What to read, watch, and listen to if you loved1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
If you loved 1619, start with How the Word Is Passed (Clint Smith) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 4 series, each matched to 1619 across media.
If 1619 captivated you, it is because you appreciate how the legacy of slavery fundamentally shapes the American national identity.
Books on the same thread
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead · Book · 2018
Explores: Slavery, Freedom, Survival.
Much like 1619, this narrative uses the brutal reality of the antebellum South to examine the enduring, dehumanizing structures that have defined American history and the quest for freedom.
How the Word Is Passed
Clint Smith · Book
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic Racism.
This work mirrors the investigative spirit of 1619 by tracing how the history of slavery remains woven into the physical and social landscape of the United States today.
Caste
Isabel Wilkerson · Book · 2023
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic Racism.
Wilkerson provides a structural framework that echoes the central thesis of 1619, illustrating how an entrenched hierarchy continues to dictate power and social inequality within modern American life.
The January 6 Report
the Select Committee to Investigate the Attack on the U.S. Capitol · Book
Explores: democratic fragility, political extremism, institutional accountability.
This report examines the fragility of our democratic institutions, providing a contemporary perspective on the political extremism that 1619 identifies as a persistent shadow in our national story.
Films on the same thread
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen · Film · 2013
Explores: Injustice, Survival, Loss of Freedom.
This film brings the historical trauma documented in 1619 to life, focusing on the individual resilience required to survive a system designed to strip away human dignity and agency.
American History X
Tony Kaye · Film · 1998
Explores: Redemption, Racism, Hate Groups.
By exploring the cycle of racial hatred and systemic prejudice, this story addresses the same deep-seated social conflicts that 1619 argues are foundational to the American experience.
Lincoln
Steven Spielberg · Film · 2012
Explores: American Civil War, Presidential Leadership, Abolitionism.
This portrayal of Lincoln highlights the complex political maneuvering during the Civil War, offering a critical look at the leadership challenges involved in dismantling the institution discussed in 1619.
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic Racism.
Spike Lee uses historical satire to confront the same white supremacist ideologies that 1619 identifies as a pervasive and dangerous element throughout the timeline of American history.
Series on the same thread
Reconstruction: America After the Civil War
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. · Series · 2019
Explores: Racial Justice, Democracy and Governance, Systemic Inequality.
This docuseries expands on the post-slavery era analyzed in 1619, detailing how the nation struggled to navigate democracy and systemic inequality during the transformative years of the Reconstruction period.
The Underground Railroad
Barry Jenkins · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic racism.
This series offers a visceral look at the horrors of slavery, capturing the same themes of resilience and the desperate fight for freedom central to the narrative of 1619.
When They See Us
Ava DuVernay · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic racism.
Focusing on systemic racism within the legal system, this story illustrates the modern consequences of the historical injustices that 1619 argues are rooted in our nation's very beginning.
Roots
Alex Haley · Series · 1977
Explores: Family Saga, Cultural Identity, Oppression and Resistance.
This epic family saga tracks the generational trauma of slavery, providing the same essential context for understanding the cultural identity and resilience described in 1619.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the historical focus of the 1619 podcast?
The 1619 podcast examines the arrival of more than 20 enslaved Africans in the English colony of Virginia. It explores how the subsequent 250 years of slavery touched every aspect of the country that would eventually become the United States of America.
Is 1619 a historical documentary series?
1619 is an audio series produced by The New York Times. It was released in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia, aiming to tell the story of how this moment shaped the nation.
What specific event does 1619 commemorate?
The 1619 podcast commemorates the 400th anniversary of the arrival of a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans to the English colony of Virginia. The series frames this event as the moment the country began and analyzes its lasting impact.
How does 1619 describe the origins of America?
The 1619 podcast describes the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619 as the moment America began. It argues that no aspect of the country formed afterward remains untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed that initial arrival in Virginia.