250 to 250

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:07]May 24th, 2026.

[00:00:10]For a while now, I've been hinting that my team was up to something. And tonight, at last, I have an announcement.

[00:00:18]Last August, during one of my politics chat webcasts, at a time when those trying to impose white nationalism, Christian nationalism, or authoritarianism on our country insisted they were American values, I urged people instead to see those who care about the preservation of democracy and who have worked to expand its values as the people who truly represent America.

[00:00:45]That idea appealed strongly, apparently, to the two young women we had recently hired to manage my social media accounts and to produce the historical videos we've been putting up.

[00:00:56]As we kicked around ideas for our own celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary, they kept coming back to the idea from that politics chat, that we are America.

[00:01:09]So, to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we decided to launch a series of 1-minute videos that highlight the people, places, and events that have helped to move us toward a more perfect union.

[00:01:26]We designed the videos to emphasize the agency of Americans, mostly everyday Americans, to change the country.

[00:01:35]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.

[00:01:51]When we floated the plan, lots of wonderful people all over the country understood the idea immediately and jumped in to help, suggesting topics, writing scripts, offering images, narrating.

[00:02:05]We're launching the project tomorrow with the stories of the battles of Lexington and Concord narrated by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.

[00:02:13]The Women's Armed Services Integration Act narrated by Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania.

[00:02:21]The Constitutional Convention, I narrated that one.

[00:02:24]Ruben Salazar narrated by journalist Silvia Salazar. Yellowstone narrated by former Senator Jon Tester of Montana.

[00:02:33]The AIDS Quilt narrated by originator Cleve Jones. The Acadians narrated by historian Jason Herbert.

[00:02:41]The Erie Canal narrated by former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. John Peter Zenger and the First Amendment narrated by journalist Jelani Cobb.

[00:02:52]The Charter Oak narrated by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

[00:02:56]Thomas Paine's Common Sense narrated by Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

[00:03:01]And the story of actress and dancer Rita Moreno narrated by Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose.

[00:03:09]For the next several weeks, we will be telling these stories and hundreds more.

[00:03:15]We hope that you will share them widely to flood social media with the real story of how Americans have always worked often against seemingly insurmountable odds to create a more perfect union.

[00:03:30]What has made America great has always been the American people.

[00:03:35]Now, as for the past 250 years, we are America.

[00:03:46]Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson.

[00:03:50]It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dedham, Massachusetts.

[00:03:54][music] Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss. Michael Moss.