1776 Project

The 1776 Project (also known as "1776", 1776 Unites, and the 1776 Initiative) is an effort by African-American historians, academics, and advocates to address what they consider historical inaccuracies of the 1619 Project, which was created by the New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. The 1776 Project is supported by the Robert Woodson Center. Some of the high-profile academics include Carol M. Swain, Glenn Loury, Jason D. Hill, Wilfred Reilly, Shelby Steele, John McWhorter, and John Sibley Butler. Other contributors include journalists Coleman Hughes and Clarence Page.

In addition to material on U.S. history and historical controversies, 1776 also seeks to promote what it considers to be founding American values like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support. Many contributors to 1776 promote current and historical examples of prosperous black communities as “a powerful refutation of the claim that the destiny of black Americans is determined by what whites do, or what they have done in the past.” 1776 also promotes the work and thought of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and community leaders, and others it considers “achievers,” hoping to illustrate the opportunities for success that are open to African-Americans today, their contributions to national economic and cultural life, and their stake in U.S. life and history.

History of the Project

Robert Woodson has stated that his central motivation in founding 1776 Unites was to counter the “lethal” narratives embedded in the 1619 Project. In an interview with Fox News host Mark Levin, Woodson called The 1619 Project’s thesis “one of the most diabolical, self-destructive ideas that I’ve ever heard.” He argued that the assumptions behind the 1619 Project are actually a form of “white supremacy” as they assume that black Americans have no agency and are incapable of overcoming adverse circumstances.

Purpose of 1776 Unites

In addition to critiquing arguments that place slavery at the center of America’s origins, 1776 also publicizes the historical achievements of African-American individuals and communities, including those who had been “in slavery but not of slavery” and became successful business leaders after emancipation. Woodson and other 1776 contributors, such as Stephanie Deutsch and John Sibley Butler, also argue that achievements like the business districts in Durham, North Carolina and Tulsa, Oklahoma that thrived despite segregation; educational achievements like the Rosenwald Schools of the Jim Crow-era south; and the continuing success of historically black colleges and universities, are eclipsed by the 1619 Project’s focus on slavery and racism in shaping American life. They view this as a discouraging picture of the future for younger generations of Americans; instead, Woodson has written, “America should be defined by its promises.”

Scholar and 1776 contributor Wilfred Reilly has stated that the project has three main goals: “(1) rebutting some outright historical inaccuracies in the 1619 Project; (2) discussing tragedies like slavery and segregation honestly while clarifying that these were not the most important historical foundations of the United States; and (3) presenting an alternative inspirational view of the lessons of our nation’s history to Americans of all races.”

Reilly pointed out that historians like Gordon S. Wood, James Oakes, and James M. McPherson have been critical of the 1619 Project, but that Woodson’s project went further, seeking to debunk the “historical fatalism” that blames contemporary problems in African-American life primarily on slavery. 1776 instead proposes a “simple and positive thesis” that:

America is a very good (if sometimes flawed) society. [It] is frankly not very hard to succeed here, and hard work and personal responsibility will help you do so. There have been dark periods of American history, to be sure, and it is important to discuss them honestly. But there have been dark periods during the centuries- or millennia-long histories of virtually all human societies. Further, many Americans were able to use the indomitable human resource of free will to succeed even then.

Initial 1776 Essays

1776 Unites was publicly launched in a kickoff event at the National Press Club on February 14, 2020, featuring project contributors Glenn Loury, Coleman Hughes, Clarence Page, John Sibley Butler, Ian Rowe, Jason D. Hill, Robert Cherry, Carol M. Swain, Taleeb Starks, Wilfred Reilly, Toni Mcilwane, and Latasha Harrison Fields, along with project founder Woodson. Woodson introduced the assembled panel by stating that the 1619 Project has stimulated “a much-needed debate in the black community,” and that he hoped that 1776 would spark a new “competition of ideas and approaches.”

That same day, 1776 partnered with the Washington Examiner to release a series of essays critical of the 1619 Project, celebrating African-American contributions to business and education and arguing that slavery and its legacy should not be seen as definitive of the black experience.

1776 released its first essays in partnership with the Washington Examiner, which featured commentary from a wide range of intellectual backgrounds, including historians, journalists, and business leaders, including the following essays:

• “The crucial voice of 1776,” introductory essay by Robert Woodward
• “What the new morality of 'stain' and 'purity' seeks to accomplish,” by Joshua Mitchell
• “The moral meaning of America,” by Jason D. Hill
• “Black America’s algorithm of entrepreneurship and group success,” by John Sibley Butler
• “Children will achieve as much as we expect of them,” by Ian Rowe
• “Slavery does no define the black experience,” by Wilfred Reilly
• “Critical race theory’s toxic, destructive impact on America,” by Carol M. Swain
• “Arm black children with lessons that can improve their lives,” by Coleman Hughes
• “Acknowledging slavery’s limits in defining America,” by John Wood
• “Rosenwald schools: How black Southerners worked to close the education gap in the Jim Crow era,” by Stephanie Deutsch
• “‘A dream as old as the American dream’: Embrace black patriotism over victimization,” by Clarence Page
• “Don’t ignore the strong moral and economic ethics of African Americans” by Robert Cherry

External links

• 1776 Unites
• 1776: A Celebration of America

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