During his sermon today entitled "In God We Trust -- Or Do We?" Pastor Chris Geeslin, of the Redeemer International Family Church in Frederick, Maryland, gave a little history lesson on how "In God We Trust" ended up on our coins and currency. He explained that during the Civil War, there was an increase in the interest in God on both sides of the divide. Many devout persons around the country urged the Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase, to have the United States government recognize the Deity on American coins.
As a result of these letters to him, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint in Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861, in which he stated:
"Dear Sir:
No nation can be strong except in the strength of God,or safe except in His
defense.. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.
You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto
expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition."
Since 1938, all United States coins bear the inscription. A law passed by the 84th Congress and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower on July 11, 1955 said that the motto should appear on all United States paper currency and coins.
Many Americans were surprised last year -- during a Republican administration -- that our nation's motto, "In God We Trust" seemingly disappeared from our one dollar presidential coins. The U.S. Mint actually allowed "In God We Trust" to be hidden in tiny letters on the edges of the coins.
Thankfully, many Americans were shocked and determined to change the U.S. Mint's policy and once again they contacted their elected officials. Congressmen Virgil Goode, R-VA, and Dan Burton, R-IN, and Senator Sam Brownback, R-KS, reacted to the outrage of the American people and in late 2007, in a Democrat Congress, they got legislation passed and sent it to President George W. Bush, forcing the U.S. Mint to once again put "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency and on the front -- not the edges -- of all U.S. coins.
The phrase "The price of liberty is eternal vigilence" -- which has been attributed to both Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry -- comes to mind regarding what the bureaucracy in Washington D.C. tried to do to "In God We Trust" on our coins and the push-back by the American people. Many believe that Americans will have to be far more viligent during the four years of the next administration taking office in January.
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