the uniquely American ‘original sin.’” Th ough our interpretation of American history changes over time, Hannah-Jones may deliver a harsh interpretation as a stylistic choice. Traditional interpretations view Lincoln as an egalitarian and champion for civil rights, but now many historians see Lincoln’s primary “ It’s really important to acknowledge that for most of US history, those historians have been white men. So they’re interpreting the evidence from their perspective and their point of view. encourage readers to reassess their own beliefs about history, but it comes at the expense of aligning with the accepted work of historians and the advice of fact-checkers. ***** Olson said that some students struggled to reconcile that there could be other versions of history diff erent from the one they had traditionally been taught, a challenge for many of the 1619 Project’s readers. Conversations with M-A students whose classes have used texts from the project revealed that few even recollected using it. Of those who did remember, some claimed that the project seemed ” objective to be preserving the Union in the face of tensions over slavery. Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.” In Lincoln’s Letter to Horace Greely, written a few moths before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, he states, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.” Still, HannahJones claims Lincoln believed “black people [to be] the obstacle to national unity.” In fact, polarizing modern ideas about history could be a tactic to create controversy and ‘subjective,’ or qualitatively diff erent from other texts used in history class. When studying history, students are accustomed to reading textbooks that are written to sound objective; however, textbooks themselves cater to the area where they are being taught or College Board guidelines. For example, a New York Times article “ It is impossible to tell history in a way that is completely objective, but ambitious endeavors like the 1619 Project can help bring forward the stories that have long been ignored. predominant political ideology. Olson said, “Something becomes a historical fact once a historian deems it important, and then another historian also deems that important enough to footnote that previous historian. But it’s really important to acknowledge that for most of US history, those historians have been white men. So they’re interpreting the evidence from their perspective and their point of view.” It is impossible to tell history in a way that is completely objective, but ambitious endeavors like the 1619 Project can help bring forward the stories that have long been ignored. When responding to criticisms about the 1619 Project’s lack of objectivity, Hannah-Jones responded, “Right, because white historians have produced truly objective history.” ” shows how textbooks in California and Texas, with the same authors and publishers, are edited to appeal to the 28 written by Violet Taylor and Izzy Leake designed by Chloe Hsy
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