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literarygreg10xsmenow · 4 months

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"Black American Freedom Fighters"

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"Black American Freedom Fighters" By Gregory V. Boulware WordPress, 2013

"What is a man who does not try and make the World better?" 'Black American Freedom Fighters' “And wo, wo, will be to you if we have to obtain our freedom by fighting… I declare to you, while you keep us and our children in bondage, and treat us like brutes, to make us support you and your families, we cannot be your friends!" https://www.academia.edu/113880204/Black_American_Freedom_Fighters

The 1619 Project Further information: Slavery in the colonial history of the United States The 1619 Project was launched in August 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the British colony of Virginia. In 1619, a group of "twenty and odd" captive Africans arrived in the Virginia Colony. An English privateer operating under a Dutch letter of marque, White Lion, carried 20–30 Africans who had been captured in joint African-Portuguese raids against the Kingdom of Ndongo in modern-day Angola, making its landing at Point Comfort in the English colony of Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_1619_Project

'The BookMarketingNetwork' http://thebookmarketingnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/black-american-freedom-fighters

"What Is A Man Who Does Not Try and Make the World Better?" ~'Black American Freedom Fighters'~ https://blackamericanfreedomfighters.blogspot.com/ http://hbcu.com/content/246227/black-american-freedom-fighters https://boulwareenterprises.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/black-american-freedom-fighters/

“Twitter” https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorBoulwareG

Academia: https://www.google.com/search?q=Black+American+Freedom+fighters%2C+Gregory+V.+Boulware&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1090US1090&oq=Black+American+Freedom+fighters%2C+Gregory+V.+Boulware&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRhAMgYIAhBFGEDSAQoyODQzN2owajE1qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

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brookstonalmanac · 7 days

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Events 5.13 (before 1955)

1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love. 1501 – Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, set sail for western lands. 1568 – Mary Queen of Scots is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI. 1612 – Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end. 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason. 1654 – A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy. 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel). 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice. 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city. 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion. 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights. 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. 1861 – Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri. 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship. 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery. 1909 – The first edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, began in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner. 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom. 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal. 1940 – World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons. 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance. 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia. 1945 – World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine. 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence. 1950 – The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year. 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru. 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting. 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.

#Events

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royallandtours · 2 months

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Back to roots: Why African Americans are flocking to Ghana

African Americans have been exhibiting a discernible trend in recent years: a return to their motherland, specifically Ghana in West Africa. Global conversations and headlines have been generated by this occurrence. However, what is the precise cause of African Americans' renewed interest in Ghana? Now let's explore the motivations underlying this powerful trend.

Getting Back in Touch with Our Roots

A deep desire to reestablish ties to one's ancestry is at the core of this movement. African Americans have suffered from a sense of displacement for centuries as a result of the terrible legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Many have experienced a sense of alienation from their roots, with their cultural identity being shattered by their forebears' forced relocation.

Ghana is very meaningful to African Americans because of its long history as a key transatlantic slave trading hub. It is a location where they can trace their history back to the exact dirt from where their ancestors were ripped away, providing them with a physical link to their past. African Americans travel to Ghana to begin a self-discovery journey to make up for lost relationships and create a more profound comprehension of their origins.

Identity Affirmation and Cultural Exploration

Beyond the ancestry search, Ghana's colourful culture and sense of belonging entice African Americans to visit. African American travellers find Ghana to offer a rich tapestry of experiences, from the vibrant marketplaces of Accra to the ancient castles along the coast. By taking part in customary rituals, experiencing regional cuisine, and being fully engrossed in Ghanaian arts and music, tourists discover a feeling of validation in accepting the cultural legacy of their forefathers. It's an opportunity to commemorate tenacity in the face of misfortune, celebrate common customs, and reaffirm pride in their African American identity.

The Year of Return and Beyond

This emerging movement was sparked by the Ghanaian initiative known as The Year of Return, which marked the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in slavery in America. It extended an invitation to African Americans and other diasporans to visit Ghana once more to invest, discover, and advance the growth of the nation. But the attraction of Ghana goes far beyond a year or special occasion. It is a continuous call to action for African Americans to take ownership of their history, establish deep relationships, and actively participate in the future development of the continent.

Conclusion

Essentially, the migration of African Americans to Ghana is evidence of the continuous search for identity, empowerment, and a sense of belonging. Driven by the desire to respect the past, cherish the present, and influence the future, it's a voyage of self-discovery. Ghana is more than simply a location to travel; for African Americans trying to take back their historical legacy, it represents a ray of hope, solidarity, and resiliency.

#travel #africa #royallandtours #tourism #tour #trip #world #tourist #vacation #ghana

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newslobster · 1 year

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Indian History Not Just About Slavery: PM Scoffs At 'Colonial Conspiracy'

Indian History Not Just About Slavery: PM Scoffs At ‘Colonial Conspiracy’

“The mistake of not giving those events in the mainstream is being rectified now,” he said. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India was correcting its past mistakes by celebrating its heritage and remembering its unsung bravehearts who were lost in the pages of history, written as part of a conspiracy during the colonial era. Addressing the 400th birth anniversary…

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squarwell-breakingnews · 1 year

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Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India's history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi | India News - Times of India

Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India’s history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the closing celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of legendary Assam war hero Lachit Barphukan, where he paid a tribute to him for defending Assam against the Mughals and preserving its culture during times of war. The Prime Minister said the contributions of India’s greats wasn’t recognised and made a strong case for rewriting…

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znewstech · 1 year

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Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India's history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi at birth anniversary of Assam war hero | India News - Times of India

Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India’s history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi at birth anniversary of Assam war hero | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the closing celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of legendary Assam war hero Lachit Barphukan, where he paid a tribute to him for defending Assam against the Mughals and preserving its culture during times of war. The Prime Minister said the contributions of India’s greats wasn’t recognised and made a strong case for rewriting…

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theechudar · 1 year

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Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India's history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi | India News

Must leave behind mindset of slavery, India’s history about bravery and sacrifice, says PM Modi | India News

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the closing celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of legendary Assam war hero Lachit Barphukan, where he paid a tribute to him for defending Assam against the Mughals and preserving its culture during times of war. The Prime Minister said the contributions of India’s greats wasn’t recognised and made a strong case for rewriting…

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writinghistorylit · 4 years

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400th Anniversary of Slavery-From the Slave Narrative of Charles Ball

“The system of slavery, as practiced in the United States, has been, and is now, but little understood by the people who live north of the Potomac and the Ohio; for, although individual cases of extreme cruelty and oppression occasionally occur in Maryland, yet the general treatment of the black people, is far more lenient and mild in that state, than it is further south.

This, I presume, is mainly to be attributed to the vicinity of the population of the cities of Baltimore and Washington, over the families of the planters of the surrounding counties. For experience has taught me, that both masters and mistresses, who, if not observed by strangers, would treat their slaves with the utmost rigour, are so far operated upon, by a sense of shame or pride, as to provide them tolerably with both food and clothing, when they know their conduct is subject to the observation of persons, whose good opinion they wish to preserve.

A large number of respectable and wealthy people in both Washington and Baltimore, being altogether opposed to the practice of slavery, hold a constant control over the actions of their friends, the farmers, and thus prevent much misery; but in the south, the case is widely different. There, every man, and every woman too, except prevented by poverty, is a slave-holder; and the entire white population is leagued together by a common bond of the most sordid interest, in the torture and oppression of the poor descendants of Africa. If the negro is wronged, there is no one to whom he can complain---if suffering for want of the coarsest food, he dare not steal--if flogged till the flesh falls from his bones, he must not murmur--and if compelled to perform his daily toil in an iron collar, no expression of resentment must escape his lips.”

--Charles Ball, “Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, a Black Man”-Lewiston, PA, 1836

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the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress · 5 years

Link

The 1619 Project is a major initiative from The New York Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. 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.

Read all the stories. [Interactive links, photos, audio recordings]

#The New York Times #the 1619 project #American slavery #American history #race #slavery #article link #interactive article #the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery

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metalheadsforblacklivesmatter · 3 years

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No idea what the 1619 project is, but if Much McConnell, white historians, and Republicans hate it, I say we double the funding to schools that teach it.

I looked it up, and I can see why the Republiklan hates it so much. 🤣🤣 Forget doubling their money. Triple it.

The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

-fae

#black lives matter #blm #black lives still matter #1619 project

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theuncannytruthteller · 3 years

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Critical Race Theory According to Whte People - Critical Race Theory is a Self-hating ploy that you are born with the original sin of whiteness. Critical Race Theory is a Self-servicing system of division and profit; it creates more division, divisiveness amongst people that look different then creates and inflicts this artificial job market for people meaning it will create jobs such as diversity officer and inclusion secretary. It's a new made-up theory to talk about racism being this system design to target a specific group of people that it shames and is racist in itself towards white men, making it woke.

Critical Race Theory According To Black People - The 1690 Project is a well-written work by Journalism written by Nicole Hannah Jones. It was released to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the enslaved Africans in colonies that would become America. It proposes that we should talk more about the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black people when talked about the foundations of this country. Which will mean acknowledging racism permeates its history. Its role is to teach students about the role slavery has played in Amerikkkan history. Critical Race Theory is examining society without pretending that racism doesn't exist. Racism is part of the past and the present that many state schools, whether public or private choosing to ignore during their curriculum or placing it between the roaring twenties and the civil war fixing history—revising history to make Whte People feel better or at least comfortable. Or they opt to talk about it during Black history month of February, the shortest month. Which they designated the appropriate time to talk about the atrocities they committed against us Black people. Many of these schools, like in South Carolina, described slavery as being benevolent, saying such as "Most Masters treated their slaves kindly, or slaves were allowed to become Christians, instead of remaining heathen." These quotes come from Textbooks in South Carolina, which they used for more than 130 years; this is why many Whte people believe in racism, and whte privilege doesn't exist, saying things such as "If Whte privilege existed, then why am I poor?" Living with the repercussions while Whte people tell you there weren't any. Whte people get to make YouTube videos complaining about diversity, explaining why "Critical Race Theory" shouldn't be taught in schools because of their lack of belief. Critial Race Theory gives us the tools to examine history openly and honestly which the parts of the educational system aren't doing that.

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brookstonalmanac · 1 year

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Events 5.13

1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love. 1501 – Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, set sail for western lands. 1568 – Mary Queen of Scots is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI. 1612 – Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end. 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason. 1654 – A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy. 1779 – War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from it (the Innviertel). 1780 – The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice. 1804 – Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city. 1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion. 1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights. 1861 – The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. 1861 – Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri. 1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship. 1888 – With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery. 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom. 1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal. 1940 – World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons. 1941 – World War II: Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting against German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance. 1943 – World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia. 1945 – World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine. 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence. 1950 – The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year. 1951 – The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru. 1952 – The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting. 1954 – The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place. 1958 – During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators. 1958 – May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria. 1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey. 1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 1967 – Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969. 1969 – May 13 Incident involving sectarian violence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 1971 – Over 900 unarmed Bengali Hindus are murdered in the Demra massacre. 1972 – A fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths). 1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured. 1980 – An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area. 1981 – Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives. 1985 – Police bombed MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents. 1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike. 1990 – The Dinamo–Red Star riot took place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade). 1992 – Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China. 1995 – Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas. 1996 – Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. 1998 – Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped. 1998 – India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India. 2005 – Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan; Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates. 2006 – São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil. 2011 – Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others. 2012 – Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40. 2013 – American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges. 2014 – An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.

#Events

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sizarus-blog · 5 years

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US slavery: How is America marking the 400th anniversary?

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionNancy Pelosi addresses Ghana’s parliament

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has travelled to Ghana in West Africa for events marking 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in America.

Why is the date significant?

In 1619, a ship arrived in an English settlement in what is now…

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#400th #America #anniversary #marking #slavery

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profeminist · 4 years

Link

“Pioneering journalist Ida B. Wells was awarded a posthumous special citation during Monday’s announcement of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winners.

The honor was long overdue, according to Nikole Hannah-Jones, herself a 2020 Pulitzer recipient in the commentary category for The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project commemorating the 400th anniversary of slavery’s beginning.

In acknowledgement of Wells’ role as a groundbreaking role model, Hannah-Jones, along with fellow journalists Ron Nixon and Topher Sanders, founded The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting in 2016 as “a news trade organization dedicated to increasing and retaining reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting.”

The Pulitzer board recognized Wells “for her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching.”

Read the full piece here

“I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I said.” -Mrs. Ida B. Wells

“Ida Bell Wells (July 16, 1862 to March 25, 1931), better known as Ida B. Wells, was an African-American journalist, abolitionist and feminist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s. She went on to found and become integral in groups striving for African-American justice.” (x)

#ida b. wells #ida b wells #black women #black excellence #black women journalists #black women writers #journalists #writers

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 2, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

On Friday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and 36 Republicans sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona accusing him of trying to advance a “politicized and divisive agenda” in the teaching of American history. This is a full embrace of the latest Republican attempt to turn teaching history into a culture war.

On April 19, the Department of Education called for public comments on two priorities for the American History and Civics Education programs. Those programs work to improve the “quality of American history, civics, and government education by educating students about the history and principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights; and… the quality of the teaching of American history, civics, and government in elementary schools and secondary schools, including the teaching of traditional American history.”

The department is proposing two priorities to reach low-income students and underserved populations. The Republicans object to the one that encourages “projects that incorporate racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives into teaching and learning.”

History teaching that reflects our diverse history and the way our diversity supports democracy can help to improve racial equality in society, the document states. It calls out the 1619 Project of the New York Times, as well as the resources of the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History, to note how our understanding of diversity is changing. It notes that schools across the country are teaching “anti-racist practices,” which it follows scholar Ibram X. Kendi by identifying as “any idea that suggests the racial groups are equals in all their apparent differences—that there is nothing right or wrong with any racial group.”

The Education Department invited comments on these priorities. The department does not have much at all to do with local school curricula.

McConnell’s letter in response to this call for comments is disingenuous, implying connections between the teaching of a diverse past, the sorry state of history education, and the fact that “American pride has plummeted to its lowest level in 20 years.” There is, of course, no apparent connection between them.

He complains that Cardona’s “proposal”—it’s a call for comments—would “distort bipartisan legislation that was led by former Senators Lamar Alexander, Ted Kennedy, and Robert Byrd.” That legislation was indeed landmark for the teaching of American history… but its funding was cut in 2012.

What McConnell’s letter is really designed to do is to throw a bone to Trump Republicans. On Thursday, Trump called for Senate Republicans to replace McConnell with a Trump loyalist, and embracing their conviction that our history is being hijacked by radicals is cheap and easy.

The prime object of Republican anger is the 1619 Project, called out in McConnell’s letter by name. The project launched in the New York Times Magazine in August 2019 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first landing of 20 to 30 enslaved Africans at the English colony of Virginia. Led by New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, the project placed race and Black Americans “at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country.”

The 1619 Project argued that the landing of the Black slaves marked “the country’s very origin” since it “inaugurated a barbaric system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years.” From slavery “and the anti-black racism it required,” the editors claimed, grew “nearly everything that has truly made America exceptional: its economic might, its industrial power, its electoral system, its diet and popular music, the inequities of its public health and education, its astonishing penchant for violence, its income inequality, the example it sets for the world as a land of freedom and equality, its slang, its legal system and the endemic racial fears and hatreds that continue to plague it to this day.”

Their goal, they said, was “to reframe American history,” replacing 1776 with 1619 as the year of the nation’s birth.

The most explosive claim the project made was that one of the key reasons that the American colonists broke away from Britain was that they wanted to protect slavery. Scholars immediately pushed back. Northwestern University’s Dr. Leslie M. Harris, a scholar of colonial African American history, wrote: “Although slavery was certainly an issue in the American Revolution, the protection of slavery was not one of the main reasons the 13 Colonies went to war.” The project tempered its language over that issue but stood by its larger argument.

Trump Republicans conflated this project with so-called “Critical Race Theory,” a related scholarly concept that argues that racism is not simply the actions of a few bad actors, but rather is baked into our legal system, as well as the other institutions that make up our society. This is not a new concept, and it is not limited to Black Americans: historian Angie Debo’s And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes launched this argument in 1940 when it showed how Oklahoma’s legislators had written discrimination against Indigenous people into the law. But the idea that white people have an automatic leg up in our country has taken on modern political teeth as Trump Republicans argue that Black and Brown people, among others, are at the bottom of society not because of discriminatory systems but because they are inferior.

The former president railed against recent historical work emphasizing race as “a series of polemics grounded in poor scholarship” that has “vilified our Founders and our founding.” Calling them “one-sided and divisive,” he opposed their view of “America as an irredeemably and systemically racist country.” He claimed, without evidence, that “students are now taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but rather villains.” He said that “this radicalized view of American history” threatens to “fray and ultimately erase the bonds that knit our country and culture together.”

On November 2, 2020, just before the election, former president Trump established a hand-picked commission inside the Department of Education to promote “patriotic education” in the nation’s schools, national parks, and museums.

The commission released its report, written not by historians but by right-wing activists and politicians, on Martin Luther King Day, just two days before Trump left office. “The 1776 Report” highlighted the nation’s founding documents from the Revolutionary Era, especially the Declaration of Independence. It said that the principles written in the declaration “show how the American people have ever pursued freedom and justice.” It said “our history is… one of self-sacrifice, courage, and nobility.” No other nation, it said, had worked harder or done more to bring to life “the universal truths of equality, liberty, justice, and government by consent.”

Then–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that multiculturalism [is]... not who America is.” It “distort[s] our glorious founding and what this country is all about.” Hannah-Jones retorted: "When you say that multiculturalism is 'not who America is' and 'distorts our glorious founding' you unwittingly confirm the argument of the 1619 Project: That though we were ... a multiracial nation from our founding, our founders set forth a government of white rule. Cool."

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden dissolved the 1776 Commission and took its report off the official government website.

But the fight goes on. The Pulitzer Center, which supports journalism but is not associated with Columbia University’s Pulitzer Prizes, produced a school curriculum based on the 1619 Project; Republican legislators in five states—Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Dakota—filed virtually identical bills to cut funding to any school or college that used the material. Other Republican-led states have proposed funding “patriotic education.” In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves called for a $3 million fund to promote teaching that “educates the next generation in the incredible accomplishments of the American Way” to counter “far-left socialist teachings that emphasize America’s shortcomings over the exceptional achievements of this country.” South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem proposed a curriculum that explains “why the U.S. is the most special nation in the history of the world.”

——

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#political #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #history #racism #exceptionalism #corrupt GOP #criminal GOP #multiculturalism

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birdbathcabal · 4 years

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The 1619 Project

The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.