Why 1619 Matters in 2019

The New York Times Magazine recently released its “1619 Project,” an initiative marking the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves arriving in North America. The project is ambitious, aiming to “reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding.” A collection of pundits have framed this project as an attempt to “delegimitize” the United States. Such commentary provides an opportunity to consider the state of American race relations and the role of slavery in American history. Whether or not the foundation of the United States was legitimate is an interesting political, moral,   and historical question. You can spend a career considering questions about when political violence is justified, what fair representation in a democracy looks like, how to measure and secure the consent of the governed, and what political system best secures natural rights. But these aren’t th e kinds of questions many 1619 Project critics have in mind when they accuse it of “delegimitizing” the United States. They’re concerned that highlighting America’s brutal history of slavery and its role in forming the United States undermines the American project; an experiment in self-gove rnment. The relationship between black people and the white  institutions that oppressed them is one of the most consequential features of American history. The most prominent of America’s contradictions is that its Founding documents were written by white men who ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs