1776 Project
The 1776 Project (also known as "1776", 1776 Unites, and the 1776 Initiative) is a bipartisan effort by African-American historians, academics, and advocates to address what they consider historical inaccuracies of the 1619 Project, which was created by the New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. The 1776 Project is supported by the Robert Woodson Center. Some of the high-profile academics include Carol M. Swain, Glenn Loury, Jason D. Hill, Wilfred Reilly, Shelby Steele, John McWhorter, and John Sibley Butler. Other contributors include journalists Coleman Hughes and Clarence Page.
In addition to material on U.S. history and historical controversies, 1776 also seeks to promote what it considers to be founding American values like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support. 1776 also promotes the work and thought of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and community leaders, and others it considers “achievers,” hoping to illustrate the opportunities for success that are open to African-Americans today, their contributions to national economic and cultural life, and their stake in U.S. life and history. They view this as a discouraging picture of the future for younger generations of Americans; instead, Woodson has written, “America should be defined by its promises.”
Scholar and 1776 contributor Wilfred Reilly has stated that the project has three main goals: “(1) rebutting some outright historical inaccuracies in the 1619 Project; (2) discussing tragedies like slavery and segregation honestly while clarifying that these were not the most important historical foundations of the United States; and (3) presenting an alternative inspirational view of the lessons of our nation’s history to Americans of all races.”
Reilly pointed out that historians like Gordon S. Wood, James Oakes, and James M. McPherson have been critical of the 1619 Project, but that Woodson’s project went further, seeking to debunk the “historical fatalism” that blames contemporary problems in African-American life primarily on slavery.
That same day, 1776 partnered with the Washington Examiner to release a series of essays critical of the 1619 Project, celebrating African-American contributions to business and education and arguing that slavery and its legacy should not be seen as definitive of the black experience.
1776 released its first essays in partnership with the Washington Examiner, which featured commentary from a wide range of intellectual backgrounds, including historians, journalists, and business leaders, including the following essays:
* “The moral meaning of America,” by Jason D. Hill
* “Black America’s algorithm of entrepreneurship and group success,” by John Sibley Butler
* “Slavery does no define the black experience,” by Wilfred Reilly
* “Critical race theory’s toxic, destructive impact on America,” by Carol M. Swain
* “Arm black children with lessons that can improve their lives,” by Coleman Hughes
* “Acknowledging slavery’s limits in defining America,” by John Wood
* “Rosenwald schools: How black Southerners worked to close the education gap in the Jim Crow era,” by Stephanie Deutsch
* “‘A dream as old as the American dream’: Embrace black patriotism over victimization,” by Clarence Page
* “Don’t ignore the strong moral and economic ethics of African Americans” by Robert Cherry
In addition to material on U.S. history and historical controversies, 1776 also seeks to promote what it considers to be founding American values like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support. 1776 also promotes the work and thought of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and community leaders, and others it considers “achievers,” hoping to illustrate the opportunities for success that are open to African-Americans today, their contributions to national economic and cultural life, and their stake in U.S. life and history. They view this as a discouraging picture of the future for younger generations of Americans; instead, Woodson has written, “America should be defined by its promises.”
Scholar and 1776 contributor Wilfred Reilly has stated that the project has three main goals: “(1) rebutting some outright historical inaccuracies in the 1619 Project; (2) discussing tragedies like slavery and segregation honestly while clarifying that these were not the most important historical foundations of the United States; and (3) presenting an alternative inspirational view of the lessons of our nation’s history to Americans of all races.”
Reilly pointed out that historians like Gordon S. Wood, James Oakes, and James M. McPherson have been critical of the 1619 Project, but that Woodson’s project went further, seeking to debunk the “historical fatalism” that blames contemporary problems in African-American life primarily on slavery.
That same day, 1776 partnered with the Washington Examiner to release a series of essays critical of the 1619 Project, celebrating African-American contributions to business and education and arguing that slavery and its legacy should not be seen as definitive of the black experience.
1776 released its first essays in partnership with the Washington Examiner, which featured commentary from a wide range of intellectual backgrounds, including historians, journalists, and business leaders, including the following essays:
* “The moral meaning of America,” by Jason D. Hill
* “Black America’s algorithm of entrepreneurship and group success,” by John Sibley Butler
* “Slavery does no define the black experience,” by Wilfred Reilly
* “Critical race theory’s toxic, destructive impact on America,” by Carol M. Swain
* “Arm black children with lessons that can improve their lives,” by Coleman Hughes
* “Acknowledging slavery’s limits in defining America,” by John Wood
* “Rosenwald schools: How black Southerners worked to close the education gap in the Jim Crow era,” by Stephanie Deutsch
* “‘A dream as old as the American dream’: Embrace black patriotism over victimization,” by Clarence Page
* “Don’t ignore the strong moral and economic ethics of African Americans” by Robert Cherry
Comments