2/25 【历史上的今天】林肯打内战，全靠凭空印钱

美国历史上的今天

林肯绿币

每天一篇《美国历史上的今天》，提炼和总结历史在今天发生的重要事件：谁，在哪里，什么时候，做了什么，这件事为什么重要、以及在写关于什么主题的论文的时候可以作为潜在论据引用。

每天半分钟，轻松积累史实

为AP历史拿5分打下坚实基础

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（硬币）.  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