Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to slavery, physical and sexual abuse, and anti-Black racism.

In the preface of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, Nikole Hannah-Jones describes reading about the year 1619 for the first time. This year marks the first time a ship containing enslaved Africans came to the shores of North America. Arriving in Virginia aboard the White Lion, approximately 20 to 30 Africans were sold to British colonists. Hannah-Jones writes that she was struck by the fact that slavery in the United States was older than the country itself, and it sparked in her a quest to uncover the many ways in which slavery impacted the American identity. She spoke with her editors at The New York Times Magazine about putting together a special issue that would articulate a perspective on American history different from the traditional colonial lens.

In August 2019, The New York Times published a special issue called “The 1619 Project,” commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the White Lion. The work challenges the notion that the origins of the United States begin with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.