Money Through the Ages

[Onward]

Here's a short photo-essay on the evolution of currency:

Photo Essay: Money Through the Ages

I'm wondering:

The U.S. silver certificate in photo #7 mentions the "Bearer's First Amendment right to petition the government for a silver based currency." That's a wildly creative reading of the 1st amendment that I know. What are they talking about? Also, if this is a constitutional right, what happened to it?

And #9 in the photo-essay says you can send money via Twitter. I've never seen any sign of this?

 

[Bikerdude]

Silver Certificate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Onward]

Silver Certificate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good background, but I don't see any mention of the 1st Amendment.

I haven't had much luck googling this either.

 

[Texas Proud]

Good background, but I don't see any mention of the 1st Amendment.

I haven't had much luck googling this either.

First.... that is NOT a silver certificate...

A little research shows...


"NORFED, The National Organization to Repeal the Federal Reserve Act was created October 1, 1998 by Senior Economist, Bernard von NotHaus in order to create a unique financial/political instrument. Based on his 24 years of extensive research and review of economic models, currencies, financial systems including the Federal Reserve, plus an extensive network of business connections, Von NotHaus designed the American Liberty Currency. Von NotHaus issued American Liberty Currency through a grass-roots movement of one American to another, and through the national radio talk-show circuit."

Seems to me to be a protest bill... with NO value... so the reference to the 1st amendment is just his interpretation of it...

 

[Nords]

I haven't had much luck googling this either.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Maybe the silver certificate is a different sort of "freedom of the press".

From what I've read in "The Lords of Finance", the gold standard wreaked absolute havoc on most middle-class Americans (and Europeans) while enriching investors and industrialists. Maybe the silver certificate's First Amendment issue was related to the grievance process.

WWI and its reparations screwed up the gold standard even more, and the attempts to return to it could be construed to have set up the Great Depression and WWII. (Admittedly there were many other worm cans leading to those two events, but the Fed's slavish devotion to the gold standard was worse than no help at all.) When the gold standard finally imploded, I can easily believe the Roosevelt administration attempting to manipulate public opinion (and restore faith in the banking industry) by giving people the "freedom" to redeem their notes for silver. Besides the federal govt needed lots of excuses to print lots more currency, and there wasn't going to be enough gold to back it all.

Thank goodness it's really different this time.

 

[Onward]

First.... that is NOT a silver certificate...

Ah, that explains it. The photo essay should have shown a real U.S. silver certificate instead of the Liberty Currency. I guess von NotHaus interpreted the 1st Amendment's right to petition as the right to ask the govt for a silver based currency.

 

[donheff]

The Liberty Certificate explains itself on it's face: "...this... is an excercise of the Bearer's...right to petition..." You can petition for any change to the Constitution you want - even an amendment ending the right to petition