Bank Bill of 1791

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Bank Bill of 1791
Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg
Long titleAn Act to incorporate the subscribers to the Bank of the United States.
Enacted bythe 1st United States Congress
EffectiveFebruary 25, 1791
Citations
Public law Pub. L.   1–10, Session III
Statutes at Large 1  Stat.   191, Chap. 10
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S. 17
  • Passed the House on February 8, 1791 (39-20)
  • Signed into law by President George Washington on February 25, 1791

The Bank Bill of 1791 is a common term for two bills passed by the First Congress of the United States of America on February 25 and March 2 of 1791. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

After Alexander Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury in 1790, he promoted the expansion of the federal government through a variety of controversial bills. Hamilton argued that a federal bank would be beneficial to the national economy. The opening paragraph of the bill sums up his arguments:

Whereas it is conceived that the establishment of a bank for the United States, upon a foundation sufficiently extensive to answer the purposes intended thereby, and at the same time upon the principles which afford adequate security for an upright and prudent administration thereof, will be very conducive to the successful conducting of the national finance; will tend to give facility to the obtaining of loans, for the use of the government, in sudden emergencies; and will be productive of considerable advantages to trade and industry in general:

[ citation needed ]

Rights and restrictions

This bill grants that a "bank of the United States" shall be granted limited legal rights in order to manage the national finance, to obtain loans for the federal government in case of sudden emergencies, and to promote trade and industry. The bank was granted the following legal rights and restrictions:

Bank stock

The corporation was granted the right to issue paper stock under the following restrictions:

Corporate personhood

The shareholders of the bank were granted the legal right of corporate personhood and the corporation was granted several rights:

Self-governance

The corporation would be self-governed according to the following organizational structure:

Accounting

See also

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References

  1. "Bank Bill of 1791 ~ P.L. 1-11" [Supplementary to Bank Bill of 1791](PDF). 1 Stat. 196 ~ Chapter XI. USLaw.Link. March 2, 1791.
  2. "1st Congress Chapter X, February 25, 1791" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  3. "1st Congress XI, March 2, 1791" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2011.

Concerning the First National Bank in Colonial America

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