noun
- Plural of greenbackism; doctrines, policies, or movements advocating the use of paper money (greenbacks) as a primary medium of exchange, especially those emphasizing currency expansion or opposing gold standards.
Usage: historical; chiefly U.S.; often used in reference to 19th-century monetary reform movements
Examples
- The greenbackisms of the late 1800s challenged the dominance of gold-backed currency.
- Farmers and laborers embraced greenbackisms as a way to increase the money supply.
- Political parties debated greenbackisms versus sound money policies throughout the Gilded Age.
- Historians study greenbackisms to understand 19th-century American monetary conflicts.