Unfortunately, the minimalist design allowed people to clip the edges for bullion and they were soon replaced by willow, oak and pine tree designs. In 1652, the Massachusetts Bay Colony began striking its own silver shillings. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain fought with other European powers for territorial control of North America, but tended to neglect the economic needs of her colonies. coins first showed a personification of Liberty, and this word still appears on all new coins issued by the U.S. President George Washington rejected coins bearing his portrait on the grounds that they were tyrannical. Benjamin Franklin designed a coin that exhorted Americans to “Mind Your Business,” which here means to keep one’s attention on one’s work. The early coinage of the independent United States is fascinating for what it says about the formation of the new nation, and coin design even drew the attention of the Founding Fathers. After 1788, the right to issue coins was reserved for the federal government, and the U.S. Between 17, when the Constitution was ratified, both the states and the federal government produced coins, either as test patterns or for circulation. The Articles of Confederation that governed the relationship among the states allowed each one to issue its own coinage. Colonial governments also printed their own paper notes. The pressing need for currency meant that people often used counterfeit coins or small-denomination private issues. While Massachusetts did strike coins in the late 17th century, most of the money in circulation at the time of the Revolution was either Spanish or British. During the 17th and 18th centuries, coins were often hard to come by in the British colonies, and royal authority was generally inattentive to the economic needs of its North American possessions. North America’s first European settlers often traded by barter, using corn, tobacco, and other goods as currency. Thank you for having me, and thanks for the work that you are doing.Return to Drachmas, Dubloons, and Dollars homepage With all of the important work you do to make our country a better and more inclusive place, I know that there is still work to be done to make the Mint a more equitable institution. Whether it is your work distributing coins, designing medals, producing bullion coins, or any of the other amazing things the Mint does, thank you for your efforts.Īnd I’m excited to work with Deputy Director Gibson-and all of you-to make the Mint even stronger in the coming months. I’m grateful to each of you for being such effective partners in that work. There are a lot of steps to turn a concept into reality – from the image selection, to the design, to the production, to the distribution. I know that the American Women Quarters are produced here in Denver and that behind each coin are so many difficult decisions. In choosing Maya Angelou – and the other women featured through the American Women Quarters program – we are not only lifting up these incredible individuals, we are making a statement about how our society has progressed and about what we value. Yet something has been missing from this body of ideas: The remarkable achievements of women leaders, scholars, poets, and entrepreneurs who we have not honored. Many of these people – and they’ve almost exclusively been men – have made incredible contributions to this country – people like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson In the 232 years since the Treasury Department’s founding, we’ve chosen people to appear on our currency because their ideas have been central to how we think about running an economy. What does it mean to have Maya Angelou on our currency? And I was very grateful that the Mint honored this in a historic way by the placing of Maya Angelou on the quarter. March, of course, is also Women’s History Month. And despite the pandemic and the related currency shortage, you all have continued to show up – through your critical work here, you’ve helped keep our nation’s economy running. This facility began minting coins a little over a century later and has been a backbone of the Mint’s production ever since. Ever since the first Mint facility opened up in 1792, it has been a critical part of our country’s economy. Of course, it’s also great to be here with all of you, too. I also want to thank Deputy Director Gibson, who has been such an effective leader of the Mint through a challenging time. It’s a true pleasure to be here at the Denver Mint, and I’m excited to be able to spotlight this facility with the Second Gentleman.
0 kommentar(er)
