Episode 1: Democracy Guided Questions for The 1619 Project Docuseries PDF

Guided Questions for The 1619 Project Docuseries Episode 1: Democracy Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is democracy? How have you heard it defined? What is the relationship between democracy and freedom? 2. What do you already know about The 1619...

Guided Questions for The 1619 Project Docuseries Episode 1: Democracy Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is democracy? How have you heard it defined? What is the relationship between democracy and freedom? 2. What do you already know about The 1619 Project? Where does this information come from? What do you expect to see or learn in this docuseries episode? 3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Main Topic Questions to consider Stamp 00:00- Intro/Project Thesis What does it mean to have a claim to something? What are 02:15 some identities and communities you claim for yourself? What argument does Nikole Hannah-Jones make about Black Americans and the American flag in this introduction? Why might someone agree or disagree with her statement? 02:15- The patriotism of What is patriotism? How have you heard it defined? What 06:18 Nikole’s father opinions have you heard about who should or should not be patriotic? 06:18- Interlude: Can you name any Black American historical figures who have 08:08 Contributions of Black contributed to advancing democracy? Are you familiar with Americans any Black Americans working to advance democracy today? 08:08- Voting and What do you know about the voting laws and restrictions in 14:25 Disenfranchisement* your state? Where could you find out more information about them? 14:25- Interlude: Perfectors of What is mythology? What do you think Nikole Hannah-Jones 15:20 Democracy is referring to when she speaks of a “national mythology?” How do you think we can work to distinguish mythology from history? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 1 of 28  15:20- Revolutionary Did you know the history of Lord Dunmore and Dunmore’s 21:48 History/Dunmore’s Proclamation before? How does our understanding of the Proclamation Revolutionary War change when this history is included? (The phrase “Get the Woody Holton says, “If slaves had been as passive as I was hell out of here” is used) taught they were, the revolution might not have come to the south.” What have you been taught about enslaved people’s resistance and agency? 21: 48- Interlude: The Way Before the Mayflower, the book Nikole Hannah-Jones credits 23:18 History is Taught with sparking her journey to learn more about Black American history, has been banned in several schools and libraries. What impact do you think banning this and similar books can have on student learning? 23:18- Interlude: Pushback to Nikole Hannah-Jones compares the fight for the inclusion of 24:30 The 1619 Project* enslavement in American history education to the ways that Black Americans have struggled for inclusion in American society. What parallels do you see between the two struggles? 24:30- Civil War and What did Abraham Lincoln hope freed Black people would do 29:50 Reconstruction after the Civil War? Why was this proposal a racist one? According to W.E.B. Du Bois, Abraham Lincoln had to call in Black Americans to save the union, abolish slavery, and establish democracy. Du Bois seems to suggest that democracy did not exist before emancipation. In what ways do enslavement and democracy contradict each other? How did the “race neutral” voter suppression laws passed after Reconstruction specifically target Black men? What other demographics of people do you think could have also been impacted by these laws? 29: 50- Interlude: Black Fight What is the relationship between democracy and 31: 12 for Democracy enfranchisement (gaining the right to vote)? 31:12- Civil Rights/The SNCC What kinds of pushback did activists during the Civil Rights 40:11 Fight for era face in their pursuit of voting rights for Black Americans? Voting Rights Why do you believe that there was such great resistance to (Descriptions of The granting Black Americans the right to vote? Why does Terror r and MacArthur Cotton believe some of that resistance still exists Brutalization Black today? Activists Faced) These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 2 of 28  40:11- Interlude: Voting Rights What events led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 41:35 Act 1965? How did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 help to expand the legal rights of all Americans? 41:35- Modern Restrictive What can we learn from the work of the Georgia Coalition for 49:14 Voting Laws* the People’s Agenda with the residents of Cosby Spear Tower? How has the 2013 Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision impacted voting rights across the nation? Do you agree that it demonstrates a community in crisis? 49:14- Interlude: Black How have Black American freedom struggles been 50:27 Freedom Struggles as foundational to other struggles? Foundational What other freedom struggles are you interested in learning more about? 50:27- Threats to Democracy How does the footage of recent political protests, rallies, and 56:24 in Modern Politics* conflicts mirror or differ from the archival footage we see of other historical periods in the episode? What questions and emotions does the footage bring up for you? What do Stephan Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt identify as the warning signs of a threat to democracy? Why are these signs concerning? 56:24- Hopes for the Future of What does Mary-Pat Hector believe about legacy? Who are 58:15 Democracy some individuals from your community you believe have important legacies to remember? 58:15- Close/Black people as Nikole Hannah-Jones states her thesis from the beginning of 59:36 Solution the episode in a new way here. How has your understanding of her argument changed in your viewing? Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How has viewing this episode changed your understanding of the rights and liberties you have today? How has it changed your understanding of American democracy? 2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar or different to reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 3 of 28 Episode 2: Race Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is race? When did you first become aware of different racial classifications? How important is racial identity to you? 2. What do you know about the history of race and racism in the United States? How do you think race may be related to the history of enslavement? 3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Main Topic Questions to Consider Stamp 00:00- Intro: Nikole’s Family What do we learn about Nikole Hannah-Jones’ family? How 03:04 History do you think her family histories have informed her identity and work with this project? 03:04- Interlude: Racial Are you familiar with the checkboxes for identifying racial 03:55 Classifications in the identity that are mentioned in this section? If so, where have U.S. you seen them? What is the experience of selecting a racial category like for you? How might that be similar or different from what others experience when asked to self-identify in this way? 03:56- Personal Account: How can national origin impact understandings of race? How 05:55 Racial Categorization is Samuel Sarfo's experience with racial classification different from a typical American experience of race? 05:56- Interlude: Why Racial Hannah-Jones introduces the idea that race is not biological 06:35 Classifications Exist or physical, but invented as a power structure. How is this similar or different to the ways you’ve learned to think about race in the past? What questions do you have about this statement? 06:35- Origins of Racial Are you surprised to hear that these racial classifications did 10:04 Classification not originally exist in the colonies? *mention of the rape of How was the law the colonists put in place in 1662 different enslaved Black women from the British law around lineage and status? Why did they make this choice? What was its impact? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 4 of 28  10:04- Interlude: Justifying the How can cultural beliefs justify violent actions? Who were 11:53 Institution of Slavery some of the people responsible for the cultural myths about Black people during America’s founding years? *describes medical abuse and Did you know the history of James Simms and the origins of experimentation on gynecology? What questions does it raise about ethics in Black bodies medicine? What other medical fields are you interested in learning more about? 11:53- Personal Account: Why is it important to collect data and statistics about issues 16:23 Black Maternal Health like medical mistreatment? What other questions do you have after viewing these statistics? *discussion of medical neglect What was Chrissy Sample’s experience with her doctor? What choices did the doctor make that could be considered neglectful? 16:23- Interlude: Sexual and Why do you think the lived experiences of enslaved Black 16:56 Reproductive Abuse of women were not well documented or recorded? How has the Enslaved People choice not to document these experiences led to erasure? 16:56- Scope and Nature of Daina Berry describes feeling heavy while waking the grounds 25:12 Sexual Violence During of the Butler plantation. Why might she feel that way? What Slavery feelings come up for you watching this section? What do Fanny Kemble’s journal entries reveal about the experiences of Black women on the Butler Island Plantation? *vivid descriptions What were some of her varied responses to these women? assaults on enslaved women and forced Hannah-Jones and Berry discuss the need to use precise reproduction language to describe these atrocities even if the words are uncomfortable. How does this practice combat the erasure of these histories? 25:12 - Interlude: Forced Why were Black women’s reproductive abilities important to 26:25 Reproduction During the institution of slavery? How did the ending of the Enslavement Transatlantic Slave Trade impact enslaved Black women in the United States? What is forced reproduction? How does it dehumanize the people impacted? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 5 of 28  26:25 - Interlude: Legacy of According to Daina Berry, what is the relationship between 27:55 Black Infant Mortality today’s infant mortality rates and those from enslavement? 27:55- Personal Account: How does the way that medical professionals treated Chrissy 29:56 Black Maternal Health Sample parallel the ways that (pregnant) enslaved Black women were treated? In what ways were enslaved Black *pregnancy loss people also managing life and death at the same time? 29:56- Understanding the How can we explain the discrepancies between Black and 34:03 Black Maternal Health white infant and maternal mortality rates? Crisis What responsibilities does Dr. Gillespie-Bell believe medical professionals have regarding bias? How do biases impact medical treatment? 34:04- Personal Account: What additional mistreatment did Chrissy Sample and her 35:11 Black Maternal Health family experience after the death of one of the twins? What do you think the long-term impact on them might be? 35:12- Interlude: Reckoning Dr. Gillespie-Bell claims that people can have a ‘visceral’ 36:05 With America’s Past response to the term race. Why do you think this is? Why is it important to reckon with America’s racist past? 36:06- Transition: Snapshots of What feelings does this footage evoke? How is it similar or 36:28 Black Life different to snapshots of Black life you’ve seen in other documentaries? 36:29- Institutionalized Racial What was the Racial Integrity Act of 1924? Why was it 40:09 Classification created? Post-Enslavement What is the one-drop rule and what was its impact on society and culture? 40:10- Personal Account: What were some of the racial categories that Ashley 41:00 Racial Categorization Remkishun and Samuel Sarfo discovered? Have you heard of these categorizations before? 41:01- Interlude: institutional How did Nikole Hannah-Jones’ grandparents initially respond 41:56 and Social Barriers to to her mother being in an interracial relationship? What do Interracial Marriage you imagine it took for the family to reconcile and come together in the end? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 6 of 28  Besides the law, what other barriers were there to interracial relationships? 41:56- Lawsuits on Racial What did the Loving v. Virginia ruling undo? What did the case 44:03 Categorization and fail to undo? Marriage 44:03- Interlude: Slavery’s What is one the legacies of racist laws? How do they continue 44:21 Legacy in Racist Laws to impact society? 44:24- Myths and Stereotypes How did enslavement impact/influence the development of 48:34 About Black Women myths about Black women’s sexuality? How have stereotypes about Black women’s sexuality impacted social policy? *sexual assault mentioned What are the major caricatures of Black womanhood? Where *sexually suggestive can we see these caricatures? movie clip 48:35- Interlude: Race, Power, What is the relationship between race and power? 49:14 and Access 49:15- Interlude: Nikole’s Nikole Hannah-Jones mentions her struggles to resolve all the 49:45 Reckoning With Racial stereotypes about Black women because of all the Black Stereotypes women she knows. Have you ever been stereotyped or witnessed someone being stereotyped? How did it make you feel? Have you ever heard a stereotype about a group of people that did not align with what you knew to be true about those people? 49:46- Personal Account: What are Chrissy Sample’s hopes for other Black mothers? 52:06 Black Maternal Health How do you think her experiences shaped those hopes? 52:07- Closing: The Way What steps can be taken to reconcile with America’s racist 53:33 Forward past? Dorothy Roberts suggests that a way forward is to listen to the voices of Black women and to take seriously their visions for a transformed society. What are your visions for society? What does a transformed world look like to you? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 7 of 28 Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How has viewing this episode changed your understanding of race and racial categorization? How has it changed your understanding of the history of enslavement? 2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar or different to reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 8 of 28 Episode 3: Music Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is culture? How do you define your culture? How important is culture to you? 2. What is the relationship between politics and culture? How can societal norms be reflected in culture? How can culture be used as a tool for resistance? 3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Main Topic Questions To Consider Stamp 00:00- Introduction/Role How does the opening scene set the tone for the rest of the 02:59 of Black Music in episode? What feelings do the images evoke for you? Community (if relevant) How is it similar to or different from the intros we see in other episodes? *mention of alcohol & alcohol How important is music in your family, culture, and/or consumption at community? What are the occasions for playing different types of 01:39 music? 03:00- Thesis/Black Music Are any of the images of Black music artists depicted in this 05:06 as Foundational section familiar to you? If so, have you previously considered them a part of a long cultural tradition? If not, what is an image that stands out to you? How can you learn more about the artists and their place in Black cultural tradition? Nikole Hannah-Jones constitutes that the ingenuity, invention, intuition, and improvisation recognizable in Black American music have become core parts of broader American culture. What do these words mean, and where have you seen examples of them in the media and pop culture you engage with? 05:07- Significance and Wesley Morris describes “Just My Imagination” by the 09:44 Impact of Motown Temptations as soft like cashmere. Listen to this and some of the other songs played in this section. How would you describe them? Are any of the songs familiar to you? According to Morris, what was the cultural impact of Motown in both Black and white communities? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 9 of 28  09:45- Music as an Hannah-Jones and Morris make a distinction between Black 11:13 Argument for artists making music that is “unmistakably Black” and Black artists Humanity making music or performing “in white face.” How do you understand the difference they’re naming? Why is it important that music can be “unmistakably Black” and still attractive to non-Black audiences? Do you agree with Morris’ sentiment that music can be an argument for humanity? What other tools and mediums have you seen Black artists utilize as a representation of their humanity? 11:14- Spirituals of Nikole Hannah-Jones and Fredara Hadley introduce the idea that 13:28 Enslaved Black the Negro spirituals of enslaved Black people were the first People American folk music. How does this inform or challenge your understanding of folk music in America? What are the elements of folk spiritual music that Hadley identifies? How did these elements differentiate the Negro spirituals from European hymns? 13:29- Origins and Impact How did seeing the footage of white performers in blackface make 16:51 of Blackface you feel? What does the popularity of these types of Minstrelsy performances tell us about race and racism during that period of American history? *multiple depictions Hadley provides a framework for answering some of the moral of blackface and and ethical questions around blackface and appropriation. She minstrel shows suggests we ask who the music is for, who got to craft it, and who benefits financially from it. Are you able to answer these questions for most of the music you consume? Are there any questions you would add to this list? What are some of the lasting legacies of blackface minstrelsy Morris identifies? Do you recognize them in any of the media you consume? 16:52- Fisk Jubilee Singers How did the Fisk Jubilee Singers reimagine the sound of the 21:08 and the Concert Negro spiritual? What was the impact of this innovation? Spiritual These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 10 of 28  How did current Fisk University students celebrate the 150th anniversary of the group? What do you imagine the experience was like for them? 21:08- Interlude: Blues to Hannah-Jones tells us that the Blues emerged from songs sung by 22:44 Jazz Black people picking cotton and led to the development of Jazz, which Hadley describes as the sound of collective liberation. What can we infer about the role Blues music played for Black American communities during this time period? What themes do you think Blues music may have focused on? 22:45- White Responses to What concerns and fears did some white people have about Jazz 26:40 Jazz and Motown music when it was first developing? In what ways did some artists, like Louis Armstrong, feel the need to respond to these concerns? *some depictions of Black performers What argument does Wesley Morris make about Motown and engaging in minstrelsy? How does his reflection relate to Otis Williams’ minstrelsy for white statement that Motown music was like a “soothing ointment?” audiences 26:41- Funk and Disco What are some of the themes Black artists in the late 1960s and 34:13 the 1970s included in their songs? How did they differ from the previous Motown sounds? *some profanity in Nile Rodgers’ Have you heard the term “respectability politics” before? How discussion about would you explain it? What was the proof for Black people in this writing “Freak Out” era that respectability politics was not working as a strategy for liberation? What are some of the things Nile Rodgers loves about Funk and Disco music? How does his continued work and impact in the music industry speak to the legacy of Funk and Disco in American popular music? 34:13- White Backlash to What pushback occurred to the rising popularity and inclusivity of 38:39 Funk and Disco Funk and Disco music? In what ways was it similar or different to the pushback to Jazz music described earlier on? How did the anti-disco wave impact Rodgers’ band Chic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 11 of 28  What is your response to the point Hannah-Jones and Rodgers surface about audiences loving Rodgers’ writing and music but wanting to see it delivered through white artists? Have you seen other examples of this in pop culture? 38:40- Hip-Hop What role did Rodgers play in shaping Hip-Hop? 47:07 Why were Hip-Hop and Rap accessible forms of music for Black youth to engage in? How did the genre build on generations of Black music and culture? What does Hadley’s anecdote about the song “Motherless Child” illustrate about the role of music sampling in cultural memory? How does Rapsody infuse cultural memory into her music? 47:08- Black Music That “Feeling Good” is one of Nina Simone’s most sampled and covered 51:31 Defies Genre songs. Why do you think it resonates with so many people? How does it defy genre? How does Brittany Howard describe the music she makes? How does her work challenge our understanding of which genres of American music qualify as Black? 51:32- Interlude: Racism in How did the music recording industry reflect the racist norms of 54:42 the Recording society at its founding? In what ways does the industry still have Industry barriers for Black artists? How does this section inform your understanding of the distinction between collaboration and appropriation or minstrelsy? 54:43- Closing/Freedom in What does freedom mean to you? Why do you think freedom is 58:18 Black Music significant to artists in general and Black artists especially? Do you know what freedom looks and sounds like for you in your everyday life? What is a place or activity that helps you feel free? Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How did this episode impact your understanding of the relationship between politics and culture? How have race and racism impacted American music? In what ways have African Americans utilized music in their struggles for liberation? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 12 of 28  2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar to or different from reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 13 of 28 Episode 4: Capitalism Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is capitalism? How have you heard it defined? What connotation does the word have for you? 2. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Main Topic Questions to Consider Stamp 00:00- Introduction The spoken word poem we hear in this intro is “Whitey on the Moon,” 01:23 by Gil Scott-Heron. Written in 1970, it is situated between imagery from the Apollo 11 spacecraft launch in 1969 and imagery from a personal spaceflight by Jeff Bezos in 2021. What is the poem expressing and critiquing? Why might people find it as relevant today as they did in 1970? 01:24- Defining What are Seth Rockman’s critiques of general definitions of 03:06 American capitalism? Why is it important to have clear and accessible Capitalism definitions of terms like capitalism? According to Robin D.G. Kelley, what is the myth of American capitalism? What is the reality of American capitalism? 03:07- Interlude: What has the COVID-19 pandemic revealed about disparities in 04:15 Disparities in America? Do those disparities redefine the way you think about the American country? Society 04:16- Personal In this section, Nikole Hannah-Jones and her cousin Chimiere 08:09 Account: Nikole Tillman reflect on the jobs their fathers worked throughout their and Chimiere lives. What are some of the jobs they mention and what impacts did that labor have on both men? *single use of Both Hannah-Jones and Tillman become emotional recounting these profanity in stories. Why do you think that is? What is your emotional response conversation listening to them? 08:10- Interlude: Low What does it mean to “take the low-road?” What might be some 09:04 Road Capitalism defining components of “low-road capitalism?” 09:05- Forms of Labor According to Professor Rockman, what are the origins of the claim 12:26 Exploitation that slavery was not profitable? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 14 of 28  *pictures and American chattel-slavery fueled business and economics from the images from first colonial settlements through the Industrial Revolution. Why is it slave labor important to understand chattel slavery as a national institution and not just a southern one? How were other nations in exchange with camps America during this period of time complicit in the exploitation of labor from enslaved people? Rockman names continuous efforts to find and implement coercive mechanisms that hold people in place and exploit their labor in the American workplace as a legacy of slavery. How did slavery impact/shape the culture of the American workplace? Can you think of examples of what this looks like in practice today? 12:27- Personal Did you know that Amazon is the second-largest employer in the 15:32 Account: Derrick United States? How does this knowledge expand our understanding Palmer of the number of people and communities affected by the exploitative and dangerous labor practices the company is under investigation for? How do you think prioritizing productivity over employee safety impacts a work environment? How might it impact an employee even after they leave that work environment? 15:33- Record Keeping Nikole Hannah-Jones describes American capitalism as historically 17:59 on Plantations demanding “productivity for profit at the expense of human beings.” How does this framing help us to better understand the throughline between the exploitative institution of chattel slavery and labor *pictures and exploitation today? images from slave labor Have you seen a slave ledger like the one Caitlin Rosenthal shares camps before? Why is it important to understand the meticulous recordkeeping systems enslavers had in place? How does it contradict the imaginary version of plantations Rosenthal describes? In workplace culture today, performance statistics are often legitimized and celebrated. Why do you think that is the case? Are there any ways in which this practice may be harmful? 18:00- Interlude: The What system of performance tracking is used for workers on an 19:00 Amazon Amazon workplace assembly line? How does this system impact the Assembly Line workers on the line? How does it resemble the performance tracking in plantation account books? 19:01- Determining How does it feel to learn about the ways enslavers assigned and 21:05 Value From tracked the monetary value of enslaved people? Why is determining Labor These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 15 of 28  a person’s value from their potential labor production an act of dehumanization? Catilin Rosenthal explains that enslaved people were aware of the ways their enslavers assigned value to them and used that knowledge strategically. Have you been taught about any other ways enslaved people used strategy in their lives? 21:06- Personal How long has Chimiere Tillman been working? Why has it been 23:21 Account: difficult to sustain herself and her family despite that amount of Chimiere labor? 23:21- Interlude: Are you surprised to see the statistics on wealth disparity between 26:12 Capitalism and white and Black families? Why do you think such a great disparity Race exists? Why does Nikole argue that race and capitalism will never be inseparable in America? How does Robin D. G. Kelley support this argument in his explanation of racial capitalism? Why could Derrick Palmer’s experience at Amazon be considered an example of racial capitalism? How do the statistics shared about the racial makeup of workers at his facility and in senior leadership at the company support this argument? 26:13- Personal How did locals initially respond to Amazon coming to Bessemer? 29:59 Account: How did the reality of Amazon coming differ from the hope that it Jennifer Bates initially offered? How does Jennifer Bates describe her experiences working at Amazon? Why did Bates decide to stay at Amazon despite these experiences? 30:00- Interlude: What are some of the differences Nikole Hannah-Jones lists 31:12 Nationwide between the United States and other modern capitalist societies? Worker Strikes Why do you think those differences exist? Were you aware of any of the strikes mentioned in this section? Do you know of any workers in your community who are striking now? Where can you learn more about them? 31:12- Labor Organizing Why did Derrick Palmer and his colleagues decide to strike? How 33:34 at Amazon were these motivations similar to those of the Amazon workers fighting to unionize in Bessemer? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 16 of 28  33:35- Interlude: What are some potential explanations for the low union 36:28 History of Union participation rate in the United States? Destabilization What was the response to unionization efforts of the 1930s and 1940s? What are some of the long-term impacts of this response? What does Robin D. G. Kelley describe as the popular corporate response to unionization efforts today? 36:28- Labor Organizing What strategies did Amazon utilize to destabilize their employees’ 40:29 at Amazon efforts to unionize? How did this response impact the workplace? What are a few of the steps Derrick Palmer and his colleagues had to take in forming their unions? Why might it be challenging for workers to see a unionization effort through to the end? 40:30- Brutality of The institution of American chattel slavery required the theft of land 45:49 American from Native American Peoples. How does the example provided Capitalism about the stripping of 23 million acres from the Creek nation demonstrate “low-road” capitalism in a different way? How do Douglas A. Blackmon and Nikole Hannah-Jones term convict leasing as ‘slavery by another name.’ In what ways does convict leasing parallel enslavement? How does this section illustrate the relationship between capitalism and land? What questions do you have about the history of the land in your own community after viewing? 45:50- Interlude: The Where does the money used on government tax breaks to companies 46:21 Cost of Tax like Amazon come from? How is this burdensome to everyday Breaks citizens? 46:22- Labor Organizing What was the outcome of the initial attempt to unionize the Amazon 48:46 at Amazon facility in Bessemer? Why was Jennifer Bates suspicious about these results? 48:47- Obstacles to What are some of the barriers to unionizing that have existed 50:46 Unionizing historically in the United States? Robin D. G. Kelley shares a W.E.B. Du Bois quote about commitment to whiteness being a paltry wage. What do Kelley and Du Bois suggest could be gained by white workers engaging in solidarity with others over labor rights? 50:48- Labor Organizing The Amazon workers at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island were able 54:19 at Amazon to successfully unionize. What did the victory mean to Derrick These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 17 of 28  Palmer? We see a clip from a speech by Chris Smalls, president of the new Amazon labor union, in which he addresses Jeff Bezos. How does his statement relate to the one made by Bezos in the introduction of this episode? Nikole Hannah-Jones shares that union activists in 2022 won more elections than they had in 20 years. Why do you believe that we are currently witnessing an increase in efforts to unionize? 54:20- Interlude: What What was Chimiere Tillman’s experience with stimulus checks during 55:46 Covid Revealed the pandemic? What does it suggest about the potential of government programs that invest directly in people? Why does reflecting on this experience make Tillman emotional? 55:48- Closing: What does Robin D. G. Kelley say must be done in order to make sure 58:24 Combating that race is not a dividing factor in social movements/labor efforts? Barriers and moving forward What does solidarity mean to you? How can we go about building solidarity? According to Hannah-Jones, American capitalism requires complicity. What does it mean to be complicit? What, in your opinion, would be required to avoid complicity in low-road capitalism? Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How has listening to this episode changed your understanding of the ways in which the United States profited off the labor of enslaved people? How has it changed your understanding of labor exploitation in America today? 2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar or different to reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 18 of 28 Episode 5: Fear Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is a stereotype? How can stereotypes be harmful? What harmful stereotypes exist about people who share your identities or live in your community? What harmful stereotypes might people in your community hold about others? 2. Fear is a strong emotional response that can influence our actions and decisions and even the ways we interact with others. Some of our fears are connected to data, experience, and other evidence of danger around us, and some are tied to our own anxieties and assumptions that are removed from real threat. What tools can we use to distinguish between these two types of fear for ourselves? How can we better understand the fears of others? 3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Main Topic Questions to Consider Stamp 00:00- Introduction: The Fears Nikole Hannah-Jones tells a story about her Great-Uncle 02:16 That Define Us Milton. What purpose did the Tallahatchie River serve in his moment of fear? What do we learn about other ways the river was used? What are the two types of fear Hannah-Jones argues were present in the Mississippi Delta region historically? How are these fears distinct from one another? How are they related? What parts of this introduction resonate with you? What elements do you have more questions about? 02:17- Ahmaud Arbery and the Have you seen the footage of this police interaction with 04:06 Policing of Black Men Ahmaud Arbery before? *footage of police What reasons did the police give for stopping and threatening brutality Ahmaud Arbery? Were their stated fears supported by the evidence around them at the time? *some profanity in video clip 04:07- Thesis: An Epidemic of Hannah-Jones states that we have been inundated with 06:04 Brutality images of violence against Black Americans. How might the American public be impacted by these scenes of violence? How might they affect Black Americans specifically? *footage of police What are some of the ways Hannah-Jones suggests our brutality politics, culture, and systems of justice have been shaped by These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 19 of 28  the culture of violence born out of enslavement? How familiar are you with the policies and systems she names? 06:05- The Haitian Revolution According to Professor Leslie Alexander, what were the 11:06 & Its Impact on Fear colonists fearful of? What evidence and primary sources do and Policing in the we have to support this interpretation of the time period? United States What was the Haitian Revolution? Have you learned about the *depictions of violence history of the Haitian Revolution before? Why is in the Haitian understanding this event important to understanding Revolution government and politics in the United States and the rest of the world at this time? *depictions of violence from slave patrols in the What were slave codes? Why were they enacted? United States Professor Alexander describes being haunted by a slave code *some profanity in from Charlseton, South Carolina, that prohibited enslaved video clip people from partaking in expressions of joy. Why might learning about this law have affected her in that way? What emotions come up for you while learning the history in this section? Slave patrols were a system of policing developed to enforce slave codes. What was the penalty for white colonists who did not want to participate in slave patrols? What do Alexander and Hannah-Jones suggest are the lasting legacies of this system? 11:07- Legacy of the Slave The video clips in this section show recent incidents of racial 13:47 Patrol — White stereotyping and harassment of Black people. How do they Americans Policing inform the argument Alexander and Hannah-Jones are Black Americans making about surveillance of Black people as a legacy of slavery? Hannah-Jones explains that accountability for white Americans who surveil and harm Black Americans is rare, especially when crimes are committed at the hands of police. Do you know of any systems of accountability for this type of harm in your community? What do you think accountability should look like? 13:48- Interlude: Cecil Hayes What are some of the fears Cecil Hayes describes Black 15:04 parents living with? How does he describe this affecting his *footage of police daily lived experience? brutality 15:05- Jemel Roberson’s Story Why does Avontea Boose, Jemel Roberson’s girlfriend, believe These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 20 of 28  22:37 that Officer Ian Covey shot Roberson? What did Curtis Berry *footage of police and other witnesses at the scene do in an attempt to help brutality Covey make a more informed decision? How did Avontea Boose and Garret Taylor describe Jemel *some profanity Roberson? What were his dreams? How does her description differ from the assumptions Ian Covey made about him as a *footage of shooting - Black man? no bodies, just gunshots heard What argument did Ian Covey’s defense team use? How does it compare to the defense used in similar cases? 22:38- Interlude: The License What is qualified immunity? Why can it be seen as giving 23:56 To Kill police officers a “license to kill?” *footage of police What similarities does Nikole-Hannah Jones identify between brutality tactics used by the slave patrols and tactics employed in modern policing? *depictions of violence from slave patrols in the United States 23:57- Role of Policing in the According to Professor Alexander, what has been the role of 27:15 Black Community policing in the Black community? What evidence have you seen to support this claim in this episode, in your community, and/or in the cases of police violence that garner national *footage of racial attention? violence, KKK rallies, and police brutality What did white people fear after the demise of slavery? What systems and structures, legal and extralegal, were put in place as a result of this fear? How does Alexander define their purpose? What did African Americans learn after the civil rights movement? What are the limits of the law? Nikole Hannah-Jones shares recent reports that have found the presence of white supremacists and white supremacist thought among law enforcement. What is your response to this information? Why are these reports important to address? 27:16- Interlude: Unrelenting What are some of the strategies Black people have used in 28:42 Pursuit of Black their struggles for freedom and liberty? What have been some Liberation of the social and political responses to these attempts by Black people to assert their rights? 28:43- Post-Civil Rights According to Dr. Elizabeth Hinton, how did the rebellions that These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 21 of 28  32:42 Rebellion; broke out in the late 1960s and 1970s reveal a shift in protest Militarization of the strategy? Why does she argue this shift was a logical one? Police Force What was the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act? *footage of weapons, What have been some of the lasting impacts of this law? police holding guns What is your response to seeing the government use military-grade weaponry against American citizens? What does this reveal about the ways the government interprets calls for justice? What does Elizabeth Hinton say about the classification of Black protests as riots? How does it distract from the true goals of those participating? 32:42- Derrick Ingram’s Derrick shares a childhood story about watching a police 34:56 Reflections on Ferguson officer harass and wrongfully ticket his dad. What impact did Protests the experience have on him? Do you think he is correct in his assumption that stories like his are common? 34:57- Summer 2020 Protests Do you remember hearing about the Black Lives Matter 37:30 & Response protests in 2020? Are you surprised to hear that over 93% of the 7,000 protests that summer were nonviolent? How did law enforcement respond to these protests even when demonstrators were peaceful? What laws were passed in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests? How do these laws impact the right to free speech and protest? Why could these laws be considered anti-democratic? 37:31- Impact of State How did the state violence in response to Black Lives Matter 43:50 Violence: Derrick impact Derrick Ingram? What does Ingram’s story teach us Ingram’s Story about the importance of community care as a part of activism? *gunshots How did Ingram's activist training prepare him for the standoff with police at his apartment? What were his main fears and concerns during the six-hour standoff? How does the police treatment of Derrick during the standoff justify these concerns? 43:51- Government What is government surveillance? What parallels do Dr. 46:10 Surveillance of Black Elizabeth Hinton and Nikole Hannah-Jones share between Leaders and government surveillance of Black community leaders and These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 22 of 28  Organizations activists historically and surveillance of Black community leaders and activists today? 46:11- Derrick’s Story: End of How did Derrick’s community rally around him during the 48:20 Standoff With Police standoff with police? *visual of someone In the end, the police did not have a warrant for Derrick’s flipping their middle arrest. Why do you think they dedicated so much time and finger resources to the false statement that they did? 48:22- Jemel Robertson’s How did Jemel Robertson’s death impact his children and 53:23 Story: The Impact of His family? Murder What steps did Robertson’s family take to try and hold Ian Covey accountable for his murder? What type of accountability was the family offered in the end? Do you think this approach to accountability for police violence is sustainable for city government or helpful to community members? 53:24- Derrick’s Story How did the standoff with police impact Derrick? What do you 54:02 think accountability might look like for the police officers that targeted Derrick? 54:03- Closing: Fear of Black Nikole Hannah-Jones says that there are 400-year-old 54:56 Americans stereotypes about Black Americans. What are some ways to challenge and interrupt those stereotypes when you come across them? Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How has viewing this episode changed your understanding of the fears that lead to surveillance and control of Black Americans? 2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar or different to reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 23 of 28 Episode 6: Justice Some questions to consider before viewing: 1. What is reparation? Why do people expect a repair for harm? 2. What is justice? How have you heard it defined? What is the relationship between justice and reparation? 3. Some of the history and personal stories told in this episode are hard to listen to because they describe painful events. What can we do to take care of ourselves when something is both important to hear and difficult to listen to? Time Stamp Main Topic Questions to Consider 00:00-01:35 Introduction: Nikole Hannah-Jones reads a Fredrick Douglass quote Emancipation with no comparing the experience of different groups of Repair people emancipated from exploitative labor systems. What does Douglass observe about Black people emancipated from the institution of American chattel slavery? Why is this an important observation to make when we engage with United States history? 01:36-2:33 Interlude: Mythologies What is mythology? How is mythology both related to of Progress & Equality and distinct from history and science? What does Hannah-Jones say the mythologies about American progress overlook? Why is distribution of wealth an important factor to consider when evaluating whether or not a society is progressive and equal? 02:34-03:54 Defining Wealth How does Hannah-Jones define wealth? What does wealth allow an individual to do? How does a lack of wealth impact a person or community? 03:55-12:45 Personal Account: Why did Jadon Relaford begin his horse ranch? Why Descendants of Harris has he struggled to expand his business? How might Neck Relaford’s experience be different if his family’s land was not taken by the government? What does it mean for the government to cite eminent domain? Do you think that a government should be able to displace people? Why or why not? What responsibility does a government have to people they displace? What do we learn about the Harris Neck community These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 24 of 28  from Mr. Wilson Moran and Ms. Olive Smith? How do their descriptions help to bring the community to life? 09:05-10:35 Interlude: The Stealing How long were the citizens of Harris Neck given to of Harris Neck evacuate? What were the consequences if they failed to do so? What were some of the things lost by the citizens of Harris Neck during their displacement? How did this loss impact the residents whose voice recordings we hear in this section? 10:36-13:00 The Displacement of Why did Wilson Moran feel his parents were unable to Black Communities fight against the displacement of their community? What did land ownership symbolize to the residents of Harris Neck? Are you familiar with the history of the other displaced communities mentioned in this section? How can you learn more about the ways the U.S. government has historically used eminent domain and other powers to displace Black citizens? 13:00-20:39 Moustafa Shaw’s Story; Why is it important to understand both slavery and the Special Field Order No. Jim Crow era as systems of exploitation? 15 How did Dr. Allison Dorsey learn about Moustafa Shaw? What tools and resources does she mention using to trace the lives of enslaved people? What did Special Field Order No. 15 request? Why was the order initially put into place? What were the immediate and long-term impacts of Andrew Johnson rescinding this order? What was the Homestead Act? How long was this government policy in place? What were immediate and long-term effects of the Homestead Act for white Americans? How did Moustafa Shaw resist enslavement and challenge white supremacy? In what ways were Shaw’s descendants cheated of the legacy he hoped to leave for them? 20:39-22:04 Fate of Harris Neck How did Macintosh County use the Harris Neck land? What is it now used for? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 25 of 28  William Moran states that returning the Harris Neck land to the descendants is the only way the government can begin to repair the harm that was caused. How might owning the land again help the community begin to heal from its trauma? 22:05-23:32 Interlude: The Struggle What is one of the earliest examples of Black for Reparations Americans’ fight for reparations? Hannah-Jones argues that the case for reparations does not end with slavery. What are the other factors she says must be taken into account? How would taking these factors into account change the general conversation around the need for reparations? 23:33-24:59 Interlude: The Great What choice did some residents of Harris Neck make Migration after the government destroyed their community? How did their decision mirror those that other Black Americans made during the Great Migration? 25:00-29:00 Sharecropping in the According to Hannah-Jones, what was at the heart of Mississippi Delta the violence of the Jim Crow South? What evidence from that time period supports her claim? What is sharecropping? How was it designed to be a system of exploitative labor? How do Hannah-Jones and Sylvester Hoover highlight the scope and scale of this practice in the South? When did Hoover first start to see change in the lived experiences offered to Black people in his community? How does this reflection inform the way you think about the lasting legacy of slavery? 29:01-35:48 The Great Migration, How did the Great Depression impact all Americans the Great Depression, economically? In what ways did the New Deal Franklin and The New Deal (Or Roosevelt put in place to address these issues shut out Raw Deal for African Black Americans? Americans) What does Andre Perry mean when he says the New Deal represented the first Affirmative Action policy for white Americans? What example does he use to illustrate this argument? What is redlining? How long was the period in which redlining legally took place? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 26 of 28  35:49-37:09 Interlude: Impact of How do the images, facts, and statistics in this section Poverty on Black illustrate the gap between the labor and contributions Americans of Black Americans and the reflection of that work in Black communities? 37:10-42:30 The Defining Cause of What statistics does Dr. William Darity provide on the the Racial Wealth Gap racial wealth gap? Why might these statistics serve as evidence of a maldistribution of wealth? What are the limitations of the legislation passed during the Civil rights movement in repairing the harm of forced labor and labor exploitation of Black people? What did civil rights legislation impact and not impact? According to Hannah-Jones, what is one defining feature of Black life in America? What evidence do she and Dr. Darity present to dispute this? Why do you think myths and narratives of Black dysfunction persist despite the evidence? How does the story of Hannah-Jones’ grandmother’s house illustrate the lasting impact of the wealth gap on Black families and communities? 42:31-47:30 The Harris Neck How did the residents of the Harris Neck community Movement salvage their church building during the government destruction? Why do you think this was important to them to do? What was the goal of Harris Neck Movement when it began? How did the government respond to the efforts of Harris Neck Residents in the movement? 47:30-56:46 The Fight for What is said to be the origins of the reparations Reparations movement in America? Are you familiar with this history at all? What was Bill H.R. 40? How long did John Conyers fight to get the bill passed? What does Dr. Darity say is the solution to closing the racial wealth gap? Why does he believe some people find this solution controversial? According to Andre Perry, how can we create a reparative culture? How does he think this could be These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 27 of 28  impactful long term? Why does Perry suggest that issues of wealth equality for Black Americans need to be central in legislative packages for politicians? Why do you think this has not been the case for the majority? What does the argument that we are too far removed from the period of American chattel slavery to consider reparations refuse to take into account? 56:47-59:09 The Hope of Harris What is Jadon Relaford’s definition of restitution? Neck Descendents What would he consider restitution for Harris Neck descendents? 59:11-1:01:15 Closing What were the ideals on which America was founded? Why can they be considered hypocritical when we take the treatment of Black Americans into context? How does Nikole Hannah-Jones believe the country can begin to live up to those ideals on which America was founded? How might this process benefit all Americans? Some questions to consider after viewing: 1. How has viewing this episode helped to expand your understanding of the racial wealth gap in America? How has it expanded your understanding of the argument for reparations for Black Americans? 2. How are imagery and audio used to help with storytelling in this episode? How is the experience of viewing the docuseries similar or different to reading the text? 3. What additional research do you want to do about U.S. history after learning about the ways in which research can expand your understanding of a topic? These materials were created by Pulitzer Center Education staff to support utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool. You can find our full 1619 Project Education Materials Collection at https://1619education.org/. 28 of 28