David Brooks writes about Ronald Reagan and how he led the country out of the hard times of the 1970s. Brooks argues that Reagan’s courage and moral clarity, backed by a rising conservative movement, restored Americans’ faith in themselves and helped end the Cold War.

I was delighted to join @tattooedhistorian.bsky.social and Kevin M. Levin (@civilwarmemory.bsky.social) to talk all things digital history, @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, the 250th, and the opportunities that await historians down the road. www.youtube.com/live/nkXMWo-...

What Does Digital History Actually Do? | Historians Off the Cuff LIVE w/ Jim Ambuske

YouTube video by The Tattooed Historian

youtube.com

Judy Woodruff writes about Rosalynn Carter and her decades of work on mental health.

David Rubenstein writes about Jimmy Carter and a career whose most lasting work came after the presidency.

@mariashriver.bsky.social writes about Betty Ford and the courage of speaking honestly. She publicly shared her breast cancer diagnosis, then her addiction to pills and alcohol, at a time when both were rarely discussed.

Today @askhistorians.bsky.social is joined by Dr. Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States and CEO of @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, for an Ask Me Anything! Come check it out! www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

From the AskHistorians community on Reddit: I'm Dr. Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States. I lead In Pursuit, a national initiative from More Perfect exploring America's history during...

Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community

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Today on @askhistorians.bsky.social, Colleen Shogan, the former Archivist of these United States, is doing an AMA on In Pursuit, a national initiative from More Perfect exploring America's history during our 250th anniversary. (You can ask her about archives, too!) www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

From the AskHistorians community on Reddit: I'm Dr. Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States. I lead In Pursuit, a national initiative from More Perfect exploring America's history during...

Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community

reddit.com

Richard Norton Smith writes about Gerald Ford and the burdens he inherited when he took office in 1974, from a struggling economy to the final chapter of the Vietnam War. The essay centers on the spring of 1975, when Ford oversaw the evacuation of Saigon and the difficult weeks that followed.

1/ “In Pursuit: Lessons of American Leadership,” @retroreport.org's new documentary special based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect, weaves interviews featuring prominent leaders, scholars and journalists with archival material to uncover what can be learned from the past.

1/ Salty language? Harry Truman was known for it, according to Anita McBride, a co-author of “Remember the First Ladies.” McBride shares how humor played a defining role in his relationship with the first lady in this short take from @retroreport.org.

Heath Hardage Lee writes about Pat Nixon and a style of diplomacy built on direct, personal contact. From a 1953 goodwill tour of Asia to the rubble of earthquake-struck Peru, she skipped formal protocol to meet people in schools, hospitals, and streets, often at real risk to her own safety.

1/ 🎷Do you remember when Bill Clinton played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show? A professor of history at Princeton, Sean Wilentz, reflects on how Clinton tried to connect with voters in this short take from @retroreport.org.

1/ In this short take from @retroreport.org, David Brooks reflects on a quip from the Gipper, aka Ronald Reagan. Watch In Pursuit: Lessons of American Leadership, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect, on 10/27 at 10/9c on @pbs.org: retroreport.org/articles/in-...

Thank you to @parademag.bsky.social for this feature of “In Pursuit: Lessons of American Leadership," a Retro Report special based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect. The special premieres 10/27 at 10/9c (check local listings) on @pbs.org. Read more: parade.com/news/pbs-has...

PBS Has a New History Special Featuring Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton

The hourlong special forces us to ask: what lessons can we learn from the history of the American presidency?

parade.com

Beverly Gage writes about Richard Nixon and a career driven by ambition and grievance in equal measure. Nixon rose from a struggling California family to win the White House in 1968 after one of the great comebacks in American politics.

Laura Bush writes about Lady Bird Johnson and the belief that conservation and public beauty are part of civic life.

1/ To mark America’s 250th anniversary, Retro Report's new special, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect, examines how presidents and first ladies navigated war, political division, social change and moments of national uncertainty.

Michael Beschloss (@beschlossdc1776.bsky.social) writes about Lyndon B. Johnson and a presidency that history is still sorting out. Johnson used a master legislator’s instincts to pass civil rights, Medicare, the War on Poverty, and the Voting Rights Act in a little more than two years.

“Regardless of party, our families understood that winning an election didn’t grant us the deed to a few acres of prime real estate to remake in our own image.” Michelle Obama for @inpursuitusa.bsky.social inpursuit.substack.com/p/jacqueline...

Jacqueline Kennedy by Michelle Obama

We should care for this country as we would our children

inpursuit.substack.com

Michelle Obama writes about Jacqueline Kennedy, a model of stewardship built around care without ownership. Mrs. Kennedy arrived at the White House at 31 and immediately set out to make the residence work for her children while restoring the public rooms as a tribute to the country's history.

2/ However, she’s known today for playing a major role in preserving and restoring the White House. Learn more in a new video: retroreport.org/video/how-be... This video is part of a series on the first ladies of the United States, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social by More Perfect.

The Fight to Save the White House from Demolition - Retro Report

Retro Report is an independent, nonprofit newsroom creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources.

retroreport.org

“Treat life as a working draft.” We’re excited to read the essay on President Kennedy by @alexiscoe.bsky.social for In Pursuit, a national civics project from More Perfect. Read here: inpursuit.substack.com/p/john-f-ken...

John F. Kennedy by Alexis Coe

Treat life as a working draft

inpursuit.substack.com

Alexis Coe (@alexiscoe.bsky.social) writes about John F. Kennedy as a figure who never stopped revising himself. Beneath the Camelot mythology, she traces a life shaped by chronic illness, loss, and a steady habit of turning setbacks into structure. @jfklibraryfdn.bsky.social

Marilyn Irvin Holt writes about Mamie Eisenhower, a first lady who connected with postwar America by being unmistakably herself. After three decades as a military wife, Mamie brought a strong sense of duty, style, and independence into the White House.

1/ First ladies have helped to move the nation forward, said Anita McBride, a co-author of “Remember the First Ladies.” Eleanor Roosevelt established a model for activism by championing civil rights, women’s rights and global human rights.

1/ What makes a great president? Historian Sean Wilentz, a professor at @princeton.edu, says it’s an ability to grow in office and confront the moral questions of their era. One example is John F. Kennedy’s gradually evolving support for civil rights.

Bret Baier writes about Dwight D. Eisenhower, the decorated general who didn't set out to be a politician but came to see the presidency as another way to serve his country.

Anita McBride writes about Bess Truman, the woman who spent just 82 days as second lady before unexpectedly becoming First Lady, a role she never wanted.

What if we have Mary Lincoln all wrong? Check out the latest episode of In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan featuring New York Times Best Selling author Lois Romano on the "inconvenient widow" who passed through her own fiery trial in Civil War America. inpursuit.substack.com/p/mary-linco...

Mary Lincoln's Fiery Trial

Listen now (32 mins) | Featuring Lois Romano

inpursuit.substack.com

Admiral Bill McRaven writes about Harry Truman and the principle behind the sign on his desk: the buck stops here. Truman inherited the presidency with 82 days as vice president, no briefing on the Manhattan Project, and a war still raging on two fronts.