New Coins of the U.S. Realm

When the Coinage Act of 1792 was passed, national currencies were backed by bullion. To collect enough gold and silver to support a national monetary system, citizens of the U.S. were encouraged to sell their gold and silver bullion to the Federal government without penalty or tax. Shortly after this Coinage Act was passed, Congress authorized a bulk purchase of copper (An Act to Provide for a Copper Coinage passed on May 8th, 1792), “not to exceed 150 tons” to be used in the new currency.

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First Bank of the United States

Hamilton was convinced that unless the U.S. got its monetary house in order, it would fail as a country. Goal one was to bring financial order to the U.S. economy. After the War for Independence ended, each state was chartering banks, and there were no standardized rules for their charters, reserves, or how they operated. Hamilton wanted the Federal bank at the top of the financial pyramid with the state banks one level down.

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Start of a Trans-Atlantic Migration

So, again going back to U.S. Census data, the first census tallies the population at 3,929,214 in 1790, seven years after the American Revolution ended, the population of the new country grew by 1.7 million people. From that point on, the U.S. population grew by more than 30% every 10 years.

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Patents and One’s Sex

Depending on one’s station in life, marriages were often arranged to create an alliance with another country, for business or economic reasons, or to improve a family’s position in society. Ugly as it sounds, women were considered “property.” In the 21st Century, that sounds incredible, and some women will tell you even today, the fight for equal rights/pay/recognition, etc., still goes on.

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The First Deposit on Our Freedom

While the casualties – dead, maimed mentally and physically– are a reminder of the sacrifices our nation’s servicemen and women made, the reality is that less than one-tenth of a percent of our population is affected. Not so, the American Revolution where between 1775 and 1783, 4.9% of those in favor of independence in the Thirteen Colonies died.

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The Hessian Nanny State

Every year, men between the ages 16 and 30 were mustered in their town square for possible induction into Hesse-Kassel’s army. There were formal exemptions based on the needs of the state, but if one wasn’t gainfully employed, you were drafted along with doctors and those convicted of crimes. During the American Revolution, 7% of the 300,000 citizens of Hesse-Kassel were in the army, either being trained or on garrison duty or deployed in the service of King George III.

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Western Exploration Plans B4 Lewis & Clark

Sending an expedition from the Mississippi to the West coast was not a new idea. Jefferson wanted an expedition of this sort as far back as the 1750s when he was a little boy. Now, as Secretary of State and later President, he could pursue his dream.

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The U.S. Population Shift Begins

Great Britain also restricted emigration between 1800 and 1820 because it was locked into a life and death struggle with France. This prevented English citizens from coming to their former colony. Famine and poverty in Ireland drove many to leave the Emerald Isle. The Napoleonic Wars limited shipping to carry passengers, but there were other pressures on citizens all over Europe that encouraged emigration to the United States.

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Becoming Slaves to King Cotton

By the time the American Revolution ended in 1783, the Industrial Revolution was gathering steam. English inventions in the textile industry were making it cheaper to manufacture linen and wool…

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