Each day for the next week, I will be posting a link to an interesting article in the EH.Net Online Encyclopedia. This encyclopedia is a treasure-trove of really great information on economic-history topics. I have identified seven articles that are my favourite. Over the next few days, you will find out what these articles are, along with my reasons for liking each piece.
Today’s selected article is by Robert White, “Origins of Commercial Banking in the United States, 1781-1830”. It’s on a really important subject– the evolution of banking in what later became the world’s largest economy. The article draws on economic theory but is also based on a very good knowledge of the political and social history of the period. I think that the discussion of the political economy of banks is perhaps the strongest part of this piece. The author of the piece also publised The Wealth of Nations Rediscovered: Integration and Expansion in American Financial Markets, 1780-1850 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002).
The Past Speaks 