Washington, DC – February 16, 2026 – More Perfect, a bipartisan alliance of 43 Presidential Centers and many of the country’s leading educational and civic initiatives, today released the inaugural essays from In Pursuit, a national initiative – in partnership with Substack – in which leading American public figures and scholars share lessons from each American President and several First Ladies. The first two essays are written by President George W. Bush on George Washington and historian Karin Wulf on Martha Washington. The essays are available to read on the In Pursuit Substack page here.
“With Washington, character was key – in this case his humility, perseverance despite difficult odds, indomitable will, and the loyalty he inspired in others,” President Bush wrote in the essay. “The founding generation considered Washington to be the ‘indispensable’ man. Without him, there would be no America; and without America, the world would be a very different and much darker place.”
President Bush concluded, “I often say that the office of the president is more important than the occupant; that the institution of the presidency gives ballast to our ship of state. For that stability we are indebted to the wisdom of our founding fathers’ governing charter and the humility of our nation’s first president. It has guided us for 250 years, and it will strengthen us for our next 250 years.”
In her essay on Martha Washington, Brown University historian Karin Wulf writes that, like the president, Martha was cognizant of the precedent they were setting. “How was one to be a First Lady or a president when there had never been such a thing? Borrowing some ceremonial features from the system they knew best, tempered by the sentiments of the revolution, seemed sensible. Martha would hold ‘the first rank in the United States,’ and what she did or said, where she went and what she wore all made for political fodder.”
“We call it the ‘American Experiment,’ but we could do far more to learn from our past to improve our country’s future,” John Bridgeland, Founder & CEO of More Perfect, said. “These essays share one powerful lesson relevant to leadership, democracy, and character, and can serve as guides to a more perfect union. As we – as a country – think about this important anniversary, we’re excited to share these lessons with all Americans, especially teachers and those who see this year as a way to renew our civic engagement.”
“Presidents and First Ladies provide an accessible window in which we can learn about American history,” said Colleen Shogan, CEO of In Pursuit. “These short essays explore relevant lessons about both successes and failures in leadership. The project invites all Americans to reengage with our shared past to inform our present and future.”
Future essays and contributors include President Barack Obama on Abraham Lincoln; President Bill Clinton on Theodore Roosevelt; Michelle Obama on Jacqueline Kennedy; Laura Bush on Lady Bird Johnson; Hillary Clinton on Eleanor Roosevelt; Chief Justice John Roberts on William Howard Taft; General Stanley McChrystal on Ulysses S. Grant; Admiral Bill McRaven on Harry S. Truman; Lonnie Bunch on Martin Van Buren; Maria Shriver on Betty Ford; Ken Burns and Geoffrey Ward on Franklin Delano Roosevelt; Dr. Carla Hayden on Laura Bush; Condoleezza Rice on George H.W. Bush; Bret Baier on Dwight D. Eisenhower; Jon Meacham on Andrew Jackson along with many other leading scholars and public figures. The full release schedule and list of contributors is available at inpursuit.org/schedule.
“In America’s 250th year, Substack is honored to partner with More Perfect to bring historic essays to a wider audience on the platform. We champion long-form writing, documenting history, and building a better discourse together. These narrators are choosing to speak directly to the people,” said Catherine Valentine, Head of Politics at Substack.
In addition to each essay, which will publish on Substack each week in chronological order throughout 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, More Perfect is also partnering with Pulitzer-winning public media organization PRX to bring listeners everywhere In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan, a new podcast featuring Shogan’s conversations with contributors about the lessons we can learn from America’s past to write the history of America’s future. The new series will launch in Spring 2026 and will be available to audiences on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
“As a public media organization, we strive to serve the public interest through content and engagement that strengthens our communities and our democracy. In Pursuit embodies this mission,” said Stephanie Kuo, Vice President of Content at PRX. “We're proud to partner with Colleen Shogan and the team at More Perfect to bring audiences perspectives that unite and inspire us.”
On the evening of February 16, Colleen Shogan, will moderate a special discussion event with Yale University’s David Blight; Secretary of the Smithsonian, Lonnie Bunch; president emeritus of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust; and Karin Wulf, at The New York Historical in NYC. The event will be available to watch live on C-SPAN and archived on C-SPAN's website. Each of the essays will also appear on C-SPAN as short videos, read by the authors, and accompanied by imagery designed to enrich the viewing experience.
“In America’s 250th year, C-SPAN is proud to partner with More Perfect and In Pursuit to bring these video essays to a national television audience and to viewers across our platforms,” said C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist. “By pairing the authors’ own voices with vivid, thoughtfully curated visuals, we’re offering viewers an accessible and substantive way to reflect on the leadership, character, and democratic traditions that have shaped our country.”
More Perfect’s In Pursuit has been funded by the Ibis Group, the Lilly Endowment, Bezos Family Foundation, and the John D & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
More Perfect is a bipartisan alliance of 43 Presidential Centers, National Archives Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia, and more than 100 organizations working together to advance five foundational Democracy Goals: 1) Universal Civic Learning; 2) Expanding National Service & Volunteering; 3) Bridging Divides & Building Trust; 4) Trusted Elections & More Representative and Responsive Governance; and 5) Access to Trusted News & Information.
In Pursuit is led by CEO Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States & Senior Advisor to More Perfect & Senior Fellow in Civics at Stand Together; and Co-Chaired by John Bridgeland, More Perfect Founder & CEO and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush; Anita McBride, Director, First Ladies Initiative at American University and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and Mark Updegrove, President & CEO of the LBJ Foundation and Presidential Historian for ABC News; with Vice Chair Andrew Mangino, an award-winning social entrepreneur.
