The Bank War was the name given to the campaign launched by US President Andrew Jackson in 1833 to destroy the Second Bank of the United States, after he persuaded him to be re-elected and that his opposition to the Bank had national support. The Second Bank was founded in 1816 as a successor to the First Bank of the United States whose charter was allowed to end in 1811.

In 1832, Jackson vetoed a bill calling for early renewal of the Second Bank charter, but renewal was still possible when the charter expired in 1836; To prevent this from happening, he proceeded to reduce the bank's economic power, acting against the advice of congressional committees and in opposition to several members of the government, and after replacing two dissenting treasurers, Jackson announced that, as of October 1, 1833, federal funds would not be deposited in the Bank of the United States .

Instead, he began placing them in various state banks, and by the end of 1833, twenty-three called pet banks (as they were popularly known) had been selected. The head of the bank, Nicholas Biddle, anticipating Jackson's actions, began to counter counter in August 1833 AD; He began offering government banknotes for redemption, calling in loans, and generally contracting credit.

It was believed that the financial crisis would play a key role in the need for a central bank, and to secure support for the renewal of the charter in 1836. In fact, Biddle's campaign appears to have had less impact among his supporters or critics, but the bank war became a matter of intense debate in Congress, in the newspapers, and among the public. Businessmen veered away from Washington, where it complained about business conditions and sought to end the bank's war, while management spokesmen argued that Biddle's ability to disrupt the economy only highlights central bank risks.

Federal deposits were not returned to the Second Bank, its charter expired in 1836 and President Jackson won the Bank War.