Introduction

Getting Started

Lesson Plans

Curriculum Connections

Images

Websites for further study

Bibliography
  Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy
Art
Social Studies
What can money tell us?
Objectives: Students will
  • study the physical presence, imagery and written text on a reproduction of colonial currency.
  • synthesize their knowledge about colonial American history with their visual observations in order to place the coin within the historical events and collective experiences of early America.
  • apply this method of inquiry to a modern day quarter, then compare and contrast the two coins in order to learn more about America and its history.
  • design their own colonial American coin.

Lesson times:
If you attend the About Face exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery, this lesson is suggested as a pre-visit activity.

Vocabulary:
currency - the money in circulation in any country.

Prior Knowledge:
Students should have begun study of colonial America, with some basic background in pre-Revolutionary Boston.

Materials:

  1. Reproduction coin (included in teaching packet)
  2. What can a coin tell us about history? What can history tell us about a coin? worksheet (HTML or Word)
  3. Quarters
Lesson:
  1. Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students. Give each group a copy of the worksheet and a copy of the reproduction coin. The students are to write their observations and the answers to the questions on a separate sheet of paper.
About the coin: The denomination of this coin is not known exactly but it has been estimated to be about a dollar, hence its name, the Continental Dollar. The images on this coin are based on those made by Benjamin Franklin for the Continental Congress paper currency issued on February 17, 1776. So, it is likely that the coin was printed at a later date. It is believed that the mint that produced these coins was located in New York City. The letters "EG FECIT" is Latin for "EG made this". EG refers to the engraver, Elisha Gallaudet, who had engraved the plates for the Continental Congress paper currency that this coin design was taken from. The word "FUGIO" means "I fly" in Italian. These coins were made out of pewter, brass, copper, and silver. This information is taken from "The Leslie Brock Center for the study of Colonial Currency".
  1. Tell the students that they are to take between five to ten minutes to observe the coin and write down their observations. They also need to address questions that touch on important physical and aesthetic attributes of the coin.
  • What shape is it?
  • What are its measurements?
  • Is it heavy or light?
  • Hard or soft?
  • Shiny or dull?
  • What images or words on the coin can you understand?
  • What is unidentifiable?
  1. Then they will respond to questions that are related to the students' experiences or opinions:
  • Can you tell what it is made out of?
  • Would it fit in your wallet or your pocket?
  • Does it have 'heads' or 'tails' like modern American coins?
  • Do you think this coin is attractive or ugly?
  • What do you think is the most important thing about the coin?
  • How does a person who designs coins decide what is important enough to put on the coin?
  1. Ask the students to suggest some possible meanings for the images and words on these coins based on their observations thus far.
  2. Next, the students will begin the detective work necessary to find out more about this coin. Which group can come up with the most accurate hypothesis on the origin and meanings of this coin based upon historical research? Students could use their textbooks or a website. Students can practice documenting the source of their information as a part of the research process. Give the students about 15-20 minutes to complete this task.
  3. Some of the questions in the Research section of the worksheet are:
  • What kind of clues do the coins give?
  • What is the value of this coin?
  • Where was this coin made?
  • When was it made?
  • Where can you go to find out more about the history of these coins?
  • What happened in 1776?
  • Would this coin have been printed at the beginning of 1776, or the end?
  • Can suggest an exact month or date this might have been made?
  1. The students will share their findings with the rest of the class. Make sure they include their historical documentation.
  • Where did you get your information?
  • Is there anything your textbook cannot tell you about the coin and its historical context?
  • Where else could you go to find more information about this coin and its placement within American history?
  1. Break the students into their groups again. Give each group a quarter to compare with the colonial coin. The students will address similar concerns in analyzing the modern quarter as they did with the Continental Dollar (They can work with the same worksheet questions). Finally, the students will complete the 'Compare and Contrast' section that asks them:
  • If you were alive 200 years from now, and found both of these coins in an archaeological excavation, what could these coins tell you about America and its history?
  • What would they not tell you?
Follow-up:
After the students have thoroughly analyzed the two American coins, have them create their own coins. If you were to design your own Continental Congress coin, what would it look like? Make it historically accurate, but be creative. Make sure you consider such things as material, size, weight, shape, design, text, value, historical relevance, and the concerns of American leaders in 1776. For example:
  • Is there something that you think is important enough to include that was not represented on the colonial coin? Would you make it attractive, or plain?
  • If you made it out of gold, from where would you get the gold?
  • Does it have to be round?
Evaluation:
Students will be assessed on their observation of the colonial coins and their directed research on the coin's historical context. Students will also be assessed on their ability to apply this inquiry method to a modern day American quarter, and their ability to compare and contrast the two coins in order to come up with some conclusions about America and its history. In addition, students will be evaluated on their consideration of the aesthetic, physical properties of the coins, their attention to historical accuracy and their ability to incorporate this into the design of their own coin. Summary:
In this lesson students will observe, question, and research a colonial coin to place it in its historical context. Students will then apply this method of inquiry to a modern day quarter, and compare and contrast the two coins in order to better understand America and its history. Students will design their own colonial coins. Source: "The Leslie Brock Center for the Study of Colonial Currency"
*This is an advanced site that contains detailed discussions of colonial currency, including discussion of paper currency and coins. There are many quality images of colonial American and international currency from the 16th and 17th centuries.