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Home > Panic of 1819


The Panic of 1819 was the first major financial crisis in the United States. It featured widespread foreclosures, bank failure s, unemployment, and a slump in agriculture and manufacturing. It marked the end of the economic expansion that had followed the War of 1812.

The primary cause of the Panic of 1819 was likely the credit tightening instituted by the directors of the Second Bank of the United States, who were skeptical of the risky lending policies practiced by the new wildcat banks in the West. When the Bank called in its loans, state banks had to follow suit. Loans made to land speculators and similar high-risk debtors typically defaulted, which bankrupted their lenders. These failed banks in turn pulled other banks down with them, along with the fortunes of their depositors. These problems were compounded by the strong price competition which domestic manufacturing faced from foreign goods, as well as a downturn in exports, in particular cotton. The factory and farm failures resulting from bank failures and low prices caused rampant unemployment.

Proposed remedies included:

The worst of the crisis was over by 1824Events January 22 Ashantis crush British forces in the Gold Coast Cimetiere du Montparnasse established The Dutch sign the Masang Agreement temporarily ending hostilities in the Padri War March 17 signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. March 11 The Un, and the rest of the decade saw a gradual recovery of the U.S. economy. It was the nation's first experience with the mysteries and miseries of the business cycleThe business cycle or economic cycle refers to the ups and downs seen somewhat simultaneously in most parts of an economy. They tend to repeat at fairly regular time intervals. The cycle involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid growth.

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