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Different currencies used
Before and after the American Revolution, Americans used English, Spanish, and French currencies. -
Continental Currency
American colonists issued paper currency for the Continental Congress to finance the Revolutionary War. -
$ symbol is created
Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, created the money symbol. -
First "real" Bank
Bank of North America was chartered in Philadelphia to give support to the Revolutionary War. -
First Dollar was made.
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US debt was paid off
James Swan paid off the $2,024,899 US national debt. -
Canada developed its own currency
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Civil War
Congress authorized the United States Treasury to issue paper money for the first time because of the threat of bankruptcy. -
US Congress authorizes $1 & $3 gold coins
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Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 establishes the Federal Reserve as the nation’s central bank and provides for a national banking system that is more responsive to the fluctuating financial needs of the country. The Federal Reserve Board issues new currency called Federal Reserve notes. -
Large currencies
The Federal Reserve Board begins issuing currency in $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 denominations. -
Standardized Design
Currency was reduced in size by 25 percent, and a consistent design was introduced with uniform portraits on the front and emblems and monuments on the back. -
In God We Trust
Paper currency was first issued with the inscription “In God We Trust” -
End of Large Bills
On July 14, 1969, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that banknotes in denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 would be discontinued due to lack of use. Although they were issued until 1969, they were last printed in 1945. -
$2 Note was reintroduced
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New Design
Newly designed $100 bills -
New Designs
Newly designed $50 bills -
New design
Newly designed $20 bills -
New Designs
The U.S. Treasury introduced redesigned $5 and $10 bills to make counterfeiting more difficult. The new notes feature oversized pictures of Abraham Lincoln and Alexander Hamilton that are slightly off-center. Other anti-counterfeiting measures include watermarks that can be seen under a light, security threads that glow when exposed to ultraviolet light and tiny printing that’s visible with the help of a magnifying glass.