CHAPTER 02—DEVELOPMENT OF THE U.S. BANKING SYSTEM
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39. How did Alexander Hamilton attempt to establish the federal government as the final authority for America’s
economic security?
He encouraged the new government to not only accept and pay with interest the debts of the
Revolutionary War, but also to assume responsibility for the debts individual states incurred
during the war.
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40. What problem did the National Currency Act of 1863, later rewritten as the National Banking Act of 1864, address?
Multiple types of currency in circulation caused problems, so the National Banking Act of
1864 established standards for currency.
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41. Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt declare a bank holiday in March 1933?
The onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s prompted many people to demand their
deposits from their banks, and this caused many of the banks to fail. Roosevelt declared the
bank holiday to save the remaining assets of banks still in business and to let people calm
down, as he tried to reassure them that the government could help.
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Stagflation is a combination of a stagnant, sluggish economy and high inflation.
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43. When did the U.S. government begin to print paper currency? Where did American paper currency come from before
then?
The U.S. government began to print paper currency in 1861. Before then, bank notes from
two chartered Banks of the United States and from many different state banks were the only
paper currency.
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44. Why did the first Bank of the United States fail?
The first Bank of the United States failed because, as the nation grew westward, people
resented the control of powerful Eastern bankers. When its charter expired in 1811, there was
not enough political support to renew it.
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45. Explain why Thomas Jefferson was opposed to the creation of a central bank.
Jefferson believed a central bank would give too much power to too few people.
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