The ‘1619 Project’ Is Wrong About Capitalism, but Not in the Way You May Think

The ‘1619 Project’ Is Wrong About Capitalism, but Not in the Way You May Think
The book "The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story" is displayed at a bookstore in New York on Nov. 17, 2021. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Bruce Pardy
Kate Wand
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Commentary

In 1834, an angry mob descended on a gathering at a New York church. Their target was Lewis and Arthur Tappan, owners of a successful mercantile import business. When the Tappans fled, the mob went to Lewis Tappan’s home and threw his belongings into a fire on the street. The Tappans were the epitome of American capitalism and entrepreneurship. Not coincidentally, they were also prominent abolitionists. The pro-slavery mob wanted to bring them to their knees.

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