REEXAMINING AND REFRAMING AMERICAN HISTORY: THE 1619 PROJECT

Abstract

The paper examines and analyzes the 1619 Project published in 2019 by The New York Times Magazine. The publication of the 1619 Project is a clear indication of an ongoing debate around American history and politics in which the center stage is given to the dominant white Americans who are considered the builders of the state and nation, whereas the role and contribution of people of color in American history is either overlooked or denied. The intent of the 1619 Project is to reframe and reassess American history by placing African Americans at the center of American history, acknowledging their contribution as well as debunking the dominant Eurocentric myths and discourses. The 1619 Project challenges the mainstream historical narrative that the US history started in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, instead offering 1619 as the date of the beginning of American history with the arrival of the first enslaved people to the British colony of Virginia. By analyzing the 1619 Project it is revealed that the narrative based on the centrality of African American people in the US history in fact exposes the deep-seated institutional systemic racism in American society and deconstructs the myth of American exceptionalism. Although the 1619 Project is a forceful and dynamic endeavor in challenging the mainstream Anglo-American national discourse of American history, the dominant Anglo-American historical narratives remain deeply entrenched and prevalent in the consciousness of American public and education system. Key words: 1619 Project, American history, slavery, whites, blacks, African Americans, racism, American exceptionalism.