Money: what history's greatest minds said

Martin Luther King Jr. proposed a $50 billion federal compensatory program over ten years to address systemic racial disadvantage, arguing it represented a debt owed to Black Americans while benefiting poor citizens regardless of race.

Martin Luther King Jr. viewed labor unions as vital allies in the civil rights movement, sharing common enemies with Black workers, though he criticized discrimination within unions themselves.

Martin Luther King Jr. viewed the Poor People's Campaign as urgent work to expose America's failure to fulfill its promises of equality and opportunity to forty million impoverished citizens through sustained nonviolent protest in Washington.

Martin Luther King Jr. rejected both capitalism and communism as incomplete systems, calling instead for a socially conscious democracy that balances individual rights with collective responsibility and structural economic reform.

MLK viewed economic inequality as structurally embedded in American capitalism, not merely a result of neglect. He argued that economic justice requires guaranteeing adequate income, housing, and education as moral imperatives.

Benjamin Franklin advocated for paper money as essential to commerce, arguing that a country's wealth should be measured by the labor its inhabitants can purchase, not by precious metals alone.

Benjamin Franklin believed charity should aid genuine misfortune but feared that unconditional poor relief encourages idleness and undermines self-reliance, though he actively supported targeted charitable efforts like hospitals.

Benjamin Franklin warned that debt enslaves a man to his creditor, destroys liberty, and undoes both industry and frugality. He urged saving and warned against buying things one cannot afford.

Lincoln held that labor is superior to and independent of capital, rejecting the idea that all workers must serve capital. He championed free labor where individuals could work for themselves and rise in condition.

George Washington believed public debt was unjust to future generations and urged prudent spending and timely debt repayment during peacetime, while maintaining honest public credit as a foundation of national strength.

Jesus taught that trusting in wealth endangers spiritual life, that God provides for basic needs, and that neglecting the poor while hoarding is spiritually catastrophic. How societies organize redistribution through law, he did not directly address.

Jesus warned that wealth becomes a rival master competing with God for devotion. He called for generosity and warned against trusting in riches, teaching that true wealth is measured by sacrifice, not amount.