Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and 37 Republican senators are demanding the Department of Education stop a proposed new rule that mentions the New York Times’ 1619 Project, Politico reports. The 1619 Project, which was published at the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery, described the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the national narrative—a Pulitzer Prize-winning effort that became a campaign target of Donald Trump and Fox News opinion hosts. The Biden administration has proposed updating American schools’ history curricula to more fully flesh out the consequences of slavery and the role of Black Americans in building the country. McConnell and the other GOP senators have pounced on one specific mention of the 1619 Project in the proposal, zeroing in on a suggestion that the American Revolution was fought to secure slavery. In a letter obtained by Politico, McConnell blasted the administration for putting “ill-informed advocacy ahead of historical accuracy,” saying, “Americans do not need or want their tax dollars diverted from promoting the principles that unite our nation toward promoting radical ideologies meant to divide us.” The letter comes a day after former President Donald Trump said the Kentucky Republican should be replaced as Senate GOP leader. McConnell on Thursday night boosted South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott as “the future” of the party, but said he would support Trump 2024 if he won the nomination.
