Religion & Liberty Online

Acton Line podcast: Why the ‘1619 Project’ is a lie; Yes, we’ve tried ‘real socialism’

In August, the New York Times launched the ‘1619 Project,’ an initiative that includes school curriculum, videos, and a podcast, which aims to “reframe” the history of America’s founding around slavery. The Times claims that since the year 1619, “[n]o aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed.” So what is the Times trying to accomplish with the ‘1619 Project’? Ismael Hernandez, founder and director of the Freedom & Virtue Institute, shows how we can thoughtfully approach it. Afterwards, Joshua Muravchik, author of “Heaven on Earth: The Rise, Fall, and Afterlife of Socialism,” lays out the history of socialism and explains why socialism has never worked.

Check out additional resources for this episode:

The 1619 Project 

The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project takes a hard look at the American paradox of freedom and slavery

The NYT’s Woke-ism Undermines Liberalism

Slavery In America Did Not Begin In 1619, And Other Things The New York Times Gets Wrong

The 1619 Project’s Potted History

Lenin’s Rise to Socialist Power: An excerpt from “Heaven on Earth”

Read: “Socialism Fails Every Time,” by Joshua Muravchik

Video: Heaven on Earth – The Rise and Fall of Socialism

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Caroline Roberts

Caroline Roberts is a managing editor at the Acton Institute and produces Acton's weekly podcast, Acton Line.