“What would it mean to reframe our understanding of U.S. history by considering 1619 as our country’s origin point?” How would you answer the author? Would your opinion have been different before reading the book?

In the book’s Preface, Nikole Hannah-Jones writes, “What would it mean to reframe our understanding of U.S. history by considering 1619 as our country’s origin point . . . How might that reframing change how we understand the unique problems of the nation today . . . How would looking at contemporary American life through this lens help us better appreciate the contributions of Black Americans—not only to our culture but also to our democracy itself?” (p. xxii). How would you answer her? Would your opinion have been different before reading the book? In what way?

This is like asking me to forget what I learned in third grade - "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain. He sailed by night; he sailed by day; he used the stars to find his way." Come to find out, the natives already lived here. So, first, if we want to be fair, perhaps we need to go back to them for the true "origin" story. It is also important to remember that French Canadians suffered through prejudice and discrimination in the late nineteenth century when they arrived in New England, as did the Irish when they arrived in New York ("NO IRISH NEED APPLY). We need mega-erasers if we want to go back to the caves, but we should respect and honor the contributions of all American citizens. Before reading this book, I had no understanding of the financial and political impact of Black Americans. The horror stories about enslavement are not new, although numerous, powerful and memorable. We should never let these atrocities be forgotten or ignored.

I cannot consider 1619 as the origin point as proposed by this book and question. It appears to have been the point of origin of the black enslaved people in this country and I understand that the major part of the proposal is the economic factor. However, we have other “origin” features including the migration of humans from Asia to North America, the arrival of probably Norwegians in Canada, the colonization in Jamestown, the arrival of the Mayflower and the establishment of the Constitution. I would contend that the latter, the establishment of the Constitution was the political start of the USA as a country. Beyond that it is difficult to pinpoint a date of origin. I think “origin” can have different meanings and this project or book can be one of them.