Revolutionary War Economy Analysis

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The Revolutionary War ushered a new era of economic prosperity, despite a brief interlude of slow decline. Population had a dynamic impact, as Charles Thomason, secretary of Congress said, “Population is increasing, new houses building, new lands clearing, new settlements forming, and new manufacture establishing with a rapidity beyond conception.” Of course, manufacture was limited to simple textiles. These early institutions however had a profound impact on how the culture of the American economy changed. Taxes were a source of contention soon after state legislatures established them as a source of revenue. State taxes were two to three times higher than they had been during colonial administration and farmers were especially adamant…show more content…
The variability in prices in the market was due to the business practices of speculators, who used their abundant resources to manipulate prices to their advantages. This led to more extreme booms and busts and overall hardships for the average American. This was perceived as an oppressive system and led to the growth of new economic theories promoted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who called the dissolution of custom, tradition and morality “in the icy waters of egotistical calculation” the reason for humanities…show more content…
He was advised that market busts were just a part of capitalism, which had the therapeutic benefits of cleansing the system of unproductive firms. The business culture vehemently apposed federal aid to the unemployed and prompted individual citizens to “tighten their belts” as a way to escape the turmoil. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff made the economic situation worse by raising the cost of imported goods but more importantly received reciprocal treatment for the obvious protectionist action. American products became increasingly more difficult to sell around the world. By 1932, Hoover admitted that voluntary actions on the part of businessmen were not capable of lifting the country out of the recession. Laws creating the Reconstruction Finance Corporations, which loaned money to failing banks, railroads, and other businesses and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Hoover however opposed direct relief to the
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