The recent attempts to reinstate the 1776 Commission silences the history of slavery in the United States

MELODY STAINBROOK: Choosing how history is taught and remembered is one of the greatest challenges lawmakers face— a debate that has raged on for the last six months.  Last fall, former President Trump established the 1776 commission. Two days before the end of his presidency, he released the 1776 report detailing the commission's new recommendations for school curriculums. In a series of executive orders signed during his first day in office, President Biden canceled the Trump administration's newly-founded 1776 Commission. In response, Republican Rep. Ted Budd of North Carolina introduced the Preserve American History Act (H.R. 514 ) on January 28, 2021. This bill aims to reinstate the 1776 commission, once again bringing the debate over how we as a nation remember our history to the forefront. 

The 1776 Commission was born out of increasing scrutiny about how United States history is taught in schools. Most of these movements aim to better acknowledge the role slavery had in the American founding. The most well-known— and controversial— of these movements in the New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 project, which was released in August of 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. The project comprised over 30 essays and creative works highlighting the untold stories of slavery and its role in the American founding. 

The 1619 project was met with backlash, most of which was from conservative lawmakers. President Trump declared that the 1619 project was a "crusade against American history," that is, "toxic propaganda" and "ideological poison." He also signed an executive order to promote a more "patriotic" education, establishing the 1776 commission. 

According to the 1776 report, the commission aims to "restore understanding of the greatness of the American founding." The report criticizes those who have pointed out the hypocrisy of the founding fathers' fight for freedom while denying enslaved people freedom. The report states that the "claim is untrue" and "has done enormous damage." The report also excused the founding fathers' support of the three-fifths compromise, which counted all enslaved people as three-fifths of a person in the census, stating it was necessary to form a "durable union." 

Many historians criticized the report's language and credibility, even noting that parts of the report lacked citations. Thomas Sugrue, a historian at New York University, tweeted that, "The biggest tell in the 1776 report is that it lists 'progressivism' along with 'slavery' and 'fascism' in its list of 'challenges to America's principles'." Historian Margo Jefferson summarized the report as "propaganda masquerading as a serious document with intellectual content." 

The 1776 report also introduced guidelines for teaching American history in schools. However, these guidelines are unclear and intentionally vague. One section acknowledges the importance of accepting the United States' past mistakes but then adds that an education that dwells too much on slavery is a "misuse of history." The guidelines also include this sentence, criticizing the 1619 project: "By turning to bitterness and judgment, distorted histories of those like Howard Zinn or the journalists behind the "1619 Project" have prevented their students from learning to think inductively with a rich repository of cultural, historical, and literary referents." 

The 1776 commission followed a series of Trump administration actions to deter education on racism and white privilege. One of these moves was a ban on diversity training at government jobs. In a memo sent out to federal agencies on September 5, 2020, the former president labeled the training as "anti-American" and that they "run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception." 

On January 20, 2021, on his first day in office, President Biden signed a series of executive orders reversing many Trump administration policies, including its attacks on slavery and anti-racism education. President Biden passed executive orders eliminating the 1776 commission and the federal ban on diversity training. The Biden administration stated that these orders are "a first step" at rooting out "systemic racism from our institutions." 

Biden has faced backlash from conservative lawmakers who wish to see former President Trump's legislation continued over his newly passed executive orders. Eight days after President Biden ended the 1776 commission, Republican Rep. Ted Budd introduced H:R: 514 Preserve American History Act. H:R: 514 aims to reinstate the 1776 Commission and follow its guidelines for teaching about the American founding in schools.

Supporters of the proposed legislation argue that it aims to deter cynicism regarding the American founding. At a press conference, Rep. Budd stated that "The 1776 Commission was pushing back against an insidious movement to undermine our country's exceptional founding and fundamentally transform our country by tearing down and rewriting our history." 

Opponents of H:R: 514 argue that the 1776 commission was a partisan response to the 1619 project riddled with inconsistencies and should remain disbanded. Opponents claim that projects such as the 1619 project do not aim to rewrite history but rather reveal the past that has been silenced. 

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The 1776 commission sets forth a ridiculous contradiction— that teaching American history is un-American. Debates over the way history is taught further silences the horrible history of slavery in the United States. Partisan legislation such as the federal ban on diversity training, the 1776 commission, and H:R: 514 perpetuates the division it aims to deter. A failure to acknowledge the deeply rooted history of slavery and racism in the United States will only alienate those affected by racism today. 

The assertion that programs such as diversity training and anti-racism education are "anti-American" is merely unpatriotic. To brand education that aims to rectify systematic inequalities as "in contradiction with the country's values'' is to hold the United States a despicably low standard. Patriotism is not blindly agreeing with our countries' history, but rather acknowledging our past mistakes and aiming to solve them. We must learn about the past, accept how it affects the present, and work together towards a better future. 

The 1776 commission, and the harmful agenda it perpetuates, should remain disbanded. If you agree and wish to voice your opinion, you can call Rep.Ted Budd's office at (202) 225-4531. You can also contact your representatives and senators and urge them not to support this bill.

Melody is a freshman in Georgetown College, studying government and environmental studies. Melody joined On the Record as a columnist and is also a member of the GU Democrats and GU Moot Court.