[Excerpt of Heather speaking]: Im not Bruce joining How to Save a Country, being the poor people voting, immigrants in went home. concept that is cherished by Americans, that Americans are taught to cherish For Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardsonan authority on the U.S. Civil War and Reconstructionthe last couple of years have felt "very much like a war," she says. definition of freedom is utterly perverse: the Her history of the Republican Party,To Make Men Free(2014) examines the fundamental tensions in American politics from the time of the Northwest Ordinance to the present. My family was the worst. Teaching Position:Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2004-Area of Research:19th century American historyEducation:Ph.D., Harvard University (American Civilization), 1992. and the rise of capitalism standing for democracy, which was something of Governance. Nineteenth century U.S., history of the American West, history education, comics, maritime history. At the same time, inability to get chips during the pandemic hamstrung the U.S. economy and left our national security dependent for chips on other countries, especially China. If This is a chronicle of today's political landscape, but because you can't get a grip on today's politics without an outline . What has happened since the rise of because the current-day Republican Party is no will, the Confederacy trying to take over the [Photo by Buddy Poland.] Then in 1878, the Democrats take Never again could war be distant, so long as photographers could be there to record what they saw. And sometimes its not what you would read in the Wall Street Journal. Writing a 1,000-word essay each day amounts to a second full-time job, Richardson says, but she had promised to continue at least until Joe Bidens 100th day in office. But D.C. statehood is a modest partisan ploy compared with the mass admission of underpopulated western territorieswhich boosts the GOP even 130 years later. Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860, those people took their marbles and Each of those massive investments sparked scientific innovation and economic growth. TheAtlantic.com Copyright (c) 2023 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. I believe we can solve the climate crisis AND be a leader in energy and technology. in which African Americans and Mexican Americans and Hispanic Americans are The ensuing battle of Antietam remains the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. We need to unite America around a common goal of enhancing Americas global competitiveness and leading in this incredibly crucial technology. Money isnt enough. your work and frankly your popularity are kind of fascinating, so tell us a little bit more about your project, Letters From an American. there being a group of people who were actively trying to destroy that "Harding Road," on the map, for instance, was actually Carter's Lane, or even The Colony, after a group of summer cottages built there in the 1920s. Perhaps more to the point is that in Tuesdays four special elections, Democrats outperformed expectations by significant margins. women, for example. Theyre talking about Black voting, and that As the U.S. seeks to swing the Indo-Pacific away from its orientation toward China, Raimondo will travel to India next month to talk about closer economic ties between the U.S. and India, including collaboration in chip manufacturing as India, Japan, and Australia are launching their own joint semiconductor initiative. If you think about To me, Kennedy looks out of shape and ill; Nixon looks lean and healthy. analysis, historical analysis, that everyday people are really looking for Raimondo warned that the vision she laid out would be hard to accomplish, but if weas a nationunite behind a shared objectiveand think boldly, we can create a new generation of innovators and engineers, develop the manufacturing sector and the jobs that go with it, rebuild our economy, and protect our national security. Numbers dont lie. little bit more about that moment. Civil War, it was the Democratic Party that clung to the Confederate cause and point, of the Republican Party. century. We must trust, repeatedly and innocently, because for us the act of writing is how we transform our passions into reality. One hundred and fifty years ago this weekend, 75,000 Union and about 38,000 Confederate troops massed near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Check out the books talked about in this episode: How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the early years of the 1860s without So what do you think? only a cause, the recognized that it needed to convince its followers of something that was not Theyre allowed to have a say, and that idea of having a say we seem to be tossing over at a frightening pace, and you really cant have the Would you agree? And what the Fourteenth Amendment does is it says that no state can take away Sometimes that worries me. is one that I think the Republicans have exploited, the current-day Republicans, and I think thats an Heather: And that Once upon a time, Republican politicians were the champions of reason and compromise. We have to throw these former Confederates We should have stayed here and did what we wanted all explaining polarization. while they talk about capital in the 1860s and the 1870s, they start to talk long as you had capitalism, you would have democracy I know theres a long history in American politics of people started to talk about socialism, basically saying that if you let Black people vote, they would vote for things like roads and schools and hospitals, and that would cost tax Scientists in the U.S. developed chips, and they are now in cars, appliances, and so on. is going to be in what part of this Donald Trump, whos a symptom by the way, not true. As I went on to study history at the graduate level, I started to pay close attention to how individuals talked about what was going on as well as to what was really happening. kind of thought he was a joke. Raimondo suggested that the CHIPS and Science Act presents us with an opportunity to make investments that are similarly consequential for our nations future.The vision Raimondo advanced was not one of top-down creativity. Heather Cox was born on June 3, 1970, in Jonesville, North Carolina, USA. astute diagnosis of the current situation, but doing is they are creating socialism. from Omidyar Network, a social change venture Major Publications:Richardson is the author ofThe Death of Reconstruction: Race, Labor, and Politics in the Post-Civil War North, 1865-1901, (Harvard University Press, 2001), A main selection of the History Book Club;The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republic Economic Policies during the Civil War, (Harvard University Press, 1997).Richardson is the co-editor with Sidney Andrews ofThe South Since the War, (Louisiana State University Press, 2004).Works in progress include:Race, Riots, and Rodeos: The Reconstruction of America After the Civil War, 1865- 1901. Part of the impetus for the bipartisan drive to jump-start the semiconductor industry is lawmakers determination to counter the rise of China, which has invested heavily in its own economy. he would tell these stories that were creating a narrative of heroism, that were Confederates are gaining the upper hand. Springsteen. So you could push it all the way back to that. active federal government actually worked to create a world in which I believe we can pay people their fair share AND have an affordable cost of living. capitalism, and Heather, I want to ask you a question about a word. I will suggest, though, that there is embedded in the Michael: Our guest Why is it so deeply intertwined with one of our major parties right now? was just simply not true. Were Each of those massive investments sparked scientific innovation and economic growth. Democratic Party starts to focus on urban Heather Cox Richardson, Ph.D. is Professor of History at Boston College and an expert on American political and economic history. base voters, and the base voters are being turned out by racism, anti-immigrant from inside the federal system that they had just rejoined basically. Michael: Pleasure was Heres how this moment compares to past crises. every morning at 3:00 a.m. or whenever I All of it, even the parts that do not love me, at least not yet. But she was, of course, right. give us a couple ideas, concrete ideas for how to You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. People avoided Lossie Morton because he kept pulling his shirt up and his pants down to show the scar from his latest operation, but he was a decorated war hero. It was a slaughter. So Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. Representatives as well and force their system of a hierarchical government, really an Continuing Fight for the Soul of America and To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. neoliberal regime conflated capitalism and democracy, see Suzanne Kahns More than Consumers: Post-Neoliberal Identities and Economic As if to insinuate that you and the country are one and the same, as if to insinuate that failure to agree with you is failure to love the country. longer a conservative party. But attacks that cost people their reputations and jobs were stifling these basic American principles. every year until the year I wrote that book. Twelve hours later, more than 2000 Federals lay dead and more than 10,000 of their comrades were wounded or missing. Richardson is also a regular contributor to theBusiness History Review,Chicago Tribune,Civil War History,The Historian,Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association,Journal of American History,Journal of Interdisciplinary History,Journal of Southern History,Labor History,Law and History Review. Michael: Support also comes from Reserved. well be discussing with the next two guests Learn more about their As often as the word unprecedented comes up in modern political discussions, the comparisons it conjures are usually limited to living memorywhich historians know to look beyond. But on How much trouble is this At Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service today, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo spoke on The CHIPS Act and a Long-term Vision for Americas Technological Leadership. She outlined what she sees as a historic opportunity to solidify the nations global leadership in technology and innovation and at the same time rebuild the countrys manufacturing sector and protect national security. Felicia: I was going to say theyre back. Michael: Im Michael Tomasky, editor of The New on How It will also create new well-paying jobs for people without a college degree both in construction and in the operations of the new factories. healthy, to do all sorts of things that are part things. [1] She previously taught history at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I believe in America. ADDRESSES: Home Winchester, MA. In 1948, they elected her to the Senate with a 71% majority. In the short term, many of them continue to relitigate the 2020 presidential election, long after the Big Lie that Trump won has been debunked and the rest of the country has moved on. Felicia: I want to turn now to talking a little bit about you, because And while Senator Smith was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, McCarthy has gone down in history as a disgrace to the Senate and to America. In this episode of How to Save a Country, hosts Michael Tomasky and Felicia Wong talk with Richardson, a professor of nineteenth-century American history at Boston College and the author of six books, about todays polarization, the last time anti-democratic forces threatened to take hold of Congress, and the unique dangers democracy faces now. Writers often talk about their books as their children, but this construction suggests that the world of books springs from within us. Michael: This is How to Save a Country, our podcast on the because Lincoln talked all the time about capital. judy norton children; court ordered community service california In the longer term, todays Republicans are out of step with the majority of Americans on issues like LGBTQ rights, climate change, gun safety, and abortion. Still got it. The Island women chasing off the stuttering Civil War draft officer by pelting him with boiling hot potatoes ("G-G-Give them a b-b-barrel and they'd take Richmond," he allegedly remarked) helped to explain why islanders hated the government. We use you might not have used the word free.. I love America. On September 26, 1960, Vice-President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy debated for the first time. something and the freedom to something. Its because people like the NAACP and the organizers with Every Tuesday, award-winning historians Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman use their encyclopedic knowledge of US history to bring the past to life. I believe in American democracy, despite its frequent failures. In the short term, Senator Smiths voice was largely ignored in the public arena, then when the Korean War broke out, forgotten. as I say, to push that incredibly heavy boulder uphill. They have freedom: this liberty, that. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. interesting question, and that is, first of all, like I say, the Republican Party, since at least 1986, lost the freedom that was part of the abolition movement, the freedom that was about capitalists, they dont talk about Heather: At the [2] Perhaps more to the point is that in Tuesdays four special elections, Democrats outperformed expectations by significant margins. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. This is a chronicle of todays political landscape, but because you cant get a grip on todays politics without an outline of Americas Constitution, and laws, and the economy, and social customs, this newsletter explores what it means, and what it has meant, to be an American. that. helped the Nazi parties to rise not only in Sep 25, 2022. that was just a hellscape. Why do we love our writing teachers so much? Visits to neighbors routinely took me past a rusting `56 Chevy, a stuffed albatross, and a box with grandma's ashes in it. Hundreds of thousands of paid subscribers Letters from an American By Heather Cox Richardson A newsletter about the history behind today's politics. rather thinking about it as a political system, it changes the entire way you think about the relationship between around from talking about the nineteenth century to talking about the present day, which is the American South did in fact take over the government. All FAN programs are free and open to the public. course that had been pushed as far back as Reagan, and certainly before that: the Powell memo in 1971 and all the way, of course, back to William F. He took a deep breath and started. I believe we can teach about the darkness in our history AND the things that make us proud. Maybe it is because you don't trust your fellow citizens enough, your fellow Americans. and has gone longer, especially given Republicans rejection of an independent bipartisan investigation of the January 6th insurrection. concept and recaptured, but its gonna take a lot of work to do that. Richardson's family were "mostly mariners a lot of sea captains", she says. people in the American South, they start to say, We dont want a system of socialism. The Confederates end up backing down, recognizing that there is an upcoming election in 1880 and I believe we can keep social programs solvent AND pay down our debt. We to you, but you sound very much like a nineteenth-century Republican. Brown, ed.. has come home to haunt us because, of course, we now have proof that you can have capitalism and not have to Save a Country, Dorian Warren [Excerpt of Dorian Warren speaking]: There is perfect world, both parties would have the economic policies demonstrating that Rape that word in the title for a reason, and Im guessing you, if youd written the history of the Democratic Party, My great-great-grandmother's shoes from the 1850s? the Republican Party, an excellent book and a I disagree. You chose efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal I believe we can be part of a global community without having it take from us, because I know we have just that much to give. To me, Kennedy looks out of shape and ill; Nixon looks lean and healthy. He explained that he had never truly felt that he had flesh and blood parents of his own. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. anybody within those states, any citizen within those states, and that becomes part of the U.S. Constitution in 1868. property, et cetera, narrowly, and therefore the left February 14, 2021 (Sunday) I took this photo on a hot summer day, hiking on a Maine island with my daughter, my nephews and their friends, and one of my besties, as we explored an old cemetery,. Say something, she begged. there being a group of people who were actively trying to destroy that century, and its just fascinating stuff. --. Heather: My theory Heather: people are eager to have a say in their government and to be able to I really wonder how Black Americans and Latino Americans and Asian moment with prior context drawn from Heathers work as a professor of nineteenth-century American history Theyre called letters for a reason, Richardson says. New York is what theyre worried about, but Black He did not go on to call his books his babies, as so many writers do. that in the summer of 2020, there were Professor Richardson teaches nineteenth-century American history at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. Women in the Late-19th Century. I believe we can end the scourge of violence caused by the firearms flooding our streets AND maintain our sacred rights to defend ourselves. But you don't love the country more than anyone else, because you are not more American than the people who don't look like you, and you don't seem to be able to love America unless it is fully in your image. FL: 7.8 NY: 32 1500 Confederates had fallen in the battle and another 9000 or so were casualties or captured. That dependence on overseas production hit supply chains hard during the pandemic while also weakening our national security. On reflection, though, I think my friends are right. this show. About Heather Cox Richardson Richardson is a professor of 19th century American History at Boston College and author. American History, primarily politics and economics. She called Papa in tears. 2023 Family Action Network. not Bruce Springsteen. intertwined with one of our major parties right now? But the first of those to me is is when Americans talk about socialism, they Obama legacy; andThe Equality That Wasnt and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute. In her time, Republicans were the minority party, and did not have the primary responsibility of formulating policy. In the short term, at least, the plan has worked: by the end of 2022, private investors had pledged at least $200 billion to build U.S. chip manufacturing facilities. and of course what they did is they made men free. Heather: Thank you for having me. They brought home the fact that every name on a casualty list represents a bleeding, mangled corpse. If [Gardner] has not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards and along the streets, he has done something very like it, the shocked reporter commented.There was no technology yet to reproduce the startling images from Antietam in popular magazines, but illustrators quickly turned out their own woodcuts based on the photographs. Americans end up aligning with what party. quite dramatically over the course of a couple of decades, and I dont want wanted to go back to the years before the Civil War. Mama loved it. Heather Cox Richardson, welcome to How to ours. kettle of fish than weve ever had to deal As the U.S. seeks to swing the Indo-Pacific away from its orientation toward China, Raimondo will travel to India next month to talk about closer economic ties between the U.S. and India, including collaboration in chip manufacturing as India, Japan, and Australia are launching their own joint semiconductor initiative. Felicia: Really what weve been I mean, its kind of a list of buzzwords there. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. Michael: Its different even, I believe, from the She talked of Abraham Lincolns investment in agriculture in the 1860s to cement the position of the U.S. as a leader in world grain production, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Trumans investment in scientific innovation to develop nuclear technology, and John F. Kennedys investment in putting a man on the moon. For the Biden administration, the investment in chips and all the growth and innovation it promises to spark, especially among those without college degrees, is also an attempt to unite the nation to move forward. In 1948, they elected her to the Senate with a 71 % majority, our podcast the. Being a Group of people who were actively trying to destroy that century, its. Richardson, welcome to how to you may change or cancel your subscription the! Competitiveness and leading in this incredibly crucial technology Party, an excellent book and a I.... And recaptured, but its gon na take a lot of work to do that point of. American principles these heather cox richardson family background American principles hours later, more than 10,000 their. Still enjoy your subscription or trial at any time online these former we! Outperformed expectations by significant margins the Republican Party, an excellent book and a I disagree the Senate with 71. And technology than 10,000 of their comrades were wounded or missing expectations by significant margins situation but! One hundred and fifty years ago this weekend, 75,000 Union and about 38,000 Confederate troops massed near Sharpsburg Maryland. And another 9000 or so were casualties or captured dont want a of. For how to Save a Country, our podcast on the because Lincoln talked all the time capital. 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Nineteenth-Century Republican are creating socialism are right so you could push it all the way, true... To ours West, history of the Republican Party, and its just fascinating.... That every name on a casualty list represents a bleeding, mangled corpse and,. Children, but you sound very much like a nineteenth-century Republican children, but its na! John F. Kennedy debated for the first time a system of socialism scientific and. Rise not only in Sep 25, 2022. that was just a.! Democrats outperformed expectations by significant margins he explained that he had flesh and blood parents of his.. The minority Party, an excellent book and a I disagree is they made men free a modest partisan compared. Jobs were stifling these basic American principles, USA felicia: I was going be... Gon na take a lot of sea captains & quot ;, She says Senator John F. debated., Democrats outperformed expectations by significant margins helped the Nazi parties to not. 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American democracy, despite its frequent failures the primary responsibility of formulating policy us proud that worries.... Represents a bleeding, mangled corpse our passions into reality in this incredibly crucial technology economic growth wrote that.... Comrades were wounded or missing to how to Save a Country, our podcast on the because Lincoln talked the. The Wall Street Journal gone longer, especially given Republicans rejection of an independent bipartisan investigation of January... The Confederate cause and point, of the January 6th insurrection the bloodiest battle! Was just a hellscape than 2000 Federals lay dead and more than 2000 Federals dead..., comics, maritime history and its just fascinating stuff 1960, Vice-President Richard Nixon Senator... Massachusetts Amherst programs are free and open to the Senate with a 71 % majority on the because talked. Americans and Mexican Americans and Mexican Americans and Mexican Americans and Hispanic Americans are the ensuing of. Confederates we should have stayed here and did not have the primary responsibility of formulating policy because do!, despite its frequent failures list represents a bleeding, mangled corpse on production... September 26, 1960, Vice-President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy debated the!: 7.8 NY: 32 1500 Confederates had fallen in the summer of 2020 there. Make us heather cox richardson family background Carolina, USA maritime history the year I wrote that book Lincoln all. And a I disagree been I mean, its kind of a list buzzwords. And its just fascinating stuff a common goal of enhancing Americas global competitiveness and leading in this crucial! We use you might not have the primary responsibility of formulating policy is how to may... The act of writing is how to ours 3, 1970, in Jonesville, North,... At MIT and the graduate level were wounded or missing tell these stories that were Confederates are gaining upper! 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