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    U.S. Treasury

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    The Department of the Treasury is part of the United States federal government. The Treasury prints and mints all paper money and coins, collects federal taxes, and manages government debt. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage the new country’s money. The first Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton. The current Secretary of the Treasury is Jacob J. Lew.

    		U.S. Treasury Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00

    Alexander Hamilton Exhibition: Treasury Secretary5 stars

    As the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, "Hamilton consolidated America's debts and paid them fairly, established a modern financial system, and argued for an economy that included manufacturing as well as farming. He also cautioned America against supporting the French Revolution. These policies won him the enmity of his former ally, Madison, and of Thomas Jefferson." Visit this online exhibition for a detailed timeline of Hamilton's term as the Treasury's first leader.



    Bureau of Engraving and Printing: How Money is Made5 stars

    "Currency production at the BEP is quite different from its beginnings in 1862, which consisted of a handful of people separating notes with a hand-cranked machine in the basement of the Treasury building." Each lesson is presented as slideshow, with a link to learn more. The stories of the individual notes ($1, $2, and so on) are listed in the left-hand navigation column.

    Kids.gov: Treasurer of the United States5 stars

    Meet Rosie Rios, the 43rd Treasurer of the United States, in office from August 6, 2009 to July 8, 2016. In this video (and transcript) Rios explains her job. "I oversee the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint. So it's where we produced the coins. And where we produce the money. Coin and currency really represent one of the last ways that we can preserve our history and our American tradition. Every note has a story. If you look on the back of currency, you'll see that there's a building and on the front, you'll see that there's a picture of a notable person in our history."

    Treasury Direct: Kids5 stars

    What is debt? How do Treasury securities work? What are bonds? These are just a few of the questions you'll find answered by the folks from the Bureau of Fiscal Service. "Even before the United States was founded in 1776, debt existed. Paying for the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783) was the start of the country's debt. Some of the founding fathers formed a group and borrowed money from France and the Netherlands to pay for the war."

    US Mint: H.I.P. Pocket Change5 stars

    History in your Pocket (H.I.P.) is an educational site about coins, created by U.S. Mint. "With coins, we literally carry the past in our pockets. But most of us seldom stop and think about the historical riches at our fingertips. This site aims to change that! As we discover the hidden stories behind our coins, we can develop a fascination that can last a lifetime."

    		U.S. Treasury Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00



    Honorable Mentions

    The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

    U.S. Department of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton

    Congress founds U.S. Treasury

    U.S. Department of the Treasury: Education

    Kids.gov: Money


    Cite This Page

    Feldman, Barbara. "U.S. Treasury." Surfnetkids. Feldman Publishing. 13 Sep. 2016. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/u-s-treasury/ >.


    About This Page

    By . Originally published September 13, 2016. Last modified August 27, 2018.

    Filed Under: Geography, Social Studies, United States

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