Is There a Conflict Going Into the Revolution?

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The founders were waging a war on two fronts, he says. The first was for independence; the second was to gain class dominance. "There's a fundamental conflict in the revolution," writes historian Julian Zelizer. 'I'm trying to kind of bring it back'

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