250 to 250: 86. Green Mountain Boys, Narrated by Representative Becca Balint

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Green Mountain Boys, Narrated by Representative Becca Balint

U.S. Rep. Becca Balint has represented Vermont in Congress since 2023, making history as the first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to do so. A former teacher and state legislator, Rep. Balint is the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father and has dedicated her career to fighting for working people, defending democracy, and ensuring every community has a voice. Balint talks about the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia known for its heroics during the Revolutionary War. 

Ethan Allen was a farmer and landowner.

• In the 1760s, he helped form the Green Mountain Boys.
• The Green Mountain Boys were a militia group in the area that is now Vermont.
• They first worked to protect settlers and their land.
• During the American Revolution, they fought against the British.
• On May 10, 1775, they captured Fort Ticonderoga.
• This was an important early American victory.
• The Americans captured cannons and other weapons at the fort.
• The Continental Army later used these cannons near Boston.
• In March 1776, the British left Boston.
• Ethan Allen helped give the colonists hope that they could defeat the British.
• The Green Mountain Boys became famous for their role in the fight for American independence.
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 9:8.b. Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted (helped), or participated in any armed group (a group that carries weapons), for example: 
• paramilitary unit (a group of people who act like a military group but are not part of the official military)
• self-defense unit
• vigilante unit
•  rebel group
• or guerrilla group?
• USCIS 100:61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
• USCIS 128:77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

Family Fun:

• C-SPAN Classroom: The Green Mountain Boys and the American Revolution
• Ethan Allen Homestead Museum: History 
• Fort Ticonderoga: Learn and Explore at Home (activities, puzzles, coloring pages)
• Postal Museum: Vermont Sesquicentennial Issue | Fort Ticonderoga
• Vermont History: New Frontier: The Green Mountain Boys

250 to 250: 85. Shays' Rebellion, Narrated by Senator Elizabeth Warren

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Shays' Rebellion, Narrated by Senator Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren is a prominent and influential progressive U.S. Senator from Massachusetts with a strong focus on economic justice, consumer protection, and financial regulation. Warren recounts Shays' Rebellion, the farmers' uprising that exposed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and spurred the drafting of the Constitution. ‪

In 1786, many farmers in western Massachusetts had money problems.

• They could not pay their taxes and debts.
• Some farmers were in danger of losing their farms.
• They asked the Massachusetts government for help.
• The government did not give them the help they wanted.
• Daniel Shays and other farmers began to protest.
• They closed some courts to stop farmers from losing their property.
• This protest became known as Shays' Rebellion.
• The national government was weak under the Articles of Confederation.
• Congress had difficulty raising money to respond to the rebellion.
• A private militia helped stop the rebellion in 1787.
• Leaders such as George Washington worried that the national government was too weak.
• In May 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to create a stronger government.
• They wrote the U.S. Constitution.
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:31. Do you support the Constitution and form of Government of the United States?
• USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?
• USCIS 128:14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.

Family Fun:

• AmRev: How Shays Rebellion Led to Our Constitution
• AmRevMuseum: Timeline of the American Revolution: A New Nation
• America in Class: After Shays' Rebellion
• American Battlefield Trust: Shay's Rebellion
• MHS: “This Convulsed Commonwealth”: Daniel Shays Attempts to Call a Truce during Shays’ Rebellion, the Agrarian Revolt Named for Him
• Mount Vernon: Shay's Rebellion
• NCC: 3.1 Info Brief: Summary of Shays’ Rebellion
• NPS: Springfield Armory National Historic | Shays’ Rebellion: A Nation on Trial
• PBS Learning Media: Shay's Rebellion Interactive
• STCC: Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation | Lesson Plans
• Zinn Education Project: Aug. 29, 1786: Shays’ Rebellion

250 to 250: 84. Apollo 11, Narrated by Senator Mark Kelly

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Apollo 11, Narrated by Senator Mark Kelly

Mark Kelly has served his country as a U.S. Navy combat pilot, a NASA astronaut, and now as a U.S. Senator for Arizona. Kelly reflects on the improbable quest to send American astronauts to the moon. 

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.

• Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
• The Moon landing was an important victory for the United States in the Space Race with the Soviet Union.
• In 1962, President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to send people to the Moon.
• Kennedy said Americans should do difficult things because they are important.
• He said: We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they're easy, but because they are hard.

Seven years later, the United States achieved this goal.

• More than 600 million people around the world watched the Moon landing on television.
• The Apollo 11 lunar module was called Eagle.
• Armstrong famously said, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
• The Apollo 11 mission showed the importance of science, technology, teamwork, and exploration.
• The Moon landing became one of the most important achievements in American history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:37. If the law requires it, are you willing to perform work of national importance under civilian direction (do non-military work that the U.S. Government says is important to the country)?
• USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation.

Family Fun:

• Air and Space Museum: Apollo 11 | Artifacts | Learn (many resources)
• NASA: Apollo 11 | coloring pages
• NPS: America’s Space Program: Exploring a New Frontier lesson plan | President John F. Kennedy and the Moonshot: Inspiration and Achievement
• PBS American Experience: The Untold Story of the Space Race (1957-1963) | Full Documentary | How America Won the Space Race  | Chasing the Moon (stream or borrow the DVDs from your library)
• PBS Learning Media: The Road to Apollo: An Interactive Journey
• TED-ed: NASA’s first software engineer: Margaret Hamilton - Matt Porter & Margaret Hamilton
• US Mint: The U.S. Mint and NASA Celebrate Decades of Coins and Space
• VOA News: US Marks 50th Years Since Historic Apollo 11 Mission to Moon
• VOA Learning English: Apollo Astronauts Celebrate 50 Years Since First Moon Landing
• Vox: Apollo 11’s journey to the moon, annotated
• Washington Post: Here’s how Apollo 11 forever changed how we watch TV

250 to 250: 83. Palmer Raids, Narrated by Allison Gill

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Palmer Raids, Narrated by Allison Gill

Allison Gill hosts and executive produces the GLAAD-nominated and Webby-award-winning podcasts The Daily Beans, Cleanup on Aisle 45, and UnJustified, and is the founder of the MSW Media podcast network. Gill recounts the Palmer Raids of 1919–1920, when thousands of Americans were arrested without warrants during the nation's first Red Scare.

After World War I, many Americans became afraid of communism and political violence.

• This period was called the First Red Scare.
• In 1919 and 1920, U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer approved a series of raids.
• Federal agents searched for suspected communists, anarchists, and other political radicals.
• Many of the people targeted were immigrants.
• Federal agents arrested thousands of people.
• Many people were arrested without enough evidence or proper legal protection.
• More than 500 people were deported from the United States.
• Some Americans believed the raids were necessary to protect the country.
• Other Americans believed the raids violated civil liberties and constitutional rights.
• Federal Judge George W. Anderson strongly criticized the government's actions.
• The Palmer Raids raised important questions about national security, freedom, and individual rights.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:5.  Have you EVER been a member of the communist part or a group that opposed all governemnt?
• USCIS 100:51.  What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
• USCIS 128:65.  What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? 

Family Fun:

• ACLU: ACLU History | Know Your Rights | Activity Book | How to Make a “Know Your Rights” Zine
• Bill of Rights Institute: The Red Scare and Civil Liberties
• Covell: Color it Rights activity book
• FBI: Palmer Raids
• ILRC: Red Cards (multiple languages)
• LOC: Palmer Raids: Topics in Chronicling America
• NCC: On this day, massive raids during the Red Scare
• PBS: Red Scare Crackdown | The Bombing of Wall Street
• New Yorker: When America Tried to Deport Its Radicals
• We Choose Welcome: Color for Welcome
• Zinn Project: Nov. 28, 1919: Jane Addams and Palmer Raids

250 to 250: 82. Citizens United, Narrated by Steve Bullock

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Citizens United, Narrated by Steve Bullock

Former Montana Governor and Attorney General Steve Bullock led the states’ efforts challenging the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision. His case, ATP v Bullock, remains the only case to reach the Supreme Court directly challenging Citizens United. He remains a prominent figure in the national conversation surrounding money in politics.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case Citizens United versus Federal Election Commission.

• The case was about money and political campaigns.
• The Court made its decision by a 5–4 vote.
• The Court ruled that corporations and labor unions can spend money independently to support or oppose political candidates.
• The decision changed earlier limits on this type of political spending.
• After the decision, outside spending in federal elections increased greatly.
• Some political groups can spend money without publicly identifying all of their donors.
• This is sometimes called “dark money.”

Supporters of the decision say political spending is protected by freedom of speech.
Critics of the decision say large amounts of money can give wealthy groups too much influence in elections.

• Justice John Paul Stevens disagreed with the Court's decision.
• He warned that the decision could hurt public trust in elected government.
• Citizens United continues to be an important debate about free speech, money, and elections in the United States.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:2. Have you EVER registered to vote or voted in any Federal, state, or local election in the United States?
• USCIS 100:37 / 128:51. What does the judicial branch do? 
• USCIS 128:54.  How many Supreme Court justices are usually needed to decide a case?
• USCIS 100:50. Name one right only for United States citizens.
• USCIS 128:64. Who can vote in federal elections, run for federal office, and serve on a jury in the United States?

Family Fun:

• Bill of Rights Institute: Citizens United v. FEC
• Brennan Center for Justice: Citizens United, Explained
• Law for Kids: Kids Voting Coloring Activity Book
• NCC: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
• NYC Votes and NYC Campaign Finance Board: No Dark Money: New York City's Response to Citizens United | Follow the Money Portal
• PBS Frontline: How the Citizens United Decision Changed U.S. Political Campaigns
• Roosevelt Institute: 15 Years After Citizens United: Big Money’s Grip on Our Democracy | factsheet
• Senator Alex Padilla: Dark Money Influencing Our Democracy
• Senator Bernie Sanders: Citizens United  
• Senator Cory Booker: On the Anniversary of Citizens United
• The Story of Stuff: The Story of Citizens United v. FEC
• TEDx: Money Talks: Revisiting Citizens United | Maia Cook | TEDxNewHaven

250 to 250: 81. 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Narrated by Kevin M. Levin

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Narrated by Kevin M. Levin

Kevin M. Levin is an award-winning historian and educator, and the author of four books on the history and memory of the Civil War era, including his forthcoming biography, A Glorious Fate: The Life and Legacy of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. He writes the popular newsletter Civil War Memory. Levin tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts and its hesitant young colonel, whose 1863 assault on Battery Wagner moved the nation closer to emancipation and equal rights.

During the Civil War, the Union Army created the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

• The 54th Massachusetts was one of the first Black regiments in the Union Army.
• Robert Gould Shaw became the regiment's commander.
• Shaw was 25 years old.
• Most 54th Massachusetts soldiers were free Black men from the North.
• Black soldiers were paid less than white soldiers.
• They also faced great danger if Confederate soldiers captured them.

On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts attacked Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina.

• The Union soldiers did not capture the fort.
• Many soldiers were killed, including Robert Gould Shaw.
• The courage of the 54th Massachusetts helped change people's ideas about Black soldiers.
• Their service also helped the fight for freedom and equal rights for African Americans.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:8. Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted (helped), or participated in any military or police unit?
• USCIS 100:74.  Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
• USCIS 128:96. What U.S. war ended slavery?

Family Fun:

• American Battlefield Trust: Fort Wagner and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
• Black History in Two Minutes or so: The History of the Black Soldier
• NPS: 54th Massachusetts Regiment | New Bedford Historical Park 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry | Online Junior Ranger Activities | Faces of the 54th | 54th Massachusetts Coloring Sheet
• National Museum of the US Army: The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
• PBS Ken Burns: Bottom Rail on Top clip | Civil War (stream the 8 part series or borrow the DVDs from the library)
• PBS Learning Media: African-American Troops and Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment | more resources
• Sony: GLORY [1989] – Official Trailer ( stream or borrow the DVD from the library)
• Untold History: Black Soldiers and the Fight for Citizenship
• VOA News: Re-enactors Celebrate African-American Contribution to US Civil War

250 to 250: 80. Roger Sherman, Narrated by Governor Ned Lamont

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Roger Sherman, Narrated by Governor Ned Lamont

Ned Lamont is an American policy innovator, entrepreneur, and the 89th Governor of Connecticut. Governor Lamont profiles Roger Sherman, the tireless Connecticut founder who signed all three of America's founding documents and whose Connecticut Compromise—adopted July 16, 1787—shaped the Congress we know today. 

Roger Sherman was an important leader during the American Revolution.

• He was from Connecticut and worked as a shoemaker when he was young.
• In 1787, leaders met to write the U.S. Constitution.
• Large states wanted representation based on population.
• Small states wanted equal representation.

Sherman helped create the Connecticut Compromise, also called the Great Compromise.

• The compromise created two parts of Congress.
• In the House of Representatives, states with more people have more representatives.
• In the Senate, every state has two senators.
• The plan gave both large and small states a voice in Congress.
• The delegates accepted the compromise.
• Roger Sherman's idea became an important part of the U.S. Constitution.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 4:01. What is your physical (home) address and zip code?
• USCIS 100:17. / 128:19.  What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*
• USCIS 128:28.   Why does each state have two senators?
• USCIS 100:25.  Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
• USCIS 128:35.   Some states have more representatives than other states. Why?

Family Fun

• CT: Take Flat Roger Sherman on a Civic Adventure! | pdf
• NCC: Roger Sherman
• NPS: July 3, 1787: The Vital Compromise
• PBS America 250 Moments: Connecticut Compromise | more PBS America 250 Moments
• Senator Chris Murphy: Connecticut in the Capitol: Roger Sherman Statue
• USCIS: A More Perfect Union series: The Civics Test Guide to Constitution Gardens
• VOA Learning English: American History: A Struggle to Balance Power Between Big and Small States

250 to 250: 79. The “Great Society” Speech, Narrated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: The “Great Society” Speech, Narrated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is the 49th Governor of Michigan, an educator, former prosecutor and lifelong Michigander. Whitmer revisits Lyndon Johnson's 1964 Great Society speech, in which he called on Americans to end poverty and racial injustice and shape the civilization they wanted. 

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

• Lyndon B. Johnson then became president.

On May 22, 1964, President Johnson gave a speech at the University of Michigan.

• More than 80,000 people attended.
• Johnson described his plan for a “Great Society.”
• He wanted all Americans to have freedom and opportunity.
• He wanted to fight poverty.
• He also wanted to end racial injustice.
• Johnson wanted the government to support education, science, and the arts.
• He wanted young people to have opportunities to learn and succeed.
• Johnson believed Americans could work together to build a better country.
• His Great Society programs later helped expand civil rights, education, health care, and help for people in poverty.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• USCIS PM-602-0188. What is your highest level of education or training?
• USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
• USCIS 128:69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?

Family Fun:

• American Presidency Project: Remarks at the University of Michigan, May 22, 1964 (a beautiful and powerful speach)
• DPLA: Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
• Monday Mandala: Lyndon B. Johnson coloring page
• NMAAHC: Stories: The Great Society
• NPS: Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park | A More Perfect Society | Junior Ranger Activity Booklet | Civil Rights Trading Cards | LBJ Memorial on the Potomac
• PBS American Experience: LBJ (stream or borrow dvds from your library)  | Great Society speech text | note: "LBJ & the Great Society" by Ken Burns is currently in production
• PBS Learning Media: LBJ and the Great Society

Coffee, Civics, and Citizenship (CATESOL CIV-IG Chat 2026-08-14)

Coffee, Civics, and Citizenship (CATESOL CIV-IG Chat 2026-08-14) | pdf

Jennifer Gagliardi gagliajn@gmail.com

Dr. Patricia Hernandez pati.prof@runbox.com 

USCIS Proposed Fee Rule (comment before August 24, 2026)

• Form N-400 Paper Cost: Rises from $760 to $1,330.

• Form N-400 Online Cost: Rises from $710 to $1,280.

• USCIS IFR mandating e-filing; waivers still possible.

• N-400 paper applications ok; worried about future fee waivers.

Information about the fee increase is in this explainer from ILRC and other organizations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19iJDoNElWhFGz5r65SFdydb32SpmyCXY8HQAFvz-bgw/edit?tab=t.0

And a short public comment can be sent via a direct link at the Action Network: https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/nationalization-application-fee-increase?source=direct_link&

Proposed Database of Irregularities (unusual dictations, etc): bill.bliss@languageandcommunication.org  

Other links:

2025 N400/Civics Course Calendar
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15y1-z-RQCAHAJvzB4Be8p8I_uIWWM1g5/view?usp=sharing

Eric Dodson's Citizenship website:
https://citizenship.ericdodsonpdx.com 

Eric Dodson 100/128 comparison:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j53lJ6-tZaM4CLuTwCHXVUzKgds451nyOAwhlt5ZAJM/edit?usp=drivesdk

Song Hong 100/128 comparison:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rWInqDK8z1oERuhsX53GZM157Gwxof-BrWJMtHRVPhg/edit?usp=sharing

Voices of Freedom Speaking Test Update 
https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/pearson-languages/en-us/pdf/natz-speaking-test-prep.pdf

250 to 250: 78. Los Alamos, Narrated by Todd Nickols

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250:  Los Alamos, Narrated by Todd Nickols 

Todd Nickols is the Executive Director of Los Alamos Historical Society (LAHS) and former manager of the Bandelier Trading Company where he worked on several Federal National Park Service initiatives. Nickols tells the story of Los Alamos, where J. Robert Oppenheimer and thousands of scientists built the atomic bomb that would forever change warfare.

Los Alamos is in a remote area of New Mexico.

• During World War II, the U.S. government built a secret research center there.
• More than 5,000 scientists and engineers worked at Los Alamos.
• J. Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific director.
• Their work was part of the Manhattan Project.
• The Los Alamos laboratory was also called Project Y.
• Scientists developed the first atomic bombs there.

In 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

• The atomic bomb changed warfare and the world.
• Oppenheimer later remembered a line from the Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
• After the war, Oppenheimer worked to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:37. If the law requires it, are you willing to perform work of national importance under civilian direction (do non-military work that the U.S. Government says is important to the country)?
• USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• USCIS 128:67. Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance. 

Family Fun:

• Atomic Heritage Foundation: Educational Resources (many lesson plans)
• Best documentary: Oppenheimer: The Real Story | Documentary
• Global Heroes: Hiroshima Bomb Survivor Learned English to Tell Her Story | VOA story
• Listen and Read Along (VOA): American History - Part 190 - FDR -Truman - A Bomb - Science in WWII | 2011 Article
• Los Alamos History: Education
• Los Alamos National Laboratory: LANL | Bradbury Science Museum
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History: Family Fun Guide
• Share America: Oppenheimer Edition: What the Department of State Is Doing to Reduce Nuclear Risk
• VOA News: Hiroshima Statue That Survived Nuclear Explosion Stands in Manhattan | (search for more at VOANews and VOA Learning English)
• Vox: Oppenheimer’s secret city, explained