1. What is the difference between the "gold standard" which gave our money value during Georgia's expansion period and why money has value today?
In the early days of America's history, every piece of currency issued by a government was "backed" by an amount of gold. Literally, you could trade in your currency for an exact amount of gold at a bank. Today, that is no longer the case. Instead, we have fiat money. That is, our currency has value because the government says it does and consumers have faith that it will be accepted for the payment of goods and services.
2. Why wasn't currency always necessary hundreds of years ago?
In simpler times, most people made everything they needed--clothes, food, even their shelter. And if they need something they couldn't make themselves, they would barter, or trade, for it. For instance, a farmer that grew lots of crops could trade them to a rancher who had lots of animals. But once exchanges began to get complex, or people didn't want what others had to offer, then currency became very useful.
3. Why did the Dahlonega Mint open and what was its purpose?
Without coins, miners would trade pinches of their gold dust for goods and services. To turn gold dust into coins, miners would have had to make the perilous journey to Philadelphia. Instead, a mint was opened in Dahlonega to solve that problem by checking the purity and weight of all gold dust found and then minting coins for exchange.