1933 - Default by the US Government on the gold standard (which was set up originally by the Currency Act of 1792 defining the dollar in terms of grains of silver and equating coins of multiple dollars in terms of grains of gold) for United States citizens via executive order 6102 issued by FDR.
1971 - Default by the US Government on the remaining gold standard to foreign creditors as most recently defined by the Bretton Woods agreement after the destruction of World War II. Of course, on Aug 15, 1971 Nixon said this was only a temporary suspension, but it has lasted to this day.
Today we have debt based (fiat) money that is backed by nothing but faith in a fractional reserve banking system. Originally, debasing the US currency was punishable by death, now it is overt policy to inflate/devalue the fiat federal reserve note.
In a debt based monetary system, only the principal is created by fiat (decree), so where does the money supply come from to pay the interest? You must create more debt based money and add it to the money supply for there to be enough to pay back the principal and interest. They only thing keeping the entire thing from collapsing is the creation of more debt money and the time delay on the interest payments. That's the secret of why debt must always expand, either in the government or the private sector. It is needed to keep the current system working and the people who benefit from it happy.
A few quotes:
“If all the bank loans were paid up, no one would have a bank deposit, and there would not be a dollar of currency or coin in circulation. This is a staggering thought. We are completely dependent on the commercial banks for our money. Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money, we are prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system. When one gets a complete grasp upon the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless position is almost incredible - but there it is. It is the most important subject intelligent persons can investigate and reflect upon. It is so important that our present civilization may collapse unless it is widely understood and the defects remedied very soon.”
- Robert H. Hemphill, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
“In purchasing offerings of Government bonds; the banking system as a whole creates new money, or bank deposits. When the banks buy a billion dollars of Government bonds as they are offered--and you have to consider the banking system as a whole, as a unit-'the banks credit the deposit account of the Treasury with a billion dollars. 'They debit their Government bond account a billion dollars, or they actually create, by a bookkeeping entry, a billion dollars.”
-Marriner S. Eccles, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System before the Banking and Currency Committee of the House of Representatives
US Senate Doc. 23, 76th Congress, 1st Session – January 24, 1939
“My agency in promoting the passage of the National Bank Act was the greatest financial mistake of my life. It has built up a monopoly which affects every interest in the country. It should be repealed; but before that can be accomplished, the people will be arrayed on one side and the banks on the other, in a contest such as we have never seen before in this country.”
-Salmon: P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury for President Lincoln, 1861-64, Chief Justice, United States Supreme Court, 1864-73
“The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
- Cicero, 55 BC (Roman Philosopher, Senator, and Constitutionalist)
And for the replies about the war expenditures:
“I wouldn’t go to war again as I have to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.” – Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, USA – (1881-1940) - He won 2 Congressional Medals of Honor.