Heather Cox Richardson grades America

American flags flying near the US Capitol Building on March 10, 2026. | Al Drago/Getty Images

How would you grade America’s first 250 years? 

That’s the question I posed to historian and professor Heather Cox Richardson on this week’s episode of America, Actually — and a question I pose to myself.

All grades are subjective, and the rubric of whether America earns a passing grade is one of position and perspective, but the best I could come up with was a B-/C+. 

The enduring model of multiracial democracy...