9781422287477

10 Independence Hall: Birthplace of Freedom

money was worthless. So Gordon told the Assembly of Pennsylvania to draft a Paper Money Act—a law to increase the supply of paper money in the colony. But things moved slowly in colonial America, and the law would not be ready for three years. Despite this, members of the assembly and many citizens called for the government to print more paper money. The issue was the subject of much debate on Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets and in the city’s taverns . Soon, Governor Gordon and the members of the assembly found themselves confronted by angry people demanding more paper money. Sometimes, the demands turned violent. The paper money advocates recruited troublemakers from country taverns outside Philadelphia to stir up trouble. Members of the assembly did not feel safe. They asked Governor

Patrick Gordon became governor of Pennsylvania in

1726.When he refused to issue new paper money to the citizens of the colony, some of them rioted.The Paper Money Riot, as it was called, nearly led to the removal of the colony’s government from Philadelphia.