1619 Project Lesson Plan

Why do you think Pinckney chose to talk about the Emancipation Proclamation without including Lincoln as a significant figure?

Students may express surprise that Lincoln is barely mentioned in the piece about the Emancipation Proclamation. Pinckney mentions him in the beginning, saying “The president has signed the historic war measure.” Everyone else mentioned, all the characters, are black professionals. Some students may say Pinckney decided to do this because it’s a narrative move that is in line with the goals of The 1619 Project. In other words, since The 1619 Project aims to reframe U.S. history, Pinckney’s fictional story does the work of reframing the news of the...