Letters from an American - 250 to 250

Starting point is 00:00:06 May 24th, 26. For a while now, I've been hinting that my team was up to something, and tonight, at last, I have an announcement. 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 embracing American values. I urge 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. 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. 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. So, to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we decided to launch a series of one-minute videos that highlight the people, places, and events that have helped to move us toward a more perfect union.

Starting point is 00:01:26 We designed the videos to emphasize the agency of Americans, mostly everyday Americans, to change the 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. When we floated the plan, lots of wonderful people all over the country understood the idea immediately and jumped into help, suggesting topics, writing scripts, offering images, narrating. We're launching the project tomorrow with the stories of the battles of Lexington and Concord, narrated by Massachusetts Governor Mora Healy. The Women's Armed Services Integration Act,

Starting point is 00:02:17 narrated by Representative Chrissy Hulahan of Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention, I narrated that one. Ruben Salazar, narrated by journalist Sylvia Salazar. Yellowstone, narrated by former Senator John Tester of Montana. The AIDS quilt narrated by originator Cleve Jones, the Acadians, narrated by historian Jason Herbert, the Erie Canal, narrated by former Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, John Peter Zenger in the First Amendment,

Starting point is 00:02:49 narrated by journalist Jolani Cobb, the Charter Oak, narrated by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Thomas Payne's Common Sense, narrated by Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and the story of actress and dancer Reader Moreno, narrated by Academy Award winner Ariana Dubose. For the next several weeks, we will be telling these stories and hundreds more.

Starting point is 00:03:14 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. What has made America great has always been the American people. Now, as for the past 250 years, we are America. Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson.

Starting point is 00:03:50 It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dead in Massachusetts. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss.

Letters from an American - 250 to 250

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.