"In God We Trust"

"In God We Trust"

On July 30, 2006 America will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the law that established "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the United States. I am pleased to co-sponsor a resolution that commemorates this milestone (H. Con. Res. 411).

The anniversary is a reminder of the importance of this concept in the founding of our nation. America's use of "In God We Trust" is a symbol of our country's value-based heritage. Our own Declaration of Independence ends with Thomas Jefferson's elegant phrase "and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." While the words are not precisely the same, the concept is there: the destiny of the nation is linked with the benevolence of Divine Providence, or God.

America's acknowledgement and reliance on Providence can also be observed in the historical account of how the motto "In God We Trust" became imprinted on our currency. In response to the request of numerous citizens during the Civil War, in 1861 then Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase requested the Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, James Pollock, to design a motto demonstrating America's dependence on God, stating, "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." At first the motto "Our Trust is in God" was suggested, but it was too long to fit on small coins. "God Our Trust" was suggested, and stamped on a number of coins minted in 1861. Eventually the phrasing of the motto evolved, and on April 22, 1864, Congress passed legislation that changed the composition of the one-cent coin and approved minting of the two-cent coin to include the phrase "In God We Trust." The axiom first appeared on two-cent coins minted that same year.

The expression continued to appear on American currency, but it was not until July 30, 1956 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation establishing the phrase "In God We Trust" as the nation's official motto. The following year, the motto was first used on paper currency.

A recent visit to the Jefferson Memorial reminded me of the importance of faith to our Founding Fathers. Not only does the Memorial contain Jefferson's eloquent words from the Declaration of Independence quoted above, but also the statement "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?"

Our nation's Constitution provides strong protection for every citizen to worship as his or her conscience deems fit. America's history is embedded with a strong belief in an Almighty Being and a trust in His good Providence. This month we celebrate a tradition that dates to the nation's founding and the 50th anniversary of the official adoption of America's motto, "In God We Trust."

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/columns/7.14.06.shtml