The Boom Before the Bust Following the War of 1812, the United States entered a period of rapid economic expansion. A surge in land speculation, fueled by easy credit and an abundance of paper money issued by state and local banks, led to skyrocketing land prices. Farmers, merchants, and speculators eagerly borrowed money to purchase land, believing that values would continue rising indefinitely. This speculative … Continue reading The Panic of 1819: America’s First Economic Crisis