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?

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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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