Question

In a paragraph, explain why President James Madison authorized the Second Bank of the United States. What problem was he trying to solve? What problems did this bill create?

Answer 1

Explanation:

The Second Bank of the United States was chartered for many of the same reasons as its predecessor, the First Bank of the United States. The War of 1812 had left a formidable debt. Inflation surged ever upward due to the ever-increasing amount of notes issued by private banks. Specie was jealously hoarded. For these reasons President Madison signed a bill authorizing the 2nd Bank in 1816 with a charter lasting 20 years.The Second Bank of the U.S. was chartered in 1816 with the same responsibilities and powers as the First Bank. However, the Second Bank would not even enjoy the limited success of the First Bank. Although foreign ownership was not a problem (foreigners owned about 20% of the Bank's stock), the Second Bank was plagued with poor management and outright fraud (Galbraith). The Bank was supposed to maintain a "currency principle" -- to keep its specie/deposit ratio stable at about 20 percent. Instead the ratio bounced around between 12% and 65 percent. It also quickly alienated state banks by returning to the sudden banknote redemption practices of the First Bank. Various elements were so enraged with the Second Bank that there were two attempts to have it struck down as unconstitutional.