250 to 250:112. Indianapolis 500, Narrated by Lexy White

Happy Constitution and Citizenship Week! 

(updated in process)

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Indianapolis 500, Narrated by Lexy White

Lexy White is a social media producer, journalist and founder of Paddock Party LA, a social club dedicated to creating an inclusive community for female and queer Motorsport fans. White celebrates the Indianapolis 500, the storied race that fueled America's car culture and became one of the nation's greatest sporting traditions. 

The first Indianapolis 500 race was held in 1911.

• About 85,000 people came to watch the race.
• Drivers raced 200 laps around a 2.5-mile track.
• The race is often called the Indy 500.
• The Indy 500 became more popular as more Americans began driving cars.
• The race also helped encourage new car technology.
• The Indianapolis Motor Speedway became a famous place for auto racing.
• The Indy 500 has many special traditions.
• The winner celebrates by drinking milk.
• Before the race, people sing “Back Home Again in Indiana.”
• For many years, the race began with the words “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
• In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indy 500.
• The starting announcement changed to include women drivers.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• I-9 Documents that Establish Identity: Do you have Driver's License or ID card issued by a State? 
• USCIS 100:42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states.  What is one power of the states? 
• USCIS 128:118.   Name one example of an American innovation.
• Read: What state do you live in?
• Write: I live in California (I live in . . . Alaska, Delaware, New Mexico, New York, Washington).  

Family Fun:

• Christopher DeHarde: A Complete First-Timer's Guide to Attending the Indianapolis 500
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Janet Gutherie | Centennial Moments playlist
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum: Current Exhibit
• Josh Revell: Why the Indy 500 MATTERS
• Morphart: Indy 500 Evolution (1911–2025) | The Greatest IndyCar Race in History
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: Janet Guthrie
• The Henry Ford: History of Early Automobile Racing in America | The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation | Driven to Win exhibit
• USA Today Sports: Here's everything that happens during an Indy 500 pit stop
• uscitizenpod: Janet Guthrie - Indy 500 coloring page
• WVUT:  How the Indy 500 Changed Cars Forever 

250 to 250:111. Orange Plank Road, Narrated by Tyler McGraw

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Orange Plank Road, Narrated by Tyler McGraw

Digital historian Tyler McGraw is a writer for the Emerging Civil War community and host of the podcast The Unfiltered Historian. McGraw recounts how General Ulysses S. Grant's refusal to retreat at the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness marked the turning point that would wear the Confederacy down to surrender.

In May 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant led U.S. forces in Virginia.

• His army fought General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army.
• They fought at the Battle of the Wilderness.
• The battle was very difficult and caused many deaths and injuries.
• After the battle, Grant decided not to retreat.
• He ordered his army to continue moving south.
• The soldiers cheered when they learned they were moving forward.
• Grant continued to fight Lee’s army in the Overland Campaign.
• Grant wrote, “I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.”
• The campaign kept pressure on Lee’s army and was part of the U.S. effort to defeat the Confederacy.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:35. If the law requires it, are you willing to bear arms (carry weapons) on behalf of the United States?
• USCIS 100:73. / 128.92. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South. 
• USCIS 128:93. The Civil War had many important events. Name one.
• Read: Who was Abraham Lincoln?
• Write: Lincoln was the president during the Civil War. 

Family Fun

• American Battlefield Trust: : The Civil War in Four Minutes | Animated Battle Map | The Famous Brock Road-Orange Plank Road Intersection | The Overland 160 playlist
• Emerging Civil War: Wilderness Turning Point 050719 |  Civil War to Civil Rights playlist
• NPS: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP | Junior Ranger Activity Booklets | 150 Anniversary of the Overland Campaign
• National Postal Museum: American Civil War Issue (1995) | The Battle of the Wilderness (1964)
• The Unfiltered Historian: The Unfiltered Wilderness

250 to 250:110. Dwayne McDuffie, Narrated by Al Letson

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Dwayne McDuffie, Narrated by Al Letson

Peabody Award-winning storyteller and journalist, Al Letson, is an acclaimed writer and media host best known for the nationally broadcast investigative journalism show Reveal and for writing the limited series Mister Terrific: Year One for DC Comics. Letson profiles Dwayne McDuffie, the trailblazing writer and artist who brought realistic Black representation to comic books and animation.

Dwayne McDuffie was a comic book writer from Detroit, Michigan.

• He wanted comic books to show more Black characters.
• He created Black superheroes and other diverse characters.
• His stories also talked about racism, unfair treatment, poverty, and gun violence.
• He helped create the superheroes Icon, Rocket, Static, and Hardware.
• He worked on the animated shows Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited.
• His work helped make comic books and animation more diverse.
• McDuffie died at age 49.
• His characters and stories are still popular today.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:37.  Are you willing to work for the safety and secuity of the American people?
• USCIS 100:84.   What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• USCIS 128:112. What did the civil rights movement do?
• Read: What do people want? 
• Write: People want freedom and civil rights.

Family Fun

• BlackSuperHeroDoc: Dwayne McDuffie on the realities of the Black writer in comic books
• Comic Tropes: Dwayne McDuffie: Addressing Race in Comics
• Comics Are Dope: Dwayne McDuffie’s Incredible Impact | Diversity in Comics Explained
• Dwayne McDuffie: Bio (and more)
• Gizmodo: Dwayne McDuffie Would’ve Been 64 This Weekend (Feb 22, 2026)
• Milestone Media: (comics, bios, videos and so much more!)
• NMAAHC: Dwayne McDuffie collection items
• SYFY: How Milestone Comics Reshaped The Comics Industry (Part 1) | (Part 2)
• Sequential Geek: Detroit Street Art Murals Graffiti and Dwayne McDuffie Portrait by Comic Book Shop Vault of Midnight
• Watchtower Database: DWAYNE McDUFFIE: Larger Than Life (A Documentary by The Watchtower Database and ‪@TheInkTank‬)
• uscitizenpod: Dwayne McDuffie coloring page
• Wikipedia: Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics
• Wikipedia: Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids' Comics

250 to 250:109. Cornerstone of the Confederacy, Narrated by Vernon Burton

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Cornerstone of the Confederacy, Narrated by Vernon Burton

Vernon Burton, acclaimed American historian, author, and Judge Matthew Perry Distinguished Professor Emeritus, is globally recognized for his pioneering work on the American South, legal history, race relations, digital humanities, and the American Civil War. Burton examines the Confederacy's Cornerstone Speech, in which Alexander Stephens declared slavery and white supremacy its founding principle—a claim the Union defeated and answered with the Reconstruction Amendments.

In 1861, Alexander Stephens was the vice president of the Confederacy.

• He gave a speech called the Cornerstone Speech.
• He said the Confederacy supported slavery.
• He said Black people and white people were not equal.
• These ideas supported slavery and white supremacy.

President Abraham Lincoln led the United States during the Civil War.

• The Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865. 
• Slavery was at the center of the conflict.
• After the war, the 13th Amendment ended slavery.
• The 14th Amendment protected citizenship and equal protection under the law.
• The 15th Amendment protected voting rights regardless of race.
• These amendments expanded freedom and rights in the United States.
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• USCIS 128:96. What U.S. war ended slavery?
• USCIS 128:97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?
• USCIS 128:98. When did all men get the right to vote?
• Read: Who was Abraham Lincoln? 
• Write: Lincoln was the president during the Civil War.

Family Fun:

• American Battlefield Trust: The Cornerstone Speech
• KCPL: Civil War on the Western Border: "Corner Stone" Speech
• NPS: The Civil War: 150 Years interactive timeline: The Cornerstone Speech | Alexander Stephens
• SPLC: Learning For Justice: The "Cornerstone" Speech

I will post more updates later today.  Thank you for your patience!

250 to 250:108. Route 66, Narrated by Ted Widmer

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Route 66, Narrated by Ted Widmer

Professor Ted Widmer is a prominent American historian, award-winning historical author, and the former foreign policy speechwriter and senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton. Widmer travels the history of Route 66, the iconic "Main Street of America" that carried Depression migrants, wartime troops, and postwar dreamers across the country.

Route 66 opened in 1926.

• It was an important highway across the United States.
• It was more than 2,400 miles long.
• It went from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California.
• It passed through eight states.

Route 66 became a symbol of hard times and new hope.

• During the Great Depression, many people traveled west to find work.
• During World War II, the military used Route 66 to move soldiers and equipment.
• After the war, many families used it to travel and move west.
• New interstate highways later replaced Route 66.
• Route 66 officially closed as a U.S. highway in 1985.
• Today, historic Route 66 is a popular tourist attraction and a symbol of American travel.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 8:01. Have you taken a trip outside of the United States in the last 5 years?
• USCIS 100:89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
• USCIS 128:103. What was the Great Depression?
• Read: What do people in America want?                                | Why did people come to California?
• Write: People in America want to work and live in freedom.  | People came to California for work.

Family Fun:

• 141fumi: Route 66 : Nat King Cole : with Lyrics
• American Writers Museum: Route 66: The Writing of an American Icon
• Main Street of America: Route 66: The Main Street of America (new film--in theaters Sept 2026; streaming available soon)
• NMAH: The People's Highway: Route 66, 1930s-1940s
• NPS: Route 66
• OMCA: Dorthea Lange Digital Archives: On the Road
• PBS: Mapping the Mother Road | The Neon Road | Samantha Brown NM, AZ, CA 
• Route 66 The Untold Story: website | YouTube channel | Story Map (outstanding!)
• uscitizenpod: Route 66 coloring page
• VOA Learning English: Learning English on U.S. Route 66! playlist | stories
• VOX: Why Route 66 became America’s most famous road
• Wikipedia: List of Route 66 Museums

On a personal note, my students and I miss Voice of America and VOA Learning English every single day.  #SAVEVOA

250 to 250:107. Cherokee Phoenix, Narrated by Rebecca Nagle

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Cherokee Phoenix, Narrated by Rebecca Nagle

Rebecca Nagle is an award-winning journalist and citizen of Cherokee Nation. She is the host of the First America podcast. Nagle tells the story of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first Native-run newspaper in America, which fought for Cherokee land and sovereignty and still publishes today.

The Cherokee Nation used writing to protect its land and rights.

• In 1828, the Cherokee Nation started a newspaper.
• It was the first Native American newspaper in the United States.
• Elias Boudinot was the first editor.
• He named the newspaper the Cherokee Phoenix.
• The newspaper was printed in Cherokee and English.
• President Andrew Jackson and Southern states wanted the Cherokee people to leave their land.
• The newspaper spoke out for Cherokee land and rights.
• Other newspapers across the country printed its stories.
• Some of its ideas were discussed in the U.S. Senate.
• The U.S. government later forced many Cherokee people from their homeland.
• This forced journey became known as the Trail of Tears.
• The Cherokee Phoenix still publishes news today.
• It is the oldest Native American newspaper in the United States.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:7.g. Have you causen do harm or suffering to any person because of their race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular group, or political opinion?
• 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? 
• USCIS 100:59. / 128:74.   Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
• USCIS 100:87. / 128:117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
• Read: Name one right in the Bill of Rights. | What do people in America have?
• Write: Freedom of speech is a right.          | People in America have freedom of speech.

Family Fun:

• Cherokee: government  | coloring pages
• Cherokee Phoenix: History of the Cherokee Phoenix | newspaper website | YouTube channel
• NMAI: Native Knowledge 360: Cherokee Nation Case Study lesson plan
• NMAI: Price of Freedom: Eastern Indian Wars: A Civilized People
• NPS: Trail of Tears National Historic Trail | Junior Ranger Activity Booklet
• New Georgia Encyclopedia: The Cherokee Phoenix
• Story Maps: The Cherokee Advocate: Resistance Through Journalism
• Teach US History: Memorial of the Cherokee Nation, December 1829
• The Atlantic: Will Congress Fulfill a 184-Year-Old Promise to the Cherokee?
• WCU: Cherokee Phoenix (digital library)
• uscitizenpod: Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary coloring page

250 to 250:106. Norman Borlaug, Narrated by Tom Vilsack

Remembering 9/11

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Norman Borlaug, Narrated by Tom Vilsack

Tom Vilsack is the former Secretary of Agriculture under the Obama and Biden administrations, the former governor of Iowa, and CEO of the World Food Prize Foundation. Vilsack is known for his significant contributions to global food challenge advocacy. Vilsack profiles Dr. Norman Borlaug, the Iowa-born scientist whose Green Revolution transformed global agriculture and saved more than a billion lives from famine.

Norman Borlaug was born in Iowa in 1914.

• He was a farm scientist.
• He helped farmers grow more wheat.
• He worked in Mexico, India, and Pakistan.
• His work helped fight hunger.
• His work was part of the Green Revolution.

Borlaug helped save many lives.

• He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• He helped start the World Food Prize.
• Borlaug believed everyone should have enough food.

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:

• Farm Journal: Harvest of Thanks - Honoring the Father of the Green Revolution
• Mark Gillican: Norman Borlaug playlist
• NPS: Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area | Norman Borlaug Boyhood Home & Heritage Farm | Lesson Plans
• National Postal Museum: 44c American Flag and Wheat
• NDSBEANCAP: Norman Borlaug & The Green Revolution
• OER Project: The Green Revolution: Feeding Billions in a Changing World
• PBS American Experience: The Man Who Tried to Feed the Whole World | clip
• PBS Learning Media: Borlaug Receives Congressional Gold Medal | Iowa Pathways
• TAMU: Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development
• USDA: Why You Should Know the Name Norman Borlaug
• US Mint: American Innovation Dollar: Iowa: Dr. Norman Borlaug coloring page
• Visit the Capitol: National Statuary Hall: Iowa: Norman E. Borlaug
• World Food Prize Foundation: Norman Borlaug: A Lifetime Fighting Hunger
• Woyoho: Norman Borlaug - Feed The World, with Science & Technology
• VOA News: Norman Borlaug, Green Revolution Pioneer, Dead at 95

250 to 250:105. Declaration of Independence, Narrated by Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Declaration of Independence, Narrated by Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson is an award-winning historian and the author of Letters from an American. She’s the author of seven books, including the bestselling Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Richardson revisits the Declaration of Independence and the principles of equality and self-government that set America on the road to becoming "the last, best hope of Earth."

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.

• The 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain.
• The Declaration said that all people are equal.
• It said that government gets its power from the people.

On August 2, 1776, many delegates signed the Declaration.

• Signing the Declaration was dangerous.
• The signers promised to support American independence.
• The United States has not always treated everyone equally.
• Americans continue to work for freedom and equality.
• The Declaration helped create the United States of America.
• Later, Abraham Lincoln called America, "the last best hope of Earth."
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 2:6. What is your Date of Birth?
• USCIS 100:63. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
• USCIS 128:08. Why is the Declaration of Independence important?
• USCIS 128:09. What founding document said the American colonies were free from Britain?
• Reading: When is Independence Day? 
• Writing:  Independence Day is in July. 

Family Fun:

• American English at State: Celebrate Independence Day (pdf)
• Heather Cox Richardson: The Declaration of Independence | Journey to American Democracy
• LOC: Declaration of Independence: Primary Documents in American History
• NPS: The Declaration of Independence | Junior Ranger Activity Booklet
• National Archives: Declaration of Independence
• National Postal Museum: Declaration of Independence | 2026 stamp
• New York Historical: The Declaration of Independence // The Citizenship Project [E01]
• PBS: The Declaration of Independence & Birth of the United States (clip) | Ken Burns' The American Revolution 
• PBS Learning Media: Explore the Declaration of Independence
• Smithsonian: Signers of the Declaration of Independence
• TED-ED: What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis (video)
• US Mint: Declaration of Independence Quarter coloring page
• Wikipedia: 1862 State of the Union Address: "Last Best Hope" quoted by other US presidents
• Untold History: Why did the Colonies Declare Independence? | Are All Men Created Equal? How the Founding Fathers Viewed Slavery (check for more)
• USCIS: For Independence Day
• USCIS highlights some of the resources for learners and teachers that are related to this important holiday.  Includes Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence and Establishing Independence.   Also check out two pdfs from the 13-pdf A More Perfect Union series: The Civics Test Guide to the Memorial to the Signers of Declaration of Independence and The Civics Test Guide to the Jefferson Memorial