The Twentieth Century American Banking System

The Bank of the United States was designed to make money and build an economy. It was designed by men like Alexander Hamilton and Robert Morris, but did not benefit the common citizen as much as wealthy investors. Why did a fledgling government need to borrow millions from overseas in order to invest in a “national” bank, to turn around and then borrow the same money back and pay interest on it? The banking system developed by Alexander Hamilton and Robert Morris was prime pickings for speculators, and laid the groundwork for a history of unscrupulous activity regarding our nation’s money supply that continues to this day. The signatures on the Constitution were barely dry before corruption and

The panic of 1907 and the Great Recession of 2007-2009 has both been major economic events in the United States economic history. This paper compares and contrasts these two major events and enables us to understand importance of certain financial institutions and regulations during troubled times in the financial sector. In this paper, both panics of 1907 and 2007 are historically analyzed and compared.

1913: Federal Reserve Act made Federal Reserve Board to oversee national banking system with 12 regional districts, paper money issuance, and its-own central bank.

These periods of financial panics along with the inelastic money supply had long beleaguered the country. Bank failures, business bankruptcies, and unstable economic development were results of the lack of a central banking system (Federal Reserve System 8th ed. pp. 6-7). The Panic of 1907 was a bank run of epic proportions that exacerbated the problem. Depositors withdrew their savings from the second and third largest banks in the country. These banks were not able to generate enough funds to cover the demand and subsequently closed their doors. Their closings rapidly spread fear across the country leading to one of the largest runs on the banks the nation had ever witnessed (Schlesinger pp. 41).

The credit system of the country had ceased to operate, and thousands of firms went into bankruptcy (Born...,.12). Something had to be done that would provide for a flexible amount of currency as well as provide cohesion between banks across the United States. (Hepburn, 399) This knight in shining armor, as described in the story of the bank run, was the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 helped to establish banks as a united force working for the people instead of independent agencies working against each other. By providing a flexible amount of currency, banks did not have to hoard their money in fear of a bank run. Because of this, there was no competitive edge to see who could keep the most currency on hand and a more expansionary economy was possible.

On December 23, 1913, due to a series of financial panics, the Federal Reserve System was created. The Federal Reserve, or the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States of America. The major financial crisis that mainly created the Fed system was the Panic of 1907, also known as the Knickerbocker Crisis. During the Panic of 1907 the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from its peak the previous year. The Great Depression of 1930 was a key factor in the changes to the system. Through the years the Feds’ roles and responsibilities have expanded and its structure has evolved. Although the system was created because of an crisis, the U.S. Congress has established three key objectives for the monetary policy in the federal Reserve

After the Civil War started, another need for a national bank emerged. The government wanted to learn from the mistakes of the first and second banks, so they developed the National Bank in 1869, which was modeled after the free banking system. This system allowed banks to choose between state and national charters. Though the bank was transformed into another bank in 1913, this was the United States first success at a uniform currency. Finally in 1913, the Federal Reserve was established. The architects of the federal reserve learned from the mistakes from the previous banks so that they could make this bank a success. This new federal reserve bank was given control over the nation’s payment system. The federal reserve was broken up into 12 District Banks that operated independently, so that there was not a concentration of power. Though not the original role of the Federal Reserve, today it is best known for the monetary policy. Today the federal reserve is run by the Board of Governors,which are seven members that are appointed by the President and are approved by the Senate. The Federal Reserve is composed of the Board of Governors, and twelve district

The early American settlers had no need for a central banking system. Barter was the form of payment for many years in America. Without the Federal Reserve System, Americans today may still be using barter as a form of payment. Before there was a banking system Americans paid for goods and services by trading cows or corn, or another product that they grew from their land. Even on the prairies many pioneers used barter for payment as opposed to coins and banknotes. It was not until urbanization, industrialization, and an increase in population that the need for a larger quantity of money and and national banking system arose. The country already had one form of currency, the next step was to produce more money and establish more banks as to make these resources more readily available for all Americans. Many early banks did not have the reserves to supply the surplus of money that was demanded or needed to repay loans. When banks did not have this money they were forced to close and this created a crisis called a bank panic. A particularly severe bank panic in

This would help to stabilize the nation’s economy. The First Bank of the United State was established, allowing the regulation of credit and banking facilities nationwide. However, this bank did not have complete support and in 1811 when the bank’s charter was up for renewal, it was not approved by the Senate and the First Bank of the United States was closed. The war of 1812 highlighted that without a central bank, the Treasury Department struggled to finance the war. It was because of this struggle that in 1816, the Second Bank of the United States was established. Over the next twenty years, the Second Bank reduced the national debt, stabilized exchange rates and aided in national economic growth. As with its predecessor, the Second Bank of the United States closed at the end of its 20-year charter in 1836 due to lack of support in the Senate. Another Federal bank, the Federal Reserve, would not be established until 1913. It is with this third establishment of a national bank that economists recognized that Hamilton’s design was sound. The Federal Reserve continues to regulate the U.S. banking system

Twelve Federal Reserve Banks were created with the authority to issue Federal Bank Notes, the official U.S. currency, to nationally chartered private banks. Those banks were able to borrow the money at a fixed interest rate. The rate did not rise during the period when the loan was repaid. This kept the banking system

The panic of 1837 was a Financial crises and incident that was caused by the growth of the U.S economy and the use excessive use of loans. Inflation was a problem and the Second Bank of America had made withdrew excessive amount of money. Many Banks began to accept money that would be consider hard money which consisted of gold and silver these actions would cause many Americans to become extremely suspicious. The rapid growth of the U.S economy during the Market revolution would also affect the panic. “The Panic of 183? was an industrial panic; i.e., it affected all lines of economic endeavor and serious repercussions were felt in every phase of American life.” Andrew Jackson tampering of money and the credit systems within the system had become a problem and would later become a cause of the panic. The creation of the second national bank would also come into play of the panic of 1837. Some of Americas people would blame England some would say because of the failure of crops, floods and how some people were living luxurious lives. Americans would blame Martin van Buren for the causes of the panic of 1837 but do not consider the role of Andrew Jacksons in the panic.

After the Revolutionary War, many of the country’s citizens were in great debit and there was widespread economic disruption. The country was in need of an economic overhaul and the new country’s leaders would need to decide how to do this to ensure the new country did not fall apart. After two unsuccessful attempts at a national banking system, the Federal Reserve System was created by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Since its inception, the Federal Reserve System has evolved into a central banking system that grows with the country. The Federal Reserve System provides this country with a central bank that is able to pursue consistent monetary policies. My goal in this paper is to help the reader to understand why the Federal

The Panic of 1819 was the primary major monetary emergency in the United Staes and happened amid the political quiet of the "Time of Good Feelings." The new country had beforehand confronted a financial wretchedness taking after the War of Independence in the later 1790s, yet nothing as extreme. The Panic denoted the finished of the monetary extension that had taken after the War of 1812 and introduced new money related strategies that would shape financial

Before the advent of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in 1933 and the general conception of government safety nets, the United States banking industry was quite different than it is today. Depositors assumed substantial default risk and even the slightest changes in consumer confidence could result in complete turmoil within the banking world. In addition, bank managers had almost complete discretion over operations. However, today the financial system is among the most heavily government- regulated sectors of the U.S. economy. This drastic change in public policy resulted directly from the industry’s numerous pre-regulatory failures and major disruptions that produced severe economic and social

The First Bank of the United States lasted until 1811. In 1804, President Jefferson, who despised the bank, removed any money that the government had from its vaults. When the issue of