250 to 250: 88. Jewish Community of Early Savannah, Narrated by Rabbi Robert Haas

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Jewish Community of Early Savannah, Narrated by Rabbi Robert Haas

Rabbi Robert Haas is the 14th spiritual leader of Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia and a sought-after lecturer, comedian, preacher, and interfaith leader. Rabbi Haas tells the story of the Jewish refugees who arrived in Savannah in 1733 and founded Congregation Mikve Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the American South.

The colony of Georgia was founded in 1733.

• Five months later, a ship called the William and Sarah arrived in Savannah, Georgia.
• The ship carried 41 Jewish refugees.
• They came to America to build new lives and practice their religion freely.
• They brought a Torah scroll and other religious items with them.
• The group established Congregation Mikveh Israel in Savannah.
• It became the third-oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.
• It is also one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the South.

In 1820, the congregation dedicated a new synagogue.

• Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to congratulate the congregation.
• Jefferson praised the United States for protecting religious freedom.
• He believed religious freedom could help people of different religions live together in peace.
• Jefferson wrote: 
• [America] has been the first to prove to the world two truths . . . 
• that man can govern himself, 
• and that religious freedom is the most effectual (relief) against religious dissension (violence).
• The story of Congregation Mikveh Israel shows the importance of religious freedom in American history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 9:7. Have you ever stopped someone from practicing their religion?
• USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?
• USCIS 128:65. What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? 
• USCIS 100:58. / 128:73. What is one reason colonists came to America?

Family Fun:

• Breman Museum: The First Jews in Georgia
• CurrentGA: Congregation Mickve Israel Shares Letter From George Washington For America 250.
• GPB Education: The First Jewish Settlers of Georgia | Georgia Stories
• Hadassah: Savannah, a Haven for Jews Since the Colonial Era
• ISJL: Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Savannah, Georgia
• Jewish Coloring Pages: coloring pages
• LOC: From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America
• Mickve Israel Savannah: Jefferson and the Jews 1 and 2 | A History of Jewish Immigration to the United States playlist

250 to 250: 87. Sandra Day O'Connor, Narrated by Joyce White Vance

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Sandra Day O'Connor, Narrated by Joyce White Vance

Joyce White Vance is a prominent legal analyst, Professor of Law, New York Times bestselling author, and former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama during the Obama Administration. Vance explores the legacy of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice.

Sandra Day O'Connor grew up in Arizona.

• She studied law and had a long legal career.
• In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• The Senate voted to approve her.

She became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

• O'Connor served on the Supreme Court for about 25 years.
• She carefully studied the facts of each case.
• She was often the deciding vote in important cases.

O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006.

• She hoped more women would serve on the Supreme Court after her.
• She said, “It’s nice to be the first, but don’t be the last.”
• Sandra Day O'Connor helped open the door for more women in government and law.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• Part 9:15a. Have you EVER been arrested, cited, detained, or confined by any law enforcement officer, military official (in the U.S. or elsewhere), or immigration official for any reason, or been charged with a crime or offense, or notified that you were being investigated for a crime?
• USCIS 100:39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
• USCIS 128:55. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?

Family Fun:

• ABA Journal: Sandra Day O'Connor Coloring Page
• Gilder Lehrman: Sandra Day O’Connor: A Life of Action
• iCivics: The Life and Legacy of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Insight | Argument Wars game | Court Quest game 
• PBS American Experience: Sandra Day O'Connor: The First
• PBS Learning Media: First Female Justice | Remembering Sandra Day O'Connor
• Sandra Day O'Connor Institute: Civics for Life
• Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor: First Woman on the Supreme Court
• Untold History: Sandra Day O’Connor: “Don’t Take the Bait”

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