Robert Morris (Inside the Revolution)

The origins of America's current political turmoil are revealed “Inside the Revolution.”

Robert Morris was a progenitor of America’s Free Enterprise system. In the face of shortages, Morris championed free markets. When hyperinflation hit, he supported a silver based currency. Before the war, he used his trading contacts as an international spy network. He smuggled tea, and weapons for the war. With the Model Treaty, he set the basis for America's foreign relations. Morris ran the Continental Navy, and had an interest in 250 privateer vessels. As Financier of the Revolution, one year he personally put up more money for the war than all the states combined. He coordinated the French Fleet and Washington's arrival at Yorktown. He promoted the mint, got rid of religious test laws, and signed all three founding documents. Later, he lost his fortune with ill-timed real estate investments. His political opposites won the election of 1800, and focused on their futures, not his past successes. Instead, they cast him as 'the bankrupt'.