What are the primary functions of the federal reserve?

Answer 1

Early American Banking: 1791-1863

Banking in the America of 1863 was far from easy or dependable. The First Bank (1791-1811) and Second Bank (1816-1836) of the United States were the only official representatives of the U.S. Treasury - the only sources that issued and backed official U.S. money. All other banks were operated under state charter, or by private parties. Each bank issued its own individual, "banknotes." All of the state and private banks competed with each other and the two U.S. Banks to make sure that their notes were redeemable for full face value. As you traveled around the country, you never knew exactly what kind of money you would get from the local banks. With America's population growing is size, mobility, and economic activity, this multiplicity of banks and kinds of money soon grew chaotic. The National Banks: 1863-1913

In 1863, Congress passed the first National Bank Act providing for a supervised system of "National Banks." The Act setup operational standards for the banks, established minimum amounts of capital to be held by the banks, and defined how the banks were to make and administer loans. In addition, the Act imposed a 10 percent tax on state banknotes, thus effectively eliminating non-federal currency from circulation