In May 2016, the Federal Reserve reported that 46% of Americans would struggle to find $400 for an emergency expense. Debt and precarity have become increasingly important political issues recently but middle-class financial uncertainty has a long history. In this episode of History Matters, Keith talks with Dr. Tawny Paul about debtors' prisons in 18th century Britain, which are at the intersection of two huge issue--debt and mass incarceration.