Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of American history and a prolific author. Her Letters from an American newsletter educates millions of daily readers about the historical precedent or, increasingly, the unprecedented nature of our political landscape.

It is our extraordinary honor that, for this consequential day in our modern history, she kindly took time to speak with The Contrarian’s co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, Jen Rubin, about what it means to be an American today, the joy of democracy, and history’s invaluable lesson: if we want to move forward, we must never shut up.