The motto “In God We Trust” has been on US money for so long that most people don’t even notice it. But why is it there at all? Doesn’t it violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution? The one that prevents the government from making laws that establish a national religion or that prohibit the free exercise of religion.
At first blush that may seem to be the case, but numerous court decisions have ruled that it doesn’t. But before we look into the legality of the motto, which has been the official US motto since 1956, let’s look at its origins.
Wars of Words
During the Civil War era, most of the US was deeply religious. The local church was the center of most communities and national religious organizations held a great deal of influence over politics, forcing politicians to at least pay lip service to them. Reverence for God, motherhood, and country were proclaimed from soapboxes and pulpits alike.
As the nation divided and the Confederacy was declared, its constitution’s preamble, patterned mostly on the existing US Constitution, added the phrase “invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God,” causing some controversy among the chattering class to wonder which side was more “godly.”
This led to some Northern politicians and other bloviators to look for examples that their side was just as godly as the Southerners. They found them in the mottos of several local governments and military units that had the motto “In God We Trust” on their insignia. The idea of using that statement was taken to the Treasury Department by a Pennsylvania preacher who petitioned to have some recognition of the power of God on coinage to combat the “heathenism” implicit in the First Amendment. It had the added benefit of implying that God was on the side of the Union in the Civil War.
It worked. Starting in 1864, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase had the motto engraved on twenty-dollar interest-bearing US notes and it was added to one and two cent coins shortly thereafter. Since then the motto has appeared on various US coins and currency and was made mandatory in 1956.
Cold Cash in the Cold War
By the mid-1950s the US was mired in a serious conflict with the Soviet Union that became known as The Cold War. Some saw it as a conflict between “Godless Communism” and the righteous values of the West. Many of the same political forces seen in the Civil War era were still influencing legislation, and Congress passed a joint resolution declaring “In God We Trust” the national motto of the United States. The resolution was signed into law by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956 along with a law that the motto be on all US currency and coins, where it has remained till today.
But is it Legal?
In numerous challenges, courts—including the Supreme Court—have ruled that the motto is legal, mostly because it doesn’t advocate establishment of any one religion or that it is largely secular in its use. But lawyers, politicians, and advocacy groups love a good argument and plenty of each, including President Theodore Roosevelt, have questioned the legality of the motto and will likely continue to do so, keeping the debate in the public eye for years to come.
Mottos and Coin Collecting
As noted earlier, “In God We Trust” only began to appear on US coins in the 1860s and wasn’t mandatory until 1956. Before that the US motto was “E Pluribus Unum” and even it wasn’t universally used. That creates sub-categories for type collectors of US coins. It also points out how coin collecting and the study of money offers fascinating insights into US and world history.
The Great American Coin Company® is proud to offer many ways to start on a lifetime of coin and currency collecting. We have a wide selection of US coins from 1864 to the present as well as collectible coins from around the world. Visit our website to see what we offer and be sure to come back often as our inventory is constantly changing.
