By Nancy Spannaus March 9, 2019—The March 6 House Ways and Means Committee hearing on transportation infrastructure put the crucial problem which is blocking vitally-needed action on this topic, squarely on the table: the lack of understanding of the Hamiltonian principle of credit. From Representative Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the […]
By Nancy Spannaus Jan. 17, 2019—Some words of wisdom from our philosopher-founder Benjamin Franklin are surely appropriate in these times, and his 313th birthday—to be celebrated today—is a good time to pay them heed. Old Ben is known for shaping many aspects of our fight for independence, but one area […]
Historians on Hamilton, How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America’s Past Renee C. Romano and Claire Bond Potter, editors Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 2018, 399 pp. By Nancy Spannaus Aug. 2, 2018—While I did not have very high hopes for this book of essays critiquing the Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical […]
by Edward Spannaus Fifth of a series. The first four parts of this series, devoted to “John Marshall and the American System” can be found here. July 23, 2018–With the help of American System champion Henry Clay and his supporters, John Quincy Adams was elected President in early 1825, after […]
By Nancy Spannaus June 25, 2018—In his Report on the Subject of Manufactures, and elsewhere, American System founder Alexander Hamilton made it clear that the government’s responsibility in this area should be to foster technological advances and adequate supply in the industries crucial to the nation’s national defense and general […]
By Nancy Spannaus May 12, 2018—On April 23, 1834, a meeting of the “People of Mifflin County, Pa.” adopted the following resolution, which it sent on to the Congress of the United States: Resolved. . . . That the unwise and unlawful removal of the public deposits from the Bank […]
Alexander Hamilton on Finance, Credit, and Debt Richard Sylla and David J. Cowen Columbia University Press, New York City, 2018, 345 pp. A review by Nancy Spannaus April 13, 2018—When co-author Richard Sylla presented this book at the National Archives on March 14, I immediately thought that his Alexander Hamilton […]
By Nancy Spannaus March 16, 2018—Economic historian Richard Sylla of New York University presented his newly published book, Alexander Hamilton on Finance, Credit, and Debt, on March 14 at a National Archives noon lecture. His thesis was a forceful argument that it was Hamilton who was uniquely responsible for the […]
by Nancy Spannaus Jan. 25, 2018—The Jan. 22 leak of an outline of President Trump’s national infrastructure plan, which he says he will announce at his Jan. 30 State of the Union address, has amped up the national discussion on infrastructure funding. On Jan. 24, the President told a […]
Aug. 13, 2019—A group of citizens representing an ad hoc coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank went to Capitol Hill during the last week of August, to lobby for the enactment of a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB). The more than a dozen citizens included activists from Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, […]
“A thoughtful, well-written argument for Alexander Hamilton’s financial system as a guard against tyranny.” — Kirkus Reviews by Nancy Spannaus Aug. 8, 2019–The opening quote is the conclusion of the Kirkus review of Hamilton Versus Wall Street, which was released this evening, and is now posted on their website. Kirkus […]
Hamiltonian Banking: The Key to Infrastructure Funding
By Nancy Spannaus May 2, 2019—If Congress and the President are serious about funding a long overdue national infrastructure program, Hamiltonian banking must be the subject of their discussions over the coming weeks. A model proposal for a Hamiltonian National Infrastructure Bank has been proposed by this blog for nearly […]