Norman Werling in USMA 25990 wrote:as the basic unit of this system.
I quote from our 1972 World Book, Volume 13, pages 594-595:
"The Coinage Act of 1792 established the first national mint and set up the first system of money in the U.S. Congress established the American dollar
The U.S. Metric Study Interim Report, NBS SP 345-10, on page 16 stated:
"When the combined reports of Jefferson and Morris were considered in Congress, on July 6, 1785, the dollar was adopted as the unit of U.S. coinage by a unanimous vote. More than a year later, on August 8, 1786, a complete decimal system of coinage was approved by Congress.
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"The final step in implementing the new coinage system was the establishment of a mint to do the actual coining. After more than 5 years of study and discussion this was accomplished by passage of the Mint Act on April 2. 1792."
I think that World Book assumed that the dollar was born by the establishment of the Mint. However, Adams noted in 1821:
"It is now nearly thirty years since our new moneys, our coins and our mint have been established....Ask a tradesman, or shopkeeper in any of our cities what is a dime or a mille, and the chances are four in five that he will not understand your question."
-- Joseph B. Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 Telephone 416-486-6071
