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Dr. Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson is a political historian who uses facts and history to make observations about contemporary American politics. She has written about the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the American West in award-winning books whose subjects stretch from the European settlement of the North American continent to the history of the Republican Party through the Trump administration. She is the author, most recently, of the best-selling Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.

Join the discussion over at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com, where we talk about history, politics, and the relationship between image and reality in America.

Heather Cox Richardson
Ben Wikler is an American political organizer who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

250 to 250 | Follow Along
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2dS6uX1RkUzLppeUrqtvApwnR6whO7I_

You can also find me: 
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© 2026 Heather Cox Richardson. All Rights Reserved.
All content in this video is protected by copyright. Reproduction, distribution, or re-uploading, in whole or in part, without prior written consent is prohibited.
The Plan for Reclaiming American Democracy | Explainer
July 26, 2026


Trump and his allies are acting as if the Constitution doesn’t exist, Their actions align with the strategy of Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt, Schmitt’s philosophy centered around the idea that power belongs to the man who can exploit emergencies that create exceptions to the constitutional order, Trump has declared emergencies to justify deploying troops to Iran, to impose tariffs, and to sidestep Congress repeatedly, Trump is on track to issue vastly more emergency orders so far in his second term than were issued by any other president this century during their entire term, Trump will also be ignoring many different laws if plans proceed to build his proposed triumphal arch,  Ever since officials acknowledged to reporters that Trump planned to build the arch, Trump made clear that the arch is all about him.


Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-


Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe


You can also find me:


Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson



 

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
Rejecting the Constitutional Order
Sara Wiles is a Florida native, activist, and content creator who uses her platforms to help everyday people better understand, connect with, and act on the political issues shaping their lives and communities. Wiles tells how Henry Flagler defied his critics to build the "impossible" Overseas Railroad to Key West, transforming the future of Florida.


250 to 250 
From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant efforts of Americans—from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities—to make real the belief that we are all created equal and have a right to have a say in our democracy. We will be telling their stories over the next several weeks because now, as ever, “We Are America.”


Follow Along | #WeAreAmerica250
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Substack: https://250to250.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/250to250/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@250.to.250?_r=1&_t=ZT-95WLMGNIcEn
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Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this video are in the public domain.

Building the Oversea Railway. Circa 1907 – 1910. Photograph. Courtesy of the Key West Art & Historical Society.
 
Henry M. Flagler at Knights Key Dock. Circa 1908 – 1912. Photograph. Courtesy of the Key West Art & Historical Society.
 
Jewfish Creek Bridge, 1907. Photograph. Courtesy of the Monroe County Public Library and Key West Art & Historical Society.


Florida East Coast Railway Relief Train. Circa September 4, 1935. Photograph. Courtesy of the Key West Art & Historical Society.
Flagler’s Overseas Railway, Narrated by Sara Wiles
Ben Wikler is an American political organizer who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

You can also find me: 
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/

© 2026 Heather Cox Richardson. All Rights Reserved.
All content in this video is protected by copyright. Reproduction, distribution, or re-uploading, in whole or in part, without prior written consent is prohibited.
Ben Wikler | American Conversations
Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, journalism professor, and author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Daughters of Erietown who writes a weekly Substack newsletter, Hopefully Yours. Schultz profiles Joseph Pulitzer, the immigrant publisher who shaped the modern American newspaper and lent his name to journalism's most prestigious prize.


250 to 250 
From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant efforts of Americans—from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities—to make real the belief that we are all created equal and have a right to have a say in our democracy. We will be telling their stories over the next several weeks because now, as ever, “We Are America.”


Follow Along | #WeAreAmerica250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567541980226&mibextid=wwXIfr
Substack: https://250to250.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/250to250/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@250.to.250?_r=1&_t=ZT-95WLMGNIcEn
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twofiftytotwofifty
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/250to250.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@250to250?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==


Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this video are in the public domain.
Joseph Pulitzer, Narrated by Connie Schultz
July 25, 2026


The White House is moving forward on plans to paint the grey granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building, in spite of the damage it might cause and the maintenance it will requre, By claiming that the building is no longer controlled by the General Services Administration, the president is setting a dangerous precdent, allowing projects to avoid review, The administration is pushing a rule change in the National Historical Preservation Act, revising the law that requires federal agencies to take into account what their actions will do to historic places, The change will cut the public out of any conversation about places that matter to them, Chaco Canyon is one such place and several Democratic senators and representatives have written to Interior Secretary Burgum asking him to protect the area around the canyon, The changes would also fast track Trump’s planned triumphal arch, Trump and his allies are whitewashing and bulldozing history in service to their small vision. 


Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-


Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe


You can also find me:


Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson
 

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
Whitewashing
July 24, 2026


Federal officials have admitted that cuts from clean energy projects were based on whether states had voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Rather than combatting waste, the administration is trying to use the power of the American people for its own ends, Trump has levied tariffs again, on goods from more than 80 countries that make up just short of 100% of US trade, Trump is frustrated as he cannot seem to find a way out of the Iran War, The Pentagon is restating the number of military personnel who have been killed in the course of the Iran War, The White House appears focused on the goals of Trump alone, Trump's actions are in sharp contrast to FDR’s radio broadcast of July 24 1933 which urged Americans to act “in a group [to] accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about."


Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-


Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe


You can also find me:


Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson
 

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
For Their Own Ends
uly 23, 2026


In a speech in 1953, President Dwight D Eisenhower warned that diverting tax dollars to war came at the expense of the American people, Trump is slashing programs that people depend on for food, health, scientific research, etc. to pay for his foreign adventures, Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill asking for $67 billion to fund the Defense Department through the end of September, The administration has not told Congress where the money is going, The Pentagon’s internal estimate of the cost of the Iran War is $100 billion, far in excess of what Hegseth told Congress, The only way to the victory that Trump wants is politically impossible, Trump and Rubio are threatening to attack civilian infrastructure in Iran, although that could be considered a war crime, The price of oil has surged to more than $100 a barrel, The House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution to end the war in Iran, with four Republicans joining all the Democrats, The Senate took up a measure to force the president to end the US hostilities with Iran, but it declined to advance the resolution, The vote was 47 to 49 with four Republican senators choosing not to vote.


Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-


Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe


You can also find me:


Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson
 

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
A Politically Impossible Situation
United States Representative Vicente Gonzalez of Texas is an attorney who has served in public office since 2017. Here, Gonzalez details the life of Dr. Héctor Garcia, who advocated for the rights of Hispanic veterans. 


250 to 250 
From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant efforts of Americans—from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities—to make real the belief that we are all created equal and have a right to have a say in our democracy. We will be telling their stories over the next several weeks because now, as ever, “We Are America.”


Follow Along | #WeAreAmerica250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567541980226&mibextid=wwXIfr
Substack: https://250to250.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/250to250/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@250.to.250?_r=1&_t=ZT-95WLMGNIcEn
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twofiftytotwofifty
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/250to250.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@250to250?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==


Notes
Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this video are in the public domain.
Héctor García, Narrated by Representative Vicente Gonzalez
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Democracy or Autocracy

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Democracy

A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Autocracy

A system of government by one person with absolute power.

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