Black Americans were foundational to American freedom, not just its economy

Evidence

But it would be historically inaccurate to reduce the contributions of Black people to the vast material wealth created by our bondage. Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom. More than any other group in this country’s history, we have served, generation after generation, in an overlooked but vital role: it is we who have been the perfecters of this democracy. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 83

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is the reframing thesis stated in its purest form — ‘perfecters of this democracy’ is the claim that distinguishes the project’s framing from mere economic contributions.
• XREF: connects to: Black Civil War service marked blacks as loyal Americans unlike other ‘foreigners’ — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 540