C-SPAN American History TV
In 1812, the United States was financially unprepared for war. It had no national bank and a small tax base with tariff revenues falling. Faced with heavy military expenditures, Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin was forced to turn to innovative financing techniques to pay for a war that saw the burning of Washington, DC, and the writing of the "Star Spangled Banner." David Cowen, the Museum's President/CEO, explores how one of the Treasury's greatest leaders helped fight the War of 1812.