About the Author

David Blanke is Joe B. Frantz Associate Professor of History at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He earned his BS at the University of Kentucky and his MA and PhD at Loyola University Chicago.

Panic of 1873

Primary Sources

Andrews, Elisha Benjamin. "An Honest Dollar." The American Economic Association 4:6 (1889). Compilation of articles that provide an introductory lesson in bimetallist theory.

Giffen, Robert. The Case Against Bimetallism. London: George Bell & Sons, 1892. Contains several previously printed essays on bimetallism and argued against the use of bimetallism and those who had strayed from "sound monetary tradition." Giffen referred to bimetallists as "currency faddists."

Laughlin, James Laurence. History of Bimetallism in the United States. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1896. Touches upon Giffen's theory, calling it fallacy, and discusses the purchasing power of both gold and silver and the history of the metals' uses in the United States and Europe as it related to the topic of bimetallism.

Mills, Roger Q. “What Shall We Do with Silver?” The North American Review 150:402 (1890). Dry analysis of the usefulness of silver relative to the economy, which expresses the belief that the interchangeable nature of using gold and silver as a standard for the national currency would keep prices more stable.

Nicholson, Joseph Shield. A Treatise on Money and Essays on Monetary Problems. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1893. Deals with international economy and how bimetallism affects price fluctuation and stability.

Price, Langford Lovell. Money and Its Relations to Prices. London and New York: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Limited, 1896. A collection of lectures delivered by the author, who was the Newmarch Lecturer in Statistics at University College, London.

Taussig, Frank William. The Silver Situation in the United States. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1896. Intricate exploration of silver standard, the use of gold, bimetallism, and the possible outcomes of the world economy.

Walker, Francis Amasa. International Bimetallism. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1896. —— Money. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1883. Walker hoped his work would be seen as instructional in dealing with the current economic crisis effectively. He believed restoring silver would alleviate the economic downturn.