The Civil War united our… money?

Yes… united our money.  From Barrons’ website – How the Civil War United Our Money:



The demise of Bank of the United States lead to a decentralized system which, by the eve of the Civil War, included over two-thousand banks.  Each bank issued its own notes.  Beyond just being confusing and cumbersome, the system hindered the war effort and strained the economy.  The war situation favored the passage of legislation to support a stronger, centralized banking system:




So I guess another sesquicentennial observance is in order.  If my dates are correct, we should all gather at the banks on February 25th.  Maybe exchange rolls of pennies for dollar bills?