What would happen if all U.S. banks shutdown and when you went to get your money they told you it was gone?

Forget about your scenario and worry about the European Union that is in much worse shape and is about to crack under the strain of default and bail-out. This is likely to put the world into another recession and once again we will be faced with a rise in unemployment and a bank crisis. Perhaps, in the most negative scenario, our unemployment will rise to 15%, but that also means 85% of our country is still employed, and that is alot of people. The world is not about to end but the crisis is real and if you have any assetts I would be buy gold, silver, precious metals and Swiss Francs.