U.S. Currency
Currency, or money, is important in most cultures. People in the United States use two main kinds of currency. One kind is the dollar bill, or paper money. The other kind is the coin, or money made of metal. Dollar bills and coins are made in different places. All currency has special words and pictures on it. People use currency every day in the United States.
Kinds of Currency
Currency may be dollar bills or coins. Dollar bills are made of paper. Dollar bills have words and pictures on them. Coins are made of metal. They also have words and pictures on them. Coins may be copper ,silver, or gold.
There are many different kinds of dollar bills. Each is worth a different amount of money. Each bill has a number on it. That number tells how much money the bill is worth. Bills can be worth $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000. People often use bills when they need a lot of money. They may use dollars to buy food, clothes, or a car.
People may use coins when they do not need much money. Each coin is worth a certain number of cents. A cent is an amount of money. Most coins are worth less than one dollar. One hundred cents is worth one dollar.
There are 1-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent, 25-cent, and 50-cent coins. There are also coins worth one dollar. Each coin looks different. This helps people tell them apart. Coins also have their own names. The 1-cent coin is called a penny. The 5-cent coin is called a nickel. The 10-cent coin is a dime. The 25-cent coin is a quarter. The 50-cent coin is a half dollar.
Words, Numbers, and Pictures
Dollars and coins have words, numbers, and pictures on them. All of these marks have special meanings. All dollars and coins tell how much money they are worth. They also show the year when they were made. They say they were made in the United States of America.
Dollars and coins may also have words that are important to Americans. Some currency says "In God We Trust." This shows that many Americans have ideas about faith. Other currency says "E Pluribus Unum." This means "Out of Many, One," or that Americans work together. Some coins say "Liberty," which means that American people are free.
Coins and dollars also have pictures of people on them. Most of these people were presidents, or leaders, of the United States. Presidents are on $1, $2, $5, $20, and $50 bills. These presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Ulysses S. Grant.
Other important Americans are on coins. Some of these people are Benjamin Franklin,