The establishment of the First Bank of the United States was part of a three-part expansion of federal fiscal power. Which two other measures completed that expansion?

• A. National road and postal service
• B. Central bank and land surveys
• C. Tariff policy and patent office
• D. Federal mint and excise taxes

Answer: (D)

Expanding federal fiscal power meant building the national capacity to raise revenue and manage money across the whole country. After the First Bank helped handle debt and currency, two other moves completed that expansion: a federal mint to produce a standardized national currency, and excise taxes to raise revenue directly at the federal level (for example, taxes on distilled spirits). The mint creates uniform money usable everywhere, which helps trade and government finance, while excise taxes broaden the government’s revenue beyond tariffs and duties. Together, the federal mint and excise taxes, with the Bank, established a more centralized and capable fiscal system. Infrastructure like the national road or post service, or patents and land surveys, aren’t the same kind of direct fiscal-power moves, and tariffs alone don’t complete the trio.