Firstbank

History of U.S. Money Timeline

By Kayzer
  • Colonial notes

    Colonial notes
    Americans used English, Spanish, and French currencies until the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued the first paper money in the colonies.
  • Franklin's Unique Counterfeit Deterrent

    Franklin's Unique Counterfeit Deterrent
    Benjamin Franklin printed colonial bills with nature prints- raised impressions cast from actual leaves. It helped protect against counterfeiting.
  • Continental Currency

    Continental Currency
    The Continental Congress gave paper currency to finance the Revolutionary War. Without solid backing and easily counterfeited, the bills quickly lost their value.
  • The Bank of North America

    The Bank of North America
    The Bank of North America in Philadelphia as the first national bank
  • The Dollar

    The Dollar
    The dollar was adopted as the money unit of the US
  • First Central Bank

    First Central Bank
    Congress chartered the Bank of the United States for a 20-year period to serve as the U.S. Treasury's fiscal agent, until 1811, when Congress declined to renew the bank's charter.
  • Monetary System

    Monetary System
    The Coinage Act of 1792 created the U.S. Mint and established a federal monetary system. Specified the value of each coin in gold, silver, or copper.
  • by 1811

    the country had about 100 state banks
  • Greenbacks/ First $10 Bills

    Greenbacks/ First $10 Bills
    The first general circulation of paper money by the federal government occurred in 1861. These bills acquired the nickname "greenback" because of their color. The first $10 bills were Demand Bills. A portrait of President Abraham Lincoln appeared on the face of the bills.
  • Legal Tender Act

    authorized the Union government to print $150 million of US notes.
  • National Banking System

    Was established to oversee the issuance of National Banknote. It also established Federal guidelines for chartering and regulating "national" banks and authorized those banks to issue national currency secured by the purchase of United States bonds All state banks were forced to hoin the National Banking System in 1865
  • Gold certificates

    Gold certificates
    The government issued paper currency back by gold placed on deposit with the United States Treasury.
  • Secret Service

    Secret Service
    The United States Secret Service was established as a bureau of the Treasury for the purpose of controlling the counterfeiters whose activities were destroying the public's confidence in the nation's currency.
  • Bureau of Engraving and Printing

    Bureau of Engraving and Printing
    Began printing all US currency
  • Paper Currency with Background Color

    Paper Currency with Background Color
    The last paper money printed wih background color was the $20 gold certificate, it had a golden tint and a read seal and serial numnber
  • Period: to

    Redesign of $5 - $100 bills

    US Government redesigned the $5-$100 bills to protect against conterfieting
  • The New $5 Bill

    The New $5 Bill
    The $5 Bill was redesigned to help protect against counterfieting
  • The New $100 Note: know its features know it's real

    The New $100 Note: know its features know it's real
    unveiled the new design for the $100 note. Complete with advanced technology to combat counterfeiting, the new design for the $100 note retains the traditional look of U.S. currency.