to ignore it, you can try to change it, but it is what it is. As long as I am alive I will do my best to see that my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren know the truth.
The racist rant we hear non stop is no different then the pure race rant of the nazis it is pure venom just as Jews were blamed for every ill so are now white supremacists we shall see where black supremacy will take us
Rather than whining and complaining about their lives those who are dissatisfied should search for a way to make their lives better. There ARE people who WILL help them. Search and ye shall find!
The simple question becomes, “Does slavery of blacks exist in America today?” “NO!”
Then you must ask, “When is the last black slave owned in America?” “EASY, WELL OVER 100+ YEARS AGO!”
This nonsense is no different than believing Howard Zinn’s lies, or believing Saul Alinsky’s preachings? Really?!?!?
The WOKE MSM is pushing this false narrative to the ultimate demise of a COUNTRY everyone from EVERY communist countries and third world sh_tholes are rushing to get into…
Is the WOKE MOVEMENT is facilitated by subversive FORCES HELLBENT ON BRING AMERICA DOWN DOW DOWN DOWN! WAKE THE F UP BEFORE WE ARE ENSLAVED FOR REAL!
MAGA MAGA MAGA
When all you have to go with is lies, what would one expect? Leftist ideology and the Leftist agenda are, and have always been, based on lies, misinformation, and deception. There is 200+ years of history to back up that statement. The greatest enemies of the Left are truth, facts, and reality. The reason the Left works full-time to silence their opponents is that they desperately need to ensure the truth does not get to the public and show the Left to be the liars and frauds that they are. That is also why they Left does not like to have an open and fair debate on the issues. Lies, lies, and more lies is all you will ever get from the Left.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a legitimate press (and a legitimate president)? Instead of promoting false history, false economics, and (especially) false science, they might enlighten people to the TRUTH!
Bottom Line: GET A LIFE. If you don’t like our country’s history, YOU CAN’T CHANGE IT. Why don’t you move to a more pleasant part of the world that really cares for you like Russia or China or Iran or Iraq or North Korea or some Muslim country that will support your RHETORIC (prison or beheading free of charge). We, the People, are not perfect but we have done our best to correct the past wrongs and are continuing to improve despite what other IDIOTS are advertising.