[originaltext] In 1863, President Lincoln made a law. This law said that onl

In 1863, President Lincoln made a law. This law said that only the United States government could print money. The law gave us the kind of money we have today. At that time, people could take their money to banks. At the banks they could get a certain amount of silver in exchange for the money. In 1873, the banks began to give gold for paper money. The idea worked if too many people didn’t go to the banks at the same time. Banks didn’t always have enough gold. The government stopped this about 60 years ago. We can no longer go to banks to get gold for our money. The government will not exchange anything for paper money.
    The value of money we use today is not the same as animals or food. It is not the same as an amount of silver, gold, or copper. The way people used money a long time ago may have been easier than it is to day. They know what it meant. Today the money in our pocket means different things at different times.