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Monday, September 28, 2026

250 to 250:123. Cripple Creek Miners' Strike, Narrated by Sherrod Brown

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Cripple Creek Miners' Strike, Narrated by Sherrod Brown

Born and raised in Mansfield, Ohio, ‪SherrodBrown‬  is a champion for working families. He is running for U.S. Senate in Ohio to take on the rigged system to help people who work hard. Brown recounts the 1894 Cripple Creek miners' strike, the only time a state militia was deployed in support of striking workers—and a rare early labor victory.

In 1891, miners found gold near Cripple Creek, Colorado.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS PM-602-0188. Are you a member of a labor union?  Do you volunteer with your labor union?
  • 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?
  • Read: When is Labor Day?
  • Write: Labor Day is in September.


Family Fun:
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Sunday, September 27, 2026

250 to 250:122. Great Railroad Strike of 1877, Narrated by Eric Arnesen


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Great Railroad Strike of 1877, Narrated by Eric Arnesen

Eric Arnesen is an esteemed American historian and professor at George Washington University best known for his award-winning book Brotherhoods of Color: Black Railroad Workers and the Struggle for Equality. Arnesen recounts the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, whose violent suppression led Congress to bar the use of the U.S. military against civilians.

In 1877, the United States had a bad economy.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • N-400 Part 7:01: List where and when you have worked or attended school full- time or part- time during the last 5 years.  If you were unemployed, on what dates were you unemployed?
  • USCIS 100:06. One is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
  • USCIS 128:65. What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? 
  • Read: Name on right in the Bill of Rights.
  • Write: Freedom of speech is in the Bill of Rights


Family Fun:
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Saturday, September 26, 2026

250 to 250:121. Star Wars, Narrated by Alexandra Vidal


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Star Wars, Narrated by Alexandra Vidal

Alexandra Vidal is a member of the Youth250 Bureau bringing youth voice and influence to the U.S. 250th commemoration and the next chapter of U.S. history‬. Vidal shares the cultural and artistic influence of Star Wars, the space opera that transformed the film industry

Star Wars opened in movie theaters in 1977.
Creator George Lucas compared the Rebel Alliance to the American colonists.


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 128:76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?
  • USCIS 128:77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.
  • Read: What do people in America want?
  • Write: People in America want to live in freedom.


Family Fun

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Friday, September 25, 2026

250 to 250:120. Stonewall Uprising, Narrated by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Stonewall Uprising, Narrated by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

Mariann Edgar Budde serves as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the first woman elected to the role. She is known for her dedication to justice, mercy, and moral courage, themes she explored in her recent book, How We Learn to Be Brave. She explains how the 1969 Stonewall Uprising marked a new chapter in the cause of human freedom

The Stonewall Uprising began on June 28, 1969.


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? 
  • Read: What do people in America have?
  • Write: People in America have freedom.


Family Fun:
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Thursday, September 24, 2026

250 to 250:119. Bretton Woods, Narrated by Senator Maggie Hassan


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Bretton Woods, Narrated by Senator Maggie Hassan

Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire is a lawmaker and attorney who is one of only three women in American history elected as both a U.S. Senator and a state governor. Hassan explains how the 1944 Bretton Woods conference in New Hampshire helped to create the modern global economic order.

In 1944, more than 40 countries met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS N-400 Part 7:01. How do you support yourself financially?
  • USCIS 100:11. / 128:12. What is the economic system of the United States?
  • Read: Who is on the dollar bill?
  • Write: President Washington is on the one-dollar bill.


Family Fun:
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Wednesday, September 23, 2026

250 to 250:118. Robert Smalls, Narrated by Victoria A. Smalls


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Robert Smalls, Narrated by Victoria A. Smalls

Victoria A. Smalls is a Gullah native of South Carolina, award-winning Gullah Geechee cultural preservationist, artist and curator, specializing in Reconstruction Era history, and Founder/Principal Consultant of Smalls Cultural Resources. Here, she tells how Robert Smalls escaped slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship and rose to become a Union captain and U.S. congressman.

Robert Smalls was born enslaved in South Carolina.
After the war, he became a political leader.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS N-400 Part 9:31. Do you support the Constitution and the form of Government of the United States?
  • USCIS 100:23. / 128:29.   Name your U.S. representative. 
  • USCIS 100:74.  Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
  • USCIS 128:96. What U.S. war ended slavery?
  • Read: What does Congress do?
  • Write: Congress makes laws.  |  Congress meets in Washington, D.C. to make laws. 


Family Fun:

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Tuesday, September 22, 2026

250 to 250:117. “Boys in Blue” Speech, Narrated by Tom Nichols


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: “Boys in Blue” Speech, Narrated by Tom Nichols

Tom Nichols is a bestselling author, political commentator, five-time undefeated Jeopardy! champion, and Professor Emeritus of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College. Here, Nichols profiles James A. Garfield, who defied his era to champion Black civil rights more forcefully than any president until Lyndon Johnson.

By 1880, many Republicans focused more on big business and less on civil rights.
  • In 1880, James A. Garfield was the Republican candidate for president.
  • He gave a speech in New York.
  • He remembered the Black soldiers fought for the Union during the Civil War.
  • He wanted Black and white Americans to have equal rights.
  • He promised to support their civil rights.  He said:
  • "until the sun of liberty fixed in the firmament of our constitution shall shine with equal ray upon every man black or white throughout the union.
Garfield became president in 1881.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS N-400 Part 9:31. Do you support the Constitution and the form of Government of the United States?
  • USCIS 100:02. What does the Constiution do?
  • USCIS 128:03. Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.
  • Read: What do American citizens have?
  • Write: American citizens have the right to vote. 


Family Fun:
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Monday, September 21, 2026

250 to 250:116. “I Love Lucy,” Narrated by Fran Drescher

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: “I Love Lucy,” Narrated by Fran Drescher

Fran Drescher is an iconic comedic actress, New York Times bestselling author, producer, healthcare advocate, and union leader best known for creating and starring in the hit sitcom The Nanny and served as the president of SAG-AFTRA during the historic 2023 actors' strike. Drescher celebrates I Love Lucy, the groundbreaking 1951 sitcom whose innovations—and its star Lucille Ball—set the standard for television comedy.

I Love Lucy started on CBS in 1951.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS N-400 Part 1:01b. Is your eligibility for naturalization based on marriage to a U.S. citizen?
  • USCIS 100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
  • USCIS 128:107. Dwight Eisenhower is famous for many things. Name one. 
  • Read: Why do people want to live in America? 
  • Write: They want to live in a free country. 


Family Fun:


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Sunday, September 20, 2026

250 to 250:115. Voting Rights Act, Narrated by Kevin M. Kruse


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Voting Rights Act, Narrated by Kevin M. Kruse

Kevin M. Kruse is a historian and Guggenheim Fellow whose work examines conflicts over race, rights, and religion. He is the author of White Flight and One Nation Under God, and co-editor of the New York Times bestseller Myth America. Kruze examines the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crowning achievement of the civil rights era whose protections recent Supreme Court decisions have eroded.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Congress has renewed the Voting Rights Act several times.
President Johnson said that the vote was a powerful way to fight injustice.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • USCIS 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 100:48 | 128:63. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote.  Describe one of them.
  • USCIS 128:98. When did all men get the right to vote?
  • Read: Who has the right to vote? 
  • Write: All citizens have the right to vote. 


Family Fun: (check back for further updates)
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Saturday, September 19, 2026

250 to 250:114. Fort Snelling, Narrated by Keith Ellison

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Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Fort Snelling, Narrated by Keith Ellison

Keith Ellison was first elected Attorney General of Minnesota in 2018 after serving six terms in Congress. As Attorney General, Keith Ellison has made it his mission to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. Ellison traces the layered history of Minnesota's Fort Snelling, from Dred Scott and the Dakota War to its role in immigration enforcement today.

Fort Snelling was built in Minnesota in the 1820s.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 


Family Fun:
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Friday, September 18, 2026

250 to 250:113. Coxey’s Army, Narrated by Maggie Bohara


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Coxey’s Army, Narrated by Maggie Bohara

Maggie Bohara is a writer and activist known for being the co-founder and director of the We Are America March (WAAM), a nonpartisan, volunteer-powered, and millennial-led, grassroots movement that organizes 160-mile walks to advocate for democracy and civil rights. Bohara tells how Jacob Coxey's 1894 march of unemployed workers to Washington foreshadowed the New Deal's public works programs.

  • Many people lost their jobs.
Jacob Coxey wanted the government to create jobs.


POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 
  • N-400 Part 7:01: List where and when you have worked or attended school full- time or part- time during the last 5 years.  If you were unemployed, on what dates were you unemployed?
  • USCIS 100:06. One is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
  • USCIS 128:06. What does the Bill of Rights protect?
  • Read: Name on right in the Bill of Rights.
  • Write: Freedom of speech is in the Bill of Rights


Family Fun:
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CATESOL CIV-IG and RC-IG: Coffee, Citizenship, Canvas, and more!



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Thursday, September 17, 2026

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

(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.

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:
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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

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.


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
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026

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.


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
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Monday, September 14, 2026

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