Wall Street is now considered to be the financial trading center for the entire world. It’s where the hustle and bustle of the world’s biggest corporations and investments are traded and billions of dollars change hands on a daily basis. However it hasn’t always been this way. In fact New York City wasn’t even the first place where trading occurred in the early days of the United States. In the early 1700's before the United States fought for their independence from England, Boston was the trading hub and financial center of America. Bonds for construction projects as well as commodities were bought and sold on the street on a regular basis. Following a lot of rebuilding due to the Great Fire of 1776 much of Manhattan was new and still be finalized at the end of the century. In 1792 Wall Street wasn’t yet even lined with cobblestone or paved. However Wall Street was the hub of the financial district in New York.

It was in this year, 1792, that the United States of America organized formal stock and bond trading. It started as curbside trading outside of 16 Wall Street and 20 Wall Street. Leonard Bleeker and Sutton & Harry were the first merchants who traded mostly lottery tickets, bonds and share of stocks of new banks. Treasury bonds issued by the Bank of the United States were the hottest item available. The first official stock exchange however occurred under a Buttonwood tree in Castle Garden with 24 financial advisors and leaders signing an agreement of rules, regulations and fees that would be used for future trading. Following that an auction occurred every day at noon at the 22 Wall Street building. Securities were sold to the highest bidder and they paid a commission on each stock or bond. It was an exclusive club of elite financial leaders in the New York community that excluded women and only accepted members if they fit within a specific elevated status and had a required amount of investments and monetary backing in the bank.

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Eventually the exchange grew as more companies and bonds were brought to the building for sell each day. The auction that once lasted twenty minutes soon became over two hours long. Then everything changed as the push westward was on and gold became a real commodity in the country. As the United States grew in world power and became an actual contender on the financial market the stock exchange floor was created and trading became a real job. Trading on the floor began as a part time job at the stock building and part time on the streets trying to get inside information on what was going to be the next hot buy due to changes in the system, mergers or information from out west.

Today Wall Street is one of the most famous streets and financial sectors in the world. Many consider it to be the only place to make it in the trading market. Those twenty-something financial analysts and leaders had no idea what they were signing into action in the late 1700's but it has become an incredible system where fortunes have been made and lost in mere minutes.