250 to 250

As the nation gears up for the 2026 midterm elections, we are drawing a line beneath the first phase of the 250 to 250 project.

The project grew out of frustration that our history seemed to be mired in a political morass during what should have been a celebration of the nation’s first 250 years. But it grew beyond our wildest dreams, becoming, I think, a body of work that stands on its own.

Going forward, 250 to 250 will continue both as new videos—at a slower pace, now that the anniversary summer is over—and a new companion project for teachers, but we wanted to create an end bracket that would convey our thanks to everyone who has been so generous with their time, expertise, and support.

So, here it is, along with my profound thanks to the team that grew to create such an outstanding series, and the viewers who have made it all worthwhile.

Heather

Notes:

Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this video are in the public domain.

Photo of Jim Obergefell and John Arthur courtesy of Jim Obergefell

Personal photos provided courtesy of Cleve Jones.

Image of Hubble orbit credit: NASA/ESA

Image of polio-stricken girl courtesy of Dr. Peter Salk

Henry M. Flagler at Knights Key Dock, circa 1908 – 1912, courtesy of the Key West Art & Historical Society

Capitol Crawl image used by permission. © Tom Olin Collection, Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections, The University of Toledo Libraries

Timelapse photo of Greenwood District, Tulsa, Oklahoma by Patrick McNicholas, tulsapast.com

Photograph of Barbara Shermund c. 1940 courtesy of Amanda Janes Gormley

Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, and Andrew Burrell. 1994. © Ken Shung / mptvimages.com via Reuters Connect.

Trail of Tears for the Creek People. Photo of original artwork by TradingCardsNPS. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Dr. An Wang of Wang Laboratories, AP Photo

Bernie Sanders at an “Overturn Citizens United” protest. Photo by “Senate Democrats.” This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Bill Moyers speaking with attendees at a special screening and discussion of his documentary, “Rikers: An American Jail” at the First Amendment Forum at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona. 19 April 2017. Photo by Gage Skidmore

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Moyers_(34152369505).jpg

Excerpt of Martin Luther King’s April 3, 1957 “Justice Without Violence” lecture at Brandeis University © The King Estate.

Dolores Huerta speaking at a campaign rally with former President Bill Clinton at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona. 20 March 2016. Photo by Gage Skidmore This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

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