New York Times Distorts 1776 Commission Report

The 1776 Commission does not defend slavery

Screen capture by Author

Today saw the release of a report of a presidential commission formed in the last days of the Trump administration. That report came from a body known as the 1776 Commission, a group established by President Donald Trump to essentially rebut the controversial and deeply influential 1619 Project — a project of The New York Times.

According to The New York Times, the Trump-appointed 1776 Commission “defends America’s founding on the basis of slavery.” It’s a characterization contained in the paper’s article headline as well as in the first paragraph of the story itself. That paragraph, which opens the article written by Times White House correspondent Michael Crowley, reads:

The Trump White House on Monday released the report of the presidential “1776 Commission,” a sweeping attack on liberal thought and activism that calls for a “patriotic education,” defends America’s founding on the basis of slavery and likens progressivism to fascism.

Please note the dual implications of this wording.

First, it suggests that the 1776 Commission defended not only the American founding but slavery itself! In other words, the 1776 Commission (according to Mr. Crowley’s suggestion) thinks that a nation being…