Why was the United States Secret Service a part of the Treasury Department?
Answer During the Civil War, approximately one-third of all the currency in circulation was counterfeit. There were then about 1,600 state banks designing and printing their own notes. There were approximately 4,000 varieties of counterfeit notes and 7,000 varieties of genuine notes. This made it difficult to detect a counterfeit note from a genuine note. Officials believed that the adoption of a national currency in 1863 would solve the counterfeiting problem. The national currency, too, was soon counterfeited. It became necessary for the Government to take enforcement measures because this currency circulated so extensively. As a result, the Secret Service became a bureau of the Treasury Department on July 5, 1865, with its major responsibility being the suppression of counterfeiting. Public sentiment after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 demanded better protection of our leaders.
During the Civil War, approximately one-third of all the currency in circulation was counterfeit. There were then about 1,600 state banks designing and printing their own notes. There were approximately 4,000 varieties of counterfeit notes and 7,000 varieties of genuine notes. This made it difficult to detect a counterfeit note from a genuine note. Officials believed that the adoption of a national currency in 1863 would solve the counterfeiting problem. The national currency, too, was soon counterfeited. It became necessary for the Government to take enforcement measures because this currency circulated so extensively. As a result, the Secret Service became a bureau of the Treasury Department on July 5, 1865, with its major responsibility being the suppression of counterfeiting. Public sentiment after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 demanded better protection of our leaders. The Secret Service was the only law enforcement agency of the Federal Government then.
Related Questions
- Are there specific United States Department of Justice, Immigration and naturalization Service requirements for an F-1 Visa?
- Do emergency situations involve requests from the Secret Service or the police department to transport its employees?
- Why was the United States Secret Service a part of the Treasury Department?
