Federal Reserve Act

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The Federal Reserve Act was passed by the 63rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913. The law created the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. Following the 1912 elections, in which Democrats gained control of Congress and the presidency, President Wilson, Congressman Carter Glass, and Senator Robert Latham Owen introduced legislation to create a central bank. The proposal was shaped by debate between those who favored private control of a central bank, such as proponents of the earlier Aldrich Plan, and those who favored government control, including progressives like William Jennings Bryan. Wilson prioritized the bill as part of his New Freedom domestic agenda, and it passed Congress largely as introduced. The Federal Reserve Act created the Federal Reserve System, consisting of twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks jointly responsible for managing the money supply, making loans and providing oversight...

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