If the world of debt has an epicenter, it is Washington. The city owes part of being the capital of the United States to debt. During a famous dinner on June 20, 1790 at Thomas Jefferson's, renowned for the friendliness of his table and the choice of his wines, he and James Madison accepted the federalist proposals of Alexander Hamilton, a supporter of a powerful government, in solidarity responsible for the debts of the Confederate States and with fiscal jurisdiction. In exchange, the capital of the young nation would not be New York, but would have to settle further south, on the banks of the Potomac. It will be Washington.
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Hamilton considered it necessary to establish the credibility of the American nation by honoring its debts, including external ones. Madison feared he was doing it "on the backs of the veterans" of the Revolutionary War and the wealthiest states, and for the benefit of speculators. This debate will continue in the political life of the United States, one of the very few countries (along with Australia,
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