Letters from an American

About Letters from an American

Letters from an American is a daily newsletter that provides historical context for current political events and news in the United States. Founded by Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College history professor, in September 2019, the newsletter began as daily Facebook posts during the Trump impeachment inquiry before transitioning to a Substack publication. Richardson analyzes contemporary political developments through the lens of American history, focusing on the health of American democracy and explaining complex situations in accessible, jargon-free language.

The newsletter achieved extraordinary growth, surpassing 1 million subscribers by December 2020 and becoming the most successful individual author publication on Substack at that time. By January 2024, the newsletter reached 1.3 million readers per edition, and by July 2025, it had grown to 2.5 million Substack subscribers with an additional 3.2 million Facebook followers. The publication was on track to generate $1 million in annual revenue by late 2020 and received Boston magazine's "Best of Boston" award for Best Pandemic Newsletter in 2021. Richardson expanded the newsletter into additional formats, including a podcast version and a book titled Democracy Awakening (2023), which grew directly from the newsletter content and her interactions with readers.