The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

In the article “Black History is Not American History: Toward a Framework of Black Historical Consciousness,” historian LaGarrett J. King argues for something called “Black Historical Consciousness.” Read this article, taking note of key ideas about the significance of Black history in America and the principles King believes should constitute the framework of Black history. Then, consider the following question:

To what extent does The 1619 Project either embody or reject the principles of Black Historical Consciousness that King argues for?

Teaching Suggestion: You might encourage students to focus on both the content and structure of The 1619 Project as they consider its relationship to King’s ideas and which individual pieces respond most and least closely to King’s principles. You can extend this discussion by asking students to comment on whether King’s ideas are a suitable standard to measure The 1619 Project against. If your students are ready for an additional challenge, you might ask them to use the form and content of the anthology to deduce a set of standards that they believe its authors and editors might propose, if they were to write an essay such as King’s.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students with attentional, organizational, or reading fluency issues, assembling evidence may present an unreasonable burden.