Now & Then

Why Americans Hate (and Love) Banks

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

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For references &amp; supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/why-americans-hate-and-love-banks/

Now &amp; Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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How can the past help inform today’s most pressing challenges? Every Wednesday, award-winning historians Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman use their encyclopedic knowledge of US history to bring the past to life. Together, they make sense of the week in news by discussing the people, ideas, and events that got us here today. Now and Then is produced by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.