Now & Then

What has money meant in American society? On this episode of Now & Then, “The Culture of Cash,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman look at the culture of American currency & capital. They examine attempts in the early republic to create a viable national coinage system, the introduction of greenbacks during the Civil War, the success of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1933 bank holiday, and the songs and films that defined national conversations about money in the 20th century. How do systems of exchange reflect national values? How can different currencies highlight or spur political change? And how can past money debates help to contextualize the current battles over Bitcoin and cryptocurrency?

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/the-culture-of-cash

The executive producer is Tamara Sepper. The editorial producer is David Kurlander. The audio producer is Matthew Billy. The Now & Then theme music was composed by Nat Weiner. The Cafe team is Adam Waller, David Tatasciore, Sam Ozer-Staton, Noa Azulai, and Jake Kaplan. Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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Historian Heather Cox Richardson sat down with President Biden last week in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court.

Heather posted the interview on her Facebook and Substack profiles and is sharing it here for the CAFE and Vox Media audience.

Listen to this timely conversation between a historian and a president during a time of great upheaval, and as always, send us your thoughts and questions to [email protected].

Head to CAFE.com to explore more content and to listen to Heather and Joanne Freeman on Now & Then: cafe.com/now-and-then

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Book bans are back. What’s causing this resurgence? What have similar acts of censorship meant throughout American history? And how should concerned citizens respond? In this first installment of a special three-part series, “Bans, Schools, & Power: Book Panics,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss three past book panics: the political uproar over Hinton Helper’s 1857 The Impending Crisis of the South, the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial over the teaching of evolution, and the 1966 Virginia school controversy over Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Tune back in next week for a closer look at the specific role of schools in the battle over bans and censorship.

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/bans-schools-book-panics

The executive producer is Tamara Sepper. The editorial producer is David Kurlander. The audio producer is Matthew Billy. The Now & Then theme music was composed by Nat Weiner. The Cafe team is Adam Waller, David Tatasciore, Sam Ozer-Staton, Noa Azulai, and Jake Kaplan. Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why have public schools become a setting for heated political debates? In this second installment of a special three-part series, Heather and Joanne weigh in on the current nationwide tensions over censorship and parental control in American public schools.

Heather and Joanne look back on the founding concepts of American education, the rise of school reformers in the late 19th century, and the development of segregation academies during the 1960s.

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/bans-schools-power-public-education

Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the fourth episode of Now & Then, “QAnon, Cults, and Cutlery,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the recent FBI assessment of QAnon as a violent domestic terrorism threat. They also reflect on the historical relationship between cults and the government, from the Salem Witch Trials, to the utopian Oneida Community, to the tragic saga of Jonestown.

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. And for a limited time, use the code HISTORY for 50% off the annual membership price. Head to www.cafe.com/history

Thank you for listening! Join us each Tuesday for new episodes of Now & Then, and keep an eye out for live events with Heather and Joanne and the rest of the CAFE Team.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/qanon-cults-and-cutlery

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