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United States dollar

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The United States dollar is the official money used in the USA.

Obverse of the series 2021 $1 Federal Reserve Note
Obverse of the series 2021 $1 Federal Reserve Note

It is also used in several other countries around the world. Many nations use it for big international trades. In some places, like Cambodia, it is used very often for daily things.

Obverse of the series 2021 $5 Federal Reserve Note
Obverse of the series 2021 $5 Federal Reserve Note

The dollar is a very important tool for the global economy. It helps people buy and sell things across different borders.

There are two main ways to use this money. You can use metal coins or paper bills.

US One Cent Obv
US One Cent Obv

Most paper bills are called Federal Reserve Notes. People often call them "greenbacks" because they are mostly green.

Obverse of the series 2021 $10 Federal Reserve Note
Obverse of the series 2021 $10 Federal Reserve Note

The Federal Reserve System acts as the central bank. It manages the money and the way it works. Coins can be worth anything from one cent to 100 dollars.

Sacagawea dollar obverse
Sacagawea dollar obverse

Some special coins are even made of pure silver.

The history of the dollar began a long time ago. In 1792, the U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act.

Alexander Hamilton portrait by John Trumbull 1806
Alexander Hamilton portrait by John Trumbull 1806

This law made the dollar the main unit of currency. It also set the value of one dollar to 100 cents. At first, the dollar was worth the same as a Spanish silver dollar.

Potosi Real
Potosi Real

The word "dollar" likely comes from the German word "taler." This word traveled through many languages before reaching English.

Money has changed its value many times over the years. Originally, the dollar was linked to silver or gold.

NNC-US-1907-G$20-Saint Gaudens (Roman, high relief)
NNC-US-1907-G$20-Saint Gaudens (Roman, high relief)

In 1900, a law linked the dollar only to gold. Later, in 1934, the value was set to 35 dollars per ounce of gold.

WhiteandKeynes
WhiteandKeynes

All links to gold were ended in 1971. Now, the dollar is a free-floating currency. This means its value can change based on the world market.

Many people use fun nicknames for different bills. A $1 bill is sometimes called a "buck."

A $100 bill is often called a "Benjamin" after Benjamin Franklin. You might also hear people call large amounts of money a "grand."

The symbol for the dollar is the "$" sign. This sign was likely made from the letters "ps" for the Spanish peso. It is a symbol that people all over the world recognize.

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🖼️ Images & Media (35)
File:Potosi Real.jpg
Potosi Real.jpg
File:Alexander Hamilton portrait by John Trumbull 1806.jpg
Alexander Hamilton portrait by John...
File:Continental Currency One-Third-Dollar 17-Feb-76 obv.jpg
Continental Currency One-Third-Dollar...
File:One US dollar 1917.jpg
One US dollar 1917.jpg
File:NNC-US-1907-G$20-Saint Gaudens (Roman, high relief).jpg
NNC-US-1907-G$20-Saint Gaudens (Roman,...
File:WhiteandKeynes.jpg
WhiteandKeynes.jpg
File:US One Cent Obv.png
US One Cent Obv.png
File:US_union_shield_penny_reverse.png
US_union_shield_penny_reverse.png
File:Jefferson-Nickel-Unc-Obv.jpg
Jefferson-Nickel-Unc-Obv.jpg
File:US Nickel 2013 Rev.png
US Nickel 2013 Rev.png
File:Dime Obverse 13.png
Dime Obverse 13.png
File:Dime Reverse 13.png
Dime Reverse 13.png

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