If you loved
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
If 1619 captivated you, it is because you appreciate how these works reframe national history by centering the lived experiences of Black Americans.
Books on the same thread
The Hemingses of Monticello
Annette Gordon-Reed · Book · 2008
Shares a thread with 1619: Legacy of Slavery.
Like 1619, this work interrogates the foundational contradictions of American history by examining how personal family narratives are inextricably linked to the legacy of slavery and national power.
The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country
Amanda Gorman · Book · 2021
Shares a thread with 1619: Social Justice.
This poem echoes the reflective spirit of 1619, offering a lyrical and necessary re-examination of American identity while confronting the difficult path toward a more perfect union.
Black Af History
Michael Harriot · Book
Shares a thread with 1619: systemic racism.
Drawing from the same revisionist impulse found in 1619, this account centers the Black experience to challenge dominant historical narratives and expose the systemic realities of American life.
Black Reconstruction in America
W. E. B. Du Bois · Book · 2013
Shares a thread with 1619: Social Justice.
Much like 1619, this seminal text provides a crucial counter-narrative to traditional history, forcing a reckoning with how racial inequality shaped the post-Civil War American democratic experiment.
Films on the same thread
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen · Film · 2013
Explores: Injustice, Survival, Loss of Freedom.
This film translates the historical weight of 1619 into a visceral, personal journey, illustrating the brutal loss of freedom and the resilience required to survive the antebellum period.
American History X
Tony Kaye · Film · 1998
Explores: Redemption, Racism, Hate Groups.
This film explores the dangerous ideologies of racism that 1619 analyzes on a systemic scale, focusing on the cyclical nature of hate and the struggle for personal redemption.
Hidden Figures
Film · 2016
Explores: Racial segregation, Women in STEM, Gender equality.
This story highlights the systemic barriers documented in 1619, showcasing how brilliant Black individuals navigated and overcame the racial segregation embedded within core American institutions like NASA.
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic Racism.
Spike Lee’s work mirrors the sociopolitical commentary of 1619, utilizing a sharp historical lens to expose the enduring presence of hate groups and systemic prejudice in American society.
Series on the same thread
When They See Us
Ava DuVernay · Series · 2019
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic racism.
This series serves as a modern companion to 1619, documenting how systemic racism and injustice continue to trap marginalized lives within the flawed structures of the American legal system.
The Underground Railroad
Barry Jenkins · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with 1619: Systemic racism.
By reimagining the Underground Railroad as a physical network, this narrative gives tangible form to the historic struggle for freedom that serves as a central pillar of 1619.
Roots
Alex Haley · Series · 1977
Explores: Family Saga, Cultural Identity, Oppression and Resistance.
This series provides the same generational scope found in 1619, tracing the long shadow of slavery and its profound impact on Black identity and family history across centuries.
The Civil War
Series · 1990
Explores: Brother vs. Brother, Reconstruction Era, Abraham Lincoln.
This documentary offers a broader institutional view of the issues explored in 1619, detailing the political and social fractures that defined the Civil War and the Reconstruction era.
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 in August 1619. It explores how the 250 years of slavery that followed have shaped every aspect of the country that would eventually become the United States.
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 influenced the formation of America.
Why was the 1619 podcast created?
The 1619 podcast was created to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia. It serves to tell the story of this fateful moment and analyze how the subsequent 250 years of slavery have touched every aspect of the nation.
Does 1619 cover the entire history of the United States?
1619 focuses specifically on the impact of the 250 years of slavery that began with the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia in 1619. It argues that no aspect of the country formed afterward has remained untouched by this specific period of history.