preview

U.s. Federal Reserve Act Essay

Good Essays

Using Sources A, B, and C and your own knowledge account for the founding of the U.S. Federal Reserve and analyze how its role in economic policy has developed since then.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s the United States experienced numerous banking panics ultimately leading to a massive crisis in 1907 which would motivate Congress to pass the Federal Reserve Act. President Woodrow Wilson would sign the act in December of 1913 (McBride & Sergie, 2015). The Federal Reserve would mean a centralized banking system for the United States.
This was not the first attempt at centralized banking, Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury secretary, expressed that a national bank would stabilize the new governments shaky credit and support a stronger economy. Hamilton faced opposition, primarily from the South, where lawmakers assumed a central bank would be beneficial only to the North. Hamilton would have his way and Congress would establish the Frist Bank of the United States in 1791. In 1811, the bank’s charter would expire and Congress would refuse to renew it by just one vote (Irwin, 2013). The Second Bank of the US would be necessary in 1816 as a result of the War of 1812. President Madison would realize that it would be too hard to fight a war without a national bank to fund the government. Again, in 1836, Andrew Jackson would be in office and see to the demise of the Second Bank.
This was an era when anyone could print money, and they would. It would become clear

Get Access