Letters from an American

250 to 250

May 24, 2026 The people who care about the preservation of democracy and who have worked to expand its values truly represent America, On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration, we are launching 250 to 250, a series that honors them, It is a series of one-minute videos that emphasize the agency of everyday people to change the country, The videos celebrate community, democracy, innovation, mobility, civil rights, education, conservation, and creativity, Topics range from the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the building of the Erie Canal to the story of the AIDS quilt and the legacy of actress Rita Moreno, Narrators include former Senator Jon Tester, journalist Sylvia Salazar, and former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg; Now, as for the past 250 years, “We Are America.” Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Memorial Day

May 23, 2026 Trump’s proposed arch threatens to obscure the view of the Lincoln Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery, The arch will not frame the nation’s honored dead, but the home built by enslaved Americans and once owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, The US government bought Lee’s property in 1864, and by August began to bury the bodies of Civil War soldiers there, By the end of the Civil War more than 16,000 Civil War Soldiers were buried at Arlington National Cemetery, The first official Memorial Day ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1968, Then-congressman James Garfield, who had served in the War, spoke, Garfield spoke of the men buried at Arlington, They fought to save their Government “or miserably perish." Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Power to Shape the Civilization That We Want

May 22, 2026 In a graduation speech at the University of Michigan in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his vision for “the Great Society,” It was a forward looking vision of a country that used its post-World War II prosperity to look toward greater things, and to advance civil rights and end poverty, Congress would pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and the Food Stamp Act, Democrats were able to pass 84 new laws to put the Great Society into place, Congress took on voting rights, access to education, health insurance, and the rights of consumers, It enacted laws protecting the environment and supporting the arts, In his speech at the University of Michigan, Johnson charged the graduates to lead America toward a new age, reminding them that Americans have the power to shape the civilization that we want. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Starting to Crack

May 21, 2026Congress has left for the Memorial Day holiday, It appears some Republican members of Congress have mutinied against Trump, Republican senators met in what is described as a hostile meeting with acting attorney general Todd Blanche, Republican senators are speaking out against Trump’s slush fund, Repubicans are also frustrated by Trump intervening in Republican primaries, Senate leadership decided not to try and pass funding for immigration agencies, and left Trump’s request for $1 billion for his ballroom out of the funding package, In the House, Republicans pulled a vote to stop the war on Iran, as they did not have the votes to defeat it, Republicans may be starting to crack.   Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Blocking the Slush Fund

May 20, 2026 Daniel Hodges aed Harry Dunn, who defended the Capitol on January 6, sue Trump to block the creation of his slush fund to pay off those convicted of crimes related to that attack, The lawsuit covers what actually happened on January 6, in detail, In the House, Rep Jamie Raskin has introduced an act to prohibit use of federal funds to pay off anyone claiming to have faced “weaponization,” Trump is making it clear that making money and building monuments to himself are his priorities, Funding for the ballroom could not go into a budget reconciliation measure, so Trump is trying to replace the Senate parliamentarian, Republicans are taking note of Trump’s cratering approval ratings, Trump has backed Ken Paxton against John Cornyn in Texas, and successfully backed the challenger to Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, but shrinking margins suggest that his hold may be loosening. Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ- [https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-] Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe] You can also find me: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ [https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson [https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson] Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe [https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]