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
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Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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The Rise of Bully Politics
Speakers of the House: Velvet Gloves and Iron Fists
Split Party Politics
Government Debt Roulette
New York, New York
Abortion: Whose Choice?
Climate Control
Attacking and Defending Voting Rights
Afghanistan & American Styles of War
Treason(ish)
A Backstage Peek
Projecting America at the Olympics
The Human Toll of Infrastructure
Culture Wars
Judging the Supreme Court
Creating Federal Holidays, July 4th to Juneteenth
Corrupting the Commonwealth
QAnon, Cults, and Cutlery
Battling Over Critical Race Theory
Investigating Democracy
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Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra