Continental currency

E628123

Continental currency was the paper money issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War, which rapidly depreciated and became a symbol of early U.S. financial instability.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Continental currency canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fiat money ⓘ
historical currency ⓘ
paper money ⓘ
backing future tax revenues ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
currencyOf Thirteen Colonies ⓘ
denomination dollar ⓘ
describedBySource Journals of the Continental Congress ⓘ
early U.S. financial history works ⓘ
endTime 1780 ⓘ
exchangeRate depreciated heavily against specie ⓘ
facedProblem counterfeiting ⓘ
over-issuance ⓘ
hasCause financing the American Revolutionary War ⓘ
hasEffect inflation ⓘ
loss of public confidence ⓘ
phrase "not worth a Continental" ⓘ
rapid depreciation ⓘ
historicalPeriod American Revolutionary era ⓘ
influenced Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ
design of U.S. constitutional limits on paper money ⓘ
issuer Continental Congress ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalTenderFor Thirteen Colonies ⓘ
United States (in formation) ⓘ
material paper ⓘ
monetaryPolicy unbacked by specie ⓘ
printedIn various colonial and state printing offices ⓘ
region North America ⓘ
relatedTo Colonial currency ⓘ
Continental Congress ⓘ
United States dollar ⓘ
linked to: US dollar
replacedBy United States dollar ⓘ
linked to: US dollar

specie (gold and silver coins) ⓘ
securityFeature elaborate designs to deter counterfeiting ⓘ
significantEvent First emission authorized by Continental Congress in 1775 ⓘ
eventual repudiation at steep discount ⓘ
large-scale depreciation by late 1770s ⓘ
startTime 1775 ⓘ
symbolOf dangers of unbacked paper money ⓘ
early U.S. financial instability ⓘ
usedBy Continental Army ⓘ
patriot governments in the colonies ⓘ
usedIn American Revolutionary War ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

United Colonies of America → currency → Continental currency ⓘ
Currencies of the Thirteen Colonies → replacedBy → Continental currency ⓘ