The History of Dollars and Cents

2026.06.05
Writer / 記事を書いた人
Kevin
United States of America (アメリカ合衆国)

I am from New York, USA, and currently living in Kanagawa Japan. I love playing basketball, soccer and going hiking.

Article

The History of Dollars and Cents

▼ 記事の音声を再生

<Let's learn!>
・make A come true
・with the face side up
・debate over ~

=====================================

The American dollar has a long and interesting history. Did you know that the US did not have its own official paper money until 1862? Before that time, the US used the currency of other nations, with the Spanish dollar being the most commonly used among Americans. In 1862 the first US dollar would be made official. This was during the American Civil War, in which the North and South of America fought each other. But the famous image of the first president, George Washington, we see today would not be on the dollar until 1869. The dollar originally had the treasurer of that time, Salmon P. Chase.

Later many kinds of coins would be used. We call the 1 cent coin a penny. This is usually brown and made of copper with a picture of the 16th president Abraham Lincoln on it.

The 5 cent coin is called a nickel. This is because the coin is made of the metal, nickel. The 10 cent coin is called a dime. This is the smallest of the common coins. The 25 cent coin is called a quarter. Quarter means 1/4th of something, as four quarters equal 1 dollar.

There is also a 50 cent coin that we call a half dollar. This is the largest of all coins, but we also use it the least of all coins.

There are some interesting beliefs that we have with our coins. If you look into a water fountain, you will likely see many coins. This is because many Americans believe that they can make their wish come true if they throw a coin into the water. It is also believed if you find a penny with the face side of the coin up, you will have good luck for that day.

This will be difficult in the future. There have been ongoing debates over the idea to stop making pennies. So if you find a penny you will truly be lucky.

日本語訳を見る

Key Points

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

Key Phrases 重要表現

make A come true

Aを叶える

His hard work made his dream come true.

with the face side up

表側を上にして

He put the card on the table with the face side up.

debate over …

~についての議論、論争

There is a big debate over the new school rule.

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

currency

ˈkɝː.ən.si

通貨、貨幣

名詞

the money that is used in a particular country at a particular time

The currency of Japan is the yen.

commonly

ˈkɑː.mən.li

一般に、通例、よく

副詞

often or usually

English is commonly spoken in this country.

treasurer

ˈtreʒ.ɚ.ɚ

財務長官、会計係

名詞

a person who is responsible for an organization's money

She is the treasurer of our school club.

belief

bɪˈliːf

言い伝え、信念

名詞

the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true

My belief is that everyone can learn English.

fountain

ˈfaʊn.tən

噴水、泉

名詞

a stream of water that is forced up into the air through a small hole, especially for decorative effect

Let's meet in front of the large fountain.

likely

ˈlaɪ.kli

おそらく、たぶん

副詞

probably

It will likely rain tomorrow morning.

ongoing

ˈɑːnˌɡoʊ.ɪŋ

進行中の、継続している

形容詞

continuing to exist or develop, or happening at the present moment

The police have an ongoing investigation.

Others その他

the American Civil War

ðə əˈmer.ɪ.kən ˈsɪv.əl wɔːr

南北戦争

名詞

the war fought in the US from 1861 to 1865 between the northern states and the southern states

We learned about the American Civil War in history class.

penny

ˈpen.i

ペニー(1セント硬貨)

名詞

the smallest unit of money in the US and Canada, equal to one hundredth of a dollar

I found a penny on the street.

copper

ˈkɑː.pɚ

名詞

a chemical element that is a reddish-brown metal, used especially for making wire and coins

These old pots are made of copper.

nickel

ˈnɪk.əl

ニッケル(5セント硬貨、または金属のニッケル)

名詞

a silver-white metal or a US or Canadian coin worth five cents

Can you give me a nickel for this machine?

Practice

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

A shooting star will (___) your wish (___)(___).

ヒント:make A come true

回答を見る

A shooting star will (make) your wish (come)(true).

Please show your ticket (___)(___)(___)(___)(___).

ヒント:with the face side up

回答を見る

Please show your ticket (with)(the)(face)(side)(up).

The (___)(___) global warming is important.

ヒント:debate over ~

回答を見る

The (debate)(over) global warming is important.

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

The History of Dollars and Cents

<Let's learn!>
・make A come true
・with the face side up
・debate over ~

=====================================

The American dollar has a long and interesting history. Did you know that the US did not have its own official paper money until 1862? Before that time, the US used the currency of other nations, with the Spanish dollar being the most commonly used among Americans. In 1862 the first US dollar would be made official. This was during the American Civil War, in which the North and South of America fought each other. But the famous image of the first president, George Washington, we see today would not be on the dollar until 1869. The dollar originally had the treasurer of that time, Salmon P. Chase.

Later many kinds of coins would be used. We call the 1 cent coin a penny. This is usually brown and made of copper with a picture of the 16th president Abraham Lincoln on it.

The 5 cent coin is called a nickel. This is because the coin is made of the metal, nickel. The 10 cent coin is called a dime. This is the smallest of the common coins. The 25 cent coin is called a quarter. Quarter means 1/4th of something, as four quarters equal 1 dollar.

There is also a 50 cent coin that we call a half dollar. This is the largest of all coins, but we also use it the least of all coins.

There are some interesting beliefs that we have with our coins. If you look into a water fountain, you will likely see many coins. This is because many Americans believe that they can make their wish come true if they throw a coin into the water. It is also believed if you find a penny with the face side of the coin up, you will have good luck for that day.

This will be difficult in the future. There have been ongoing debates over the idea to stop making pennies. So if you find a penny you will truly be lucky.

Questions

Answer the questions based on the article.

Whose image was on the original US dollar?

ヒント:The dollar originally had ~

回答を見る

Salmon P. Chase's image was on it.

Why is the 5 cent coin called a nickel?

ヒント:The 5 cent coin is called a nickel. This is because ~

回答を見る

Because the coin is made of the metal, nickel.

Why can you find coins in water fountains in America?

ヒント:This is because many Americans believe ~

回答を見る

Because many Americans believe that they can make their wish come true if they throw a coin into the water.

Discussion

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

With your teacher/tutor 先生とのディスカッション

What can the pictures on money tell us about a country? (History? Nature? Famous people?)

They can tell us about ~.

Have you ever thrown a coin for good luck? If so, where was it?

Yes, I have. It was ~. / No, I haven't.

Who is on the current Japanese bills? How can you describe them to people from other countries?

~ is on it. I can say, "He/She is ~."

With your classmates クラスメートとのディスカッション

Do you prefer using cash or digital money? And why?

I prefer using [ cash / digital money ]. Because ~.

In Japan, some people say we don't need coins because of electronic money (PayPay, Suica, etc.). What is your opinion?

I agree./I disagree. Because ~.

If you could choose a person to be on a new Japanese bill, who would you choose? And why?

I would choose ~. Because ~.