[publius911]

The charts ignore The period from 1776 to 1789. We ran up enormous debts in that period, for the war. We paid them off with the sale of lands to the west.

Well, ignoring them did not make them go away; They seem to still be with us to this day...

Clearly some master (elected?) criminals absconded with the funds collected from the "sales of lands to the west."
Or maybe the indians did.
Or Aliens?

Bottom line, the debt from 1776 to 1789 never went away, or not enough public land to the west was sold.

WHY DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STILL OWN SO MUCH LAND TODAY INSTEAD OF SELLING IT TO PAY OFF THE ORIGINAL 18TH CENTURY DEBTS (PLUS, PRESUMABLY, 200 PLUS YEARS OF INTEREST?

[ProgressingAmerica]

"WHY DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STILL OWN SO MUCH LAND TODAY"