MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
WE ARE ONE
"Tell me about continental dollars"
ChatGPT:
Continental dollars refer to the paper currency issued by the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War. This currency was first authorized in 1775 to finance the war effort against Great Britain. As the colonies lacked sufficient gold and silver to support a traditional metal-based currency system, they resorted to printing paper money.
Key Aspects of Continental Dollars:
Purpose:
The currency was intended to fund military expenses, including paying soldiers and purchasing supplies, since the colonies did not have adequate tax revenue or external financing mechanisms to cover these costs.
Issuance and Design:
The currency featured various designs, often including symbolic images and phrases. Notably, many notes carried the motto "Fugio" (Latin for "I flee") and a sundial, representing the concept of time passing, along with the message, "Mind Your Business."
Inflation and Depreciation:
Almost immediately after their issuance, Continental dollars began to depreciate rapidly. This was due to several factors:
- Overproduction: The Congress printed far more currency than it could back with a physical asset or future tax revenues, leading to inflation.
- Counterfeiting: The British actively contributed to the depreciation by counterfeiting vast amounts of Continental dollars, a tactic aimed at undermining the colonial economy.
- Lack of Central Authority: The decentralized nature of the American government at the time, with each state also issuing its own currency, further undermined confidence in the Continental dollars.
Impact and Legacy:
As the value of the currency plummeted, it gave rise to the phrase "not worth a Continental," illustrating its worthlessness. The failure of the Continental currency demonstrated the dangers of not backing paper money with physical assets or sound fiscal policy, influencing future monetary policy in the United States.
from money.org:
"the phrase “not worth a Continental” was in common use by the end of the war and Continental notes were only redeemed at 1 cent on the dollar 40 years after the Revolution."