

*Note: This is a “Vintage DHP Episode” from all the way back in 2014 that (like the rest of the first 52 episodes of the show) normally resides behind my paywall on Patreon & Subscribestar. However, as I did a few months ago with the Vintage DHP Bronze Age Collapse series, I’m going to be sharing this series on the public feed over the next few weeks & then leaving it up for a limited time.

Why cover this topic? First off, because the history of money is a lot more interesting than you might think, and it’s absolutely crucial to understanding the world, past, present, and future.

This will be part 1 of a multipart series (right now I estimate it will probably be around 4 parts) covering the history of the United States dollar. The series will be non-contiguous — ie, interspersed with episodes on other, probably non-related topics.

Join CJ (in 2014) as he discusses:

Why money matters to understanding the world

British money of the colonial era, bimetallism, and Gresham’s Law

Other things the colonists used as money when coinage wasn’t readily available

Some of the desirable qualities in a commodity that make it work better than others as money, and some of the reasons why gold and silver function so well as money historically

The origins of the dollar — originally a Spanish coin modeled on a Bohemian coin, actually

The first paper money inflation in the Western World — in colonial Massachusetts

How overprinting of paper money in MA (and later in other colonies) disrupted their economy, and reinstating of hard money revived it

The Revolutionary War Continental Dollars, and the hyperinflation that resulted

A few updates on the show, how it’s going, ways to support it, thank-yous to those who have, and a few remarks about the future of the show

Support the Dangerous History Podcast via Patreon, SubscribeStar, or Bitbacker.

CJ’s official DHP Amazon Wish List

Other ways to support the show

The Dangerous History Podcast is a member of the Recorded History Podcast Network, the Dark Myths Podcast Collective & LRN.fm’s podcast roster.

External Links

An excerpt from the TV show DuckTales (the original, good, 1980s version) which shows how increasing the money supply dilutes the value of the money (Uncle Scrooge has more economic sense than our leaders!)

CJ’s Picks: Amazon Affiliate Links

A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II by Murray Rothbard

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin