was the first national debt of the U.S. caused by the civil war?

Question

i want to know was the first national debt of the U.S. caused by the civil war because im writing about wars that made debt.

Answer 1

The Continental Congress issued its first debt certificate on June 3, 1775, for expenses related to the American Revolutionary War which began at Lexington and Concord in April of that year. Much of the conflict was funded by debt bonds and certificates. The currency in which the debt was issued was Continental Currency.

If you'd like more info, I've attached a list of all debt certificates issued by the Continental and United States Governments from 1775 through 1976.
http://eh.net/databases/store/Public%20Debt%20Database.doc

Enjoy, hope I could help!

Answer 2

Continental Currency, issued by the authority of the Continental Congress and used to finance the American Revolutionary War, was a promise to pay the bearer in silver. Because so much of it was issued it was devalued and for the most part never redeemed after the war. Hence the phrase "not worth a continental".

Answer 3

The Revolutionary War beat the Civil War for that "honor". Of course, the French and Indian War and others caused the debt, but since the U.S. was a cluster of more than 15 colonies at that time, England would have been the one in debt (but of course, the colonies paid for the wars).
Try www.google.com. You will probably be referred to Wikipedia.

Answer 4

The US was already in debt before the war.

"When the representatives gathered in Washington for the first session of the war Congress, their concern, according to John Sherman, centered on “whether we could raise the money,” not “whether we could muster the men.” Custom duties had been the primary source of revenue for the national government, but the “political complications” resulting from the secession crisis rendered the reliability of tariffs “a subject of conjecture.” Moreover, the war began with the U.S. carrying the largest peacetime debt in its history. “Financially, the federal government was more poorly prepared for war in the early months of 1861 than it had been since its establishment,” commented Robert Patterson. Revenue was needed quickly, but Congress had not levied internal taxes in forty years; no legislative or administrative structure could be summoned."

"The need to secure new and reliable sources of revenue compelled the legislators to borrow known tax strategies."

"The English Origins of American Civil War Taxation", Jane Flaherty, Department of History, Texas A&M University, 2 April 2004 : http://www.ehs.org.uk/ehs/conference2004/assets/flaherty.doc