The framing of the role of race and slavery in American history in the order to create the "1776 Commission" isn't surprising, but it's still remarkable somehow to see slavery described as a "curse." It's right out of a proslavery apologia. 1/

If white Americans generally thought slavery was such an abomination, and something someone else just dumped on them, why did it take almost 90 years to abolish it? 2/

If the “great moral endeavor” led by Abraham Lincoln was really marked by “good will” and an “emphasis on our shared principles,” why was he assassinated after a civil war in which hundreds of thousands died? 3/

If the “inclusive vision for the future” MLK sought was so deeply American, how come he was under constant surveillance and blackmail threats from the FBI, accused of being a Communist, and then also assassinated? 4/

Contrary to the order, not only is it possible to account for the “great heroes” who fought for Black freedom and civil rights while understanding systematic racism in American history. Without understanding it, you can’t understand why they were heroes in the first place. 5/5