The 1619 Project

This article is about the journalism endeavor. For other uses, see The 1619 Project (disambiguation).

"The 1619 Project"
Short story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
The 1619 Project logo
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Long-form journalism
Publication
PublisherThe New York Times
Publication dateAugust 2019
Chronology
 
— 		 
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

The 1619 Project is a long-form journalistic revisionist historiographical work that takes a critical view of traditionally revered figures and events in American history, including the Patriots in the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers, along with Abraham Lincoln and the Union during the Civil War.[1][2][3][4] It was developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones, writers from The New York Times, and The New York Times Magazine. It focused on subjects of slavery and the founding of the United States.[5] The first publication from the project was in The New York Times Magazine of August 2019.[6] The project developed an educational curriculum, supported by the Pulitzer Center, later accompanied by a broadsheet article, live events, and a podcast.[7]

The project has become a leading subject of the American history wars,[8] receiving criticism from historians, both from the political left and the right, who question its historical accuracy.[3][9] In a letter published in The New York Times in December 2019, historians Gordon S. Wood, James M. McPherson, Sean Wilentz, Victoria E. Bynum, and James Oakes applauded "all efforts to address the enduring centrality of slavery and racism to our history" and deemed the project a "praiseworthy and urgent public service," but expressed "strong reservations" about some "important aspects" of the project and requested factual corrections. These scholars denied the project's claim that slavery was essential to the beginning of the American Revolution. In response, Jake Silverstein, the editor of The New York Times Magazine, defended The 1619 Project and refused to issue corrections.[10] On May 4, 2020, the Pulitzer Prize board announced that it was awarding the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary to Hannah-Jones for her introductory essay.[11][12]

In March 2020, in light of persistent criticism of the project's portrayal of the role of slavery, including from one of its own consulting historians, Leslie M. Harris, The New York Times issued a "clarification", modifying one of the passages on slavery's role that had sparked controversy.[13][14] In September 2020, controversy again arose when the Times updated the opening text of the project website to remove the phrase "...understanding 1619 as our true founding..." without any accompanying editorial note to point to what was being redone.[a] Critics — including the Times' own Bret Stephens — claimed the differences showed that the newspaper was backing away from some of the initiative's controversial claims.[16] The Times defended its practices, with Hannah-Jones saying that most of the project's content had remained unchanged.[17][18][15]

In 2020, The New York Times premiered a dedicated podcast series.[19] In 2021, a book anthology of essays and poetry The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story was published, as well as a children's picture book The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson. In January 2023, Hulu premiered a six-part documentary TV series created by Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine.[20] This series won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[21][22]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference atlantic-wilentz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Friedersdorf, Conor (January 6, 2020). "1776 Honors America's Diversity in a Way 1619 Does Not". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wilentz-NYRB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "The 1619 Project". The New York Times. August 14, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Silverstein, Jake (December 20, 2019). "Why We Published The 1619 Project". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "In '1619' Project, the Times Puts Slavery Front and Center of the American Experience". WNYC. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  8. ^ Blight, David W. (June 9, 2021). "The Fog of History Wars". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Serwer, Adam (December 23, 2019). "The Fight Over the 1619 Project Is Not About the Facts". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Silverstein, Jake (December 20, 2019). "We Respond to the Historians Who Critiqued The 1619 Project". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  11. ^ Barrus, Jeff (May 4, 2020). "Nikole Hannah-Jones Wins Pulitzer Prize for 1619 Project". Pulitzer Center. Archived from the original on May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "An Update to The 1619 Project". The New York Times. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Butcher, Jonathan (March 16, 2020). "The New York Times Begins Correcting the Historical Record on "1619 Project"". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Silverstein-On-Criticism was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Pompeo, Joe (October 14, 2020). ""This Isn't Jayson Blair": With 1619 and Caliphate Controversies, the New York Times Turns on Itself". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaPo-1619-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Stelter, Brian; Darcy, Oliver (October 12, 2020). "1619 Project faces renewed criticism — this time from within The New York Times". CNN. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  19. ^ "Listen to '1619,' a Podcast From The New York Times". The New York Times. January 23, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  20. ^ Silverstein, Jake (January 26, 2023). "A New Expansion of The 1619 Project". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  21. ^ Jensen, Grace (January 10, 2024). "The 1619 Project Docuseries Wins an Emmy". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Television Academy


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