Free Talk of Modern Currency’s Roots in New England
Aldrich House
What: Easy Money: American Puritans and the Invention of Modern Currency Book Talk with Dror Goldberg [FREE PROGRAM]
Where: Aldrich House (110 Benevolent St., Providence, R.I., 02906)
When: Monday, May 8th, 5:30pm
RIHS Welcomes Dr. Dror Goldberg for Discussion of Latest Work
Dr. Dror Goldberg
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – The Rhode Island Historical Society will host professor Dr. Dror Goldberg on Monday, May 8th at 5:30pm for a presentation on his latest book, Easy Money: American Puritans and the Invention of Modern Currency.
Modern currency is legal tender for debts and taxes and it has had no relation to gold since 1971. Such a currency, so prone to inflation, was invented for the first time in history in 1690 Massachusetts to pay soldiers during King William’s War. The full story of this invention is told for the first time in the context of the odd history of money throughout colonial America before 1690.
The issue of the novel currency was led by Massachusetts councilor Elisha Hutchinson. He was not only a grandson of the famous Anne Hutchinson, but as a leading Boston merchant he had ongoing business relationships with his relatives of the Sanford family in Rhode Island. The lecture will tell the story of both the invention and the inventor.
This talk is free and will be hosted at the RIHS Aldrich House headquarters in Providence.
Goldberg (Ph.D Rochester) is a senior faculty member in the Department of Management and Economics at the Open University of Israel.
He is the author of Easy Money: American Puritans and the Invention of Modern Currency, published by the University of Chicago Press in March 2023.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state’s oldest and only state-wide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting, and sharing Rhode Island’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future.
Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st-century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public