I’m not uneducated. I have a BA in PoliSci and a JD law degree from the University of Miami. I practiced law for almost 18 years and was a judge for almost 16 years before I retired in 2022. But I was not a student of history otherwise. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the historical perspective you bring to every topic. As I said,…
I’m not uneducated. I have a BA in PoliSci and a JD law degree from the University of Miami. I practiced law for almost 18 years and was a judge for almost 16 years before I retired in 2022. But I was not a student of history otherwise. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the historical perspective you bring to every topic. As I said, I’m not uneducated, but I sure am stupid about so much. Thank you for the lessons, dear Professor.
Heather Cox Richardson (born October 8, 1962) is an American historian. She is a professor of history at Boston College, where she teaches courses on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the American West, and the Plains Indians. She previously taught history at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Richardson has authored seven books on history and politics. In 2019, Richardson started publishing Letters from an American, a nightly newsletter that chronicles current events in the larger context of American history. Richardson focuses on the health of American democracy. The newsletter accrued over one million subscribers, making her, as of December 2020, the most successful individual author of a paid publication on Substack.
Richardson attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. She received her BA, MA, and PhD from Harvard University,
In 2023, Richardson published her seventh book, entitled Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America that she characterized as having grown from writings she began in 2019 and subsequent interactions with her readers.
In 2021, Richardson was on the Forbes 50 over 50 list and received the Frances Perkins Center Intelligence and Courage Award.
In 2022, she was recognized as one of the Women of the Year for 2022 by USA Today.
In 2023, The Guardian described her as the single most-important progressive pundit since Edward P. Morgan from the 1960s.
In 2024, the Authors Guild Foundation awarded her The Baldacci Award for Literary Activism for 2024.
In November 2024, Richardson was awarded the Kidger Award by the New England History Teachers Association at the NCSS Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Richardson has interviewed President Biden twice.
I appreciate Dr. Richardson’s lessons, as I am a history reader myself. I especially like how she connects events in our past to the present. Reading history is what makes me especially apprehensive about our present.
The accolades and awards continue to grow as well. There are a few others that you haven't mentioned that I am aware of.
If you search deep enough you can see what her former students thought of her as a Professor at U Mass - Amherst, MIT and BC. One student wrote that she responds to email in a few minutes and that she always makes time for her students.
I am delighted that we have access to her brilliance at connecting the past to the present. I live amongst many Trumpsters. Heather, and a few others, keep my moral compass focused with facts and knowledge.
Thank you. It’s the first account of Professor Richardson’s background that i’be seen. Good to know that even with a business school, Harvard can still educate. My wonderful professor of medieval Romance used to brag that he graduated from Harvard “while it was still a university—the year before the business school existed.”
I have a relative who graduated from Harvard. He is a nice person who helps people through his chosen profession. The members of my family who graduated from ivy league schools are all good people who excel in their professions.
It is regrettable that the bad apples get all the attention.
You Bob and a whole bunch of us very well educated, numerous graduate degree holders from all walks of life are HCR's humble students. My late grandma would have asked me build a shrine for HCR. Yes, our thanks to this amazing professor.
Bob Orlando, that’s how bad’SS Dr Heather Cox Richardson’s ripples of real stories skip across a lake of historical ‘connect-the-dots’. #jointheconversation
It has already been done. Please see Oliver Willis for his extreme details on everything the Biden Administration has done.
It is relevant to note that Letters from an American read like they would if Dr. Richardson were traveling through an America and posting letters back to, say, France on what it is like here.
And that is some of the reason the folks voted for Trump. They didn't know better. They didn't educate themselves. Now is the time. Tell others. It's too late for this go around, but we have a job to do in the next two years.
Bob, I too am grateful for HCR’s history lessons that are so much more detailed and nuanced than what I absorbed in public schools. I am reminded of two songs Pete Seeger performed in reading the post and your comment. HCR’s post Sailin up, Sailin down: https://youtu.be/da8kcFEaoAI. Your post What did you learn in school today: https://youtu.be/VucczIg98Gw
Bob, I view this page as an opportunity to audit a grad level history/politics class. The comment section is where we go out for coffee after class and discuss the lecture.
I too feel about the same way. My field is technology even though I'm a graduate of international politics and languages. Yet the depth and influence of each day of our history has been too transparent for me. NOW I see her insights as part of what we're needing to DO EACH DAY. We must act to preserve our democracy. So many lives depend on it.
Thank you sir. Ignorance has the pejorative sound of "stupid", which it is not. It simply means not knowing, unaware. Millions of stupid Americans have foisted this Pandemic POTUS off on us, and the rest of the world's populations. They did so primarily because IT is entertaining to them. That defines stupid. Far, far beyond simple ignorance.
A lot of educated folks in many professions don't realize that history matters...and they never received an appropriate education. Thanks for your reflections.
I’m not uneducated. I have a BA in PoliSci and a JD law degree from the University of Miami. I practiced law for almost 18 years and was a judge for almost 16 years before I retired in 2022. But I was not a student of history otherwise. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the historical perspective you bring to every topic. As I said, I’m not uneducated, but I sure am stupid about so much. Thank you for the lessons, dear Professor.
Dr. Richardson's resume is massive.
Heather Cox Richardson (born October 8, 1962) is an American historian. She is a professor of history at Boston College, where she teaches courses on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the American West, and the Plains Indians. She previously taught history at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Richardson has authored seven books on history and politics. In 2019, Richardson started publishing Letters from an American, a nightly newsletter that chronicles current events in the larger context of American history. Richardson focuses on the health of American democracy. The newsletter accrued over one million subscribers, making her, as of December 2020, the most successful individual author of a paid publication on Substack.
Richardson attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. She received her BA, MA, and PhD from Harvard University,
In 2023, Richardson published her seventh book, entitled Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America that she characterized as having grown from writings she began in 2019 and subsequent interactions with her readers.
In 2021, Richardson was on the Forbes 50 over 50 list and received the Frances Perkins Center Intelligence and Courage Award.
In 2022, she was recognized as one of the Women of the Year for 2022 by USA Today.
In 2023, The Guardian described her as the single most-important progressive pundit since Edward P. Morgan from the 1960s.
In 2024, the Authors Guild Foundation awarded her The Baldacci Award for Literary Activism for 2024.
In November 2024, Richardson was awarded the Kidger Award by the New England History Teachers Association at the NCSS Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Richardson has interviewed President Biden twice.
I appreciate Dr. Richardson’s lessons, as I am a history reader myself. I especially like how she connects events in our past to the present. Reading history is what makes me especially apprehensive about our present.
The accolades and awards continue to grow as well. There are a few others that you haven't mentioned that I am aware of.
If you search deep enough you can see what her former students thought of her as a Professor at U Mass - Amherst, MIT and BC. One student wrote that she responds to email in a few minutes and that she always makes time for her students.
Not surprising. Do you watch her podcasts?
I haven't watched them. I listened to her book on tape and read a couple of others, but I haven't watched the podcast.
She is a frequent guest on panels and discussions.
Thanx for this!!!! What a resume!!!
Democracy Awakening is a most worthwhile read
Thank you for the useful information 🙏
And, re-read and annotated in pencil.
I am delighted that we have access to her brilliance at connecting the past to the present. I live amongst many Trumpsters. Heather, and a few others, keep my moral compass focused with facts and knowledge.
I'm a total fanboy!
Thank you. It’s the first account of Professor Richardson’s background that i’be seen. Good to know that even with a business school, Harvard can still educate. My wonderful professor of medieval Romance used to brag that he graduated from Harvard “while it was still a university—the year before the business school existed.”
I have a relative who graduated from Harvard. He is a nice person who helps people through his chosen profession. The members of my family who graduated from ivy league schools are all good people who excel in their professions.
It is regrettable that the bad apples get all the attention.
You Bob and a whole bunch of us very well educated, numerous graduate degree holders from all walks of life are HCR's humble students. My late grandma would have asked me build a shrine for HCR. Yes, our thanks to this amazing professor.
Bob Orlando, that’s how bad’SS Dr Heather Cox Richardson’s ripples of real stories skip across a lake of historical ‘connect-the-dots’. #jointheconversation
But she could reach millions more by summarizing some of the info into short details we could post. For example. Top ten accomplishments of Biden.
Sandra, I follow George Cummings’ SubStack What Did Biden Do Today—he really does a dive into all the stuff that never seems to make to the MSM. I appreciate his efforts! https://whatdidbidendotoday.substack.com/p/what-did-joe-biden-do-today-342?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=954002&post_id=153183703&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=6wq7j&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
It has already been done. Please see Oliver Willis for his extreme details on everything the Biden Administration has done.
It is relevant to note that Letters from an American read like they would if Dr. Richardson were traveling through an America and posting letters back to, say, France on what it is like here.
You can also repost her work.
And that is some of the reason the folks voted for Trump. They didn't know better. They didn't educate themselves. Now is the time. Tell others. It's too late for this go around, but we have a job to do in the next two years.
Bob, I too am grateful for HCR’s history lessons that are so much more detailed and nuanced than what I absorbed in public schools. I am reminded of two songs Pete Seeger performed in reading the post and your comment. HCR’s post Sailin up, Sailin down: https://youtu.be/da8kcFEaoAI. Your post What did you learn in school today: https://youtu.be/VucczIg98Gw
Bob, I view this page as an opportunity to audit a grad level history/politics class. The comment section is where we go out for coffee after class and discuss the lecture.
Nicely put Alley. And the comments section is also where I have made some good friends.
Same here!
I too feel about the same way. My field is technology even though I'm a graduate of international politics and languages. Yet the depth and influence of each day of our history has been too transparent for me. NOW I see her insights as part of what we're needing to DO EACH DAY. We must act to preserve our democracy. So many lives depend on it.
Thank you sir. Ignorance has the pejorative sound of "stupid", which it is not. It simply means not knowing, unaware. Millions of stupid Americans have foisted this Pandemic POTUS off on us, and the rest of the world's populations. They did so primarily because IT is entertaining to them. That defines stupid. Far, far beyond simple ignorance.
A lot of educated folks in many professions don't realize that history matters...and they never received an appropriate education. Thanks for your reflections.