Letters from an American
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Heather Cox Richardson
commentary
Last week was the fifteenth week of videos from the 250 to 250 Project that we’re producing to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
asserted
we → produce → Independence
Our hope was for the videos to emphasize the agency of Americans—mostly everyday Americans—to change the country.
asserted
videos → emphasize → country
Each falls into a category that defines what it means to be an American, including community, democracy, innovation, mobility, civil rights, education, conservation, and creativity.
asserted
it → fall → community
Every week, I try to say something new about the week’s videos, but in a way, each week’s production has been the same: a wonderful combination of my own favorite historical events and ones new to me, with narrators who fit their topics perfectly and are themselves part of America’s story.
asserted
who → try → story
The generous participation of so many people in this project has made it significantly bigger than the sum of its parts, and this week is no exception.
asserted
week → make → parts
You can follow the project at the sites listed below, or under “videos” at my own YouTube page: Heather Cox Richardson.
asserted
You → follow → page
Or just wait until I send out the week’s roundup.
asserted
I → wait → roundup
Heather Booth is an organizer and political strategist who has worked in civil rights and the feminist movement.
asserted
who → work → rights
She was a founder of the underground abortion service provider known as the Jane Collective.
asserted
She → know → Collective
Buffalo Soldiers, Narrated by Andrew J. Huebner
Dr. Andrew J. Huebner is a Professor of History at the University of Alabama who focuses on modern U.S. cultural and military history.
asserted
who → narrate → history
He is currently finishing a new history of the buffalo soldiers, the first Black regular army units in US history, established by Congress in 1866.
asserted
He → finish → 1866
Coit Tower, Narrated by Mayor Daniel Lurie
Daniel Lurie is San Francisco’s 46th Mayor.
asserted
Lurie → narrate → Lurie
He has focused on public safety, building housing, getting people off the streets and on a path to stability, and San Francisco’s long-term economic recovery.
asserted
He → focus → stability
He honors the murals in San Francisco’s Coit Tower, which portray the lives and histories of everyday Americans.
asserted
which → honor → Americans
New Amsterdam, Narrated by Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani is the 112th Mayor of the City of New York.
asserted
Mamdani → narrate → York
He previously represented the 36th New York State Assembly District and its neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights.
asserted
He → represent → Astoria
Here, Mamdani recounts the history of the colony that, in 1665, would become New York.
asserted
that → recount → 1665
The Brothers Three—Tyler, Ryan, and Clay Hereth—completed a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail together July 16 to November 22, 2011.
asserted
Three → complete → November
Roberto Clemente, Narrated by Amna Nawaz
Award-winning journalist Amna Nawaz is co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS News Hour.
asserted
Nawaz → narrate → Hour
Her reporting spans politics, foreign affairs, immigration, culture and sports.
asserted
reporting → span → politics
Nawaz profiles Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican baseball legend whose brilliance on the field was matched by the humanitarianism that led to his tragic death.
asserted
that → profile → death
Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson is a prominent progressive American activist and politician best known for being the co-founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution and as a member of the “Tennessee Three.”
asserted
Pearson → know → Three
Here he tells the story of the historic labor strike in 1968 that would be the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final campaign.
asserted
that → tell → 1968
Dana Tiger is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist known for her watercolors and acrylic paintings depicting the strength and determination of Native American women.
asserted
Tiger → win → women
Dana’s paintings are exhibited nationwide.
asserted
paintings → exhibit → ?
She celebrates the legacy of her father, Jerome Tiger, a celebrated and influential Muscogee/Seminole artist.
asserted
She → celebrate → father
Black Wall Street, Narrated by Kahlil Greene
Kahlil Greene, the “Gen-Z Historian,” is a well known digital educator, Peabody Award winner, and two-time Emmy nominee with an audience of over 50 million views across TikTok, Instagram, and author of History Can’t Hide on Substack.
asserted
History → narrate → Substack
He recounts the history— including the destruction— of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, a prosperous African American community known as “Black Wall Street.”
asserted
He → recount → Street
Alexander Hamilton, Narrated by David Erickson
Dr. David Erickson, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, leads a team focused on community development, seeking ways to increase investments in low-income communities.
asserted
Erickson → narrate → communities
Erickson has a PhD in history from UC Berkeley.
asserted
Erickson → have → Berkeley
Alexander Hamilton’s work laid the foundation for central banking in the United States and, eventually, for the Federal Reserve.
asserted
work → lay → Reserve
Frederick Law Olmsted, Narrated by Nicholas Stubblefield
Nicholas Stubblefield, a proud former member of the Heather Cox Richardson posse, is a writer and stand-up comedian based in Boston.
asserted
Stubblefield → narrate → Boston
He’s won awards, though none that you’ve heard of.
asserted
you → win → that
He celebrates landscape architect, author, conservationist and public servant, Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed some of America’s most celebrated landmarks, from New York’s Central Park to the U.S. Capitol Grounds and Chicago’s Jackson Park.
asserted
who → celebrate → Grounds
North Dakota’s Historic Mosque, Narrated by Aymann Ismail
Award-winning Senior writer at Slate, Aymann Ismail is an author, and president of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association.
asserted
Ismail → narrate → Association
His work has appeared in the New York Times and GQ, and on CNN and NPR.
asserted
work → appear → CNN
He tells the story of one of the nation’s first mosques, built outside the tiny town of Ross, North Dakota.
asserted
He → tell → Ross
Colin Makoto Craig is a fourth generation veteran who served in the US Air Force.
asserted
who → serve → Force
With the G.I. Bill, he graduated from Cornell University and is a JD candidate at St. John’s University.
asserted
he → graduate → University
Craig examines how the G.I. Bill reshaped postwar America, sending millions of veterans to college and into the middle class.
asserted
Bill → examine → class
…and 10 more, not listed.
