The origins of America’s consumer-driven economy

The holiday shopping season kicks off this week with Black Friday, and American shoppers are expected to spend a record amount, particularly in online sales.

Consumer spending keeps the U.S. economy humming, making up 70% of the country’s gross domestic product. But it wasn’t always this way.

On the show today, Cornell economic historian Louis Hyman gives us a history lesson on how the American economy became dependent on the consumer, why that change has created serious environmental consequences, and whether there are alternatives to the consumer-driven economy we know today. Plus, what it all has to do with the Salem witch trials.

Then, a federal appeals court decision could significantly weaken the Voting Rights Act. We’ll get into the economic implications of the ruling and how it could play out in the Supreme Court. Plus: Oh, how the mighty crypto kings fall.

Later, we’ll hear listener suggestions for signature state cocktails. And food journalist Francis Lam was wrong about what was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “Ringing in the holiday shopping season with low consumer sentiment” from Marketplace
• “A Brief History of Consumer Culture” from The MIT Press Reader
• “Frank Trentmann: How Humans Became ‘Consumers'” from The Atlantic
• “U.S. Economy Grew a Strong 4.9%, Driven by Consumer Spree That May Not Last” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Appeals court strikes down key tool used to enforce Voting Rights Act” from CNN Politics
• “Federal appeals court ruling threatens enforcement of the Voting Rights Act” from Politico
• “Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Agrees to Step Down, Plead Guilty” from The Wall Street Journal
• “What Was Eaten at the First Thanksgiving?” from History

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.