The New York Times uses the British Empire's propaganda in order to smear the United States with the 1619 Project

There is an interesting line in the 1619 Project that many would have perhaps glossed over because they have heard it so many times. It is this:

The United States is a nation founded on both an ideal and a lie. Our Declaration of Independence, approved on July 4, 1776, proclaims that "all men are created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." But the white men who drafted those words did not believe them to be true for the hundreds of thousands of black people in their midst.

No, no, don't gloss past this. Stop right here. Examine this. Who first made this claim? Refuting this is all too easy, for those adept in when/where the Founders said what. But that's been done. I'm not interested in a defense, let others defend. Who first made this claim? Here's a hint: it wasn't progressives. It wasn't communists nor socialists either.

On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Just a month later, parliament funded the creation of a rebuttal to the "Declaration of the American Congress". Initially, this rebuttal was published anonymously, but it later was revealed to have been authored by John Lind. However, the An Answer to the Declaration of the American Congress, written late in 1776, became popular in part because of it's other contributing author. Most of you have heard of him.

His name was Jeremy Bentham.

Yup, that very same Jeremy Bentham who would become widely known as the father of utilitarianism. Funny that, no?

Anyways, here is what the British government's funds produced. You should read all 100+ pages, but in particular, my focus is on the response to the very last grievance.

ARTICLE XXVII.

He has excited domestic insurrections among us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

The article now before us consists of two charges, each of which demands a separate and distinct consideration. The one is, that his Majesty— "has excited domestic insurrections among them;" the other— "that he has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of their frontiers the merciless Indian Savages."

By his Majesty, in the first charge, is meant— not his Majesty, but— one of his Majesty's Governors. He, it seems, excited domestic insurrections among them— Be it so— But who are meant by them? Men in rebellion; men who had excited, and were continuing to excite, civil insurrections against his Majesty's government; men who had excited, and were continuing to excite, one set of citizens to pillage the effects, burn the houses, torture the persons, cut the throats of another set of citizens.

But how did his Majesty's Governors excite domestic insurrections? Did they set father against son, or son against father, or brother against brother? No— they offered freedom to the slaves of these assertors of liberty. Were it not true, that the charge was fully justified by the necessity, to which the rebellious proceedings of the Complainants had reduced the Governor, yet with what face can they urge this as a proof of tyranny? Is it for them to say, that it is tyranny to bid a Have be free? to bid him take courage, to rife and assist in reducing his tyrants to a due obedience to law? to hold out as a motive to him, that the load which crushed his limbs shall be lightened ; that the whip which harrowed up his back shall be broken;that he shall be raised to the rank of a freeman and a citizen? It is their boast that they have taken up arms in support of these their own self-evident truths — " that all men are equal" — " that all men are "endowed with the 'unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" Is it for them to complain of the offer of freedom held out to these wretched beings? of the offer of reinstating them in that equality, which, in this very paper, is declared to be the gift of God to all; in those unalienable rights with which, in this very paper, God is declared to have endowed all mankind?

It's a small world after all.

The very same British who just spent years opposing every colonial attempt to abolish slavery and the slave trade up until Independence, now arrogantly takes the high road for what they created. It's utterly laughable.

What's important though, is to notice what the NY Times and this screed from 1776 have in common. They both dance around the bush about the undeniable fact that it was Britain(And Dutch, Spain, etc) who brought these slaves here in the first place. Now many will say "You're just shifting the blame", as if someone wants to level the charge that Ukraine did it. Nobody's "blaming" anybody. Guilt is not a synonym for "blame", and that guilt doesn't go away no matter how much the progressives want to pray for it to stay away.