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Colonial Notes
Before the American Revolution and just after, Americans used English, Spanish, and French currencies. -
Continental Currency
American colonists issued paper currency for the Continental Congress to finance the Revolutionary War. -
The Nation's First Bank
The Continental Congress chartered the Bank of North America in Philadelphia as the nation's first “real” bank to give further financial support to the Revolutionary War. -
The dollar
The Continental Congress adopted the dollar as the unit for national currency. -
US Mint
The first American coins were struck in 1793, established with the creation of the U.S. mint in Philadelphia -
The Civil War
When on the brink of bankruptcy and pressed to finance the Civil War, congress authorized the US Treasury to issue paper money for the first time in the form of non-interest bearing Treasury Notes called Demand Notes -
Standardized Design
Currency was reduced in size by 25 percent, and 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” in 1957. The inscription appears on all currency Series 1963 and later. -
Security Thread and Microprinting
A security thread and microprinting were introduced to deter counterfeiting by advanced copiers and printers. The features first appeared in Series 1990 $100, $50 and the $20 notes. By Series 1993, the features appeared in all denominations except $1 notes. -
Currency Redesign
In 1994 they announced that the U.S. currency would be redesigned. In 1996 the new 100 was introduced, the 50 in 1997, and the 20 in 1998 -
50 State Quaters Program Act
This is from 1999 to 2008. Five new quaters will be relased every year for 10 years. It will feature a design that honors each state's unique history and tradition. -
Redeisgn of the $5 and $10 bill
The U.S. Treasury introduced redesigned 5 and 10 dollar bill to make counterfeiting more difficult
