The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the American Dollar (Enterprise)W. W. Norton & Company, 2010 M11 1 - 240 pages An "insightful" (Publishers Weekly) history of the development of American capitalism and the men who made it great. Most Americans are familiar with the political history of the United States, but there is another history woven all through it, a largely forgotten history—the story of the money men. Acclaimed historian H. W. Brands brings them back to life: J. P. Morgan, who stabilized a foundering U.S. Treasury in 1907; Alexander Hamilton, who founded the first national bank, and Nicholas Biddle, under whose directorship it failed; Jay Cooke, who helped to finance the Union war effort through his then-innovative strategy of selling bonds to ordinary Americans; and Jay Gould, who tried to corner the market on gold in 1869 and as a result brought about Black Friday and fled for his life. |
From inside the book
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Page 15
... Gold? Silver? Paper currency? Bank notes? Checks? This central question raised subsidiary questions. How much money shall there be? Who ought to control it? To what ends? The money question has been a puzzle for every society since the ...
... Gold? Silver? Paper currency? Bank notes? Checks? This central question raised subsidiary questions. How much money shall there be? Who ought to control it? To what ends? The money question has been a puzzle for every society since the ...
Page 19
... gold and silver and land and promises. But there was rarely enough of any currency so far from the imperial metropoles. “I am a good deal puzzled to fulfill your engagements,” he wrote his employer when the latter was away. “Cash is ...
... gold and silver and land and promises. But there was rarely enough of any currency so far from the imperial metropoles. “I am a good deal puzzled to fulfill your engagements,” he wrote his employer when the latter was away. “Cash is ...
Page 24
... gold and silver and that these must be hoarded in the home country. The consequence was colonial starvation for money. British coins—rare gold guineas, somewhat less scarce silver pounds and shillings—traded at a premium, supplemented ...
... gold and silver and that these must be hoarded in the home country. The consequence was colonial starvation for money. British coins—rare gold guineas, somewhat less scarce silver pounds and shillings—traded at a premium, supplemented ...
Page 26
... gold and silver—at the bank's disposal. Hamilton believed bankers were more circumspect than politicians, yet he didn't depend on the bankers' circumspection for the success of his scheme. Their self-interest in preserving the liquidity ...
... gold and silver—at the bank's disposal. Hamilton believed bankers were more circumspect than politicians, yet he didn't depend on the bankers' circumspection for the success of his scheme. Their self-interest in preserving the liquidity ...
Page 41
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Contents
15 | |
The Bank War | 57 |
The Bonds of Union | 97 |
The Great Gold Conspiracy | 131 |
The Transit of Jupiter | 159 |
The Money Answer | 199 |
For Further Reading | 217 |
Other editions - View all
The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the ... H. W. Brands No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
Adams Alexander Hamilton American Andrew Jackson Bank’s bankers Boutwell Bray Hammond British brokers Bryan bulls campaign capital capitalists central charter Chase Clay Cleveland Coin Congress Constitution Cooke’s Corbin Correspondence of Biddle country’s currency Daniel Butterfield debt declared democracy democrats didn’t dollars economy election Erie Erie War ernment farmers favor federal government Federalists Fisk five-twenties gold and silver gold standard government’s Grant greenbacks H. W. Brands House ibid interest investors issues J. P. Morgan Jay Cooke Jay Gould Jefferson knew Madison ment million money question money supply national bank never Nicholas Biddle notes Oberholtzer panic paper party Philadelphia politics president proposed purchase railroad Republicans Ron Chernow Roosevelt sell Senate sold specie speculators thought tion told took trade Treasury secretary U.S. Steel Union United Untermyer veto vote Wall Street wanted Washington wrote York