250 to 250: 65. Dean Acheson, Narrated by Antony Blinken

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Dean Acheson, Narrated by Antony Blinken

Antony Blinken served as the 71st U.S. Secretary of State. Blinken profiles Dean Acheson, the statesman who helped build the rules-based international order—from the Marshall Plan to NATO—that stabilized the postwar world.

Dean Acheson was an American government leader.

• He worked for the United States from 1933 to 1953.
• During World War II, he helped create the Lend-Lease program.
• The program sent supplies to Great Britain and other allies.
• After the war, he helped rebuild Europe through the Marshall Plan.
• He also helped create North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949.
• NATO is a group of countries that work together for peace and security.
• Acheson believed countries should help one another.
• He believed strong allies would make the United States safer.
• He believed trade and cooperation would help many countries grow.
• His work helped strengthen friendships between the United States and other nations.
• Today, Dean Acheson is remembered for helping build international cooperation after World War II.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:05a. Have you EVER been a member of, involved in, or in any way associated with any Communist or totalitarian party anywhere in the world?
• USCIS 100:83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
• USCIS 128:108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

Family Fun

• CFR: Dean Acheson and the Birth of the Liberal International Order 
• Carnegie: How Dean Acheson Won the Cold War: Statesmanship, Morality, and Foreign Policy
• Gilder Lehrman Institute: Harry S. Truman to Dean Acheson, March 31, 1950 lesson plan
• NPS: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site |  Junior Ranger Program 7-11 | 12 & up | American Cold War Policy
• National Museum of American Diplomacy: The Road to NATO: Building the Transatlantic Alliance | Foundations of Diplomacy playlist
• Truman Library: 'Harry and Dean' A Play by Karl Inderfurth
• uscitizenpod: 250 to 250: 46. NATO, Narrated by Adam Kinzinger

250 to 250: 64. Nam June Paik, Narrated by Min Jin Lee

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Nam June Paik, Narrated by Min Jin Lee

Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American novelist and the author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the National Book Award and one of the New York Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Her fiction explores the Korean diaspora, identity, and belonging across generations. She is the 2024 recipient of the Fitzgerald Prize for Literary Excellence and currently serves as New York State Author Laureate.

Nam June Paik was born in Korea in 1932.

• He left Korea with his family during the Korean War.
• In 1964, he moved to the United States.
• Paik first studied music.
• Later, he became an artist.
• He used televisions and video in his artwork.
• Many people call him the "father of video art."
• His art showed how technology can change people's lives.
• He believed computers and television would become more important.
• He said that one day many people would have their own TV channels.
• Paik believed technology could bring people and cultures together.
• Today, Nam June Paik is remembered as an important modern artist.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:04: What is your country of birth?  Use the name of the country at the time of your birth, even if the name of the country has changed.
• USCIS 100:78. / 128:100.  Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation.

Family Fun:

• Guggenhwim: Teaching Nam June Paik
• Kiddle: Nam June Paik facts for Kids
• PBS American Masters: Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV 
• Smithsonian: Nam June Paik's "Electronic Superhighway" - American Art Moments
• Tate: Nam June Paik Educator Packet
• Whitney: Nam June Paik
• uscitizenpod: Nam June Paik: Electronic Highway" coloring page

250 to 250: 63. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Narrated by Patterson Hood

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Trail of Tears, Narrated by Shana Bushyhead Condill

Patterson Hood is a writer and performer, best known as a co-founder and lead singer of the rock & roll band Drive-By Truckers. He is the son of musician David Hood, a founding member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Here, Patterson celebrates the Swampers, the Muscle Shoals session musicians who crossed racial lines to create some of America's most iconic soul and rock records.

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was called the Swampers.

• The group worked near Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
• Leon Russell gave them the nickname "the Swampers."
• They began making music in the 1960s.
• They played on many famous songs.
• The Swampers played with Black and White musicians.
• They helped make R&B, soul, rock, and country music.
• They recorded songs with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and many others.
• The Rolling Stones also recorded music at their studio.
• The song "Sweet Home Alabama" mentions the Swampers.
• In 2013, a documentary film told the story of the Muscle Shoals music studio and its famous musicians.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 4:02. Is your current physical address also your current mailing address?
• USCIS 100:96 / 128:121. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
• USCIS 100:97 / 128:122. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
• USCIS 100:98. / 128:123. What is the name of the national anthem?

Family Fun:

• Alabama Music Hall of Fame: Music From Muscle Shoals
• Country Music Hall of Fame: Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising: online exhibition |  playlist
• History Hunters: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where Lynyrd Skynyrd & Others Recorded
• MSNHA: Roots of American Music Trail | Junior Ranger program: Music (bottom of the page) | Education (many resources)
• Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum: Swampers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

250 to 250: 62. Trail of Tears, Narrated by Shana Bushyhead Condill

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Trail of Tears, Narrated by Shana Bushyhead Condill

Shana Bushyhead Condill is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and Executive Director of the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee, North Carolina. Shana Bushyhead Condill recounts the Trail of Tears, the brutal forced removal of Indigenous peoples whose survival remains a testament to Native resilience that endures today. ‪

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act.

• The law forced many American Indian tribes to leave their homes.
• Many tribes lived in the southeastern United States.
• Soldiers forced families to travel to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.
• The trip was long and very difficult.
• Many people became sick or died on the journey.
• This journey is called the Trail of Tears.
• The Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole were among the tribes that were forced to move.
• Some Native Americans stayed on their ancestral lands.
• Native American people kept their cultures and traditions alive.
• Today, Native American communities continue to honor their history and their ancestors.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 4:01b. What was your previous home address?
• 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.

Family Fun:

• ARCGIS: Trail of Tears story maps
• Chickasaw Kids: Interactive games
• Choctaw Cultural Legacy: Activity Books
• Florida Museum: Seminole Patchwork
• Muscogee/Creek: Mvskoke Language Resources
• NMAI: Native Knowledge 360: American Indian Removal: What Does It Mean to Remove a People?
• NPS: Trail of Tears | maps | documentary | Junior Ranger Activity Book
• PBS Learning Media: Trail of Tears (lesson plans and resources)
• ReadWorks: The Louisiana Purchase and the Trail of Tears (login required)
• The Cherokee Holiday: Activity Books
• Urban Iskwew: Coloring Pages many pages in different tribal languages by Hawlii Pichette (Mushkego Cree)

250 to 250: 61. Miss America Pageant, Narrated by Katie Boyd

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Miss America Pageant, Narrated by Katie Boyd

Katie Boyd is a world-renowned media personality, fitness and spiritual lifestyle coach, and founder of Katie Boyd’s Miss Fit Club. Boyd examines the Miss America pageant, whose century-long history reflects America's slow reckoning with women's rights and racial equality.

The Miss America Pageant began in 1921.

• It started in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
• The pageant helped bring visitors to the city.
• Women competed for prizes and scholarships.
• Many people liked the pageant.
• Other people said it was unfair to women.
• In 1968, women's rights activists protested the pageant.
• They wanted equal rights and respect for women.
• For many years, women of color could not compete fairly.
• In 1984, Vanessa Williams became the first Black Miss America.
• The pageant changed over time as American society changed.
• Today, the history of the Miss America Pageant shows the long fight for women's rights and equality.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:05. What is your sex?
• USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
• USCIS 128:99.   Name one leader of the women’s rights movement in the 1800s.
• USCIS 128:102. When did all women get the right to vote? 

Family Fun:

• JWA: Protest Social Media's Beauty Standards in the Name of the Freedom Trash Can
• Miss America: History
• Smithsonian Magagzine: Fifty Years Ago, Protesters Took on the Miss America Pageant and Electrified the Feminist Movement
• Valery Evangelin: 50 Years Apart: The Reconstruction of Freedom Trash Can in the 1968 Miss America Protest
• Note: Toss things into a freedom trash can that oppress you.
• Zyppy: Up Against the Wall Miss America (1968) - FULL SHORT DOCUMENTARY

250 to 250: 60. The Banjo, Narrated by Alison Brown

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: The Banjo, Narrated by Alison Brown

Alison Brown is a Grammy-award winning banjoist, co-founder of Compass Records and recovering investment banker. Brown traces the history of the banjo, from its roots in enslaved Africans' musical traditions to its lasting influence on American music.

Enslaved Africans brought music to the United States.

• They made instruments from gourds and wood.
• One of these instruments became the banjo.
• Many enslaved people played the banjo in the South.
• Music helped people remember their culture.
• In the 1800s, more Americans learned about the banjo.
• Soon, the banjo became a popular instrument.
• The banjo became important in jazz, folk, and bluegrass music.
• Many musicians still play the banjo today.
• Singer Pete Seager famously said about the banjo, "This instrument surrounds hate and forces it to surrender."
• The banjo is an important part of American music and history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 3:02. What is your race?
• USCIS 100:60. / 128:75. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
• USCIS 100:84.  What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• USCIS 128:112. What did the civil rights movement do?

Family Fun:

• African American Folklorist: Reclaiming the Banjo: Joe Zavaan Johnson and the Work of Black Musical Recovery
• BBRP: Black Banjo Reclamation Project
• Ballad of America: The Banjo: A History of America’s African Instrument - Folk+ 2025
• Black Music Project: The Roots of the Banjo
• NPS: The Banjo
• PBS In the Making: Hannah Mayree: Songs of Reclamation: Reclaiming the Banjo's Hidden Black History
• PBS and Reel South: Boil that Cabbage Down
• Rhiannon Giddens: What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow | releases | Great Courses presentation
• Smithsonian Folkways: Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia playlist | buy
• Teach Rock: The Banjo, Slavery, and the Abolition Debate
• Vox: Why this instrument explains Black American folk music
• Woody Guthrie Center: Inside the WGC: Pete Seeger's Banjo | education
• Woody Guthrie famously scrawled "This Machine Kills Fascists" on some of his guitars and instrument, a message that the communal act of making music can stop those who seek to tear us apart. Woody's friend Pete Seeger had a similar message for what his banjo "machine" did: "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces it to Surrender."
1. Give students cardboard cutouts (or coloring pages) of guitars or banjos (or any instrument or machine).
2. Write your own: 'This machine phrase:' 
3. What's your machine/instrument and what it's going what's it going to fight for or against? 

250 to 250: 59. Fourteenth Amendment, Narrated by Sherrilyn Ifill

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Fourteenth Amendment, Narrated by Sherrilyn Ifill

Dr. Sherrilyn Ifill is a nationally recognized civil rights attorney, expert, and scholar. Ifill is the former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the founder and director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard University School of Law. Ifill shows us the significance of the Fourteenth Amendment, which established that anyone born in the United States was automatically a citizen.

After the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became part of the Constitution (1868).

• People born in the United States are U.S. citizens.
• States must follow the Constitution.
• States must treat people fairly.
• States must follow the law.
• States must protect people's rights.
• Congress can make laws to protect these rights.
• The Fourteenth Amendment helps protect freedom and equality.
• Today, the Fourteenth Amendment is an important part of the U.S. Constitution.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• USCIS Part 2:08. What is your country of birth?
• USCIS 100:12.  / 128:13. What is the “rule of law”?
• 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?

Family Fun:

• 14th Amendment Center: Resources
• ACLU of Illinois: ACLU Activity Book
• iCivics: Defining Citizenship - Teaching the Fourteenth Amendment
• Center for Civic Education: The 14th Amendment
• LOC: 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History
• National Archives: 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868)
• National Civil War Museum: The Civil War Amendments: The 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship
• NCC: What is the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment?
• NCC: How did the 14th Amendment and the process of incorporation transform the Bill of Rights?
• NMAAHC: Reconstructing Citizenship

250 to 250: 58. Carnegie Libraries, Narrated by Mayor Corey O’Connor

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Carnegie Libraries, Narrated by Mayor Corey O’Connor

Corey O’Connor is the 62nd mayor of Pittsburgh with a highly-regarded political lineage. Mayor O’Connor and his wife, Katie, serve as official ambassadors for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s summer reading program. Mayor O’Connor tells us how “robber baron” Andrew Carnegie gave much of his fortune to building almost 2,000 libraries across the United States.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland.

• He came to the United States as a young boy.
• He left school and started working.
• He worked in a factory and as a telegraph boy.
• Later, he became very rich in the steel business.
• Carnegie gave money to build free public libraries.
• He helped build more than 1,600 libraries in the United States.
• He believed rich people should help others.
• He wanted more people to read and learn.
• Today, many people remember Andrew Carnegie for his libraries and his gifts to education.

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.
• USCIS 100:11. / 128:12.  What is the economic system in the United States?*
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation

Family Fun:

• ALA: Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence
• Andrew Carnegie Foundation: Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Series | video playlist | Democracy playlist
• Carmel Clay Public Library: Carnegie Funded-Library coloring page
• NPS: Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright (Teaching with Historic Places)
• PBS: American Experience: Andrew Carnegie
• Wikipedia: List of Carnegie libraries in the United States

250 to 250: 57. Gettysburg Address, Narrated by Governor JB Pritzker

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Gettysburg Address, Narrated by Governor JB Pritzker

Governor JB Pritzker is Illinois’ 43rd Governor, elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022 with the highest vote share for any Democratic governor in more than 60 years. During his tenure, he has overcome years of fiscal mismanagement and made historic investments in education, healthcare, and economic opportunity while working to ensure Illinois remains a beacon of civil rights and freedom for the nation.

The American Civil War was fought between the Union and the Confederacy.

• On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• The speech is called the Gettysburg Address.
• Lincoln spoke to about 15,000 people.
• The speech honored the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg.
• Lincoln said the nation must continue their work.
• He reminded Americans that all people are created equal.
• He hoped the country would have "a new birth of freedom."
• He said the government should be "of the people, by the people, for the people."
• Lincoln wanted the United States to stay united and free.
• Today, the Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:34. Are you willing to take the full Oath of Allegiance to the United States?
• USCIS 100:75. What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did?*
• USCIS 128:94. Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things. Name one. *

Family Fun:

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum: The Gettysburg Address playlist
• American Battlefield Trust: The Gettysburg Address: The Two-Minute Speech That Saved America | Augmented Reality
• Coloring Book Fun: Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address coloring page
• Illinois: Lincoln Historical Preservation Sites
• LOC: Gettysburg Address Online Exhibition
• NMAH: Gettysburg Address interactive exhibit
• NPS: Gettysburg National Military Park | Junior Ranger Activity Guide
• PBS: The Address by Ken Burns (The Address follows a group of students with special needs, such as dyslexia and ADHD as they prepare to recite the Gettysburg Address--very inspirational!) (stream or borrow the DVDs from your library)
• PBS: The Civil War by Ken Burns (10 part series--stream or borrow the DVDs from your library)
• USCIS: A More Perfect Union series: The Civics Test Guide to the Lincoln Memorial
• US Mint: Gettysburg Address coin (2026) | Gettysburg Quarter (Pennsylvania) coloring page
• VOA News: 150th Anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Marked at Battlefield

250 to 250: 56. “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Narrated by Sarah Longwell

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Narrated by Sarah Longwell

Sarah Longwell is publisher of The Bulwark, host of The Focus Group podcast, and bestselling author of "How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time," releasing this fall. Longwell tells us how the British bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry in 1814 inspired our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain.

• On September 13, 1814, the British attacked Fort McHenry.
• The fort protected the port of Baltimore.
• The attack lasted through the night.
• Francis Scott Key watched the battle.
• The next morning, he saw the American flag still flying over the fort.
• He was happy that the United States had defended the fort.
• He wrote a poem called "The Star-Spangled Banner."
• Later, the poem was set to music.
• Many Americans liked the song.
• In 1931, Congress made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem of the United States.
• Today, Americans sing the national anthem at many public events.

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 100:53. 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. 
• USCIS 100:98. /128:123. What is the name of the national anthem?

Family Fun:

• Ben's Guide: Star-Spangled Banner: 1814
• LOC: Star Spangled Banner | resources
• NPS: Fort McHenry | Junior Ranger Activity Booklet
• NMAH: Star-Spangled Banner
• uscitizenpod: Happy National Anthem Day! | USCIS 128:123. What is the name of the national anthem? | A Citizenship Quiz for Flag Day
• US Mint: Fort McHenry Quarter (Maryland) coloring page
• Visit the Capitol: H.R. 14, An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America, April 21, 1930

250 to 250: 55. Billie Jean King, Narrated by Rosie Casals

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Billie Jean King, Narrated by Rosie Casals

Rosie Casals is the winner of 12 Grand Slam Doubles titles and is one of only three players—alongside Billie Jean King and Nancy Richey—inducted into the Hall of Fame twice. She helped establish the WTA in 1973 and is a founding member of the Original 9 that started women's professional tennis. Casals details how tennis legend Billie Jean King has used her platform to push for gender equality and social change.

Billie Jean King is one of the greatest tennis players in history.

• She won 39 Grand Slam tennis titles.
• In 1972, Sports Illustrated named her Sportsman of the Year.
• She was the first woman to receive this award.
• In 1973, she played against former tennis champion Bobby Riggs.
• Many people called the match the "Battle of the Sexes."
• About 90 million people watched the match around the world.
• Billie Jean King won the match.
• She worked for equal pay for women in tennis.
• She also supported equal rights for LGBTQ+ people.
• Billie Jean King believed sports could help make society fairer.
• Today, she is remembered as both a champion athlete and a leader for equal rights.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:05: Are you male or female?
• USCIS 100:9.  What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
• USCIS 128:10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

Family Fun:

• Barack Obama: Billie Jean King (Medal of Freedom, LGBT)
• Billie Jean King: Biography
• International Tennis Hall of Fame: Title IX and Billie Jean King
• NPG: Billie Jean King coloring page
• New York Historical Society: Billie Jean King collection
• PBS American Masters: Billie Jean King | Trading Cards
• USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center: Tennis Programs and Camps
• Women's History Museum: Beyond the Court: Billie Jean King's Triumph in The Battle of the Sexes

250 to 250: 54. John Adams' Letters to Abigail, Narrated by Sara Georgini

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: John Adams' Letters to Abigail, Narrated by Sara Georgini

Dr. Sara Georgini is an American historian, author, and Series Editor for the ‘Papers of John Adams,’ at the Adams Papers Editorial Project at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Georgini shares how John Adams, writing to his wife Abigail in 1776, envisioned generations of Americans celebrating independence with pomp and parade—right about everything but the date.

In July 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia.

• John Adams was a delegate from Massachusetts.
• On July 2, Congress voted that the colonies should be free and independent.
• John Adams wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams.
• He said the colonies were now free and independent states.
• On July 4, Congress approved the final words of the Declaration of Independence.
• John Adams believed Americans would celebrate this important event every year.
• He thought the celebration would be on July 2.
• Instead, Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4.
• Every year on July 4, people celebrate the birth of the United States.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 5:02. Is your current spouse currently a member of the U.S. armed forces?
• USCIS 100:99.  When do we celebrate Independence Day?*
• USCIS 128:125. What is Independence Day?

Family Fun:

• Biography: John Adams | Abigail Adams
• History: Abigail Adams | Mrs. President
• MHS: Letter: John Adams to Abigail Adams, Philadelphia July 3. 1776
• National Archives: The Declaration of Independence
• NPS: Adams National Historical Park | Junior Ranger book
• NPS: Declaration of Independence Timeline
• PBS: The Declaration of Independence & Birth of the United States
• uscitizenpod: John Adams | Abigail Adams | John and Abigail Adams 1 | John and Abigail Adams 2 coloring pages
• VOA News: July 4? Try July 2, America's Real Independence Day 

250 to 250: 53. Mister Rogers, Narrated by Governor Josh Shapiro

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Mister Rogers, Narrated by Governor Josh Shapiro

Governor Josh Shapiro is the 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the home state to one of America’s most beloved neighbors, Fred Rogers. As a kid, Governor Shapiro grew up watching "Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood." Now as Governor, he uses those guiding principles of universal kindness to serve his neighbors across Pennsylvania.

Fred Rogers was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

• He was the host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
• He wore his famous red sweater on the show.
• For more than 30 years, he welcomed children into his television neighborhood.
• He taught children to be kind, honest, and caring.
• He told children to look for people who help others during difficult times.
• Many children felt that Mr. Rogers was their friend.
• He told every child, "I like you just the way you are."
• His words helped children feel safe and important.
• Fred Rogers made a positive difference in American families.
• Today, many people remember him for his kindness and care for children.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 6:02c. Where does your child reside?
• 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: 

• Focus Features: Won't You Be My Neighbor | How Mister Rogers Saved PBS (clip)
• Latrobe Art Center: Fred Rogers coloring pages
• NPM: The Story Behind the Stamp: The Timeless Teachings of Fred Rogers
• PBS: Why Mister Rogers Still Matters Today | Full Documentary
• PCUSA: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 
• Penguin Classroom: Mr Rogers Teacher Resources
• Mr. Rogers Family Days: Festival
• Very Local: Guide to visiting all of the Fred Rogers’ sites in Latrobe, PA

250 to 250: 52. Three Flags Day, Narrated by Claire Conner McCaskill

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Three Flags Day, Narrated by Claire Conner McCaskill

Claire Conner McCaskill is a former attorney, political analyst for MS NOW and NBC News, and known for being the first female Senator from Missouri. McCaskill recounts the "Three Flags Day" of 1804, when St. Louis passed from Spain to France to the United States in a single day.

In March 1804, St. Louis changed countries three times in 24 hours.

• First, Spain controlled St. Louis.
• Then France took control.
• One day later, the United States took control.

St. Louis is near the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

• Native peoples lived in this area long before Europeans arrived.
• France gave the land west of the Mississippi River to Spain in 1769.
• Spain gave the land back to France in 1800.
• In 1803, the United States bought the land from France.
• On March 9, 1804, the Spanish flag was lowered.
• The French flag flew for 24 hours.
• On March 10, the American flag was raised.
• The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.
• The United States renamed the Louisiana Puchase, the Missouri Territory.
• It also helped start westward expansion.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:32. Do you understand the full Oath of Allegiance to the United States?
• USCIS 100:88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
• USCIS 100:52. /128:66. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? * 
• USCIS 100:71 / 128:90. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Family Fun:

• Field Museum: Three Flags Day lesson plan
• Google Arts and Culture: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, United States of America
• Mystic Stamp Company: Three Flags Day
• NPS: George Rogers Clark National Historical Park: St. Louis: The way opened to the Pacific 
• NPS: Gateway Arch National Park | 2008 Junior Ranger Book | 2015 activity page
• NPM: Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue
• SAAM: Westward Expansion (1801-1861)

250 to 250: 51. Civil War Income Taxes, Narrated by Danny Werfel

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Civil War Income Taxes, Narrated by Danny Werfel

Danny Werfel served as 50th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is currently an Executive in Residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Government and Policy. Werfel details how the Civil War spurred congressional Republicans to invent the income tax.

During the Civil War, the United States needed more money.

Congress created the first federal income tax.

• People paid taxes based on the money they earned.
• The government used the tax money to help pay for the war.
• Many leaders believed everyone should help support the country.
• Some newspapers said loyal Americans should pay the taxes.
• Congress wanted the tax system to be fair.
• People with higher incomes paid more taxes.
• People with lower incomes paid less taxes.
• Senator Justin Smith Morrill said taxes should match a person's ability to pay.
• The income tax helped the federal government during the Civil War.
• Today, income taxes continue to help pay for government programs and services.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:03. Do you currently owe any overdue Federal, state, or local taxes in the United States?
• USCIS 100:56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?*
• USCIS 128:71. Why is it important to pay federal taxes?

Family Fun:

• Coloring Book Fun: 62 Money Coloring Pages (Free PDFs)
• icivics: People's Pie game
• IRS: Understanding Taxes (many lesson plans and resources)
• PBS: Justin Morrill: Land for Learning (land-grant universities)
• Justin Morril supported economic opportunity for American through his legislation and tax reform.  His most notable contribution was the founding of public land-grant colleges in U.S. states, that focused on agriculture (fatming), engineering (mechanics), and mining.
• Personal Finance Lab : Taxation Lesson Plan

250 to 250: 50. Thurgood Marshall, Narrated by Governor Wes Moore

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Thurgood Marshall, Narrated by Governor Wes Moore

Governor Wes Moore is a combat veteran, bestselling author, former nonprofit CEO, and is Maryland's first Black governor and the third black Governor elected in American history. Moore celebrates Thurgood Marshall, the legendary civil rights lawyer who won Brown v. Board of Education and became the first Black Supreme Court Justice.

Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer who fought for equal rights.

• He graduated from Howard University Law School.
• Marshall worked with the NAACP.
• He helped create the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
• He used the courts to fight racial segregation.
• Marshall argued many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• He won the important Brown v. Board of Education case.
• The Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• He became the first African American Supreme Court Justice.
• Marshall worked to protect equal rights and justice for all Americans.
• He encouraged people to protect and strengthen American democracy.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:07e. Have you EVER ordered, incited, called for, committed, assisted, helped with, or otherwise participated in causing harm or suffering to any person because of their race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion?
• USCIS 100:37. / 128:51. What does the judicial branch do?
• USCIS 100:28. / 128.52. What is the highest court in the United States? * 

Family Fun:

• Kulture Kidz: Thurgood Marshall Coloring Page
• NAACPLDF: Thrgood Marchall: LDF Founder and First President and Director-Counsel
• NMAAHC: Thurgood Marshall’s Desk
• NPS: Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial | trading cards
• NPS: Thurgood Marshall: A Legacy of Civil Rights Leadership
• Stamps: Thurgood Marshall
• Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage: Brown v. Board of Education
• Thinkport: Champion of Justice (many lesson plans)

250 to 250: 49. 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Narrated by Senator Doug Jones

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Narrated by Senator Doug Jones

Senator Doug Jones is a prominent attorney and public servant who became the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in 25 years and is currently the state's Democratic nominee for Governor. Jones, who prosecuted the case decades later, remembers the four young girls killed in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, a tragedy that galvanized support for the Civil Rights Act.

On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church.

• The church was in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Four African American girls were killed.
• Their names were Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair.
• Just a few days earlier, Black children had started attending formerly all-white schools.
• Some white supremacists opposed school integration.
• Members of the Ku Klux Klan planted the bomb.
• The bombing shocked people across the United States.

Many Americans supported stronger civil rights laws after the attack.

• In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Justice was delayed, but not denied.
• Years later, three former Ku Klux Klan members were convicted of the bombing.
• The tragedy became an important moment in the fight for civil rights and justice.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:07e. Have you EVER ordered, incited, called for, committed, assisted, helped with, or otherwise participated in causing harm or suffering to any person because of their race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion?
• USCIS 100:84.   What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• USCIS 128:112. What did the civil rights movement do?

Family Fun

• Civil Rights Digital Library: Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing Collection
• Gilder Lehrman Institute: Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, 1963
• NMAAHC: America Sees the Truth
• NPS: Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument |  The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (Voices from the Field / series)  | Junior Ranger book | 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (1963) 
• Spike Lee: 4 Little Girls trailer | video (stream on HBO or borrow the DVD on the library)
• Wikipedia: Timeline of the 1954-1968 civil rights movement
• Zinn Project: Sept. 15, 1963: 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

250 to 250: 48. “All in the Family,” Narrated by Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: “All in the Family,” Narrated by Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an award-winning actress, comedian, producer, and podcast host whose early work on shows like Family Ties, a spinoff of All in the Family, helped launch her storied career, including beloved roles in Seinfeld and Veep. Julia revisits All in the Family, the groundbreaking 1971 sitcom that used Archie Bunker and his family to tackle the era's most divisive issues.

All in the Family first aired in 1971.

• The show talked about important issues in American society.
• These topics included civil rights, the Vietnam War, abortion, and family disagreements.
• Carroll O'Connor played Archie Bunker.
• Archie Bunker often struggled with new ideas and social change.
• Rob Reiner played Mike Stivic, Archie's son-in-law.
• Mike and Archie often disagreed about politics and society.
• Jean Stapleton played Edith Bunker, Archie's kind and caring wife.
• Sally Struthers played Gloria, Archie and Edith's daughter.
• The show used humor to discuss serious problems.
• Norman Lear created the show.
• All in the Family changed American television by encouraging people to talk about difficult issues.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 6:02. What is your child's current legal name?
• USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 
• USCIS 128:69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?

Family Fun:

• CBS Sunday Morning: Norman Lear: A life of laughter and activism
• How Stuff Works: All in the Family trivia
• Monday Mandala: Family Coloring Pages
• National Postal Musem: 33c All In The Family single
• Norman Lear: Citizenship
• Norman Lear Effect: All in the Family playlist
• People for the American Way: Issues
• PBS: American Masters: Norman Lear: Just Another Version You clips | (borrow the dvd from your Library)
• Smithsonian Magazine: From His Tattered Chair, TV’s Archie Bunker Caricatured America’s Divides

250 to 250: 47. Madam C.J. Walker, Narrated by A'Lelia Bundles

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Madam C.J. Walker, Narrated by A'Lelia Bundles

A'Lelia Bundles is an award-winning journalist, Emmy-winning producer, and author of acclaimed biographies telling the stories of the civic-minded business women in her family, including her great-great-grandmother Madam C. J. Walker.

Madam C. J. Walker was born in Louisiana in 1867.

• Her parents had been enslaved before the Civil War.
• She became an orphan when she was seven years old.
• She married at age 14 and became a mother.
• By age 20, she was a widow.
• In the early 1900s, she created hair care products for Black women.
• In 1906, she started her own business.
• She trained many women to sell her products.
• She built a successful company across the United States.
• Madam C. J. Walker became America's first self-made female millionaire.
• She believed in hard work and creating opportunities.
• She also spoke out against racial discrimination and injustice.
• Today, Madam C. J. Walker is remembered as a successful business leader and civil rights advocate.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• Part 7:01. Are you self-employed?  Do you work for yourself and not a specific employer?
• USCIS 100:11. / 128.12. What is the economic system of the United States?
• USCIS 100: 41.   Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government.  What is one power of the federal government?
• USCIS 128:58. Name one power that is only for the federal government.

Family Fun:

• Madame C.J. Walker: Hair
• Madam Walker Legacy Center: Timeline
• Kulture Kidz: Madam C.J. Walker Coloring Page | word scramble |
• Netflix: Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker | trailer
• NMAAHC: Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker: Pioneers of the African American Beauty Industry
• NPS: (H)our History Lesson: Madam C. J. Walker, African American Millionaire, Philanthropist, Activist
• World: The True Story of Madam C.J. Walker | TWO DOLLARS AND A DREAM 

250 to 250: 46. NATO, Narrated by Adam Kinzinger

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: NATO, Narrated by Adam Kinzinger

Adam Kinzinger is a retired military officer, former U.S. Representative, and current political commentator known for his views on the evolving Republican Party and serving as one of two Republicans appointed to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack. Kinzinger details the formation of NATO, the defensive security alliance that has helped to keep the world safe since 1949.

In 1949, 12 countries created North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

• NATO was formed after World War II.
• The countries wanted to protect each other.
• They also wanted to stop the spread of communism in Europe.
• NATO members promised to help if one member was attacked.
• This promise is called Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
• Article 5 has been used only once.
• It was used after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
• NATO countries worked together in Afghanistan.
• Finland joined NATO in 2023.
• Sweden joined NATO in 2024.
• Today, NATO has 32 member countries.
• NATO continues to work for the security and defense of its member nations.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:05a. Have you EVER been a member of, involved in, or in any way associated with any Communist or totalitarian party anywhere in the world?
• USCIS 100:83. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
• USCIS 128:108. Who was the United States’ main rival during the Cold War?

Family Fun

• C-SPAN Classroom: Lesson Plan: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• CFR: Conflict: NATO
• Civics Learning Project: The United States and NATO: World Relationships and Why they Matter
• Coloring Book Fun: 44 Flags Of The World Coloring Pages
• Layers of Learning: Cold War | map coloring page
• OTAN: Can you identify all 26 letters of the NATO phonetic alphabet?
• World Flags: Coloring Pages