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Pros And Cons Of The National Debt

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The national debt has always been a major issue in and for the United States. In the past the nation was faced with this deficit as they were required to borrow money from foreign nations and its citizens as the government needed money to build up its empire. The nation obtained money from its citizens in the form of bonds which the government promised to pay back. Distrust accumulated when the government was unable to pay these bonds back. When Alexander Hamilton was appointed Secretary of the Treasury, he composed a resolution to the debt issue. This resolution, according to our textbook was to develop a more commercial/industrial economy as opposed to the agricultural based economy that was prevalent at the time. Hamilton viewed the debt as an asset. To further elaborate on Hamilton’s plan; he decided to fund debts by selling bonds which paid annual interest to holders, in order to pay these bonds Hamilton also proposed new tariffs and excise taxes. Hamilton’s plan would benefit the economy in 3 essential ways, by establishing a sense of economic credibility, earning support from wealthy citizens which would aid stability issues and benefit the nation as a whole in the future, and entice investors; similar to buying support from wealthy citizens would aid the nation as investors could build/fund utilities and resources for the nation. Hamilton’s plan would also redistribute wealth from farmers to merchants and from the South to the North. Naturally, Hamilton’s plan was

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