7 episodes

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.
“1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

1619 The New York Times

    • News
    • 4.4 • 31.2K Ratings

In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.
“1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    Episode 1: The Fight for a True Democracy

    Episode 1: The Fight for a True Democracy

    America was founded on the ideal of democracy. Black people fought to make it one.

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    This episode includes scenes of graphic violence.

    • 41 min
    Episode 2: The Economy That Slavery Built

    Episode 2: The Economy That Slavery Built

    The institution of slavery turned a poor, fledgling nation into a financial powerhouse, and the cotton plantation was America’s first big business. Behind the system, and built into it, was the whip. On today’s episode: Matthew Desmond, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and the author of “Evicted,” and Jesmyn Ward, the author of “Sing, Unburied, Sing.”

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    This episode includes scenes of graphic violence.

    • 31 min
    Episode 3: The Birth of American Music

    Episode 3: The Birth of American Music

    Black music, forged in captivity, became the sound of complete artistic freedom. It also became the sound of America. On today’s episode: Wesley Morris, a critic-at-large for The New York Times.

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    This episode contains explicit language.

    • 34 min
    Episode 4: How the Bad Blood Started

    Episode 4: How the Bad Blood Started

    Black Americans were denied access to doctors and hospitals for decades. From the shadows of this exclusion, they pushed to create the nation’s first federal health care programs. On today’s episode: Jeneen Interlandi, a member of The New York Times’s editorial board and a writer for The Times Magazine, and Yaa Gyasi, the author of “Homegoing.”

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    • 39 min
    Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 1

    Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 1

    More than a century and a half after the promise of 40 acres and a mule, the story of black land ownership in America remains one of loss and dispossession. June and Angie Provost, who trace their family line to the enslaved workers on Louisiana’s sugar-cane plantations, know this story well. 

    On today’s episode: The Provosts spoke with Adizah Eghan and Annie Brown, producers for “1619.”

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    • 29 min
    Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 2

    Episode 5: The Land of Our Fathers, Part 2

    The Provosts, a family of sugar-cane farmers in Louisiana, had worked the same land for generations. When it became harder and harder to keep hold of that land, June Provost and his wife, Angie, didn’t know why — and then a phone call changed their understanding of everything. In the finale of “1619,” we hear the rest of June and Angie’s story, and its echoes in a past case that led to the largest civil rights settlement in American history.

    On today’s episode: June and Angie Provost; Adizah Eghan and Annie Brown, producers for “1619”; and Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a professor of history, race and public policy at Harvard University and the author of “The Condemnation of Blackness.”

    “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.

    • 36 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
31.2K Ratings

31.2K Ratings

NitpickyButFair ,

Loved it

As a white person who didn’t even grow up here, I have a lot to learn about all the injustices that Black Americans have faced and still face today. Thank you for helping me learn, and for the great storytelling and journalism. The recording of the white farmer at the end of Episode 5 Part 2 speaks volumes about racism and bigotry in this country. We have a lot of work to do.

Souljoi ,

Impeccable Series

History is the truth. We all need more of this experience. This series was so thorough.
I LOVED every single episode. I’m desperate for additional content. And more podcasts like this.

random)9438chikr ,

Learning so much, makes things make sense

I’m only on episode 2 but have learned some really big things. Unlearning too. Unlearning is even richer than learning - there are levels. How did I never know slaves were mortgaged, like houses? for example. Or that the bundled mortgages were sold as bonds? It really hit me that our country is such a mess because it was founded on brutality and injustice and greed. And the bravery of black people in the civil war and reconstruction era and the huge contributions they made. I’m not young. I’m an avid and adventurous learner, but this had all escaped me.

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