Have you ever noticed how in history certain people have a way of influencing major events? Look into the past of rock music alone and you will find that big names like Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and others of their time hung out together, and some even played in the same band.
This is true in the building of our great nation's history as well.
US History has been influenced by many prominent men and women.
Among some of the most notable are Benjamin Franklin and Nathan Rothschild.
The control of financing has in the United States has shifted from Congress to a centrally owned bank throughout history.
Founding father like Benjamin Franklin observed the tug-a-war and understood the problems with a central banking system that was privately owned.
Benjamin Franklin believed the real cause of the American Revolution was a result of British financing.
When the British national debt got out of hand and ran up because of the British central bank and the Bank of England, Parliament had to find a solution.
At the time their answer was to pass on unfair taxes to the American colonist.
Thomas Jefferson also warned of the increasing dangers of a central banking system that was privately owned.
He stated that "banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
" In Jefferson's eyes the power of who controls the money should be removed from the banking system and run by the people.
In today's economic crisis would this help resolve some of our problems? When Franklin came to Philadelphia it was 1723, and Pennsylvania was in the midst of an economic crisis.
The gold and silver coins they received from foreign exchanges were used to purchase goods from Europe.
They did not make gold and silver coins, so the colonist were dependent upon trade for these coins, and without it went nearly broke.
Franklin understood the dilemma and wrote that without the gold and silver, trade within the colonies would practically come to a stop.
He also knew there had to be a better way for financial tractions to take place.
Meanwhile, as time passed the British held an immense amount of power in the middle of the 1700's.
They also had a privately owned central bank, which they borrowed from to fund their wars.
It was not long before they were facing a huge debt.
To resolve their problems they began increasing taxes on their American colonies just to cover the interest on their bank loans.
Sounds a bit familiar to the problems we are facing today in our economy.
In American the colonist were making ends meet by whatever means possible.
With the lack of gold and silver coins, the colonist began printing their own paper money.
Tobacco was also successfully used as a form of currency in some area of the colonies.
The British were not happy with this and required the colonists to pay their taxes in gold, which led to a depression.
Benjamin Franklin went to London in support of the colonist printing their own money, which they eventually did in spite of the British.
When the colonies achieved success within their communities they British asked Franklin how this was possible.
Franklin responded by stating that the colonist money, called Colonial Scrip, was issued in appropriate proportions to the demands in which it was needed.
The colonist controlled the buying power and in turn had no interest to pay anyone.
Like other great men of his time, Franklin was a big influence on our financial system, and believed the people should control their financial future.
When it came to the battle of Waterloo, knowing who would win would certainly have been an advantage in the financial markets.
It is said that one man did, and this man was Nathan Rothschild, who planned his own strategy of attack to gain control over the British stock-and bond market.
While it is uncertain whether this story is accurate, but speculations still circulate today as to the extent of Nathan Rothschild's involvement.
In any case, it is said that Nathan Rothschild had a man he trusted on the front lines of the battlefield, and the moment he could determine who would win he let Nathan know.
This gave Nathan a great advantage.
Since the news did not come until twenty four hours later to everyone else, Nathan was able to use his advantage to lead others to believe that Wellington had been defeated.
Stocks and bonds were sold and prices dropped, and then, Nathan, along with his partners bought everything they could through other agents.
In the end, the Rothschild's and partners had control over not only the bond market, but the Bank of England.
It is interesting to see how to great men could influence the financial outcomes in their time.
Just as with your health, it is wise to seek the advice of a professional when you have questions about your financial well being.