The project was a deliberate transposing of American history into a minor key. The move of the founding date was not just about proving that everything that made America exceptional, including its economic power, its industrial power, and its system of democracy, had come out of slavery. It was intended to formalize the idea that the USA was founded on an original sin. It sought to turn a tale of heroism and glory into one of oppression and shame. Perhaps the authors of this project did not expect to get so much attention, or failed to imagine that they would dominate the nation’s discourse at
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