1619 Project Documentary: Shoddy History

The 1619 Project is back in the news again. The journalistic endeavor created by New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones in the summer of 2019 has caused controversy in academic circles ever since its inception. But that hasn’t stopped the deluge of accolades being heaped upon Hannah-Jones and her collaborators. Book deals, journalistic and literary prizes, and adulation from elites have made the 1619 Project a cash cow for its creators. So it’s unsurprising that Hulu has just released a docudrama based on Hannah-Jones’s work.

Jesse Holland of MSNBC called it a “masterly curation of interviews, videos, photos, and music that expands on her contention that our nation’s true founding occurred in 1619 when enslaved Africans landed in colonial America.” The episodes are thematic and undeniably well produced. Anecdotes and historical factoids are joined with first-rate cinematography to explain (or infer) slavery and 1619’s connection to different aspects of American life. “Democracy,” “Race,” “Capitalism,” and “Music” are the episodes that have been released at the time of this writing. But all the snazzy production in the world can’t hide the tendentious deceptions at the foundation of the 1619 Project.

About the Author

Miles Smith IV

Miles Smith IV is a professor in the history department at Hillsdale College.

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The 1619 Project is back in the news again. The journalistic endeavor created by New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones in the summer of 2019 has caused controversy in academic circles ever since its inception. But that hasn’t stopped the deluge of accolades being heaped upon Hannah-Jones and her collaborators. Book deals, journalistic and literary prizes, and adulation from elites have made the 1619 Project a cash cow for its creators. So it’s unsurprising that Hulu has just released a docudrama based on Hannah-Jones’s work.

Jesse Holland of MSNBC called it a “masterly curation of interviews, videos, photos, and music that expands on her contention that our nation’s true founding occurred in 1619 when enslaved Africans landed in colonial America.” The episodes are thematic and undeniably well produced. Anecdotes and historical factoids are joined with first-rate cinematography to explain (or infer) slavery and 1619’s connection to different aspects of American life. “Democracy,” “Race,” “Capitalism,” and “Music” are the episodes that have been released at the time of this writing. But all the snazzy production in the world can’t hide the tendentious deceptions at the foundation of the 1619 Project.