Curious about the history of the Federal Reserve System? Ever wondered how the Fed’s role in the U.S. payment system contributes to its overall mission (Off-site)? Take advantage of these economic history resources to learn more.
Federal Reserve History
The Federal Reserve History website breaks down the Fed’s long and detailed history into digestible essays and biographies. For example, its Payment System essay collection (Off-site) showcases how the Federal Reserve has carried out its mission of fostering payment and settlement system safety and efficiency since the early 20th century.
These essays detail historic events in the evolution of the Fed’s payment systems and include lesser-known facts. For instance, did you know that when the Fed shreds currency (Off-site) that is no longer fit for use, it can be repurposed into cardboard, roofing material, cement and more?
Learn more at FederalReserveHistory.org (Off-site).
FRASER®
FRASER is the Federal Reserve System’s digital library of U.S. economic, financial and banking history, maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. FRASER allows the public to explore primary sources, such as reports, speeches and photographs, dating back to the Fed’s inception.
Explore its Payments Systems collection (Off-site), which features research findings, newsletters and briefings that provide snapshots of the payment system at unique points in history. Readers can also visit the Inside FRASER blog (Off-site) for engaging articles such as "Women and American Currency" (Off-site) and "Historic Coin Production and the US Mint" (Off-site).
Find even more history at fraser.stlouisfed.org (Off-site).
