Heather and Joanne discuss the political climate surrounding the dramatic expulsion and reinstatement of Tennessee legislators Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. They also place the controversy within the history of state legislative expulsions, from the White Supremacist 1875 Mississippi Plan, to the 1920 attacks on New York State Socialist politicians, to the failed 1986 GOP quest to oust anti-war activist Tom Hayden from the California State Assembly. 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. This week, they discuss their emotional responses to the Tennessee legislative expulsions. Head to: cafe.com/history

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/expulsions-and-ousters-the-threat-in-tennessee/

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

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

President Biden has formally declared that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained in Russia. Heather and Joanne reflect on Gershkovich’s plight and look at three other political detainments in American history: the 1776 arrest by the British of Continental Army Major General Charles Lee, the 1861 Confederate capture of New York Congressman Alfred Ely, and the 1974 abduction by the Symbionese Liberation Army of California heiress Patty Hearst. 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. This week, they discuss their memories of hostage-taking and bomb scares in the early 1970s. Head to: cafe.com/history

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/hostages-as-messages/

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

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

President Biden recently met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reaffirming the U.S.-Canada relationship and announcing the countries’ joint efforts at tackling a range of issues, from immigration to climate change. Heather and Joanne use the meeting as a springboard to discuss the ups and downs of America’s relationship with its Northern neighbor, from Revolutionary War attempts by colonists to draft Canada into the War, to Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s 1860s quest to annex British Columbia, to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s meteoric rise. 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. This week, they discuss their early understandings of other nations. Head to: cafe.com/history

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/canada-and-the-one-way-mirror/

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

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

New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg remains in the spotlight amid a widely expected indictment by his office of former President Donald Trump. Heather and Joanne place DA Bragg’s unprecedented position in the history of New York County District Attorneys, from 1800s duellists to the patrician Robert Morgenthau. How have past DAs balanced the pursuit of justice against the pressure of partisan politics?

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

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/district-attorneys-where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/

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

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

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has sparked a larger conversation about the role of financial institutions in American life. Heather and Joanne reflect on the cultural and aesthetic history of banks, from the Greek Revival-influenced Second Bank of the United States, to the robberies of express trains in the late 1800s, to the emergence of ornate Art Deco banks during the high-flying 1920s. 

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

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/why-americans-hate-and-love-banks/

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

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

This week, we are making Backstage, usually only available to members of CAFE Insider, available for all Now & Then listeners. Backstage is where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ideas that formed the episode. 

During the main Now & Then episode, Heather and Joanne discussed four pioneering women journalists. In Backstage, they reflect on the barriers they have faced as women historians. 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to more installments of “Backstage,” and get access to all the exclusive content. Head to: cafe.com/history

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

Heather and Joanne discuss the increased visibility–and resultant online abuse–of women journalists in 2023, and reflect on four pioneering voices: Anne Royall, Martha Gellhorn, Ethel Payne, and Lisa Olson. What barriers have American women climbed over to have a voice in reporting the nation’s news? 

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

Listen to “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/women-journalists-and-their-fight-to-be-heard/

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

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

Heather and Joanne discuss how the aftermath of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio resembles past American debates over the handling of waste. They talk about New York City’s 19th century sanitation pigs, the rise of the “Garbage Ladies” in Progressive Era Chicago, and the long shadow of the 1978 Love Canal crisis. 

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

Listen to the first two episodes of “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/trash-and-pollution-who-pays/

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

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

To honor the beginning of Women’s History Month, Heather and Joanne tell the stories of three women who changed the American legal tapestry: Martha Bradstreet and her fight against coverture, Josephine Goldmark and her quest for labor justice, and Rosa Parks and her battle to to find accountability for victims of rape and sexual assault. 

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

Listen to the first episode of “Up Against The Mob: The Springfield Crew”: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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/women-change-makers-three-legal-battles/

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

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

With the recent spate of UFO shootdowns by the U.S. Air Force, Heather and Joanne discuss America’s historical fascination with aerial mysteries, from John Winthrop and Increase Mather’s colonial reports of sightings, to the 1890s “Mystery Airship” craze, to the 1942 “Battle of Los Angeles," to the 1970s pop cultural UFO moment. 

What can UFOs tell us about American hopes and fears? 

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/what-ufos-say-about-us/

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

Check out other CAFE podcasts: 

Stay Tuned with Preet: apple.co/2BxXfiO

Up Against The Mob: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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

In light of the new Republican House majority’s denial of committee seats to Representatives Ilhan Omar, Eric Swalwell, and Adam Schiff, Heather and Joanne discuss the history and functioning of committees, from early debates over committee secrecy, to the role of the crucial 1890s role of the House Committee on Ways and Means, to the development of the Ethics and Intelligence Committees. 

How can congressional committees help us to understand the politics and culture of Washington? 

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/congressional-committeesand-power/

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

In the aftermath of two mass shootings involving AAPI populations, Mary Lui, a professor of History and American Studies at Yale, joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the influence of Asian Americans on the nation’s trajectory, from the origins of the “Old China Trade,” to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, to the 1960s protest movements that fought for Asian American rights in the academy and beyond. 

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/asian-american-identities-a-national-story-with-mary-lui/

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

Check out other CAFE podcasts: 

Stay Tuned with Preet: apple.co/2BxXfiO

Up Against The Mob: apple.co/3x4sgYj

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

Following the announcement that Chief of Staff Ron Klain is leaving his position and Jeff Zients is taking over, Heather and Joanne look back at the history of unelected and unconfirmed presidential advisors, from Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet, to the transformative work of early 1900s White House mainstay George B. Cortelyou, to the rise and fall of Eisenhower Chief of Staff Sherman Adams. 

How have these figures communicated with the chief executive over the course of American history? How has the public perceived these important aides? 

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/advisors-and-chiefs-of-staff-the-powers-of-the-presidents-people/

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

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

Why are some American sheriffs resisting government policies, including gun safety laws and even the peaceful transition of presidential power, while claiming constitutional authority? And how has the role of the sheriff impacted our national life? 

Heather and Joanne discuss how sheriffs have enforced and defied laws throughout U.S. history, from the emergence of the office in colonial America, to the frontier violence of the 1892 Johnson County War, to 1960s standoffs with segregationist sheriffs. 

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-constitutional-sheriff-myth/

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

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

How have animals influenced the American economy over the course of the nation’s history? And why have we seen such a sizable pandemic pet boom? 

Heather and Joanne discuss three moments where animals shaped national culture and financial health: the rise of the frontier cat in the mid-1800s, the decline of the urban horse in the early 1900s, and the brief craze in backyard chicken coops that accompanied both World Wars. 

Now & Then has won the inaugural Signal Award for Best History Podcast! Thank you so much for voting for us! 

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/horses-cats-and-chickens-animal-power-and-us/

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

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

Could the arrival of a new Congress and the more hopeful national tone be the start of a new era in American life?

Heather and Joanne discuss past transitions between national epochs, from the advent of the Era of Good Feelings, to the rise of the Progressive Era, to the sea change triggered by the 1964 arrival of The Beatles. 

Now & Then has won the inaugural Gold and Listener's Choice Signal Awards for Best History Podcast! Thank you so much for voting for us! 

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/things-are-looking-up-a-new-years-show/

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

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

How do board games reflect America? How do debates over politics and identity show up in popular games? And how have these games shifted along with the nation?

In this holiday encore presentation of an August episode, Heather and Joanne discuss the development of the American board game, from the influence of the Game of the Goose in Early America, to the pre-Civil War origins of the Checkered Game of Life, to several impactful 1960s games. 

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/encore-from-monopoly-to-mystery-date/

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

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

How have marginalized Georgians fought for voting rights and equality over the course of the state’s history? 

Emory University African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson joins Heather and Joanne for a special year-end episode to discuss the pain and promise of the quest for equality in Georgia, from the 1868 Camilla Massacre, to the 1966 struggle to seat Black state legislator Julian Bond, to Senator Rafael Warnock’s recent victory. 

Vote for Now & Then in the Best History Podcast category of the Signal Awards: bit.ly/3WhbYWL  

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/georgia-voting-rights-on-my-mind-with-carol-anderson/

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

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

Former President Trump has called for the termination of the Constitution and the overturning of the 2020 election. What makes Trump’s comments so dangerous? When has the Constitution been under siege before? And how can we protect the document that undergirds our democracy? 

Heather and Joanne discuss early constitutional debates, the rocky passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the 1970s rise of “originalism” as a theory of constitutional interpretation.  

Vote for Now & Then in the Best History Podcast category of the Signal Awards: bit.ly/3WhbYWL  

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/why-terminating-the-constitution-matters/

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

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

Following the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the undoing of its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, Heather and Joanne discuss the businesspeople and money-makers who have fallen hardest throughout American history. How do we find the line between the “con man” and the capitalist? 

Heather and Joanne talk about the mid-1800s origins of the “con man,” the loss of belief in financiers during the Great Depression, and the Keating Five scandal of the late 1980s. 

Vote for Now & Then in the Best History Podcast category of the Signal Awards: bit.ly/3WhbYWL

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/ftx-con-men-and-the-power-of-grift/

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

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

How did the Speaker of the House become such a crucial role in Washington? How do Speakers balance control with collaboration? And how can iconic Speakers from the past help to contextualize Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s tenure? 

On this encore presentation of an October 2021 episode of Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss significant Speakers of the House, from Henry Clay, to Thomas Brackett Reed, to Tip O’Neill. They also offer new insight on the significance and success of Pelosi’s speakership. 

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/encore-speakers-of-the-house-velvet-gloves-and-iron-fists/

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

Now & Then presents a conversation between Heather and Joanne from last Thursday, November 17th, recorded live at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. 

Heather and Joanne highlighted five objects in the Society’s collection that shed light on unsung brave Americans who made a difference with their art and activism–from an intrepid cheese engineer, to a group of imprisoned indigenous illustrators, to a defiant Harlem Renaissance sculptor. 

The talk was in conjunction with Heather and Joanne’s receipt of the 2022 William Hickling Prescott Award for Excellence in Historical Writing, presented in partnership between MHS and the National Society of The Colonial Dames of America - Massachusetts.  

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/now-then-live-the-unsung-voices-episode/

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

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

How did the youth impact last week’s midterm elections? And how have young people fought for representative democracy in American history? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the history of the youth vote in America, from the 1860 “Wide Awake” movement, to the “virgin vote,” to the long quest for the 26th Amendment. 

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 and get 50% off a CAFE Insider membership for a limited time.

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-power-of-the-youth-vote/

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

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

What should we make of political polls? Are they to be trusted? And why are Americans so interested in measuring public opinion? 

This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the history of polling in the United States, from the informal tavern visits by allies of Washington and Hamilton, to the rise of George Gallup, to the current polling discourse surrounding the midterm elections.

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/power-polling-public-opinion/

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

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

The term 'fascism' is often invoked these days from voices on both the Left and the Right. Heather and Joanne start by defining the term and and have a conversation firmly rooted in history, from the proto-fascism of Southern enslavement, to the fascist playbooks established by Mussolini and Hitler, to the current risks for the normalization of fascist ideology and tropes in the United States. 

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/fascism-meanings-and-methods/

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

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

Why is there so much dark money in politics? How have political funders concealed their identities and motivations? And how does this sleight of hand damage American democracy? 

This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the role of capital in political maneuvering, from Thomas Jefferson’s 1791 funding of an anti-Federalist newspaper, to department store magnate John Wanamaker’s 1888 herding of Republican businessmen, to Richard Viguerie’s 1970s direct mail campaigns. 

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/fat-cats-and-hidden-hands-in-politics/

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

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

How did college become so expensive? Why is higher education the subject of so much political and cultural division? And how can we restore a sense of equality to learning? 

This week on Now & Then, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the history of higher education and his new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It. 

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/educating-a-nation-higher-ed-in-peril-with-will-bunch/

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

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

What can American instruments teach us about democracy? What does the controversy over Lizzo’s playing of James Madison’s crystal flute tell us about racism, representation, and the roots of our current cultural moment? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the evolution of the banjo, the popularity of the steel drum, and the 1970s development of hip-hop and rap production.

NOTE: Starting this week, Now & Then will be releasing new episodes on Wednesday mornings.

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. For a limited time, new members can get 40% off the annual membership price with special code MIDTERMS. 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-meaning-of-madisons-flute-who-owns-music/

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

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

How has Puerto Rico shaped American history? How does the national response to Hurricane Fiona reflect the complex relationship between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States?

Heather and Joanne discuss Puerto Rico’s historical trajectory, from Spanish colonization, to the 1900s Insular Cases, to the cultural impact of Rafael Hernández Marín’s music and West Side Story. 

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

NOTE: Next week’s episode will be released on Wednesday, October 12th.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/puerto-rico-has-stories-to-tell/

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

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

How has American immigration policy shifted over our national history? What can these changes show about how the U.S. defines “us” and “them”? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the politics and prejudices surrounding the two 1790s Naturalization Laws, the Immigration Act of 1924, the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, and the current Republican rhetoric about migrants at the Southern border. 

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/immigration-defining-us-and-them/

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

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

How do Americans view the British monarchy? What role have England’s Kings and Queens played in helping to define democracy in the United States? And what can the stateside reaction to Queen Elizabeth II’s death tell us about America and the United Kingdom today?

Heather and Joanne discuss moments from the reigns of the three longest-serving British monarchs: King George III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II.

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/mad-about-monarchy/

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

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

When have American leaders confronted particularly hostile political opposition? How can fighting back against an unjust party help the nation? And what might the history of these back-and-forths say about the recent vibe shift in the Democratic Party? 

Heather and Joanne discuss other moments where politicians pushed back, from Massachusetts Representative Anson Burlingame’s willingness to duel South Carolina's Preston Brooks after the caning of Charles Sumner in 1856, to FDR’s 1936 “I Welcome Their Hatred” speech, to the ubiquity of 1980s underdog movies. 

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/when-parties-push-back/

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

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

Who gets to decide the future of reproductive rights? 

In this encore presentation of a Now & Then episode originally broadcast in September 2021, Heather and Joanne discuss the history of abortion from the colonial period to the present: the surprising availability of abortion until the mid-19th century, the physician-led campaign to ban abortion, and the GOP’s decision in the early 1970s to embrace the “pro-life” movement. 

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/encore-abortion-whose-choice

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

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

How have vacations shaped American democracy? What can travel reveal about identity and national culture? And how does the history of tourism reflect the uncertainty of travel today? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the Grand Tour in early America, the rise of the post-Civil War “See America First” movement, and the efforts by Black motorists to remain safe during the mid-20th century. 

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/vacation-nation

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

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

How do board games reflect America? How do debates over politics and identity show up in popular games? And how have these games shifted along with the nation?

Heather and Joanne discuss the development of the American board game, from the influence of the Game of the Goose in Early America, to the pre-Civil War origins of the Checkered Game of Life, to several impactful 1960s games. 

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/from-monopoly-to-mystery-date

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

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

How do Americans respond to taxation? What do trends around taxation say about American culture and values? And how can the history of tax policy help us to understand the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the legacies of the 1765 Stamp Act, the introduction of the income tax during the Civil War, and the tax-slashing ideology of 1920s Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. 

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/does-anyone-love-taxes/

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

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

What happens when there are gaps in the historical records of some of America’s most seismic political events? How do historians try to piece together those mysteries? And how might these question marks help to contextualize the missing Secret Service texts from January 6th? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the mysteries surrounding the 1804 Burr-Hamilton Duel, the 1865 Hampton Roads Conference, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing. 

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/tracking-historys-mysteries/

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

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

Heather and Joanne are off this week, so we’re showcasing an episode from another Vox Media Podcast Network show: “The Milk of Life,” from Gastropod. On Gastropod, hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley explore the history and science behind everyday foods. Past episodes have examined everything from the evolution of the cookie to the surprising impact the coffee bean has had on world history.

In this installment, originally aired on June 21st, Cynthia and Nicola use the ongoing baby formula shortage as inspiration for a wide-ranging investigation of the origins and development of formula. 

Heather and Joanne will be back next Tuesday with a brand new episode of Now & Then, which will focus on how the missing Secret Service records from the days before January 6 evoke other political mysteries from American history. 

In the meantime, enjoy this episode of the Gastropod podcast. And if you like it, you can find more episodes of Gastropod at link.chtbl.com/Gastropod. New episodes drop every other Tuesday. For a transcript and show notes for “The Milk of Life,” head to gastropod.com/the-milk-of-life

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

How have American militias shaped the nation? And why do ‘militia movements’ keep returning to the fore of our national politics? 

On Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the role of militias in the 1786 Shays’ Rebellion, during the tumultuous Reconstruction years, and in the 1990s ‘Modern Militia Movement.’ 

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/militia-movements

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

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

What are the origins of the Second Amendment? And what can America’s painful racial history illuminate about our national relationship to guns? 

On this special Live Taping of Now & Then, Heather and Joanne talk to Carol Anderson, professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. 

The trio discuss how the recent spate of mass shootings — and Supreme Court decisions striking down gun control measures in liberal-leaning cities and states — echo the longstanding inequalities embedded in American gun ownership. 

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/racism-and-the-second-amendment-with-carol-anderson

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

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

Following the news of Rudy Giuliani’s inebriated advice to Donald Trump on election night, Heather and Joanne dive into the historical role of alcohol in American politics. How have the norms around alcohol shifted — and how has that impacted our history?

Heather and Joanne cover Franklin Pierce’s alcoholism, Warren Harding’s Prohibition-era hypocrisy, and the 1970s reckonings over alcohol in Congress. 

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

Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Editorial Producer: David Kurlander; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Theme Music: Nat Weiner; CAFE Team: Adam Waller, David Tatasciore, Sam Ozer-Staton, Noa Azulai, and Jake Kaplan. Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS 

• Dana Milbank, “Rudy Giuliani, drunk on conspiracy theories,” The Washington Post, 6/13/2022
• Trish Bendix, “Late Night Blames It on the Alcohol,” noah-rudy-giuliani-jan-6.html">New York Times, 6/14/2022
• Cameron Joseph, “Trump’s Top Advisers Say Drunk Giuliani Urged Him to Declare Victory,” VICE, 6/13/2022

FRANKLIN PIERCE

• Katherine Winton Evans, “Rebellious Spirits: Hard Liquor in Early America,” The Washington Post, 12/30/1979
• Jacob Appel, “The Derailment of Franklin Pierce,” Hektoen International, 3/26/2021
• Cromwell Whipple, “Mr. Whipple's address to the sober, moral and temperate men, of all parties!” Brown University, 10/22/1852
• J. Childs, “Social Qualities of Our Candidate,” Library of Congress, 1852
• “Franklin Pierce’s murky legacy as President,” National Constitution Center, 10/8/2021
• “The Triumph and Tragedy of Franklin Pierce,” New England Historical Society, 2021
• “President Franklin Pierce Warmly Endorses the Kansas-Nebraska Act as ‘Demonstrably Right and Patriotic,’” Shapell, 3/9/1854

WARREN HARDING

• Warren Harding, “Address in Denver Colorado,” UCSB Presidency Project, 6/25/1923
• Myra MacPherson, “'Princess' Alice Roosevelt Longworth,” The Washington Post, 2/21/1980
• Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Crowded Hours, Archive.org, 1933
• Aaron Killian, “Warren G. Harding: A Scandalous Presidency,” Historic America, 4/27/2021

THE RECKONING

• Mark Kelly, “Ted Kennedy on the Rocks,” GQ, February 1st, 1991
• Josh Sandburn, ““The Kennedy Machine Buried What Really Happened”: Revisiting Chappaquiddick, 50 Years Later,” Vanity Fair, 7/17/2019
• Wayne King, “Wilbur Mills Offers Sober Testimony to an Alcoholic Past,” mills-offers-sober-testimony-to-an-alcoholic-past-entering.html">New York Times, 12/4/1978
• Stephen Green and Margot Hornblower, “Mills Admits Being Present During Tidal Basin Scuffle,” The Washington Post, 10/11/1974
• Julian Zelizer, “The sex scandal that reshaped Congress — and the warnings for today,” The Washington Post, 3/1/2021
• Hugh Sidey, “In Defense of the Martini,” TIME, 10/24/1977
• “Betty Ford Says That She Is Addicted to Alcohol,” The Washington Post, April 22nd, 1978
• “Betty Ford on Admitting She was an Alcoholic,” ABC News, 1987
• Elaine Sciolino, “Washington at Work; A Year After Rejection in Senate, Tower Replays Loss of Coveted Job,” work-year-after-rejection-senate-tower-replays-loss-coveted-job.html">New York Times, 4/5/1990
• Jamie Dupree, “Flashbacks to John Tower as Senators review Kavanaugh FBI file,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, 10/3/2018

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

Heather and Joanne react to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. How did we get here? What does the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs signal for the future of women’s reproductive rights and broader civil rights in America? What kind of unique perspective do women historians bring to understanding this moment?

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

Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Editorial Producer: David Kurlander; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Theme Music: Nat Weiner; CAFE Team: Adam Waller, David Tatasciore, Sam Ozer-Staton, Noa Azulai, and Jake Kaplan. Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

• “Now & Then: Abortion: Whose Choice?” CAFE.com, 9/14/2021

• “The Dobbs v. Jackson Decision, Annotated,” court-dobbs-jackson-analysis-roe-wade.html">New York Times, 6/24/2022
• Justice Benjamin Robert Curtis, “Dissenting Opinion, Dred Scott v. Sanford,” curtis-dissenting.php">Rutgers, 1857
• Amy Howe, “In 6-3 ruling, court strikes down New York’s concealed-carry law,” SCOTUSBlog, 6/23/2022
• “Anson Burlingame,” HarpWeek, 1998
• Frida Ghitis, “Opinion: These two women reminded America why Tr… must be prosecuted,” CNN, 6/23/2022

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

On this encore episode of Now & Then, originally aired in June 2021 amid a Republican filibuster of an independent commission investigating January 6th, Heather and Joanne discuss the history of congressional commissions, from the investigation of the 1856 caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, to the 1871 Ku Klux Klan hearings, to 1954 back-and-forth between Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Army. 

We’ll be back with a new episode next Tuesday! 

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/encore-investigating-democracy

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

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

What are the political purposes of nostalgia? Why does the GOP idealize the American past? And what can this backward-looking perspective give or take away from our collective future?

On Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the role of nostalgia in American political history, from Puritan Jeremiads, to the 1913 Gettysburg and Fort Wagner reunions, to the emergence in the 1970s of a cultural obsession with the 1950s. 

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/nostalgia-political-power

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

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

Why have NFTs captured the American imagination? What can the recent instability in the NFT market tell us about the history of speculative bubbles? 

Heather and Joanne put the NFT craze in context with other American financial booms & busts, from the Panic of 1792, to the 1890s Yukon Gold Rush, to the late 1990s dot-com bubble. 

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-mirage-of-money-or-nfts-wtf

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

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

Why are Americans so preoccupied with so-called “cancel culture”? What are the lines between accountability and cancellation? And what drives citizens to stand against objectionable statements?

On this final episode in a three-part series on free speech, Heather and Joanne discuss the fall from grace of Loyalist politician Thomas Hutchinson during the Revolutionary period, the suppression of the German language during World War I, and the 2003 controversy over The Chicks’ public condemnation of the Iraq War. 

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/free-speech-what-is-cancel-culture

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

What have been the gravest threats to a free press over the nation’s history? And how can the past tell us how to safeguard our access to information today? 

On this second episode in a three-part series on free speech, Heather and Joanne discuss the 1837 murder of abolitionist journalist Elijah P. Lovejoy, the role of Joseph Pulitzer in the creation of the independent press, and the rise and fall of the Fairness Doctrine. 

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/free-speech-the-power-of-an-independent-press

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

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

How has the federal government limited and protected free speech rights over the course of American history? How have citizens responded when Washington has limited their speech rights? And what can Elon Musk’s commentary on online free speech tell us about the difficult lines between free speech, disinformation, and political power? 

In this first installment of a three-episode series on free speech, censorship, and so-called cancel culture, Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman explore the Alien & Sedition Acts, the Palmer Raids and the post-WWI rise of the ACLU, and the 1980s debate over burning the American flag. 

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/free-speech-the-government-and-us

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

Heather and Joanne are off this week, so we’re showcasing an episode from another Vox Media Podcast Network show: “How the 1918 Flu Pandemic Ended,” from The Weeds. Hosts Dara Lind and Dylan Matthews often explore the roots of our current political issues, from healthcare, to immigration, to housing.  

In this installment, originally aired in January, host and Senior Vox Correspondent Dylan Matthews talks with historian John Barry, who wrote an authoritative account of the 1918 flu pandemic, “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic.”

Heather and Joanne will be back next Tuesday for the first installment in a new three-episode series about free speech, censorship, and so-called “cancel culture.” 

In the meantime, enjoy this episode of the Weeds podcast. And if you like it, you can find more episodes of the Weeds at vox.com/the-weeds, or by searching for “The Weeds” in your favorite podcast app. 

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

How has America historically defined physical disabilities? How have disability rights activists achieved hard-fought wins? And how does the current debate over mask mandates and pandemic restrictions leave out those with disabilities or chronic illness? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the impact of pensions for disabled war veterans in the Revolutionary and Civil War periods, the interlocking histories of racism, sexism, and ableism, and the impact of the 1970s disability rights movement. 

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/a-disability-discourse

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

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

How have Jewish Americans fought for their identities? And how have other American groups used Jews to define themselves? White House celebrations of the recent Passover holiday have sparked conversations over how Jewish identity interacts with broader American self-definitions.  

Heather and Joanne discuss the early American contention that indigenous Americans were the Lost Tribes of Israel, the controversy over Ulysses S. Grant’s treatment of Jewish Americans during the Civil War, and the U.S. reception of Anne Frank’s diary. 

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/american-jews-and-the-american-story

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

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

Who should support the needy in American society? The news is filled with controversies over the use and misuse of philanthropy, from Mackenzie Scott’s giving drive, to Elon Musk tax avoidance claims, to GoFundMe campaigns. 

Heather and Joanne look at historical debates over philanthropy, from colonial community support and “warning out” laws, to Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth,” to the relationship between nonprofits and President Johnson’s Great Society.

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/tax-dollars-and-tech-dollars-who-supports-society

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

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

State lawmakers have proposed almost 250 anti-LGBTQ laws in 2022 alone. Why are we seeing such a virulent political backlash to sexual identity? And what can the current vitriol tell us about the entwinement of sexual orientation and politics in American history? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the history of categorizing sexual preference, from the relative fluidity of early American sexual choices, to the rise of “Boston Marriages” and New York’s gay culture, to the McCarthy-led 1950s Lavender Scare. 

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/dont-say-gay-a-queer-history

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

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

Senate Republicans have attacked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson for her past public defense work. How have defense attorneys elicited criticism and praise through American history? Why is the right to counsel so important to democracy? 

Heather and Joanne discuss past moments of transition for legal counsel, from John Adams’s representation of British soldiers implicated in the Boston Massacre, to Clarence Darrow’s plea for the lives of Leopold and Loeb, to the impact of the 1963 Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. 

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/ketanji-brown-jackson-criminal-justice-public-defense

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

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

The State Department and President Biden have both declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes in Ukraine. What are the rules of war? What constitutes a war crime? And what consequences might Putin face for the brutality of his invasion?

Heather and Joanne look back at the centuries-long quest by world leaders and humanitarians to regulate violence in wartime, from General George Washington’s rules of civility during the Revolutionary War, to Abraham Lincoln’s use of the Lieber Code during the Civil War, to the development of the Geneva Conventions.

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

Attend the Stay Tuned with Preet in-person live event with special guests Ben Stiller and Garry Kasparov on March 31: cafe.com/events

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/war-crimes-war-codes

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

What information should a president keep secret? Recently, we’ve seen revelations about former President Trump’s removal of classified materials and a tense exchange about the Biden administration’s handling of intel on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Heather and Joanne connect these current controversies to historical debates about the balance between statecraft and transparency, from President Adams’ disclosure of the XYZ Affair, to President Grant’s ill-fated play to annex San Domingo, to President Eisenhower’s admissions surrounding the U2 incident. 

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

Attend the Stay Tuned with Preet in-person live event with special guests Ben Stiller and Garry Kasparov on March 31: cafe.com/events

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/statecraft-secrets-and-lies

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

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

Stories of remarkable heroism by women in Ukraine have captured the imagination of the world over the past few weeks. How have women warriors shaped conversations over gender, violence, and heroism over the course of United States history? 

Heather and Joanne discuss the Revolutionary War figures Molly Pitcher and Deborah Sampson, Harriet Tubman’s Civil War spying raids, and Ukrainian sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko’s 1942 tour of the U.S. 

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

Attend the Stay Tuned with Preet in-person live event with special guests Ben Stiller and Garry Kasparov on March 31: cafe.com/events

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/women-warriors-ukraine-beyond

Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Editorial Producer: David Kurlander; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Theme Music: Nat Weiner; CAFE Team: 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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has become a symbol of democracy around the world. What does this mean for the United States? This week, Heather and Joanne look at past foreign and international figures who’ve fought fervently for democratic values and have compelled and challenged Americans. 

Heather and Joanne discuss how Zelensky’s current battle against Russia evokes the quests of the French-born Revolutionary War hero Lafayette, the Latin American liberator Simón Bolívar, and South African political prisoner and president Nelson Mandela. 

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

Attend the Stay Tuned with Preet in-person live event with special guests Ben Stiller and Garry Kasparov on March 31: cafe.com/events

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/avatars-of-democracy-zelensky-more

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

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

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 letters@cafe.com.

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

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

How do small and extreme groups take over the American political conversation? In this final installment of a three-part series on educating citizens, Heather and Joanne look at how reactionary movements utilize bullying tactics to wrest control from the majority.

Heather and Joanne offer a comparison between the path to secession at the start of the Civil War, the rise of American Nazi-sympathizing groups in the 1930s, and the current reactionary movements around COVID-19 protocols and the education system. 

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/defining-the-state-of-the-union

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

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

How do small and extreme groups take over the American political conversation? In this final installment of a three-part series on educating citizens, Heather and Joanne look at how reactionary movements utilize bullying tactics to wrest control from the majority.

Heather and Joanne offer a comparison between the path to secession at the start of the Civil War, the rise of American Nazi-sympathizing groups in the 1930s, and the current reactionary movements around COVID-19 protocols and the education system. 

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-false-majorities

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

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

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.

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

In a special episode of CAFE Insider, former U.S. Attorneys Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement from the Supreme Court, and reflect on his legacy. President Biden now faces the tough question of nominating Breyer’s replacement. Who will it be? What will the confirmation process look like? And what does it mean for the Court?

To listen to the full episode for free, head to cafe.com/breyer and sign up to receive an email with the link to the show.

Stay informed. For insight into the most important issues of our time, try the membership free for two weeks: www.cafe.com/insider. You’ll get access to Now & Then Backstage, full episodes of the CAFE Insider podcast, and other exclusive benefits.

This podcast is brought to you by CAFE Studios and Vox Media Podcast Network. 

Tamara Sepper – Executive Producer; Nat Weiner – Audio Producer; Jake Kaplan – Editorial Producer

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

What kinds of events have inspired Americans to become activists? On this episode of Now & Then, “When Americans Can’t Turn Away,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman highlight moments where everyday people have spoken up to defend their rights and those of their neighbors. Heather and Joanne look at the catalyzing effects of the 1779 Battle of New Haven, John Quincy Adams’s 1840s crusade against the Gag Rule, and the 1946 blinding of Black World War II veteran Isaac Woodard. What does it take for Americans to suspend their everyday lives to support a cause? Why is activism important in a democracy? And what can past moments of political engagement tell us about the current push for voting rights activism?

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: www.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/when-americans-cant-turn-away

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

How should the American government take responsibility for past actions that have caused significant harm? On this episode of Now & Then, “Restitution & Reparations,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the tangled history of restitution, with a specific focus on how the federal government wronged certain classes of people. They talk through the early debates over slavery reparations, the late-19th century indemnity payments to Italian and Mexican victims of vigilante violence, and the long reckoning over the damage caused by Japanese internment during World War II. How does democracy benefit from governmental acknowledgment of wrong? How can we measure pain in morality or money? And how can these historical debates inform the current controversy over restitution for families separated from their children at the Southern border? 

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: www.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/restitution-reparations

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

How have outsider legislators changed American history? On this episode of Now & Then, “The Lure of Political Outsiders,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the history of the eccentric and anti-establishment members of Congress, from the frontier politics of Jackson-era Tennessee Representative Davy Crockett, to the conspiratorial works of post-Civil War Illinois Representative Ignatius Donnelly, to the headstrong socialism of World War I-era Wisconsin Representative Victor Berger, to the autocratic impulses of 1930s Louisiana Senator Huey Long. How do insurgent politicians help to shore up American democracy? When can their disruptions begin to negatively impact the rule of law? And how should we view iconoclastic lawmakers in Washington today? 

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: www.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-lure-of-political-outsiders

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

Who are the most relevant and inspiring heroes from American history? On this year-end episode of Now & Then, “Historians Have Their Heroes,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss their definitions of American heroism and the figures–from Ida B. Wells, to Sitting Bull, to Pete Seeger–who they most admire. What attributes do these political and cultural leaders share? What is the point of having heroes? And how can we honor those who most deserve recognition? 

This week, Heather and Joanne’s “Backstage” segment, which is usually reserved for CAFE Insider members, is available for free to all listeners of Now & Then! Head to cafe.com/backstage and sign up to receive an email with the link to the episode. If you already get emails from CAFE, you needn’t sign up; you can expect one in your inbox. 

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/historians-have-their-heroes

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

How have religion and morality shaped the United States? On this episode of Now & Then, “God & Morality in American Politics,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss how politicians and reformers have interacted with faith systems, from Thomas Jefferson’s push for religious liberty, to the 19th-century move for a Christian constitutional amendment, to the rise of the Moral Majority and the religious right. What are the roots of recent calls to bring religion into our government? What are the risks of religious influence in politics? How have presidents protected and rejected faith movements, and what can their choices teach us today? 

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: www.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/god-morality-in-american-politics

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

What damage does disinformation cause our body politic? On this episode of Now & Then, “Disinformation and Democracy,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman trace the history of disinformation in America, with an emphasis on how technology has fueled the rise of misleading and outright false political news. They discuss the role of the partisan press in shaping early American disinformation, the development of the telegraph in 19th century information warfare, and the rise of GOP-led dirty tricks campaigns over the last fifty years, and the glut of disinformation shaping our current landscape. How have malign actors used our information technology to wreak confusion and discord? And how can we protect our democracy against disinformation as we move forth?  

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: www.cafe.com/history.

Sign up for the CAFE Brief, a free weekly newsletter that features analysis of news at the intersection of law, politics, and history: cafe.com/brief

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/disinformation-and-democracy

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

As we come out of Thanksgiving and welcome in Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Years, we revisit Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman’s look at the American debates that accompanied the creations of July 4th, Columbus Day, and Election Day. Why do Americans celebrate? Why do we fight about our holidays? And what role have economics, popular culture, and governmental politics contoured our national festivities?

NOTE: This episode was originally released on July 6th, 2021.

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: www.cafe.com/history.

Sign up for the CAFE Brief, a free weekly newsletter that features analysis of news at the intersection of law, politics, and history: cafe.com/brief

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/encore-creating-federal-holidays-july-4th-to-juneteenth

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

How have Americans fought over Thanksgiving? And what can the holiday tell us about democracy and national styles of celebration? On this episode of Now & Then, “Thanksgiving Wars,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman explore past debates over the holiday, from early congressional disputes during the Washington administration, to writer Sarah Josephus Hale’s advocacy to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, to the various 20th-century battles over the cultural placement of Thanksgiving. How do these fights reflect competing visions of our national story? What role should the government play in supporting Thanksgiving? And how are our current divisions over vaccinations and our collective past reflected in the holiday? 

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: www.cafe.com/history.

Sign up for the CAFE Brief, a free weekly newsletter that features analysis of news at the intersection of law, politics, and history: cafe.com/brief

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/thanksgiving-wars

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

How have American experiences of work changed throughout our history? On this episode of Now & Then, “Mill ‘Girls,’ Company Men, & the Great Resignation,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the evolution of American work, from the emergence of industrial labor, to the development of welfare capitalism, to the current “Great Resignation” and shifting contemporary expectations for labor. How has work reflected American democracy? How has the nature of national labor changed the way that we view our allocation of time and our relationships to one another? And how has the pandemic offered an opportunity to reckon once again with our collective work-life balance?

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: www.cafe.com/history.

Sign up for the CAFE Brief, a free weekly newsletter that features analysis of news at the intersection of law, politics, and history: cafe.com/brief

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/mill-girls-company-men-the-great-resignation

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

What’s the history of associations and powerful internal groups in American life? On this episode of Now & Then, “Associations: From the Masons to the Mob,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the popularity of the Freemasons and other secret clubs among the early national elite, the growth of political machines like Tammany Hall during the 1800s, and the development of organized crime during Prohibition. Then, Elie Honig, the host of Up Against the Mob and a former mafia prosecutor, joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the origins and goals of the controversial Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which Congress passed in 1970 to go after nefarious associations. When do associations promote democracy? When do they become problematic? And how should law enforcement guard against dangerous associations? 

Listen to all six episodes of CAFE’s Up Against the Mob podcast, hosted by Elie Honig: cafe.com/up-against-the-mob

Sign up for the CAFE Brief to receive the weekly Note from Elie and a slate of articles: cafe.com/brief

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: cafe.com/history.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/associations-from-the-masons-to-the-mob

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Democracy Is In the Mail,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman talk about the development of the post office in American culture. They explain why the Framers believed so deeply in a government-backed mail service, trace how Western expansion changed the culture and organizational structure of the Post Office Department, and recount the 1970 postal strike and the impact of the resultant Postal Reorganization Plan. How has the mail bolstered democracy? Should the postal bureaucracy be run like a public utility or a business? And can the Postal Service withstand the current push for privatization?

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.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/democracy-is-in-the-mail

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

This week, Heather and Joanne appeared on the food podcast Gastropod, hosted by journalists Cynthia Graber and Nicky Twilley, to discuss the history of Halloween candy, trick-or-treating, and poison candy paranoia. Listen and subscribe to Gastropod at gastropod.com or wherever you get podcasts! Happy Halloween!

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Voting Rights: The Big Picture,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman talk about the history of voter suppression with Carol Anderson, professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of One Person No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy and The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. The trio discuss the concept of the “consent of the governed” during the founding period, the emergence of Jim Crow laws after the Civil War, and the evolution of voting suppression efforts in the modern era. How have politicians justified restrictive voting policies? How do these policies damage American democracy? And what strategies might protect the franchise today? This episode was recorded before a live audience on Zoom and Facebook on October 21st, 2021. 

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.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/voting-rights-the-big-picture-ft-carol-anderson

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “The Rise of Bully Politics,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman revisit the 1980 presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. They reflect on how the rancorous contest signaled a rise in partisan aggression and dominance politics in American life. They also tie the type of bullying that emerged in full force in 1980 back to the 1850s and the violence that preceded the Civil War. How did Reagan’s extreme comments during the campaign hearken back to this earlier age of bluster and polarization? How did Reagan’s tone signal a change in the Republican Party and its tactics?

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

RSVP for the Now & Then Live Taping with Emory African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson on this Thursday, October 21st at 6:30PM ET: cafe.com/live

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/the-rise-of-bully-politics

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Speakers of the House: Velvet Gloves and Iron Fists,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman revisit significant Speakers of the House and the development of the role in American politics. They reflect on legendary Speakers Henry Clay, Thomas Brackett Reed, and Tip O’Neill. In the process, they examine how Speakers leverage their influence over the legislative process and the culture of congress. How did the Speakership become such a crucial role in Washington? How do Speakers balance control with collaboration? And how can iconic Speakers from the past help to contextualize Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s current efforts to pass the Democrats’ budget reconciliation package? 

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

RSVP for the Now & Then Live Taping with Emory African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson on Thursday, October 21st at 6:30PM ET: cafe.com/live

For references & supplemental materials, head to:

cafe.com/now-and-then/speakers-of-the-house-velvet-gloves-and-iron-fists

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Split Party Politics,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss cycles of in-fighting, tension and collapse in American political parties. They begin with the Federalists and their ill-fated Hartford Convention, explain the reconstitution of both the Democrats and Republicans during the early 1880s, and talk through the current political battles and demographic shifts affecting the Republican Party. Why do political parties collapse? How does partisan dysfunction change the legislative process? And can the past show us how the current splits in the GOP will end?

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

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. 

Listen to new episodes of Up Against the Mob, Elie Honig’s six-part series about his experiences prosecuting the mafia: cafe.com/up-against-the-mob

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/split-party-politics

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Government Debt Roulette,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the dynamics of the current political battle over raising the debt ceiling. Then, they offer an overview of debt in American history, from Alexander Hamilton’s belief in using debt to build the country, to how President Lincoln offset Civil War debt, to the politicization of the debt ceiling by Republicans over the last 30 years. What can debt accomplish? What can debt damage? And how have American views on debt and credit shifted over time? 

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

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. 

Listen to new episodes of Up Against the Mob, Elie Honig’s six-part series about his experiences prosecuting the mafia: cafe.com/up-against-the-mob

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/government-debt-roulette

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “New York, New York,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001 attacks and the larger role of New York over the course of American history. How did the Dutch help lend the Big Apple its economic and cultural identity? Why isn’t New York the U.S. capital? How did newspapers transform NYC’s political power? Why are there so many apocalyptic movies set in New York? And what has made the city such a resilient and powerful locus for innovation and community? 

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

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/new-york-new-york

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Abortion: Whose Choice?” Heather and Joanne discuss Texas’ Senate Bill 8, one of several controversial new “heartbeat” laws that limit access to abortion. They also talk about the history of abortion from the colonial period to the present: the surprising availability of abortion until the mid-19th century, the physician-led campaign to ban abortion, and the GOP’s decision in the early 1970s to embrace the “pro-life” movement. Who gets to decide the future of reproductive rights? What role has politics played in the anti-abortion movement? And how can the constitutional right to abortion be preserved during these uncertain times?  

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

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/abortion-whose-choice

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Climate Control,” Heather and Joanne discuss the climate crisis and moments of political conflict over the environment throughout American history. They talk about the impact of climate on colonists, the 19th-century origins of the National Park Service, the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl, and the post-World War II emergence of the environmental movement — from Rachel Carson, to nuclear fall-out fears, to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. What solutions might these past controversies offer the United States today? Can we reach political consensus on addressing climate change? And who is ultimately responsible for protecting the earth? 

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

 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/climate-control

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Attacking and Defending Voting Rights,” Heather and Joanne discuss the history of American voting rights and the antecedents to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. They look at New Jersey’s surprising history of female voting, the violence of the Know-Nothing Party, and the long congressional struggle to secure full suffrage for all Americans. Who has worked to deny the vote to marginalized populations? Which laws have been most effective in bolstering enfranchisement? And what still needs to be accomplished? 

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

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/attacking-and-defending-voting-rights

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Afghanistan & American Styles of War,” Heather and Joanne discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the history of how America creates narratives around wars. They look at the divergent framings of the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War, and World War II. How does a democratic society based on consent utilize force? Which wars receive widespread approval? And how do concepts of national interest affect collective identity and the quest for consensus? 

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

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/afghanistan-american-styles-of-war

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Treason(ish),” Heather and Joanne discuss the competing political narratives over accountability and punishment for the January 6th insurrection. They look back at past moments of conflict and examine the disparate ways in which former combatants integrated into American society: the Loyalists after the Revolutionary War, the Confederates after the Civil War, and a group of Nazi scientists who joined the American quest to reach the moon. 

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

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/treasonish

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

On this special episode of Now & Then, “A Backstage Peek,” listeners can hear Heather and Joanne’s conversations that are usually part of the CAFE Insider membership. “Backstage” is a special weekly bonus portion of the podcast where the hosts offer personal reflections on their historical scholarship and behind-the-scenes anecdotes of how each Now & Then episode comes together. 

In the first installment, released in conjunction with last week’s episode, “Projecting America at the Olympics,” Heather and Joanne explain how Disneyland, like the Olympics, shapes American identity. In the second installment, released alongside the July 6th episode, “Creating Federal Holidays, July 4th to Juneteenth,” Heather and Joanne reflect on their memories of the 1976 Bicentennial and tell stories of flirtatious historical impersonators. 

Join CAFE Insider to get full access to “Backstage” and the full slate of Insider content. And for a limited time, use the code HISTORY for 50% off the annual membership price. Head to cafe.com/history

Join us next Tuesday for an all-new episode, 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/a-backstage-peek

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Projecting America at the Olympics,” Heather and Joanne frame the current Tokyo Olympics alongside historical examples of American cultural diplomacy. They trace efforts to appeal to France in the Revolutionary Period, the rise of World’s Fairs, and the controversies that accompanied Jesse Owens’ 1936 Olympics dominance in Berlin and the 1968 Black Power salute by medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos. What do these earlier negotiations say about American self-definition, particularly given the contemporary Olympics controversy over Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from portions of the gymnastics competition?

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

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/projecting-america-at-the-olympics

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “The Human Toll of Infrastructure,” Heather and Joanne discuss the historical precedents for President Biden’s infrastructure proposals. What role did river infrastructure play in spurring the Constitutional Convention? What was the revolutionary impact of the Transcontinental Railroad and President Eisenhower’s championing of the Interstate highway system? What were the consequences of the Nixon administration’s veto of national childcare legislation? And turning to today, how does the congressional wrangling over Biden’s plans reflect a long-standing debate over the role that the government should play in how Americans connect to one another? 

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

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/the-human-toll-of-infrastructure

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Culture Wars,” Heather and Joanne discuss moments of dramatic cultural change in American history: pre-Civil War abolitionism, early 20th-century individualism, to our current reckoning over police brutality and history education. How do our pop cultural artifacts, from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, to P.T. Barnum’s problematic attractions, to Gone with the Wind, show the ways American self-identity and priorities have evolved over time? This episode was recorded before a live audience on Facebook on July 15, 2021. 

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

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/culture-wars

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Judging the Supreme Court,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the recently-concluded Supreme Court term, and they place the Roberts Court in the context of other consequential Supreme Courts throughout American history, from the Marshall Court of the early 19th century, to the Taney Court and its infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857, to the progressive Warren Court of the mid 20th century, and finally to the modern era. 

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. To RSVP to Thursday's live taping, head to cafe.com/live.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/now-and-then/judging-the-supreme-court/

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Creating Federal Holidays, July 4th to Juneteenth,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the recent debate over making Juneteenth a Federal holiday. Then, Heather and Joanne look at the earlier debates that accompanied the creations of July 4th, Columbus Day, and Election Day, with a focus on the economic, moral, and political considerations that went into the formations of these iconic American celebrations. 

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/creating-federal-holidays-july-4th-to-juneteenth

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

On this episode of Now & Then, “Corrupting the Commonwealth,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss recent reporting that the Trump Department of Justice subpoenaed the metadata of journalists and members of Congress. Heather and Joanne then look at three past reckonings over accusations of presidential corruption: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s back-and-forth over the First Bank of the United States, the break in the 1870s Republican Party over President Grant’s enforcement of voting rights in the South, and President Nixon’s justifications for his notorious “black bag” operations. In the process, Heather and Joanne zero in on the morphing roles of the public and Congress in defining executive overreach and self-dealing. 

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/corrupting-the-commonwealth

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

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

On the third episode of Now & Then, “Battling Over Critical Race Theory,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the current debate over Critical Race Theory and the development of American historical scholarship, from Parson Weems’s fables, to George Washington Williams’ pioneering histories of Black America, to Reagan-era controversies over “Western Civilization” courses, to the influential work of Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw.

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 .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/battling-over-critical-race-theory

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

On the second episode of Now & Then, “Investigating Democracy,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the history of congressional commissions, following the Senate Republican filibuster of the proposed commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection. Heather and Joanne look back on investigations of the 1856 caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, the 1871 Ku Klux Klan hearings, and the 1954 back-and-forth between Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Army. In the process, they explore the partisanship and lasting cultural impact of these commissions and what that says about the utility of a January 6th Commission. 

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/investigating-democracy/

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

On this first episode of Now & Then, “Entangling Alliances,” Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman discuss the emerging Biden Doctrine and the relationship between foreign and domestic policy throughout American history. Heather and Joanne focus on the French Revolution, Teddy Roosevelt’s progressive turn, and the cultural legacies of the Vietnam War as three moments from “then” that can particularly inform this transitional moment for America’s role in the world. 

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/now-then-episode-1-entangling-alliances/

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