The 1619 Project was an article published in the New York Times in 2019, authored by the staff writer, Nikole Hannah-Jones.  1619 is the date of the first arrival of African slaves in America.  Therefore the 1619 project seeks to interpret the founding of the United States in terms of slavery and the contribution that African Americans made to the United States.

“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.”
   https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

The 1619 project has generated a lot of conversation and controversy. In fact, it even created a curriculum.

“The Times produced not just a magazine, but podcasts, a newspaper section, and even a curriculum designed to inject a new version of American history into schools.”
   https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/06/1619-project-new-york-times-mistake-122248

Chattel slavery in the United States was immoral.  It is something the Bible never supports. (See CARM’s Slavery in the Bible articles)  However, as noble as the idea might be to accurately represent the atrocity of slavery and the contribution made by slaves to American society, the project is not without its problems.  It tends to resurrect feelings of racism and resentment.

Why 1619 as the starting point?

Why must 1619 be the founding date of America?  It is because that is when slaves first arrived here in America? Why can’t it be the founding of the Roanoke Colony in 1585, the founding of Jamestown in 1607, Salem’s founding in 1626, or of Boxton in 1630? On what basis is the arrival of slaves elevated to the position of the start date of America? It seems somewhat arbitrary and the promotion of yet another issue dealing in social justice that, unfortunately, seems to bring up old wounds and increase racial division.

Then there’s the issue of inaccuracy within the initial article released by the New York Times.  Leslie M. Harris is a professor of history at Northwestern University. She was asked to fact-check the article by Nikole Hannah-Jones.

“Weeks before, I had received an email from a New York Times research editor. Because I’m an historian of African American life and slavery, in New York, specifically, and the pre-Civil War era more generally, she wanted me to verify some statements for the project. At one point, she sent me this assertion: “One critical reason that the colonists declared their independence from Britain was because they wanted to protect the institution of slavery in the colonies, which had produced tremendous wealth. At the time there were growing calls to abolish slavery throughout the British Empire, which would have badly damaged the economies of colonies in both North and South. I vigorously disputed the claim. 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…A letter signed by five academic historians claimed that the 1619 Project got some significant elements of the history wrong, including the claim that the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve slavery. They have demanded that the New York Times issue corrections on these points, which the paper has so far refused to do.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/06/1619-project-new-york-times-mistake-122248, underline added

Please understand that I’m not trying to dismiss the entire 1619 project. The truth is truth, and accuracy is always important. If facts are ignored for the sake of an agenda, it discredits the agenda – especially when those facts contradict the narrative. Slaves were a part of this country’s building. That cannot and should not be ignored. But it must be done factually.

The Bible and the 1619 Project

Slavery, America’s foundation, liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and the leftist agenda combined with contemporary social justice and political correctness have resulted in an all-out attack on all things conservative.  Many appear to be very intolerant, want to silence the opposition, and claim they are the defenders of righteousness. Are they? Must we redefine the beginning of our country based on the arrival of slaves?  No, we must not.

We are where we are, and it is the present that must be dealt with by those who seek a better world. Christians, and all people, should remember the words found in Scripture.

Ephesians 4:31–32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.“