Early American currency

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/early-american-currency

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What was the first money made in America?In 1652 Massachusetts let John Hull mint its own coins called shillings. They had tree designs—willow, oak, and pine—to show the colonies' new identity.
2. Why did people use Spanish dollars in early America?The colonies had very few coins, so Spanish dollars were reliable and widely accepted as a common money.

Fiat Money: Currency that a government has declared to be legal tender, not backed by a physical commodity.
Spanish Dollar: A silver coin widely used internationally from the 16th to the 19th century, often referred to as a 'piece of eight'.
Continental Currency: The paper money issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War, which suffered extreme depreciation.
Hyperinflation: Extremely rapid or out-of-control inflation, where the value of currency plummets dramatically.