As late as the 1950s, one occasionally heard an older person remark that something was “not worth a Continental.” The speaker probably had no idea of the historical meaning, this merely being a phrase whose origin had been lost to the average person. The history of this goes back more than two centuries, to the time of the Revolutionary War.
The United States formally declared its independence in July 1776, but the struggle began some years earlier and had its immediate roots in yet another war, this one based in Europe. In 1756, Great Britain and Prussia had gone to war against France, Austria and Russia. The conflict dragged on for seven years, which earned it the name Seven Years War. Part of the fighting occurred in America, where British and Colonial troops fought against the French and their Indian allies, called the French and Indian War on this side of the Atlantic.
After the fighting ended with the French defeat in 1763, the British government looked for ways to pay for the enormous wartime costs. They decided in 1764 to tax all documents with a special stamp, similar to a modern notary seal, that would be applied by a royal official. The Colonials objected strongly, claiming that they had already spent large sums of money during the war. Those who tried to enforce the Stamp Act were roughly handled, and Parliament soon repealed the act.
This dispute about taxes led
