250 to 250: 74. 1868 Iowa School Desegregation, Narrated by Connie Ryan

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 1868 Iowa School Desegregation, Narrated by Connie Ryan

Connie Ryan has served as Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa since 2002. With her leadership, the organization challenges religious extremism, defends democracy, protects religious freedom, and safeguards the rights of all Iowans. Connie is a registered lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature whose advocacy focuses on civil rights, religious liberty, strong public schools, and judicial independence. Ryan tells how 12-year-old Susan Clark integrated an Iowa school in 1868, winning a desegregation case decades before Brown v. Board of Education.

In the 1800s, many U.S. schools separated Black and white children.

• Susan Clark was a 12-year-old Black student in Muscatine, Iowa.
• She wanted to attend a school for white children.
• The school did not allow Susan to attend because she was Black.
• Her father, Alexander Clark, went to court to fight this rule.

In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in favor of Susan and her father.

• Justice Chester Cole said that separating students by race was against the Iowa Constitution.
• The Iowa Constitution promised “equal rights to all.”
• Susan was allowed to attend the previously all-white school.
• This happened 86 years before the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.
• The Clark family helped advance equal education for Black children.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 7: Where have you attended school full time or part time for the past 5 years?
• USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?
• USCIS 128:10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
• USCIS 100:37. / 128:51 What does the judicial branch do?

Family Fun

• African American Museum of Iowa: Susan Clark
• Bleeding Heartland: No picture of Susan? | What became of Susie Clark?
• Drake Law: Clark Decision: Celebrating 150 Years of Iowa School Desegregation: Welcome
• Notes on Iowa: The Case of Susan Clark
• Stanley Center: Susie Clark: The Bravest Girl You’ve Ever Seen | Educator Guide
• Teaching Iowa History: Susan Clark
• Urban Faith: Who was the first black child to go to an integrated school?
• uscitizenpod: Iowa State Quarter coloring page

250 to 250: 73. Presidential Election of 1980, Narrated by Ben Rhodes

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Presidential Election of 1980, Narrated by Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes is an influential writer, political commentator, former deputy national security advisor, and author of All We Say: The Battle for American Identity. Rhodes examines Ronald Reagan's 1980 election and the conservative agenda that reshaped American government and echoes in politics today.

On November 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan defeated President Jimmy Carter in the election.

• Reagan had been a movie actor and governor of California.
• He promised to cut taxes and government rules.
• He believed these changes would help businesses and the economy grow.
• Reagan also wanted to reduce some government social programs.
• He supported a larger and stronger U.S. military.
• His speeches focused on individual freedom, strength, and prosperity.
• Many voters liked Reagan's message about a stronger America.
• His administration worked to reduce the role of the federal government.
• Conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation provided policy ideas for his administration.
• Reagan's election helped begin a new period of conservative politics in the United States.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:01. What is your current legal name?
• USCIS 100:28. / 128:38.  What is the name of the President of the United States now?*
• USCIS 100:43. / 128:61.  Who is the Governor of your state now?

Family Fun:

• Architect of the Capitol: Ronald Reagan Statue
• Crash Course: The Reagan Revolution: Crash Course US History #43
• Monday Mandala: President Ronald Reagan
• National Archives: Reagan Artifacts
• PBS American Experience: Ronald Reagan
• PBS Learning Media: Ronald Reagan
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: Educational Resources

250 to 250: 72. Advent of Bebop, Narrated by Rick Perlstein

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Advent of Bebop, Narrated by Rick Perlstein

Rick Perlstein is an American historian, journalist, and author known for his in-depth chronicles of post-World War II conservatism. Perlstein explores the birth of bebop, the revolutionary jazz style forged by Black musicians in the 1940s that transformed the music into sophisticated high art.

Before World War II, jazz bands often played music for people to dance.

• In New York, a new tax made dancing in clubs more expensive.
• Some clubs began to offer jazz for people to sit and listen to.
• Black jazz musicians began to develop a new kind of jazz.
• They built on the work of famous musicians such as Louis Armstrong.
• Musicians played fast and difficult music with new rhythms.
• They also created music as they played. This is called improvisation.
• This new style became known as bebop.

In 1942, many musicians stopped making records because they wanted fair pay.

• The recording strike ended in 1944.
• After the strike, more Americans heard the new bebop sound.
• Bebop helped make jazz an important form of modern American art.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Have you EVER advocated (supported and promoted) any of the following, or been a member of, involved in, or in any way associated with any group anywhere in the world that advocated opposition to all organized government?
• USCIS 100:78. / 128:100.   Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
• USCIS 100:80 / 128.105.   Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II? 

Family Fun

• Big On Bebop: Bebop Bio's Under 5 Minutes playlist
• Carnegie Hall: Timeline of African American Music: Bebop
• NMAAHC: Musical Crossroads
• NPR: How Taxes And Moving Changed The Sound Of Jazz
• PBS Learning Lab:  Jazz Diplomacy during the Cold War
• The National Jazz Museum in Harlem: The Birth of BeBop (1939-1945)
• VOANews: 'Jazz Ambassadors' Tells Story of American Diplomacy Through Music
• uscitizenpod: Jazz, 2011 USPS Stamp coloring page
• WRTI: Did the Cabaret Tax Kill Big Bands?

250 to 250: 71. Barney Ford, Narrated by Representative Joe Neguse

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Barney Ford, Narrated by Representative Joe Neguse

United States Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado is a member of the Natural Resources, Judiciary, and Rules Committees, and is the Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands. He’s also served as the House Assistant Minority Leader since 2024. Representative Neguse recalls the life of Barney Ford, a pioneering Black entrepreneur in Colorado who fought for the 15th Amendment.

Barney Ford was born into slavery in 1822.

• He escaped from a plantation in South Carolina.
• He moved west to build a new life.
• He settled in Denver, Colorado.
• He opened a barber shop, a hotel, and a restaurant.
• He became a successful businessman.
• He bought land and built more businesses.
• By the 1870s, he was one of the richest men in Colorado.

Ford supported voting rights for Black men.

• He worked for the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• He also served in the Colorado legislature.
• Today, Barney Ford is remembered for his success, courage, and work for equal rights.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:02. Have you EVER registered to vote or voted in any Federal, state, or local election in the United States?
• USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
• USCIS 128:98. When did all men get the right to vote?

Family Fun:

• Breck History: Barney Ford Museum
• Breckenridge Heritage Alliance: Myth-busting: The True Story of Barney Ford
• CBS Colorado: Historians share how Black community leaders in Colorado fought to secure voting rights
• Colorado News: Fifty for 150: Colorado Black civic leader, businessman Barney Ford dies in 1902
• History Colorado: Black History and Heritage | Lincoln Hills | You Don't Know Barney Ford
• Rocky Mountain PBS: Colorado Experience: Mr. Barney Ford
• uscitizenpod: Barney L. Ford coloring page

250 to 250: 70. Great Crash of 1929, Narrated by Paul Krugman

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Great Crash of 1929, Narrated by Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman is a Nobel Prize–winning economist recognized worldwide for his groundbreaking work on international trade and his influential voice on the economic issues of our time. Krugman recounts the 1929 stock market crash that plunged America into the Great Depression and ushered in Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

In the 1920s, many people bought stocks.

• Stock prices went up very fast.
• Many people believed prices would keep rising.

In October 1929, the stock market crashed.

• Many people lost a lot of money.
• Banks and businesses closed.
• Many workers lost their jobs.
• Farmers and families had hard times.
• This time is called the Great Depression.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a plan called the New Deal.

• The New Deal created jobs, built roads and bridges, and helped families.
• The New Deal also increased government rules for banks and businesses.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 7:01. If you were unemployed, on what dates were you unemployed?
• USCIS 100:80. / 128:105. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
• USCIS 128:103. What was the Great Depression?
• USCIS 128:104. When did the Great Depression start?

Family Fun:

• FDIC: Money Smart Basics for Kids
• LOC: New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? lesson plans
• PBS American Experience: The Crash of 1929 (stream or borrow from your library)
• National Archives: Teaching the Great Depression & New Deal
• NPS: FDR's Home Junior Ranger Booklet
• NPS: FDR Memorial, Washington DC
• USPS: The 20th Century: New Deal Art: Eager and Alive
• uscitizenpod: Common Determination coloring page
• We Speak NYC: Love and Money (beginning level telenovela about banks in America)

250 to 250: 69. 1889 Apia Cyclone, Narrated by Elinor Lutu-McMoore

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 1889 Apia Cyclone, Narrated by Elinor Lutu-McMoore

Elinor Lutu-McMoore is the Director of the American Samoa Weather Service and Meteorologist-in-Charge at the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) Pago Pago. Lutu-McMoore tells how an 1889 cyclone that destroyed a fleet of warships in Samoa spurred Congress to build the modern American Navy.

In 1889, a strong tropical storm hit Apia Harbor in Samoa.

• American and German warships were in the harbor.
• The United States and Germany wanted influence in the Pacific Ocean.
• The storm sank or damaged many American and German ships.
• A British ship with a steel hull survived the storm.
• American leaders saw that they needed a stronger navy.
• In 1890, Congress paid for new, modern warships.
• The new navy became larger and stronger.
• Later, the U.S. Navy helped win the Spanish-American War.
• The stronger navy also helped protect American trade and interests around the world.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 1:01: What is your basis of eligibility for naturalization?
• USCIS 100:91.  Name one U.S. territory. 
• USCIS 128:67.  Name two promises that new citizens make in the Oath of Allegiance. 

Family Fun:

• KIVOS: All Military Ship Coloring Pages
• NOAA: Protocols and Tips for Working in American Samoa 
• NOAA National Marine Santuaries: Games and Activities
• NPS: National Park of American Samoa | Junior Ranger Activity Guide | 2014 | Ancient Samoan Coloring Book
• Naval Historical Foundation: Defending the Flag at the Fourteenth Latitude: American Samoa, Fitafita, and the United States Navy
• PBS: Should American Samoans be Automatic U.S. Citizens?
• PBS Learning Lab: Spanish-American War
• US Mint: American Samoa Quarter coloring page

250 to 250: 68. Kent State Killings, Narrated by Rosanne Cash

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Kent State Killings, Narrated by Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and the author of four books, including the best-selling memoir Composed. Across 15 albums, her work has earned four Grammys and 12 additional nominations. She is one of the few women inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the only woman to receive the Edward MacDowell Medal in Composition, and is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Cash recounts the 1970 Kent State killings, when National Guardsmen opened fire, leaving four students dead and forcing a national reckoning over protest and police violence.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon sent U.S. troops into Cambodia.

• Many college students protested the Vietnam War.
• At Kent State University, students held a protest.
• The Ohio National Guard came to the campus.
• On May 4, some guardsmen fired at the students.
• Four students were killed.
• Nine other students were hurt.
• Many Americans were shocked by the shootings.
• Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young expressed the grief and shock of the nation in their song, Ohio.
• The event increased opposition to the Vietnam War.
• It also started more discussion about peaceful protest and the use of force.
• Today, the Kent State shootings are remembered as an important event in American history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:7c. Have you EVER ordered, incited, called for, committed, assisted, helped with, or otherwise participated in killing or trying to kill any person?
• USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment
• USCIS 128:65. What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? 

Family Fun

• ACLU: Protestor Rights | more KYR resources
• C-SPAN: Kent State Shooting (Full Documentary)
• Getty Images: 568 Kent State Massacre Photos and High-Res Pictures
• ILRC: 10 Things Noncitizen Protestors Need to Know | more KYR resources
• Monday Mandala: Peace Coloring Pages
• PBS: Kent State playlist by Ken Burns | The Day the 60's Died
• Story Corps: 55 Years Later, Two Kent State Shooting Survivors Remember
• The Atlantic: When the National Guard Arrived at Kent State, Images From 1970

250 to 250: 67. John Quincy Adams, Narrated by Bob Crawford

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: John Quincy Adams, Narrated by Bob Crawford

Bob Crawford is best known for being the bassist for the Avett Brothers, historian, podcast host, childhood cancer advocate, and author of “America's Founding Son.” Crawford presents the inspiring life of President John Quincy Adams, who used his post-presidency to fight against slavery.

John Quincy Adams was the son of President John Adams.

• He became the sixth president of the United States.
• Before he was president, he was a diplomat, senator, and Secretary of State.
• He helped the United States gain Florida.
• After he was president, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
• He served in the House for 17 years.
• He spoke against slavery.
• He opposed the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War.
• He helped defend Africans from the ship Amistad.
• John Quincy Adams died in the House of Representatives in 1848.
• Today, he is remembered for working for freedom and justice.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:10. Was your mother or father (including adoptive mother or father) a U.S. citizen before your 18th birthday?
• 100:23. /128:29. Name your U.S. Representative.
• 100:60 / 128:75. What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?

Family Fun:

• C-SPAN: Life Portrait of John Quincy Adams
• JQS: JQA’s “Monsters to Destroy” Speech, Full Text
• MGM: Amistad clips: John Quincy Adams Speech Part 1 | Part 2 | stream "Amistad" or borrow the DVD from your library
• MHS: John Quincy Adams Digital Diary   
• NPS: Travel the Amistad Freedom-Seeking Story, Connecticut 
• National Archives: The Amistad Case
• Smithsonian: Debbie Allen Recounts the True Story of 'Amistad' and Sengbe Pieh's Fight for Freedom
• Teaching American History: Beyond the Amistad: The antislavery legislative career of John Quincy Adams
• UVA Miller Center: John Quincy Adams
• uscitizenpod:  John Quincy Adams and Louisa Adams | Sengbe Pieh and La Amistad  coloring pages
• Zinn Project: July 2, 1839: The Amistad Mutiny