Bibliograph

One nation under debt, Hamilton, Jefferson, and the history of what we owe, Robert E. Wright

Type

Label

One nation under debt, Hamilton, Jefferson, and the history of what we owe, Robert E. Wright

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 371-386) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

One nation under debt

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

166390313

Responsibility statement

Robert E. Wright

Sub title

Hamilton, Jefferson, and the history of what we owe

Summary

The United States was born in debt, a debt so deep that it threatened to destroy the young nation. Thomas Jefferson considered the national debt a monstrous fraud on posterity, while Alexander Hamilton believed debt would help America prosper. Both, as it turns out, were right. This book explores the untold history of America's first national debt, arising from the immense sums needed to conduct the Revolution. Financial historian Wright recounts the key events that shaped the U.S. financial system and explains how the actions of our forefathers laid the groundwork for the debt we still carry today. --From publisher description

Table Of Contents

A twinkle in the eye : the importance of government debt -- Parentage : European precedents -- Conception : financing revolution -- Gestation : the Constitution and the national debt -- Birth : Alexander Hamilton's grand plan -- Youth and maturity : the public debt grows up, then slims down -- Life : the life and times of federal bondholders in Virginia -- Blessings : American economic growth -- Death and reincarnation : Jackson's triumph and failure

Classification