As early as 1650, the colony of Massachusetts Bay was a commercial success.
Massachusetts, 20 Shillings, 1690
Grade Range: K-12
Resource Type(s): Artifacts, Primary Sources
Date Posted:
6/10/2009
Called upon by the British government to help fight the French in Canada in 1689, Massachusetts authorities were hard-put to comply, because official money was unavailable. The Hull/Sanderson mint, which had created Pine Tree Shillings and other coins, had been closed on Crown orders years before, and all coinage was now in extremely short supply.
Then someone had an idea: Why not issue paper certificates to pay for the supplies and troops that Massachusetts was expected to contribute?...
National Standards
United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)
Era 2: Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
2: How political, religious, and social institutions emerged in the English colonies
3: How the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies, and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the America