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What Caused the Crisis of 1839?

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  • John Joseph Wallis

Abstract

The 1830s were a decade of enormous importance in American economic history. A disproportionate amount of attention has been paid to the Panic of 1837. The Crisis of 1839, however, led to four years of deflation and depression. This paper shows that events in 1839 followed a different path than events in 1837. Domestic, rather than international forces, played a key role in the origins and duration of the crisis. The critical element was the massive increase in state borrowing after 1836, and the subsequent collapse of internal improvement projects in the west and south in the summer 1839. This was an American cycle of events.

Suggested Citation

  • John Joseph Wallis, 2001. "What Caused the Crisis of 1839?," NBER Historical Working Papers 0133, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberhi:0133
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    Cited by:

    1. Davis, Joseph H. & Irwin, Douglas A., 2008. "The antebellum U.S. iron industry: Domestic production and foreign competition," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 254-269, July.
    2. Gareth Campbell & Meeghan Rogers, 2017. "Integration between the London and New York Stock Exchanges, 1825–1925," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 70(4), pages 1185-1218, November.
    3. Chao Chiung, Ting, 2017. "Quantity Theory of Money: True or False," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(10), pages 46-63, October.
    4. Wallis, John Joseph, 2003. "The property tax as a coordinating device: Financing Indiana's Mammoth Internal Improvement System, 1835-1842," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 223-250, July.
    5. John Dove, 2012. "Credible commitments and constitutional constraints: state debt repudiation and default in nineteenth century America," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 66-93, March.
    6. Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, 2012. "Some Possible Consequences of a U.S. Government Default," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 9(1), pages 24-40, January.
    7. Jessica Lepler, 2012. "‘The News Flew Like Lightning’," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 179-195, May.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N1 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations
    • N2 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions

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