Heritage Explains

Harriet Tubman’s Shawl and Hymnal. Abraham Lincoln’s Hat. Chuck Berry’s Red Cadillac.   These are just a few of the estimated 157 million items currently held by the Smithsonian Institutions. Spread across 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 education and research centers, a zoo, and various other facilities, the Smithsonian was created by the federal government in 1846, and named after its founding dono...

America’s 250th anniversary of independence is being celebrated on the Fourth of July, this very week. And celebrations are taking place across the country. Tractor pulls. Concerts. Competitions. UFC Fights on the white house lawn.   But there’s another, slightly quieter, event happening in Philadelphia this year for America250: the burying of a time capsule.   America’s Time Capsule, as it’s call...

In July of 1777, gunshots rang out over Philadelphia. At first glance, this may not be surprising, as America was still in the throes of the Revolutionary War. But it was not the redcoats who were firing that night. It was Americans, celebrating the very first anniversary of their independence. The edition of the Philadelphia Evening Post, published on July 15 1777 described the celebration thus: ...

In 2025, data analytics company Gallup asked 144,000 people in 140 countries a survey question they have been asking for decades:   “Ideally, if you had the opportunity, would you like to move permanently to another country, or would you prefer to continue living in this country?”  If the respondent says they would like to move, they are then asked which country they would like to move to.   In 20...

In our political climate, it is always nice to have a bit of authentic bipartisanship. The Marshall plan to rebuild Europe following World War 2, the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower, and the Apollo Program are all examples of both political parties coming together for a common goal.   The first Trump Administration saw another of these moments in the passage of the Formerly In...

Graduation season is once more upon us. The long school year has come to a close, and now, in caps and gowns, the nation’s graduates gather to receive their various certifications, diplomas, and degrees, and listen to wisdom from a speaker.   However, many college graduations are not the same tranquil affairs they used to be. FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, reports that ...

Along with Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Massachusetts, Virginia describes itself as a commonwealth. In reality, a commonwealth is no different from a state. But in the English of colonial times, “commonwealth” denoted something along the lines of “a state for the common good”, and had a more revolutionary connotation. The state was for the people, not the people for the state. In some ways, this ha...

The tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire is located just 20 miles south of the Canadian boarder. Home to an idyllic hotel known for its skiing and golfing, the town itself had a population of four. At the time of the 2020 census.   But if you happen to be one of those residents, your election day experience is a bit different from most. At the stroke of midnight, you enter the polling place,...

During the Second World War, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, joined by Winston Churchill, sat down with Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek. The purpose of the meeting, now known as the Cairo Conference, was to strategize against the Empire of Japan and make preparations for a post-war Asia.   Nearly 30 years later, President Richard Nixon, seeing an opportunity to widen the distance betwe...

Jim Crow laws are the blanket name given to the the state and local laws that pervaded the American South from the 19th century all the way to the 1960s, which were meant to enforce racial segregation.  They limited the public services and facilities available to Black Americans. They included poll taxes, literacy tests, and other measures designed to limit the ability of Black Americans to exerci...

The Southern Poverty Law Center, founded in 1971, has its roots in the Civil Rights movement. But there’s reason to believe that this American institution, like so many others, has drifted from its original mission.    Here to talk about that is our resident SPLC expert here at the Heritage Foundation, Daily Signal Senior Editor, Tyler ONeil.      Email us with thoughts, questions, or suggestions:...

The US House and Senate are storied institutions and packed with traditions and procedures like these. Some, like the fabled “candy desk”, are whimsical artifacts of history. Others are more central to the way that government works, and one such is the Budget Reconciliation process. This is a unique mechanism for passing budget and finance related legislation in the House and Senate. In the wake o...

The American press has had high moments and low moments over the years, and it’s safe to say that we’re in a low one. After decades of dishonest reporting and blatant bias, trust in media has cratered. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, the number of Americans who report that they have a “great deal or fair” amount of trust that mass media reports the news “fully, fairly, and accurately has fallen t...

In some online subcultures, Women have been drawn into a debate between two competing archetypes: the girlboss and the tradwife. The girlboss is an ambitious woman who confidently takes on the business world, which is often dominated by men. The tradwife is a woman who subverts modern expectations by taking on traditional gender roles, prioritizing homemaking and the raising of children. But Herit...

Over the last few decades, serious concerns have arisen about the fitness of our Navy to counter America’s enemies, most importantly China. This has led the Trump Administration to announce a vision for a "Golden Fleet". Here to talk about that is Brent Sadler, former Naval Officer and a Senior Research Fellow here at Heritage.   --- Have thoughts, questions, or suggestions? Email us at...

Last week, the Trump administration announced major changes to the way that student loan debt will be managed, specifically moving that management from the Department of Education to the Department of the Treasury. I sat down with Jonathan Butcher, Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy here at the Heritage Foundation, to talk about why this is a huge step in the movement to ret...

The refusal of Democrat leaders in the senate to pass funding for the Department of HOmeland Security has had ramifications across the country. It has affected employees of FEMA, the Coast Guard, the TSA, and many other agencies. To explain why this happening and what to expect in the coming weeeks, I sat down with Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center, here at the Heri...

This week, on March 8, people around the world celebrated International Women’s Day. Too often, we’ve been conditioned to see the complementary of the sexes more as a conflict, and that has ramifications for all of society. At the Heritage Foundation, we believe that there is a better way, where the contributions and uniqueness of men and women are recognized and honored. This week, I wanted to in...

On Saturday, after a third round of failed negotiation with the aspiring nuclear state of Iran, the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation called Epic Fury.  Those strikes were successful in eliminating the majority of Iranian Senior leadership, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. War is never a decision to be taken lightly, as lives and nations hang in th...

The State of the Union Address is one of the most anticipated political events of the year. Of course, it’s surrounded by tradition and ceremony. All three branches of the federal government gather in the House Chamber, the galleries pack with guests from every walk of life, the pundits gather their audiences, and the cameras all focus on one carefully crafted message from the leader of the free w...

Business is not just about making money. It’s about making opportunity. Supporting families. Making culture. That’s why the Heritage Foundation is standing up the Free Enterprise Initiative, to support merit and integrity in business. To Explain what the Free Enterprise Initiative is up to these days, I sat down with the Senior Advisor to the project, Allen Mendenhall.  ---  Thoughts? Questions? E...

Washington is abuzz with talk of the SAVE America act, a piece of legislation that is designed to secure American elections and ensure that only American citizens have the right to vote.  The proposed law is experiencing a groundswell of popular support, but also opposition. To understand what makes this law consequential, I sat down with Chip Wyatt and Dan West, both ofHeritage Action for America...

The ways that human beings exchange value are complicated and often involve tradeoffs. Things you think were a great idea often come with hidden costs. And so it is with federal financial policy. Everything the government does has consequences downstream.   I sat down with Heritage chief Economist EJ Antoni to discuss his outlook on the first year of economic policy from the Trump Administration. ...

This audio comes from Minneapolis Minnesota earlier this week, as Anti-ICE protestors mobbed a hotel where they believed ICE agents were staying. Two federal agents were left trying to defend the building and staff as protestors smashed windows and attempted to enter. Normally, local law enforcement would be present to defuse a situation like this, but Minneapolis police were nowhere to be found. ...

On Sunday morning, a group of anti-ICE protestors stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota during services, reportedly because the pastor of the church appears to also be an ICE official.   This is the latest escalation in an ongoing confrontation taking place in Minneapolis between Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (also known as ICE) carrying out their duties and protestors (often encoura...