Against Definition: Two Monies and the American Revolution

Defining money and making the definition stick are political acts with a history. Arguments about the nature of money are part of this process. The question of the fundamental basis of money in law, the state, or exchange is less about history and more about the present. Definitions of money have also marked the boundaries of our historical imaginations. Historians have long been interested in making definitions as accurate and rich as possible. However, they have sometimes confused defining money for monetary history itself. Definitions are in tension with history. The American Revolution is a case in point. If we approach the monetary dimensions of that conflict with a preconceived definition, we miss the deep, specific monetary and social divisions between the two warring parties and the crucial imperial dimensions of the conflict itself.