The Myth of the Independent Yeoman Farmer

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There were massive foreclosure crises, basically marking this period. Massive landlords are actually part of the American tradition, land speculation. So there were mass epidemics of this and people who were being foreclosed had a very clear sense. I learned this years ago from reading before he was even publishing beyond dissertation.

Astra Taylor interviews William Hogeland on his book Founding Finance: How Debt, Speculation, Foreclosures, Protests, and Crackdowns Made Us a Nation. Hogeland recovers a fascinating crop of mostly-forgotten rebels, the movements they led, and their radical demands that put the landlords and lenders of their day on edge. He also recounts the complex and sometimes deadly machinations that went into suppressing them in order to create a nation that was safe for the owning and investing classes. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig