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Why Do Coins Say "In God We Trust"?
By GovMint :
On July 11, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed H.R. 619 – a bill that required the inscription, “In God We Trust,” to appear on all paper and coin currency – into law. When the resolution was first introduced in the House by Representative Charles E. Bennett of Florida, he stated, “Nothing can be more certain than that our country was founded in a spiritual atmosphere and with a firm trust in God,” further adding that “While the sentiment of trust in God is universal and timeless, these particular four words ‘In God We Trust’ are indigenous to our country.”
Although U.S. Coins have had the inscription “In God We Trust” since the Civil War, long before the passage of the law, paper currency did not have the four words inscribed until the first dollar bills in circulation on October 1, 1957. On July 30, 1956,, by an Act of Congress approved by the President, the phrase was declared the official national motto.
The History of the Motto
The conversation about our national motto did not begin in the 1950s, however. As we’ve briefly mentioned, the motto “In God We Trust” was placed on United States coins due to the increased religious sentiment during the Civil War and first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin.
By this time, Salmon P. Chase, then Secretary of the Treasury, received numerous appeals from devout people of faith throughout the country, all urging that the United States recognize the Deity on U.S. coins. Chase received the first appeal in a letter dated November 13, 1861, so when the director of the Mint proposed that the designs of either “Our Country; Our God” or “God Our Trust” be the motto that should appear on U.S. coins, approval was reasonably swift.
The Mint Act of Congress on January 18, 1837
Through an Act of Congress on January 18, 1837, Congress prescribed that mottos and devices should be placed upon the coins of the United States, meaning that the United States Mint could make no changes without the enactment of additional legislation. In December 1863, the director of the Mint submitted designs for a new one-cent coin, two-cent coin, and three-cent coin to Chase for approval.
When Was “In God We Trust” Added to Coins?
In his response to the Mint director’s proposed changes and addition of a faith-based motto to be permanently added to coins, Secretary Chase stated – on December 9, 1863 – that: “I approve your mottos, only suggesting that on that with the Washington obverse the motto should begin with the word OUR, so as to read OUR GOD AND OUR COUNTRY. And on that with the shield, it should be changed so as to read: IN GOD WE TRUST,” making the phrase “In God We Trust” a permanent addition to coins from the United States Mint.
Passing the Act on April 22, 1864, Congress put this legislation in place, changing the composition of the one-cent coin and authorizing the minting of a two-cent coin. It was then that the approved designs by Secretary Chase made their debut.
“In God We Trust” on Other Coins
In yet another Act of Congress passed on March 3, 1865, the Mint director was allowed, with the Secretary's approval, to place “In God We Trust” on all gold and silver coins – the first being the gold double-eagle coin, the gold eagle coin, and the gold half-eagle coin. Shortly after, beginning in 1866, the director also placed the phrase on the silver-dollar coin, half-dollar coin, quarter-dollar coin, and the nickel three-cent coin. The motto has been in continuous use on the one-cent coin since 1909 and on the ten-cent coin since 1916. It has also appeared on all gold coins, silver-dollar coins, half-dollar coins, and quarter-dollar coins struck since July 1, 1908.
The use of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” remained until it disappeared from the five-cent coin in 1883. It did not reappear until the Jefferson nickel in 1938. The motto was also found missing from the new design of the double-eagle gold coin and the eagle gold coin in 1907 before it was restored by the Act of May 18, 1908, which made the inscription mandatory for all coins that had previously included it.
U.S. Coins Today
The historical, national motto has been seen as a way to strengthen the foundations of our freedom, serving as a constant reminder that the nation’s political and economic fortunes were tied to its spiritual faith, all beginning in the early years of the Civil War. “In God We Trust” has become an iconic design for U.S. coins for collectors worldwide, and as new coins are minted, this rich history remains on each design.
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