Reflections on the 1619 Project

The 1619 Project attempts to reframe the history of the United States by centering it on the institution of slavery and the role of race in the formation of American life and society. How credible is the 1619 Project’s argument, and have slavery and race influenced the contours of American history? How should we commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence?

Biography

Robert J. Allison is a professor of history at Suffolk University. His books include The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, a biography of American naval hero Stephen Decatur, and short books on the history of Boston, the American Revolution, and an edition of The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Two of his classes, "Before 1776: Life in Colonial America," and "The Age of Benjamin Franklin" are available from The Great Courses. As chair of Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning Revolutionary commemorations in Massachusetts, he hosts its weekly podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1336051) featuring conversations on the Revolution with historians and interpreters. He is President of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts (https://www.colonialsociety.org/), a scholarly organization focused on early American history, and a life-trustee of the USS CONSTITUTION Museum.

For contact information, visit https://www.robertallisonhistory.com/.

Assigned Reading

Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (One World, 2021)