Major+Economic+Trends+and+Panics

"Mo' money, Mo' problems" - The Notorious B.I.G. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of all of the economic trends in US History, but rather, a list of some of the more prominent ones that you should be aware of for AP purposes.

This depression was largely brought about due to the Embargo Act of 1807 which placed a trade embargo on Great Britain and France. It was lessened, to some extent, by the passage of future pieces of legislation, particularly Macon's Bill No. 2 in 1810.
 * Depression of 1807 **

This was partly brought on by a mild depression after the War of 1812. However, there were massive failures in the market in terms of foreclosures, bank failures, unemployment, and an agricultural slump.
 * Panic of 1819 **

Many historians blame this panic on a variety of factors. First, President Jackson "killed" the Bank of the US (BUS) and withdrew all of its funds, investing it in so-called "pet banks". Secondly, Jackson issued an order known as specie circular, demanding that purchases of federal land be paid in hard currency (gold and silver) and not paper money. This caused the sale of land to plummet as well. Finally, many of the "wildcat" or unregulated banks, went bankrupt at the same time, thus causing the Panic of 1837.
 * Panic of 1837 **

This was largely brought about by a drop in prices for farm products overseas and increased unemployment in the North. Oddly, cotton prices remained fairly steady which meant that the South was not hit as hard by this particular panic.
 * Panic of 1857 **

This panic came about due to over-speculation in the financial sector and over-building in the railroad and other industries. Desperate to get their money back, banks started to demand early repayment of debts from farmers (who took out mortgages to purchase land).
 * Panic of 1873 **

This panic was caused when one major US railroad failed, a number of European businesses pulled funds out of the US stock market, and thus, caused a banking and stock market collapse. Also at the heart of this panic was the gold vs silver debates. Due to the shortage of gold, the US government had to issue bonds to make payments. This gave rise to many who were in favor of the free coinage of silver.
 * Panic of 1893 **

This was caused by the collapse of the stock market in October 1929. Enough said :)
 * Great Depression **