2/25 【歷史上的今天】林肯打內戰，全靠憑空印錢

每天一篇《美國歷史上的今天》，提煉和總結歷史在今天發生的重要事件：誰，在哪裡，什麼時候，做了什麼，這件事為什麼重要、以及在寫關於什麼主題的論文的時候可以作為潛在論據引用。每天半分鐘，輕鬆積累史實，為AP歷史拿5分打下堅實基礎！

When: Feb 25, 1862

What: The U.S. Congress passed the Legal Tender Act, authorizing the use of paper notes to pay the government』s bills.

Why significant: This ended the long-standing policy of using only gold or silver in transactions, and it allowed the government to finance the enormously costly Civil War long after its gold and silver reserves were depleted.

Soon after the war began, the federal government began to run low on specie（硬幣）. The Legal Tender Act allowed the government to print $150 million in paper money that was not backed by gold or silver, but only by the credibility of the U.S. government. The papernotes, called greenbacks, allowed the government to pay its bills and greased the wheels of Northern commerce by increasing the money in circulation.

The Legal Tender Act laid the foundation for the creation of a permanent currency in the decades after the Civil War.

Tags: Civil War, Legal Tender Act

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