Hi, I'm Jeff Sickinga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, and this is the American

idea, where we discuss the ideas, people, and events that have made America what it is today.

We believe that by understanding our history and our principles, we can better

live up to the promise of the American founding and preserve our ongoing experiment in self-government.

Welcome to the American Idea. Well, I want to welcome everyone to this episode of The American idea. Today we're going to be talking

about a person and I think a topic that has not been studied enough when we think about

the American Revolution, the American founding, and the early years of the Republic. We're going to

talk about financing the American Revolution, the important role that

finance and financiers, and particularly one financier, played in the founding and the creation

of the American Republic.

I'm going to be joined for that conversation today by Richard Vague.

Richard is an author of a wonderful book,

also president of a company, so he knows the business side of things, but as a historian,

he's an author of a wonderful book that I have to recommend heartily to our listeners,

called The Banker Who Made America, Thomas Willing, and the rise of the American

Financial Aristocracy.

It's going to be an interesting conversation today.

Glad you could be with us, Richard, on the American idea.

Thank you for having me.

So maybe we should start with this.

It is an interesting fact that when we think about American history,

especially the American Revolution and founding, we think of politicians and generals. We think

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