Fiscal Chart of the United States Showing the Course of the Public Debt by years 1790 to 1870.

This interesting ‘financial biography’ of the United States offers an insightful look at the nation’s historical accounts. Three columns outline revenue, debt, and expenditures dating all the way back to 1789. Customs and sales of public lands bankrolled much of early American expansion. Military spending, internal revenue, and the debt all spiked significantly during the Civil War, with a gradual abatement in the years following. The sheet was originally issued as part of The Statistical Atlas of the United States Based on the Results of the Ninth Census, 1870, compiled by Census Superintendent Francis A. Walker. Lithographed by Julius Bien and published in 1874. The atlas serves as the ultimate 19th-century “data portrait” of a reunified nation, meticulously synthesizing geography, climate, and demographics into a visual manifesto of America’s industrial and economic potential.