The Money Masters

[novapsyche]

lameautarch started me watching the first 45 minutes of The Money Masters, available on YouTube & Google Video (Parts 1 & 2). We'd been talking about history (as we are wont to do), and he got me questioning things like why exactly did the U.S. enter the War of 1812?

Much of my knowledge of American history is comprised of what happened after the Civil War, so I didn't really have an answer for him. Even though I have a good footing on what has taken place since Reconstruction, I still have gaps--I'm not as familiar with the early 1900s, for example. I don't know exactly what social forces converged to allow the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, or even why the Amendment mandating income taxes was constitutionalized. A lot of 20th-century history was "old hat" for my educators, as much was in their (or their parents') lived experience.

Since our last conversation, I've had a renewed interest to pursue those breaks in my understanding. I think Money Masters, while obviously biased, provides a hearty skepticism toward an issue that is quite opaque to most citizens. In that regard, it is highly valuable, and I am in lameautarch's debt for his introduction to the source.

Comments

[o-lucky-man.livejournal.com]

IMO, The House of Morgan by Ron Chernow is one of the best books on this subject:

http://www.amazon.com/House-Morgan-American-Banking-Dynasty/dp/0671734008

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks for the heads-up.

[o-lucky-man.livejournal.com]

Sure thing. You can search through most of it at google books

http://books.google.com/books?id=xXwPW8np0oEC&lpg=PP1&dq=house%20of%20morgan&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

[pstscrpt.livejournal.com]

Didn't the British attack us again in the War of 1812? We may have done stuff to provoke it (something involving shipping rights, as I recall), but it wasn't a blatant war of choice like Iraq 2 or our entry into WW1.

Lies my Teacher Told Me does point out pretty well that public school history classes nearly always leave out that the end of the War of 1812 (at least the North American side) was also essentially the end of anyone preventing the U.S. from abusing the native tribes unchecked. Until then, many still had British alliances.

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A check of Wikipedia says I was wrong about the direct attack, but the press gangs part sounds familiar now (I had forgotten which war that led to), and I'd consider that an act of war on par with a direct attack.

It does seem like the British could have just intercepted American ships to France on the European side and ignored an American declaration of war; it's not like we were in a position to invade England. There must have been some national pride influence involved there.