“Leading the boom of 1838 were state governments, who, finding themselves with the unexpected windfall of a distributed surplus from the federal government, proceeded to spend the money wildly and borrow even more extravagantly on public works and other uneconomic forms of 'investment.'”

American economist and political theorist

Murray Newton Rothbard was an American economist, economic historian, political theorist, and activist. He was a major figure in 20th-century American libertarianism and a founder and leading thinker of anarcho-capitalism. He wrote more than twenty books on political theory, history, economics, and related subjects. His work placed him at the center of debates over liberty, markets, and the role of the state.