First, my Mises Institute presentation on this subject:

Quite a bit of work remains to be done from an Austrian perspective on nineteenth-century economic downturns. I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the links that follow, but here is some useful material to get you started.

Can We Live Without the Fed? by Thomas E. Woods

“The Panic of 1837 and the Contraction of 1839–43: A Reassessment of Its Causes from an Austrian Perspective and a Critique of the Free Banking Interpretation” by H.A. Scott Trask

“The Independent Treasury: Origins, Rationale, and Record, 1846–1861” by H.A. Scott Trask

“Banking Crises and the Rules of the Game” by Charles Calomiris

“Has the Fed Been a Failure?” by George A. Selgin, William D. Lastrapes and Lawrence H. White

The Panic of 1819 by Murray N. Rothbard

A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II by Murray N. Rothbard (read online or purchase)

Rollback by Thomas E. Woods

A Short History of Money and Banking by William Gouge

Democratick Editorials by William Leggett (edited by Lawrence H. White)

Mises Wiki (an ongoing project)

Panic of 1792

Panic of 1796-97

Panic of 1819

Panic of 1825

Panic of 1837

Panic of 1847

Panic of 1857

Panic of 1866

Panic of 1873

Panic of 1884

Panic of 1890

Panic of 1893

Panic of 1896

—

Want to unlearn the propaganda we got in school, and at last be taught real history and economics? Liberty Classroom, founded by bestselling author Tom Woods, offers on-demand, downloadable courses in sound economics as well as U.S. and European history, taught by professors who share your commitment to liberty. Learn in your car, a little each day, and make yourself a formidable debater for the cause of freedom. Find out more! New members can take 30% off a year’s subscription with coupon code NEW (all caps).