Banking Against (Black) Capitalism

A review of "The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap."

Whitey on the Moon

Gil Scott-Heron's searing 1970 commentary on the nation's economic priorities.
Men break ground on the first Public Works Administration project.
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Infrastructure is Good for Business

During the Depression, business leaders knew that public works funding was key to economic growth. Why have we forgotten that lesson?
Trump speaks to auto workers.
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Donald Trump Wants to Take Republicans Back to Their Roots

The GOP was once the party of protectionism, while the Democrats led the way on free trade.
Poster reading "Victory! Congress Passes Daylight Saving Bill," and "Get Your Hoe Ready!," depicting Uncle Sam and clock-related imagery.

100 Years Later, the Madness of Daylight Saving Time Endures

Unfortunately, there’s not an unlimited amount of daylight that we can squeeze out of our clocks.
Firefighters trying to put out the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in 1911.

How Poor, Mostly Jewish Immigrants Organized 20,000 and Fought for Workers Rights

These women came ready to fight.

For Tech Giants, a Cautionary Tale from 19th Century Railroads on Competition’s Limits

How much monopoly is too much monopoly?

America’s Tumultuous History With Tariffs

From William McKinley to Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump has plenty of precedent if he's looking for it.

In the Shadows of Slavery’s Capitalism

"Masterless Men" shows how the antebellum political economy made poor southern whites into a volatile, and potentially disruptive, class.

James Madison Would Like a Few Words on Trade Wars

The fourth president tried all kinds of sanctions to open markets, but still ended up in the War of 1812.

On Prejudice

An 18th-century creole slaveholder invented the idea of 'racial prejudice’ to defend diversity among a slaveowning elite.

'Trade Wars Are Good'?

Three past conflicts tell a very different story.

This Is Helen Keller’s 1932 'Modern Woman'

In 1932, Hellen Keller offered some advice for the “perplexed businessman.”

50 Years After the Kerner Commission

African Americans are better off in many ways, but are still disadvantaged by racial inequality.

Labor and the Long Seventies

In the 1970s, women and people of color streamed into unions, strikes swept the nation, and employers launched a fierce counterattack.

Amazon’s Labor-Tracking Wristband Has a History

Jeff Bezos is stealing from a 19th-century playbook.
Former Lehman Brothers Chief Executive Richard Fuld.

The Financial World and the Magical Elixir of Confidence

The financial world is a theatrical production, abundantly lubricated by that magical elixir of illusionists: confidence.

For People of Color, Banks Are Shutting the Door to Homeownership

Reveal’s analysis of mortgage data found evidence of modern-day redlining in 61 metro areas across the country.

The Dangerous Economics of Racial Resentment During World War II

White farmers, threatened by Japanese-Americans' success, played a critical role in the creation of internment camps.

Organized Labor’s Lost Generations

American unions have struggled to make substantial gains since the ’70s, but not for the reasons historians think.
Plate stacked with sugar cookies.

The First Girl Scout Cookie Was Surprisingly Boring

No coconut, chocolate, or mint in sight.
A souvenir superbowl 53 football outside of a stadium
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The NFL: America’s Socialist Utopia

The Super Bowl might be a capitalist bonanza — but its creation was the ultimate socialist act.
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Paying for Climate Change

Despite his extreme rhetoric, Trump is merely the latest in a long line of U.S. leaders unwilling to pony up for global environmental accords.

What These Early-20th-Century Scholars Got Right About 21st-Century Politics

Unlike many economists today, they questioned fundamental social structure.
Schoolchildren writing on a chalkboard.
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The New Tax Law Poses a Hidden Threat to American Democracy

Undermining public education will exacerbate polarization and mistrust.

The Kids Aren’t Alright

A crucial new work of generational analysis explores how society turned millennials into human capital.

Arthur Mervin, Bankrupt

An 18th-century novel explores how American society handles capitalism's collateral damage — and who deserves a second chance.

Who Segregated America?

For all of its strengths, Richard Rothstein’s new book does not account for the central role capitalism played in segregating America's cities.
Students sit at a graduation ceremony.
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How Tax Policy Made College Unaffordable

The government’s failure to fully invest in higher education created our current crisis.

When Deregulation is Deadly

Eight decades after the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist fire, corporate profits are still being valued more than workers' lives.