1776 Unites facts for kids
1776 Unites is a project launched by civil rights activist Robert Woodson that seeks to unite African-Americans to advocate principles like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support through a series of essays published on its website. Woodson created the project as a response to the 1619 Project. Notable contributors to the project include academics such as Carol M. Swain, Glenn Loury, Jason D. Hill, Wilfred Reilly, Shelby Steele, John McWhorter, Ian Rowe, and John Sibley Butler:, as well as other contributors including journalists Coleman Hughes, Clarence Page, and Delano Squires. 1776 Unites essays discuss the lives of successful African-Americans, and the project includes an open-access curriculum.
The project's message
Contributors to 1776 Unites 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 Unites also promotes the work and thought of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and community leaders, and others it considers "Achievers," 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.
Robert Woodson said his central motivation in founding 1776 Unites was to counter the narratives he contends were embedded in the 1619 Project, developed by the New York Times, which postulates that the founding of America in a structural and economic sense occurred not in 1776, the year of its declared independence, but rather in 1619 when the first Black slaves arrived. In addition to critiquing arguments that place slavery at the center of the United States’ origins, 1776 Unites 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.
History of the project
1776 Unites was launched at the National Press Club on February 14, 2020, and on that same day partnered with the conservative newspaper Washington Examiner to release a series of essays critical of the 1619 Project, arguing that slavery and its ugly legacy should not be seen as definitive of the black experience.
In September 2020, 1776 Unites announced a curriculum that will offer life lessons from largely unknown or forgotten African-American figures from the past, such as Elijah McCoy and Biddy Mason, who triumphed over adverse conditions to gain independence and prosperity.
