Reflection on Hannah-Jones, âThe Idea of America. Intro to 1619 Project.â Additional readings to consider in your reflection, Magness, âFact-Checking the 1619 Project and its Critics.â And Lindsay, âAfter All, Didnât America Invent Slavery?â
Possible topics to reflect on:
- Hannah-Jones thought on the leading role of African-Americans in the U.S. in the pursuit of goal of freedom and equality.
- How this relates to more recent immigrants.
- How the author shifts in the use of âweâ and âus.â Is it possible or not for the âweâ or âusâ to include everyone with equality?
- Is the USA âin its DNAâ an evil, unjust, racist society? What is your role and position in it? What do you do and what should you do in response?
- Do you consider yourself an American? What is the âidea of Americaâ that Hannah-Jones agrees with and supports? What is the âidea of Americaâ she condemns and disagrees with?
- Compare the situation of slavery, based on reading Hannah-Jones, to how we care or donât care about the homeless person on the street, in the subway, etc.
- What have you learned that you didnât know before from reading Hannah-Jones, Magness, and Lindsay? Are they addressing the same audience? Is there a discourse community they all belong to?
- Generate your own topic. Reflect on another topic that strikes you in relation to the readings, and in your personal experience. What type of language do you choose to use? Who is your audience?
In Hannah Jones opinion, African Americans did everything for the United States whether it was forced or not. She explains in her writing that when African Americans stepped foot into the United States, all they did was work. Work from day to night doing jobs that the rich wouldnât. Jones mentioned her father who served in the military. He served to hopefully trade his service for some type of freedom, but it didnât go that way. He was still put back in his place basically being known as nothing. Jones believes that African Americans âcontinue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom.â She believes this because of the role African Americans played, which was the providers. Later came all of the black movements for freedom and equality which essentially paved the way for more movements including women and gay rights. Jones believes that the struggle of African Americans made this all possible.
The United States âin its DNAâ is a racist and unjust society. Nobody is shy to admit that there is still racism floating around. According to Jones it was said that blacks will always be under whites because they are children of slaves. This idea is unjust because it was whites who enslaved blacks to begin with. The United States is evil for making slavery a thing and making law around it to make it seem like it was meant to be and not unjust. It is also evil when Jones mentions the many people and movements that went on to tell the government that slavery was unfair and against the constitution but were shut down. Even the idea of separating the two races from schools, bathrooms and even not allowing blacks to testify against a white person in court is the definition of an unjust society.
The USA in theory isn’t supposed to be a racist society but unfortunately racism seeps into his dna. Racism is part of the United States history as a country. Although this country is meant to have equality for all, it never seems to fully accomplish that goal. Even after slavery, it still takes decades to spread acceptance towards everyone.
People have always had to push to bring america to it’s goal of equality for all. Only recently has the United States legally allowed things like gay marriage, and and that too was a fight. Even if the law says we’re equal, social acceptance matters as well. People need to work and protest whenever America doesn’t deliver on it’s promises.
The concept of slavery’s origin has been a constant debate for the longest time. After looking at Tom Lindsay and Hannah Jones’s article. Itâs easy to see that they have different views. In Hannah Jones’s article The 1619 Project, she goes into detail about how slavery is the basic foundations of America and without the efforts of African Americans, our democracy would be dramatically different today. I found Jones claims about how when the constitution was first drafted it was never met to apply to people of color to be true. For hundreds of years, African Americans were only seen as products and not as people which is why they had to fiercely fight for their right to vote, for citizenship and even to be able to sit wherever they want in a public setting. In the article, Jones states âThis belief that black people were not merely enslaved but were a slave race, became the root of the endemic racism that we still cannot purge from this nation to this dayâ. This quote really stuck out to me because as soon as one has the mindset that they are the superior race and stays closed-minded it’s difficult to see the pain and hardship it inflicts on a less respected race. The reason why Hannah Jones believes America was built out of slavery is because of America’s one of many reasons for getting its independence from Britain. That reason being, they wanted to protect the institution of slavery. Many people disagreed with Hannah Jones’s ideas because have found that slavery did not begin with America.
In Tom Lindsayâs article, After All, Didnât America Invent Slavery?, Lindsay goes into detail about how slavery didnât originate in America. He makes several points such as the Egyptian pharaohs enslaving the Israelites and that even ancient Sparta and Athens relied on the labor of slaves in captivity. It is important for jones to also see that in order for slavery to be present in America it had to have originated somewhere. Hannah Jones makes a very strong claim about America being built off the backs of African American slaves and that only America has done so. Looking at different claims such as Tom Lindsayâs I was able to be provided with more global facts about slavery rather than only slaves of America. Something that I noticed about Tom Lindsayâs article was that even though past generations of America used slavery as a means of production and dehumanization, future generations took steps to attempt to make things right. Future steps such as Abraham Lincolnâs Emancipation Proclamation and the several revised amendments that gave African Americans their right to freedom, citizenship, and to vote. Tom Lindsay and Hannah Jones are both addressing the same audience because they both are reaching out to people who are unaware of the origins of slavery in America. However, Lindsayâs statement is in response to Jones’s statement about slavery because he wanted people to know that slavery isnât only of those who are African American but the ideology of slavery spreads across the world and thousands of years back in time. It took many years for it to happen but it did with perseverance and people realizing that the constitution does not only provide rights and rules for just one race or one gender. These are human rights because we are all human. The color of our skin doesnât change that.
The concept of slavery’s origin has been a constant debate for the longest time. After looking at Tom Lindsay and Hannah Jones’s article. Itâs easy to see that they have different views. In Hannah Jones’s article The 1619 Project, she goes into detail about how slavery is the basic foundations of America and without the efforts of African Americans, our democracy would be dramatically different today. I found Jones claims about how when the constitution was first drafted it was never met to apply to people of color to be true. For hundreds of years, African Americans were only seen as products and not as people which is why they had to fiercely fight for their right to vote, for citizenship and even to be able to sit wherever they want in a public setting. In the article, Jones states âThis belief that black people were not merely enslaved but were a slave race, became the root of the endemic racism that we still cannot purge from this nation to this dayâ. This quote really stuck out to me because as soon as one has the mindset that they are the superior race and stays closed-minded it’s difficult to see the pain and hardship it inflicts on a less respected race. The reason why Hannah Jones believes America was built out of slavery is because of America’s one of many reasons for getting its independence from Britain. That reason being, they wanted to protect the institution of slavery. Many people disagreed with Hannah Jones’s ideas because have found that slavery did not begin with America.
In Tom Lindsayâs article, After All, Didnât America Invent Slavery?, Lindsay goes into detail about how slavery didnât originate in America. He makes several points such as the Egyptian pharaohs enslaving the Israelites and that even ancient Sparta and Athens relied on the labor of slaves in captivity. It is important for jones to also see that in order for slavery to be present in America it had to have originated somewhere. Hannah Jones makes a very strong claim about America being built off the backs of African American slaves and that only America has done so. Looking at different claims such as Tom Lindsayâs I was able to be provided with more global facts about slavery rather than only slaves of America. Something that I noticed about Tom Lindsayâs article was that even though past generations of America used slavery as a means of production and dehumanization, future generations took steps to attempt to make things right. Future steps such as Abraham Lincolnâs Emancipation Proclamation and the several revised amendments that gave African Americans their right to freedom, citizenship, and to vote. Tom Lindsay and Hannah Jones are both addressing the same audience because they both are reaching out to people who are unaware of the origins of slavery in America. However, Lindsayâs statement is in response to Jones’s statement about slavery because he wanted people to know that slavery isnât only of those who are African American but the ideology of slavery spreads across the world and thousands of years back in time. It took many years for it to happen but it did with perseverance and people realizing that the constitution does not only provide rights and rules for just one race or one gender. These are human rights because we are all human. The color of our skin doesnât change that.
In Hannah Jonesâs article The 1619 Project Is about her views as America wonât be created by the help of slavery or slaves . The slaves has done a lot of accomplishment for the country that they werenât rewarded or recognized for the efforts. Americaâs profits were 66%from the slaves work and themselves . It was from the hard Labor they work in the fields day to night.This help supply Worldwide with money and help America Economy go up. The slaves was sold to and treated as property. The second richest man was a slave trader which shows that America couldnât grew as a country from the help of the the salves.
It is not possible for the âweâ or âusâ to include everyone equally. The United States may have a Constitution and it may state, âthat all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.â (Thomas Jefferson). However, that statement is an ideal world. During the 1960s the African Americans were not considered equal. If they were equal they would not be considered property. They would not be sold, traded, or put to work in strenuous conditions. The âweâ in the 1960s did not include African Americans. On the other hand, the âweâ in the current age is more difficult to define.
The âweâ in this day and age canât be defined easily because the United States is a very diverse place. Itâs so diverse that it has categories of ethnicity and within those ethnicities subgroups. The United States has always had this idea that everyone should be treated equally and have equal rights, but just the act of creating so many different groups based on ethnicity shows that there will never be a collective âweâ. There is going to be a âweâ, but multiple âweâ for each and every group. One example of inequality would be police brutality, also known as police violence. Police brutality is when an officer exercises excessive or undue force against a civilian. One of these cases would be the Shooting of John T. William. John T. William was a Native American, who was shot by an officer that believed John T. William was holding a knife. That was not the case at all and the officer’s actions were considered unjustified. That being said, the United States has always had a problem with police brutality and it is still an ongoing issue that has yet to be solved. A situation where the three groups of âweâ clash with one another. The police force, the victim, and the community.
Hannah Jones thinks the leading role of an African American in the U.S is to pursue a goal of freedom and equality. I believe this is true and it’s still a goal now, not just for African Americans. You will think in 2020 we are more modernized, but some people are still ignorant. Back then it was worse than it is now but now African Americans have so many stereotypes that they all label as a thug, nothing has changed. They are still being killed, for example, there have been a lot of cases where police officers have killed unarmed African American because they thought they were a thug and were scared. No matter what we do it will always be the same because this country needs to blame someone or look down on people. This country might not have started slavery as it said in ââAfter All, Didn’t America Invent Slaveryâ by Tom Lindsay but they continue it. Slavery is a very important topic in US history. like how do we know what is true? Do we think people going to tell us about the truth of who started slavery? Immigration is a big topic; immigrants are starting to become a bigger target to the U.S since Trump became president. These past years woke me up. I didn’t realize how close-minded people are. They were waiting for someone to give them the free pass to be able to attack people by telling them to go back to their country. People always need someone to blame for their behavior. In some way, it wasn’t Trump’s fault for people being racist because they were always there. Trump showed us, people, true colors. I find this topic so important to me because my whole family is affected by this. Seeing a family being torn apart, it doesn’t matter if it is not my own family, but I feel like it is. This country doesn’t have to start something, but they do continue it with being injustice to people. I believe in time like now we all fight for equality because we don’t get treated the same just like myself I was born here but when someone sees me they see me a young Mexican girl getting ready to get pregnant in her teens just like every Mexican girl, it’s a big stereotype Mexican females have. Stereotypes are a big thing; each race has a stereotype and believe it or not it does affect them. It’s like when Trump said ââMexican steal Americans’ jobs and are rapists â. People don’t see the struggle and not just Mexican, Immigrants that come here and have to look for a job without knowing English. They end up getting play because their bosses can take advantage of them by not paying them and whom they are going to go to. No one cares about us!
I get tired of hearing âgod created racism â that’s where â in the U.S.A is in our DNA to be evil, unjust, and a racist societyâ it doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in God but we created racism, slaveryâ. It’s not in our DNA to be evil because when we are babies, we don’t know anything we are taught things. believe it or not but the way you are raised affects the way you are in the future. If you grow up in a cold-hearted environment where no one shows you any love you will return that to anyone around you. This also depends on the person they can be raised with no love but decides to show others the love they always wanted their parents to give them. I don’t play in the role of being evil. I just want the system to change, I want peace. I hate seeing people attacking others because they think they are better than them. Police officers killing Hispanics and blacks. How the system doesn’t care about helping people, no one cares about helping the poor or anyone. Just the rich keep winning and having the power. This country will never change if they don’t take away the power of these rich people. The majority of them didn’t struggle for anything because they treat others badly. Just like if back then some white rich guy decided to buy a slave because he wanted to feel like he had power over the African American.
Nikole Hannah-Joneâs article of the â1619 Projectâ, sums in detail the disadvantages and horrific history of African and African American people. The history of slavery, mistreatment, and discrimination that created our present world to become categorized. Throughout history, Jone emphasized the enslavement of Africans from Angola, these men and women were economically used for the success of White Americans. Forcing these human beings to become a property and created to works and grow the growth of their âmasterâ, only titled for those that do not believe in mankind. Slaves were passed on from generation to generation and couldâve been traded as collateral or given as a gifted. Slaves were mistreated to become a toy and were able to be lynched and tortured legally,â It is not incidental that 10 of this nationâs first 12 presidents were enslavers, and some might argue that this nation was founded not as a democracy but as a slavocracyâ, this quote from Jone emphasized how our nation was not built on freedom and was not built in the eyes of equality but was created in the benefits of privileged tormentors. Thomas Jefferson and many of our founding fathers protected slavery and blame King George for the practiced slavery. Jone shows that the USA is evil for the unjust mistreatment of African Americans, used as a way to represent power and ownership. Categorizing people that are racially different as property, with Americaâs founding fathers becoming corrupted with power just like King George. America hows rooted itself in the separation and depression of people that are not White and are not men. After reading this article the title âAmericanâ does not mean purity but however every start comes with its rough patches. America is something that is more than just one thing and people fight for their freedom which this nation was built on. Slavery and segregation of people are unforgivable but can be learned from. In our present year of 2020, the privilege and power of our nations belittle the people that we strive to no become. The fear of homelessness starts to arise, those that are homeless have nowhere to go and no one to trust. Invisible to almost anyone that passed them on the streets. Just because of people obtaining luxuries of money, and happiness, people often forget about those that can barely get by. America is corrupted with power and from the articles of the â1619 Projectâ, it is evident that power is evil.