Persuasive Speech On American Money

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“D’you want fries with that?” an uninterested teen worker clad in an ill-fitting fast food uniform asks the man standing in front of him. Said customer fishes through his pockets to see if he can spare another dollar or two on the greasy upgrade. Finally locating a few wadded pieces of green paper, he replies, “Sure, why not?” and forks over the extra money. This is a pretty familiar scene. Most of the time, we don’t think twice about the unnoticed memorial that occupies our pockets, wallets, and purses when we supersize our meals or fill our tanks with gas. Nonetheless, it’s there. Every day, billions of bills and countless coins pass through hundreds of hands. Many people don’t realize the significance our currency truly holds; American money …show more content…

Our coins and bills have been meticulously designed to properly honor the men, locations, and ideals that their faces display. Circulating currency is defined by the U.S. Mint as money produced “for everyday transactions,” which ranges from the penny to the $100 bill. Today’s circulating currency highlights numerous historical figures, events, symbols, and even other memorials; the penny and the nickel showcase the Lincoln Memorial and Thomas Jefferson’s boyhood home, Monticello. Seven presidents, as well as Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, don the obverses of change and paper money alike. Images of eagles, oak branches, torches, and olive leaves (all of which are more commonly seen on the reverses of coins) all evoke a sense of national pride, representing patriotism, strength, liberty, and peace respectively. The two dollar bill (yes, two dollar bills ARE still in circulation) displays the creation of our Constitution on its reverse (Source A). Our nation’s rich history is mirrored in the history of our money; in a way reminiscent of our own country’s development, our currency’s designs have all shifted and evolved to become the objects we see today. Our money is more than currency. Money serves as a storybook, and each piece of metal, paper, and cotton is a page in a tale that pieces together and commemorates the people and events that brought us to where we stand