Page 141 - 1619 Project Curriculum

“Out of our unique isolation, both from our native cultures and from white America,
we forged this nation’s most significant original culture. In turn, ‘mainstream’ society
has coveted our style, our slang and our song, seeking to appropriate the one truly
American culture as its own.”

Why do you think Hannah-Jones places the word “mainstream” in quotation marks?

8. “The Idea of America” is bookended by personal stories; it begins with Hannah-Jones’
memory of her father’s attachment to the American flag, and ends with a story about a
middle school class assignment. Why do you think the author includes personal
anecdotes in her essay? Why do you think she writes in first-person throughout? What
effect do these choices have on how you experience the essay?
9. Hannah-Jones writes, “How could this black man [Hannah-Jones’ father], having seen
firsthand the way his country abused black Americans, how it refused to treat us as full
citizens, proudly fly its banner?” What answers does her essay provide?
10. Consider the title of this essay: “The Idea of America.” What other possible titles can
you imagine for this essay? Why do you think Hannah-Jones ultimately chose this title?

Further Exploration:

Continue to explore The 1619 Project:

• Reading Guide: Quotes, Key Terms, and Questions
• Activities to Extend Engagement with The 1619 Project
• Call for Contributions: Share Your 1619 Curricula

Educator Notes:

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.9
Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of
historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble
to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their
themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text,
including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text.

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