The Original Debt

How much did the United States owe in debts at the time the Constitution was adopted – $4 million, $79 million, or $212 million?$79 million. (Nearly $12 million was owed to foreign banks and creditors, and $42 million was owed to banks and contractors in the United States. In addition, the states owed $25 million for defense expenditures during the Revolutionary War. The federal government assumed these state debts.)