To receive copies of any articles published in Financial History, please e-mail your request, including article name, issue number, and your mailing address or fax number, to info@financialhistory.org or call (212) 908-4695. Most articles are not available in electronic format.

History, American

100th Anniversary 1880-1980 (5) Editors of Friends. Financial history highlights during R.M. Smythe's first century, illustrated with a number of rare and historically important certificates.

1978 - State of the Market (1) Brief excerpt from "Freunde Historische Wertpapiere," a German collectors organization whose hard work has inspired the creation of the F.F.H. Foundation.

Abraham Lincoln and the Second Portuguese Church (39) Sanford J. Mock. Features a check issued by Lincoln for $5 to Second Portuguese Church and the story behind his donation.

After the Fire (20) Joe R. Kirker. The re-building and expansion of Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871 with the help of the Inter-State Industrial Exposition of 1873 which attracted more than 400,000 visitors and lasted 18 years.

Alexander Hamilton and the Birth of a Capital Market (83) Robert Wright. Early transfer books reveal the identities of America’s first investors.

Alexander Hamilton: The Man and the Myths (41,42) Joanne B. Freeman. Two-part essay which explores the private life of one of America's most controversial founding fathers.

Alexander Hamilton (The Man on the 10-Spot Turns 200) (39) Jack Egan. Reprint from U.S. News & World Report about the Museum of American Financial History and its three-month Hamilton exhibit at the U.S. Customs House in honor of the 200th anniversary of the first Secretary of the Treasury.

The American Stock Exchange Comes in from "The Curb" (43) Edited by Jason Zweig. A look at life on the old Curb and Chairman McCormick's reasons for moving indoors in 1921.

America’s First Federal Paper Money (72) John and Nancy Wilson. Currency from the War of 1812.

America’s First Securities Market (61) Richard Sylla, Jack W. Wilson and Robert E. Wright. Discusses Alexander Hamilton’s plan to use security bonds to pay off the debt of the American Revolution. This plan established the credit of the federal government.

America's 100th Birthday (21) Joe R. Kirker. The story of the different methods and committees that were set up to commemorate the Centennial of American Independence.

Are the First Two Hundred Years the Hardest? (46) Joseph A. Walker. In the two centuries since its founding, the N.Y.S.E. has evolved into a technical giant that would flabbergast its founders. But the future isn't getting any easier.

Bells as Money, Money as Bells (60) Terry Meyer. Explores the relationship of bells and coin money. Refers to ancient examples when bells were used as money to purchase objects and food.

Big Bucks for Big Business (76) John C. Burch, Jr. & Bruce S. Foerster. The history of America’s first underwriting syndicates.

The Blue, The Gray and The Gold (28-30) George Haley Garrison. Wall Street during the Robber Baron era - a center for rampant and illegal gold speculation.

British Versus American Liberty (61) Thomas Fleming. Discusses Fleming’s look at the American Revolution as he writes about in his book, Liberty!. He contrasts American and British liberty using the qualifications for freedom of the individual as a major difference.

Brooklyn Bridge Centennial Celebration, 1883-1983 (20) Editors. Commemorates the efforts of John and Washington Roebling to complete the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883.

Business and Politics in the Early Republic (64) Thomas Fleming.

Certain Expeditions Against the Indians (58) Sanford J. Mock. The campaign against the American Indians, both physically and financially.

The Columbian Cartel (47) John Yewell. Christopher Columbus was not just a navigator. He was the first foreign entrepreneur in North America. Here's how Columbus financed his voyage, and how desperately he wanted to become rich from the lands he found.

The Credit Mobilier: Financial Scandal of the 1860s (80) Sanford J. Mock. In the latter half of the 1800s, public bilking reached an art form, and the most notorious scandal was the Credit Mobilier of America.

Connecting the Nation - A Tale of Two Rails (58) Sarah E. Massey. The events and financing leading up to the joining of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific.

Corporate Governance: From Crown Charters to Dot Coms (77) Irene Macauley. The past and future of corporate regulation.

The Day Wall Street Changed (77) Gregory S. Ball. Mayday marks the end of fixed commissions for brokers.

Default Lies Not in Our Stars, But in Ourselves (44) Robert R. Godfrey. Amid the gloomy daily headlines about municipal finances, does history offer any encouragement to worried investors?

The Dutch Settlement of the New Amsterdam (73) Erika L. Prins. Business begins in Old New York.

The Early History of Mutual Funds (51) Max Rottersman and Jason Zweig, Mutual Funds Editor of Forbes magazine.

Emerging Stock Markets in the People’s Republic of China (78) Chen Ji and Steve Thomas.

Everybody’s Revolution (63) Thomas Fleming. The Final Segment of “A New Look at the American Revolution,” in which Fleming discusses the role of women and minorities in the American Revolution.

The Fight Against Counterfeiting (83) Tamar Anolic. A brief history of counterfeiting in the U.S., from Colonial notes to today’s modern money.

Final Analysis (45) Although not the world's oldest profession, securities analysis can trace its origins back to the 18th century at least. It celebrates an important anniversary this year.

Finance Finds a Spokesperson (71) Walter John Chilman. The Depression-era roots of Fortune magazine.

Delegate Situations (34) W. S. Roberts. A brief article that includes the names of the 39 delegates who signed the Constitution and touches upon the American entrepreneurs - Washington, Governor Morris, and James Wilson.

FinancialHistory.Com: Five Websites for Financial History Buffs (65) James Romeo. The Internet can be a wonderful source of historical information, if you know where to look. These websites are a good start for researching the history of American finance.

The Financial Library (17) Editors. A bibliography of works concerning financial history.

Financiers of Freedom (4) Editors. A brief overview of the financial development of the American colonies with particular mention of Robert Morris, Charles Carroll, and others who were aggressively active in early financial activities.

Financing America, 1776-1836 (59) A Museum Staff Report. A preview of the gallery exhibit opening Nov. 12, 1997 at the Museum.

Financing the Dream Called Disneyland (77) Jeffrey M. Seidel. How Walt and Roy Disney turned the project derided as “Walt’s Folly” into an entertainment empire.

The First Fifty Index (45) How do America's oldest companies do in the stock market?

First Steps Toward Foreign Aid (77) Claudia La Rocco. U.S. economics relief begins in 19th century Liberia.

Forgotten Patriot (75) Russell Roberts. Elias Boudinot fights reluctantly, yet honorably, for the independence of the nation and the survival of the Mint.

Funding the Growth of America (50) The westward expansion of America funded by an early form of mutual funds sold in the United Kingdom.

Going to the Cleaners (18) George Haley Garrison. Two of the most colorful schemers and their stock frauds: John E.W. Keely and Joseph Weil.

Gold Bugs Versus Silver Fish (57) Robert J. Grossman and Elizabeth D. Ross. With gold and silver insects as party symbols, outrageous campaign donations, voter buy-offs, and emotion filled rhetoric, the Presidential election of 1896 makes the election of 1996 look like an exercise in self-restraint.

The Golden Age of Major Pond (33) Ray Helsel. A brief account of the life of Major J.B. Pond, who launched his long and successful career as lecture manager and business advisor to America's outstanding platform orators and performers such as Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, and P.T. Barnum.

The Great A & O Company (54) Rudy Weng. America was shocked when, in 1979, an original American institution was sold to a German company. A brief history.

A Great Catch (73) Russell Roberts. New York buys the “Babe.”

Hamilton’s Great Experiment: The SUM(65) Russell Roberts. Alexander Hamilton proposed that the U.S. government support manufacturing by spending $1 million on a national manufactory. When Congress rejected this idea, he turned to private funds and started the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures.

Hamilton’s Great Invention (67) Howard Brod. The birth of the American corporation.

Handwriting - It's Your Mirror (35,37) Ray Helsel. An interview with Julia Bevacqua, certified graphologist, on the science of handwriting analysis.

A Historical Perspective of the Lottery (65) Denis P. Rudd and Frank R. Flanegin. Lotteries are by no means a modern invention. In fact, precursors to today’s lotteries date back as far as biblical times.

History and Development of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (78) Howard A. Baker.

History of the Company for Promoting the Cultivation of Vines in Pennsylvania (65) Earl Moore. A company history from one of America’s earliest wineries.

The History of Investment Analysts' Societies (81) Kathleen A. Graham. A professional movement for security analysts gains momentum.

How Much is it Worth in Today's Dollars? (17) Dr. Udo Hielscher. An index to the value of a given sum of money (from 1775) in terms of today's dollar. Translated and interpreted by George Haley Garrison.

Huntington - As In Library, Gallery, Gardens, Railroads And Trolley Cars (48) Sanford J. Mock. Early twentieth-century California was transformed by the contributions of one man in particular - Henry E. Huntington.

Identity Crisis (82) Tamar Anolic. The personal and financial implications of the Internet's most prolific crime.

If You Build It, They Will Shop (78) Claudia La Rocco. The evolution of malls in America.

Immediate Information (70) Stephanie Mercurio. From telegraph to Internet, a history of financial information.

In the Good Ole Summertime (43) Editors. A photo feature shows how 19th century America endured summer heat waves.

In Teddy We “Trust” (63) Dan Cooper & Brian Grinder. Theodore Roosevelt and the Northern Securities Company Trust.

An Industry Within An Industry (75) Andrew L. Ney and Marcia L. Rorke. Technology transfer helps drive the productivity and profits of American companies, large and small.

The Inventive Mind (29) Psychology magazine (reprint). Focuses on some of history's most famous inventors, including George Westinghouse, Sir Henry Bessemer, Elias Howe, and numerous others who devoted their lives to facilitating progress but who were often confronted with doubt, ridicule, poverty, and often illness as they struggled to rally support for their inventions.

The Isle of Man (71) Ian Moncrief-Scott. A business history of the globe’s most prudential offshore center.

Jewish Merchants in Revolutionary Philadelphia (43) Dr. William Weisberger. Along with Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, and Jefferson, Haym Salomon and the Grata brothers helped America wage the Revolutionary War.

The Knickerbockers Steamboat Company Bond (34) Stephen L. Goldsmith. A description of the fire on the General Locum in 1904, recorded as the worst disaster in New York maritime history.

Life of the Party (82) Claudia La Rocco. Paying for political conventions, from 1831 to today.

Lock, Stock, and Barge (44) Philip Lord, Jr. Two centuries ago, public investors financed one of the first major canal projects in North America. But most of the stock seems to have floated away.

A Long View of the Capital Markets (83) William J. Bernstein. Identifying the major differences between modern and historic markets.

The Ludlow Massacre (81). Gregory DL Morris. How labor-management relations climbed up out of the pit.

The Market, the Media & the Means (70) Jason Zweig. Free press did not always mean free or fast access.

The Men Who Would Be King (75) Claudia La Rocco. Long before Enron, Samuel Insull, Richard Whitney, and Charles Keating were bilking investors out of millions, infuriating investigators, embarrassing politicians, and forever endearing themselves to headline-hungry journlists.

Mr. Morgan and Mr. Carnegie Strike a Bargain (69) K.C. Tessendorf. The billion dollar birth of U.S. Steel.

The Most Important Airplanes In History (79) Gregory DL Morris. Pan Am’s Clipper period was more than just one of the most colorful eras in airline history; it changed the way the world works.

Mr. Secretary, May We Have Your Remittance, Please? (74) K.C. Tessendorf. A falsely-accused Secretary of State is charged nearly $50,000 for missing funds.

The New Jersey Pinelands Iron Plantation (66) Russell Roberts. Company-issued script as an alternative to U.S. tender.

A New Magazine for a New Interest (1) Editors. Introduction to Friends: its creation, its goals, and its needs.

New Name for the U. S. Custom House (41) Editors. This monumental Cass Gilbert building of 1907, with its eclectic French Renaissance style, has been dedicated to the memory of Alexander Hamilton.

The New York Stock Exchange (9-11) Harper's New Monthly Magazine (reprint). Reprint from Harper's Nov. 1885 issue, explaining the jargon and color of the Exchange to readers.

A No - Lose Proposition (45) Those Japanese brokerage houses that guaranteed their clients against losses were trying something that American firms abandoned a century ago.

No Hope for Hope (78) Robert E. Wright. A corporate governance failure in 1820s New York.

A Note on Restoration (17) Bruce Gimelson. Observations on conservation of old stocks and bonds.

N.Y. Stock Exchange (16) Editors. Highlights of the history of the NYSE from 1792 to 1982.

A Note on Restoration (17) Bruce Gimelson. Observations on conservation of old stocks and bonds.

Of Beer, Brits and Chicago (79) David Baeckelandt. The British attempt to corner the beer brewing market in 1890’s Chicago.

Of Salt and Gold (45) Laura Jereski. Is it possible for a salt tax to cause revolution in one country and finance a revolution in another?

On the Road to West Egg (62) Jim Romeo. A look at the neighborhood of America’s early money masters.

On the Trail with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery: 200 Years Later (84) Brian Grinder & Dan Cooper.

One Best Way (78) Vanessa Drucker. Frederick Winslow Taylor and the development of scientific management.

One Nation or Thirteen? (61) Brian Grinder and Dan Cooper. Discusses George Washington’s plan to build a canal off the Potomac River to make settlement along the river’s fork more desirable and provide transportation to the east coast. Shows how this led to the formation of the U.S. Constitution.

Panamint City (55) Fred Holabird. A wild west boom town where even Wells Fargo wouldn’t go.

The Panic of 1907 (52) Patrick Harris. Triggered by the collapse of a copper corner, this brawl had all the elements of a turn-of-the-century melodrama.

Paul Revere (38) Sanford J. Mock. A glance at Paul Revere's major achievements in the cause of the new nation.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange Turns 200 (43) Edited by Jason Zweig. The City of Brotherly Love is the home of the first American stock exchange, which has developed alongside the nation from independence to the present day.

Power to the People (85)  Gregory DL Morris.  The evolution of stadium financing.

Poyaisian Land Debenture (15) Frank Griffith Dawson. Financial speculations and land dealings of Robert Charles Frederick, King of the Mosquito Shore, and Gregor MacGregor.

President James A. Garfield (37) Ronald von Klaussen. A brief note on the rarity and significance of an inscription by James A. Garfield on a presentation of his inaugural address.

The Price of Liberty (53) T. Patrick Harris. The war for independence bankrupt the fledgling nation - the Museum illustrates how the financial and social crises were overcome.

Profits in the Wilderness (47) John Frederick Martin. A look at the English as early entrepreneurs in the New England towns of the 17th century, and how the colonies practiced capitalism from the very beginning.

Rags to Riches (60) Kristin Richard. Outlines the intent of the current exhibit to show the Hamiltonian and Jacksonian program for American finance.

Reporting on the Reserve (72) Richard Hoenig. The demise of the oldest periodic press conference in the banking and financial world.

Retirement, Then and Now (81) Tamar Anolic. How retirement changed in the early 20th century, and why it is poised to do so once again.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (13) Lawrence Weinbaum. The origin of "The Greatest Show on Earth."

Rings of Power (81) Claudia La Rocco. Peter Ueberroth and the financing of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games.

The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (62) Thomas Fleming. Part II of “A New Look at the American Revolution.”

The Rise and Fall of W.T. Grant (82) Bruce Weitzman. A series of management miscues cause the collapse of a retail giant.

Robber Barons (53,54) Complied by David Beach. Think Bill Clinton has a hard time with the media? He should thank his lucky stars that he didn’t hold office at the turn of the century, when publications such as “Puck” and “The Judge” regularly skewered, roasted and burned anyone they pleased. Friends presents the great “Robber Barrons” as 19th Century editors and illustrators saw them.

Robert Morris and the First U.S. National Debt (23) John Catanzariti, Editor, The Jefferson Papers. The struggle of the young Republic to deal with the debt incurred by the Revolutionary War.

Robert Morris: Public and Private Credit (25,26) Catanzariti, Ferguson, Nuxoll. Morris' efforts to finance the fledgling Republic during the darkest days of the War for Independence. Adapted from Volume VI of the authors' The Papers of Robert Morris 1781-1784.

The Salt of the Earth (82) Gregory DL Morris. How Syracuse made New York City the capital of the world.

The Santa Claus Bank Robbery (72) Pat Ellebracht. A tale of one of the West’s most famous hold-ups.

Scottish Investment Trusts (62) John E. Newlands. Financial frontiersmen in the emerging U.S.

The Secret Subway of New York (38) Peter and Susan Frenzel. The story of Alfred Beach's struggle with "Boss" Tweed to build the first N.Y. city subway system.

Selling Uncle Sam (45) Richard H. Hoenig. Selling U. S. Treasury bonds has not always been as easy as it is today. In earlier times, it took a great deal of ingenuity to get investors to buy.

Sixty Years Over the Counter (50) Seven past presidents of the Security Traders Association discuss the evolution of the old Over the Counter Market from pink sheets to NASDAQ.

Sleepless in New York (69) Thomas Kalinke. Evening hours at the stock exchange.

Society's First Winter Playground (80) Russell Roberts. When Aspen was little more than a prospector's rest stop, Lakewood, New Jersey was welcoming the movers and shakers of American society.

Sold Down the River (79) Gregory DL Morris. The Louisiana Purchase, the largest real estate deal in history, had everyone thinking they put one over on everyone else. But it was nothing personal, just business.

A Steamboat Monopoly (59) Meg Ventrudo. A brief history of the building of a monopoly and its downfall.

The Stock That Set Off the 1907 Crash (52) Rudy Weng.

“Such a Hard, Constant Tug” (44) Sanford J. Mock. To keep the voice of the early woman’s movement alive, it’s founders trudged miles upon miles to rustle up revenues. It paid for everyone.

The Tale of the Tape (52) 150th Anniversary of the Telegraph. Samuel Morse.

Trading Horse Certificates in 1781 (84) Lorne W. Rae. An informal securities market in rural Pennsylvania.

The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition (25) Joe R. Kirker. An exposition for all the products, industries, and civilization west of the Mississippi River. The expo ran for six months and was declared a success.

Tulipmania (70) Vivian Lewis. The 17th century bulls and bears of bulbs.

Turning Back the Clock (63) Compiled by Kristin Richard. A time line of business in America from 1898, as the Museum celebrates it’s 10th anniversary.

Unlimited Scope to Enterprise (62) Robert Wright. The Gibbons vs. Ogden case and domestic economic development.

An Unlucky Combination (45) Most people think of mutual funds as a product of the 20th Century, but Lawrence & was selling the idea of "combining capital" investments back in 1878.

U.S. National Debt in the American Revolutionary Era (17) William G. Anderson. A primer on the financing of the war debt, by the author of The Price of Liberty, the definitive work on the subject.

Voices of Financial History (67) James Romeo. First-hand accounts of the Great Depression.

Wall Street & the Coming Fury (71) Thomas Kalinke. The Presidential election of 1860 ends a bull market, begins a depression, and arguably starts a war.

When a Nickle Was As Big as a Pie Plate (78) M.D. Morris. A first-hand account of surviving the Great Depression.

Why a Museum of American Financial History? (38) John E. Herzog. Museum founder reveals his inspiration for establishing the Museum.

Why Gold Worked (72) Vanessa Drucker. A history of the gold standard.

Wild Pitch: How American Investors Financed the Growth of Baseball (43) Jason Zweig. The editor of Friends reviews the history of baseball as it was originally financed by fans owning common shares in local teams - an investment that proved disastrous for many small investors.

Wild Pitch: How American Investors Financed the Growth of Baseball (59) Jason Zweig. Reprint of above article with a few updates.

Wild Ride (45) A handsome stock - market graph from the Museumcollection shows the volatile performance of 1881's darling stocks.

William Duer and the Stock Market Crash of 1792 (46) Richard Sylla. Long before Ivan Boesky, insider trading was a good way to make a fast buck.T

The Wisdom of William R. Travers (44)