How have Americans viewed personal debt over the course of history? What can the morality and functionality of debt tell us about the debate over President Bident’s student loan forgiveness program?
Heather and Joanne discuss the history of debtors’ prisons in early America, the rise of bankruptcy laws after the Civil War, and the Cold War origins of federal student loans.
Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history
For more historical analysis of current events, sign up for the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter, featuring Time Machine, a weekly article that dives into an historical event inspired by each episode of Now & Then: cafe.com/brief
For references & supplemental materials, head to :cafe.com/now-and-then/forgiving-and-unforgiving-debts/
Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Heather Cox Richardson's Interview with President Biden
Defining the State of the Union
Bans, Schools, & Power: False Majorities
Bans, Schools, & Power: Public Education
Bans, Schools, & Power: Book Panics
The Culture of Cash
CAFE Insider Special 1/27: Breyer Retires
When Americans Can't Turn Away
Restitution & Reparations
The Lure of Political Outsiders
Historians Have Their Heroes
God & Morality in American Politics
Disinformation and Democracy
Encore: Creating Federal Holidays, July 4th to Juneteenth
Thanksgiving Wars
Mill ‘Girls,’ Company Men, & the Great Resignation
Associations: From the Masons to the Mob
Democracy Is In the Mail
Gastropod: Trick or Treat: Soul Cakes, Candy Corn, and Sugar Skulls Galore!
Voting Rights: The Big Picture (ft. Carol Anderson)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra