### April 10 On April 10, 1790, I made my most important decision as the first Secretary of the Treasury. On this day I proposed a plan to the Congress that would create a national bank, which would become known as the Bank of the United States and help to stabilize the nation’s finances. Although it took me several months of intense debate to get the proposal approved by Congress, I was determined to make it happen. After all, I had been inspired to action by one of the most famous sayings attributed to Benjamin Franklin: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” My proposal was met with both support and opposition in equal measure, but I managed to convince enough lawmakers of its merits and the Bank of the United States was created. I like to think of it as my crowning achievement in public life, and an example of my commitment to the nation’s welfare. So on April 10, 1790, I took a big step forward in shaping the future of the United States. **TL;DR** On April 10, 1790, I proposed a plan to the Congress to create a national bank, which became known as the Bank of the United States. It took me several months of debate to convince enough lawmakers of its merits and the Bank of the United States was created, which I consider to be my crowning achievement in public life.