Editing Debt relief (section)

===Origins===
{{main|History of debt relief}}
Debt relief existed in a number of ancient societies:
* Debt forgiveness is mentioned in the [[Book of Leviticus]] (a [[Judaism|Judaeo]]-[[Christianity|Christian]] scripture), in which God counsels [[Moses]] to forgive debts in certain cases every [[Jubilee (Biblical)|Jubilee year]] – at the end of [[Shmita]], the last year of the seven-year agricultural cycle or a 49-year cycle, depending on interpretation.
* This same theme was found in an ancient bilingual [[Hittite language|Hittite]]-[[Hurrian language|Hurrian]] text entitled "The Song of Debt Release".<ref>{{cite journal |first=William |last=Harms |title=Linking ancient peoples |url=http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/960201/hittites.shtml |journal=The University of Chicago Chronicle |volume=15 |issue=10 |date=1996-02-01 |access-date=2009-02-26}}</ref>
* Debt forgiveness was also found in [[Ancient Athens]], where in the 6th century BCE, the lawmaker [[Solon]] instituted a set of laws called [[seisachtheia]], which canceled all debts and retroactively canceled previous debts that had caused slavery and serfdom, freeing debt slaves and debt serfs.
* In addition, the [[Qur'an]] (the [[Muslim]] [[scripture]]) supports debt forgiveness for those who are unable to pay as an act of charity and remission of sins for the creditor. The injunction is as follows:
{{quote|If the debtor is in difficulty, grant him time till it is easy for him to repay. But, if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew.|Qur'an 2:280 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamic-relief.com/InDepth/downloads/islamanddebt.pdf|title=Islamic Relief Worldwide - Faith inspired action|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231050355/http://www.islamic-relief.com/InDepth/downloads/islamanddebt.pdf|archive-date=2009-12-31}}</ref>}}In the United States, the first serious movements to create debt relief were rooted in debtor farmer grievances against creditors. In the early 19th century, legislators created pathways for indebted farmers to take creditors to court to erase what they owed and enable them to start over. The first federal bankruptcy law, passed in 1841 and repealed in 1843, was re-introduced and expanded in 1867. At the time, this was a comparatively radical approach to debt relief in the world, making the United States one of the most debtor-friendly countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waters |first=Michael |date=2024-10-30 |title=An Overlooked Path to a Financial Fresh Start |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/10/bankruptcy-law/680451/?utm_content=bufferbdbc5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zackin |first1=Emily |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4-gEEQAAQBAJ |title=The Political Development of American Debt Relief |last2=Thurston |first2=Chloe N. |date=2024 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-83237-1 |language=en}}</ref>