The Gold Standard Act of the United States was passed in 1900 (approved on March 14) and established gold as the only standard for redeeming paper money, stopping bimetallism (which had allowed silver in exchange for gold). It was signed by President William McKinley.
The Act fixed the value of the dollar at 25 8⁄10 grains of gold at 20% purity, equivalent to 23.22 grains (1.5046 grams) of pure gold.
The Gold Standard Act confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard by assigning gold a specific dollar value (just over $20.67 per Troy ounce). This took place after McKinley sent a team to Europe to try to figure out a silver agreement with France and Great Britain.
On April 25, 1933 the United States and Canada dropped the gold standard.
Famous quotes containing the words standard act, gold, standard and/or act:
“We don’t want bores in the theatre. We don’t want standardised acting, standard actors with standard-shaped legs. Acting needs everybody, cripples, dwarfs and people with noses so long. Give us something that is different.”
—Dame Sybil Thorndike (1882–1976)
“There is, of course, a gold mine or a buried treasure on every mortgaged homestead. Whether the farmer ever digs for it or not, it is there, haunting his daydreams when the burden of debt is most unbearable.”
—Fawn M. Brodie (1915–1981)
“The art of advertisement, after the American manner, has introduced into all our life such a lavish use of superlatives, that no standard of value whatever is intact.”
—Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957)
“Holly: Oh, Brad, I’d do my act in clown alley or the horse stop for you. I’d do anything if it was just for you.
Brad: Pigeon, look. Out under the sky you know how I feel about you. But under the Big Top one performer’s just like another to me.”
—Fredric M. Frank (1911–1977)