About the Presenter
Arya Martinez is a History Ph.D. candidate at the University of New Hampshire. Her dissertation explores the debates and controversies over the Bank of North America from the end of the American Revolution until George Washington’s first administration. The early 1780s were plagued by economic instability, political fragmentation, and social unrest, prompting the introduction of the Bank as a remedy to these problems. Though the Bank of North America was based in Philadelphia, reactions to it varied across states. Virginia, as a key political and cultural center post-Revolution, offers a unique perspective on banking and fiscal practices. At Mount Vernon, Martinez will research families like the Washingtons, who were acutely aware of the Bank's advantages and disadvantages. Their experiences will help illuminate the Virginian perspective on the broader impact of the Bank's operations on American economic thought.