“If you want to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation,” – Matthew Desmond. The way we teach history changes from teacher to teacher and school to school, but some historians have been trying to change the way we teach United States History altogether by using the 1619 Project. The New York Times states that the 1619 Project began in August 2019, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the beginning of slavery in the U.S. The 1619 Project “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.” For example, the Southern Poverty Law Center found that very few high-school students in America know that “slavery was the cause of the Civil War, that the Constitution protected slavery without explicitly mentioning it, or that ending slavery required a constitutional amendment,” (theatlantic.com).
When asked about what she thinks about the 1619 Project, Ms. Nickols responded, “the 1619 Project is an amazing and much-needed piece of scholarship. Its publication caused possibly the most internet drama (and political backlash) I’ve seen in my lifetime. It’s totally disproportionate. Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 1619 Project work is certainly a trailblazing piece but its claims regarding the centrality of slavery to the revolutionary cause in the 18th century are not new….Overall, the 1619 Project is a much-needed corrective to the blindly celebratory histories that once dominated our understanding of the past—histories that wrongly suggested racism and slavery were not a central part of U.S. history. I was concerned that critics would use the overstated claim to discredit the entire undertaking. So far, that’s exactly what has happened….I completely agree with Harris. We should all reflect on why the 1619 Project has become such a political flashpoint.” Then, when asked about whether or not she thinks AIS should change their curriculum in order to help teach students about U.S. history, she responded, “As AIS teachers, it’s essential that we are very intentional about what we are teaching. Additionally, I firmly believe the study of history (and our curriculum) should be an iterative process—we certainly shouldn’t only be using resources published 50 years ago or more,” and “we must aim to have a curriculum in which all our students (and their various identities) are represented. With this in mind, I think using the 1619 Project is one of many resources that should be incorporated into how we teach American history.” She continued, “In my classroom, I believe in pedagogy that is student-centered—I am here to guide students in their studies while also valuing their input. Any source we are using in class should be appropriately contextualized and examined with a critical eye.” Ms. Nickols continues by saying, “we should encourage our students to ask critical questions rather than have them simply memorize facts. I began this year by encouraging my students to answer the following questions: what are the stakes of defining American history/the American identity? Why has our nation become so animated (and divided) over how American history is taught? Our understanding of the past is constantly evolving—this is something I hope all students take away from my classroom. History cannot be separated from the present.” Personally, I believe that the 1619 campaign is a good change to U.S. history, and that history should be taken from multiple accounts and perspectives. Many students even at our school know very little about the truths behind slavery, and it is important for AIS to take the steps to acknowledge the history of oppression that the ancestors of people in our black community.
