Unravel the forces that shaped America's money and banking system.
This nonfiction work traces how American thinking about money and credit changed from the standard debate to the elasticity of the currency, and finally to the elasticity of credit. It places key events and laws in a clear, chronological framework, showing how crises pushed reform and how policy evolved with experience.
Across chapters, you’ll see how the gold standard was set, what the panics revealed about banking, and how ideas about notes, reserves, and central control developed. The author analyzes the economic debates and legislative moments that shaped the nation’s approach to money, banks, and credit.
- Learn the progression from standard questions to elastic currency and elastic credit.
- See how crises like the 1893 and 1907 panics influenced policy decisions.
- Explore debates around the Aldrich-Vreeland Act and the Federal Reserve Act.
- Understand the roles of notes, reserves, and district banking structures in a coordinated system.
Ideal for readers of economic history, policy students, and anyone interested in how U.S. monetary policy has evolved in response to real-world crises and reforms.