This timeline first appeared at Mother Jones.*

The history of money in American politics is one of shady characters and a dramatic battle between the forces of reform and influence that goes back more than 250 years before the birth of the super PAC. Check out this timeline for its juiciest events and milestones. (It may take a few seconds to load.)

*Updated by BillMoyers.com in April and September 2014



Asawin Suebsaeng is a reporter at the Washington, DC, bureau of Mother Jones. He has also written for The American Prospect, the Bangkok Post, and Shoecomics.com.

Aaron Ross is a former editorial intern at Mother Jones currently living and working in Cairo, Egypt. Aaron’s writing focuses primarily on international politics and sport. He has been published in The Nation, Huffington Post and Philadelphia Weekly.