250 to 250: 08. Thomas Paine’s "Common Sense," Narrated by Representative Jamie Raskin

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Thomas Paine’s "Common Sense," Narrated by Representative Jamie Raskin

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is the ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary. He was the majority whip of the Maryland State Senate and a constitutional law professor at American University. Representative Raskin shares how Thomas Paine’s Common Sense defined the stakes of the American revolution.

Thomas Paine arrived in Philadelphia in 1774.

• He believed America could be a place of freedom and opportunity.
• At that time, many colonists blamed Parliament for their problems.
• Many colonists still supported the king.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense.

• The pamphlet argued against rule by a king.
• Paine said that people should choose their own government.
• He also opposed the idea that power should pass through royal families.
• Common Sense encouraged many colonists to support independence.
• Paine believed Americans could create a new and better nation.
• His ideas helped inspire the movement for American independence.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 16:01 (Do you) declare, on oath, that (you) absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which (you) have heretofore been a subject or citizen
• USCIS 128:61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
• USCIS 128:77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

Family Fun:

• NHS: Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, 1776 lesson plan
• ThomasPaine.org: The Paradox of NYC’s Thomas Paine Park in Foley Square
• Super Coloring: Thomas Paine
• UK National Portait Gallery: Thomas Paine

250 to 250: 07. Rita Moreno, Narrated by Ariana DeBose

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Rita Moreno, Narrated by Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose is a dancer, singer, and actress who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg's 2021 West Side Story. DeBose tells us about the inspiring and pioneering life of Puerto Rican singer, actress, dancer, and activist Rita Moreno who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise’s 1961 West Side Story.

Rita Moreno was born in Puerto Rico in 1931.

• She became a famous actress, singer, and dancer.
• She won an Academy Award for her role in West Side Story.
• She was the first Latina woman to win an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award (EGOT).

Rita Moreno supported civil rights and equal rights.

• She encouraged people to be proud of their culture and background.
• She said: "Wear your nationality like a flag.  Be proud of it. Be proud your Puerto Rican."
• She kept her Puerto Rican accent and identity.
• She refused roles that used unfair stereotypes.
• She spoke out for racial equality and gender equality.

She also helped people learn about Puerto Rico.

• Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.
• Rita Moreno's success inspired many people in the United States and around the world.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 3:01: What is your ethnicity? (Select only one box)  Hispanic or Latino.  (or)  Not Hispanic or Latino.
• USCIS 100:91. Name one U.S. territory.
• USCIS 100:97 / 128:122. Why does the flag have 50 stars?
• USCIS 128:29. Name your U.S. representative. 

Family Fun:

• Crayola: Puerto Rico coloring page
• DLTK-Kids: Puerto Rico Crafts, Facts, and Activities for Kids
• NPRD: National Puerto Rican Day Parade (mid-June)
• NPS: San Juan National Historic Site: Education Resources

250 to 250: 06. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Narrated by Governor Maura Healey

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Battles of Lexington and Concord, Narrated by Governor Maura Healey

Maura Healey is the 73rd Governor of Massachusetts, the state’s first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected to the position. Governor Healy recounts the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening salvos of the Revolutionary War.

On April 19, 1775, British soldiers marched to Lexington.

• They wanted to take weapons stored by the colonists.
• Before the soldiers arrived, riders warned the colonists.
• Colonists in Lexington learned that the British were coming.
• Local militia members gathered on the town green.
• A British officer told the militia to leave.
• As the groups faced each other, a shot was fired.
• British soldiers opened fire.
• Eight colonists were killed and twelve were wounded.

The British soldiers then continued to Concord.

• About 400 militia members were waiting there.
• Fighting began at the Old North Bridge.
• These battles were the start of the American Revolutionary War.
• Later, Ralph Waldo Emerson called the first shot "the shot heard round the world."
• The battles at Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of America's fight for independence.
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 9:8.b. Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted (helped), or participated in any armed group (a group that carries weapons), for example: 
• paramilitary unit (a group of people who act like a military group but are not part of the official military)
• self-defense unit
• vigilante unit
•  rebel group
• or guerrilla group?
• USCIS 100:61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
• USCIS 128:76. What war did the Americans fight to win independence from Britain?

Family Fun:

• America 250 in Idaho: One if by Land, Two if by Sea coloring page
• Jones 4567: Paul Revere coloring page
• Smithsonian Postal Museum: Battles of Lexington and Concord; Sybil Ludington
• Print Coloring Sheet: Paul Revere coloring page

250 to 250: 05. John Peter Zenger, Narrated by Jelani Cobb

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250:  John Peter Zenger, Narrated by Jelani Cobb

Peabody Award winner Dr. Jelani Cobb is a prolific author, journalist, and Dean of Columbia Journalism School whose work centers on race, politics, history, and culture. Cobb tells the story of John Peter Zenger, a colonial newspaperman whose trial for printing critical statements about the royal governor of New York helped to define freedom of the press.

In 1734, John Peter Zenger printed articles that criticized the governor of New York.

• The governor had Zenger arrested and put on trial.
• Zenger's lawyers said that true statements should not be punished.
• The jury found Zenger not guilty.
• The decision helped support freedom of the press.

Freedom of the press means newspapers can report information and opinions without government control.

• In 1787, Thomas Jefferson said that a free press is important for democracy.
• He believed that newspapers help people stay informed.
• Later, the founders wrote the Bill of Rights.
• They included freedom of the press in the First Amendment.
• The First Amendment protects the right of a free press in the United States.

POP Interview and Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 15. Do you promise that the information and evidence submitted in your N-400 Application for Naturalization is complete, true, and accurate?
• USCIS 100:06. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?* 
• USCIS 128:65.   What are three rights of everyone living in the United States? 

Family Fun

• Amnesty International: Free Speech ABC coloring pages
• First Amendment Museum: Art & Politics: 300 Years of Political Cartoons

250 to 250: 04. Erie Canal, Narrated by Pete Buttigieg

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Erie Canal, Narrated by Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg is a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a veteran, and the 19th U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Buttigieg tells us about the Erie Canal, the engineering marvel that opened up the interior of the United States. 

After the Revolutionary War, the United States became larger.  The country grew from the 13 original states to the Mississippi River.

• The Appalachian Mountains stretched from Canada to Alabama.
• The mountains made travel difficult.
• It was hard to move people and goods between the East Coast and the Midwest.
• Travel was slow and expensive.
• Americans wanted a faster way to travel.
• They also needed an easier way to move goods.
• New transportation projects helped connect different parts of the country.

To solve this problem, New York State built the Erie Canal (1817-1825). 

• Workers used shovels, mules, and simple machines to build it.
• The canal connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
• It made travel and trade faster and easier.
• The canal lowered transportation costs.
• More goods could move across the country.
• Many settlers used the canal to move west.
• The canal helped New York become an important center for trade.

The Erie Canal changed the economy and helped the country grow.

• Workers who built the canal played an important role in American history.
• People sang canal songs to celebrate their work and American democracy.

POP Interview and Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 7:01 Where have you worked and/or attended school (full-time or part-time) during the last 5 years?
• USCIS 100:12./128:13: What is the economic system in the United States?
• USCIS 100:90.What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

Family Fun

• Eire Canal Museum: Resouces, Lesson Plans, Coloring Pages, Activities
• Eire Canal Heritage Corridor: Learning Hub

250 to 250: 03. Charter Oak, Narrated by Senator Chris Murphy

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Charter Oak, Narrated by Senator Chris Murphy

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a leading voice on job creation, affordable health care, education, sensible gun laws, and a forward-looking foreign policy. Senator Murphy tells of Charter Oak, a lasting symbol of independence and American ingenuity at keeping it.

In 1639, colonists in Connecticut wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

• It is often called the first written constitution in North America.
• The document said that government gets its power from the people.

In 1662, King Charles II gave Connecticut a Royal Charter.

• The charter allowed the colony to govern itself with a high level of freedom.

Later, King James II wanted to take away that freedom and control Connecticut from England.

• In 1687, he sent a representative to Hartford to take back the charter.
• According to legend, the meeting took place at night in the state house.
• Suddenly, the candles went out and the room became dark.
• When the lights came back, the charter was gone.
• Colonists had secretly hidden the charter in a large oak tree.
• The tree became known as the Charter Oak.
• The British could not find the charter.

Connecticut kept its rights and self-government.

• The charter later became the colony’s governing document again and remained important for more than 100 years.

The Charter Oak became a symbol of liberty and self-government.

POP Interview and Quiz: 

N-400 Part 9:18. Have you ever given any U.S. Government officials any information or documentation that was false, fraudulent, or misleading?

USCIS 100:20/128:23. Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*

USCIS 100:64.  There were 13 original states.  Name three.

USCIS 128:14. Many documents influenced the U.S. Constitution. Name one.

Family Fun

• LWV Conneticut Student Resources: free activity books, kahoots, slides, and more!

250 to 250: 02. AIDS Memorial Quilt, Narrated by Cleve Jones

 

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: AIDS Memorial Quilt, Narrated by Cleve Jones

Cleve Jones is a human rights advocate, author, and lecturer who joined the gay liberation movement in 1972, co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in 1983, and founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt—one of the world’s largest community arts projects—in 1987.

In 1981, people learned about a new disease called HIV/AIDS.

• By 1985, many people were sick or had died from the disease.
• People were afraid of HIV/AIDS.
• Many people treated those with HIV/AIDS unfairly.
• The government did not act quickly to help.

Friends and families created the AIDS Quilt to remember people who died.

• The quilt is made of thousands of cloth panels.
• The AIDS Quilt became the world's largest community art project.
• The quilt traveled across the United States and other countries.
• It helped people learn about HIV/AIDS.
• It encouraged support for research, treatment, and care.
• Millions of people around the world have died from AIDS.

HIV/AIDS is still not completely gone.

• People continue to work for a vaccine and a cure.
• The fight against AIDS brings people together to build a healthier and more just world.

POP Interview and Quiz: 

N-400 Part 9:7.g. Have you ever caused harm or suffering to any person because of their race, religion, national origin, membership in a particular group, or political opinion?

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

USCIS 128:124.   The Nation’s first motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” What does that mean?

Family Fun

• PaceBene: AIDS Memorial Quilt, 1980s coloring page and study guide pdf

250 to 250: 01. Acadians, Narrated by Jason Herbert

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Acadians, Narrated by Jason Herbert

Dr. Jason Herbert is a historian, public scholar, and outdoorsman from Kentucky. Herbert tells us about the Acadians, French settlers deported from British Canada, who helped to create today’s Cajun culture in Louisiana.

Between 1755 and 1764, the British forced many French settlers to leave Acadia.

• Acadia was in eastern Canada and part of northern Maine.
• Many Acadians moved to Louisiana.
• They settled in the swamps of southern Louisiana.
• The area became known as Acadiana.

Over time, the Acadians became known as Cajuns.

• German immigrants, Polish immigrants, and enslaved Africans joined the Cajuns. Together, they created a new culture.
• They made foods such as gumbo and jambalaya.
• They created music such as Zydeco.

The Cajuns kept their French traditions.

• Many Cajuns were Catholic.
• They continued to speak Cajun French.
• Cajun French is mainly spoken in Louisiana today.

Cajun culture is an important part of American history and culture.

POP Interview and Quiz: 

N-400 Part 9:20. Have you ever been placed in removal, rescission, or deportation proceedings?

N-400 Part 9:21. Have you ever been removed or deported from the United States?

USCIS 100:92.   Name one state that borders Canada.

USCIS 128:73.   The colonists came to America for many reasons. Name one. 

USCIS 128:75.   What group of people was taken and sold as slaves?

USCIS 128:90.   What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Family Fun:

• Cajun Kids Adventures: Activity Sheets pdf
• LA State Gov: Official Louisiana Color Book pdf
• The Historic New Orleans Collection: Tim Edler’s Little Cajun Books online exhibit