Defining Documents in American History: The American Economy

From the American Revolution to the present day, our financial institutions and financial practices --from banks to the stock market to tariffs to bailouts --remain at the core of our behaviors, our politics, and even our beliefs. The documents in this set discuss the political and social currents that have affected the nation’s economy and have had an impact on the fortunes of individuals, business and corporations, banks and lending institutions, the stock market, and the federal government. Some of the topics considered in this two-volume set include: the Panic of 1819, the Financial Panic of 1837, the Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Black Monday (1987), the Dot-Com Crash (2001), the Great Recession (2008) and the Coronavirus Pandemic (2020). Each in-depth chapter provides a thorough commentary and analysis of each primary source document, often reprinted in its entirety. Commentary includes a Summary, Overview, Defining Moment, Author Biography, Detailed Document Analysis, and discussion of Essential Themes.