Which 1816 institution became the second national bank of the United States?

The Second Bank of the United States became the country's second national bank when Congress chartered it in 1816.

Congress created the bank after the War of 1812 exposed weaknesses in the U.S. financial system. The institution was intended to provide a stable place for government funds, support public borrowing, and impose greater discipline on state-chartered banks. It was headquartered in Philadelphia and had branches in several states.

The bank became central to the political conflict known as the Bank War. President Andrew Jackson opposed it, vetoed its recharter in 1832, and removed federal deposits. Its federal charter expired in 1836, after which it continued for a time under a Pennsylvania charter before eventually closing.

The Second Bank is distinct from the First Bank of the United States, chartered in 1791. It is also different from the modern Federal Reserve System, created in 1913. The episode remains an important example of the tension between national financial coordination and opposition to concentrated federal banking power.