"In God We Trust" Becomes Edgy by Ted Slater on 11/27/2006 at 6:00 PM

It's official: The motto "In God We Trust," which first appeared on U.S. coinage in 1864, is on the move. According to the United States Mint, the new dollar coins, scheduled for release in 2007 and featuring busts of U.S. Presidents, will include several "unique features." No, it's unfortunately still the size of a quarter. The coin's most significant new "feature": The official national motto since 1956 -- "In God We Trust" -- will be wiped from its usual spot and relegated to the edge.

I can see a lot of folks getting upset with this new design, but I'm pretty ambivalent. I'm not convinced that the designers are intentionally trying to push God from the scene, as they pushed "E Pluribus Unum" and the minting year to the edge as well. Perhaps they're just going for a more "clean" look.

There are a lot of things to become indignant about. I don't think the new design of the dollar coin is one of them, frankly.

"In God We Trust" Becomes Edgy by Ted Slater on 11/27/2006 at 6:00 PM

It's official: The motto "In God We Trust," which first appeared on U.S. coinage in 1864, is on the move. According to the United States Mint, the new dollar coins, scheduled for release in 2007 and featuring busts of U.S. Presidents, will include several "unique features." No, it's unfortunately still the size of a quarter. The coin's most significant new "feature": The official national motto since 1956 -- "In God We Trust" -- will be wiped from its usual spot and relegated to the edge.

I can see a lot of folks getting upset with this new design, but I'm pretty ambivalent. I'm not convinced that the designers are intentionally trying to push God from the scene, as they pushed "E Pluribus Unum" and the minting year to the edge as well. Perhaps they're just going for a more "clean" look.

There are a lot of things to become indignant about. I don't think the new design of the dollar coin is one of them, frankly.

Comments

[1. Becca said the following at 7:49 PM on Nov 27:]

1

If anything, I think moving "In God We Trust" to the edge will make it more noticeable. In current currency designs it blends right in with all the other information a coin carries on it. In its new and unusual (for US currency, anyway) location Americans will likely notice it much more frequently.

[2. Oxanna said the following at 7:56 PM on Nov 27:]

2

I'm not sure that anyone intentionally decided to move "In God We Trust" due to evil intent. However, the coin is rather cartoonish compared to the old coins, following the trend we've seen lately in new bills and (to a degree) coins. The "$1" makes it look like one of those game tokens. And the "George Washington, 1st President" is a little elementary for most folks. It would be nice if they could still include the most important phrases on the face of coin.

[3. jen said the following at 9:50 PM on Nov 27:]

3

hey not too shabby- I see you've found yourselves a version of our Canadian loonie... :)

[4. Carrie said the following at 7:13 AM on Nov 28:]

4

So what if they do remove "In God We Trust" from the coin. I truly doubt that there are many members left in congress that actually believe in the God of Jacob, Moses, Abraham, Paul, and Timothy. It seems that if they did end up removing it, they would at least be following their belief system to its logical end rather than paying homeage/lip service to someone they don't believe in anyway.

[5. Gene Kenney said the following at 2:36 PM on Oct 15:]

5

The problem is, as we remove any, and all public evidence of our beliefs, and roots, the nation becomes more adrift, meaning without direction or purpose. Thousands of kids graudate each year, not knowing where the statement " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." exists. But, they think that the statement of "Separation of Church, and State", exists somewhere in the Constitution. We could abolish the Constitution, too, if it depended on Congress persons not believing in it. America has been great because it had a great foundation. It was flawed, but, for man it was an inspiration. If the foundation is destroyed, or ignore, what will this country stand on?

[6. Ethan C. said the following at 4:03 PM on Oct 15:]

6

In response to Oxanna, I figure the "$1" is in compensation for the fact that none of the rest of the coins really say how much they're worth in a clear way (which often confuses the heck out of foreigners). The "George Washington, First President" bit is there because they plan on doing a dollar coin for every president. You may not need that info for old GW, but when we get to Chester A. Arthur, it may be a bit more useful. :-)

[1. Becca said the following at 7:49 PM on Nov 27:]

1

If anything, I think moving "In God We Trust" to the edge will make it more noticeable. In current currency designs it blends right in with all the other information a coin carries on it. In its new and unusual (for US currency, anyway) location Americans will likely notice it much more frequently.

[2. Oxanna said the following at 7:56 PM on Nov 27:]

2

I'm not sure that anyone intentionally decided to move "In God We Trust" due to evil intent. However, the coin is rather cartoonish compared to the old coins, following the trend we've seen lately in new bills and (to a degree) coins. The "$1" makes it look like one of those game tokens. And the "George Washington, 1st President" is a little elementary for most folks. It would be nice if they could still include the most important phrases on the face of coin.

[3. jen said the following at 9:50 PM on Nov 27:]

3

hey not too shabby- I see you've found yourselves a version of our Canadian loonie... :)

[4. Carrie said the following at 7:13 AM on Nov 28:]

4

So what if they do remove "In God We Trust" from the coin. I truly doubt that there are many members left in congress that actually believe in the God of Jacob, Moses, Abraham, Paul, and Timothy. It seems that if they did end up removing it, they would at least be following their belief system to its logical end rather than paying homeage/lip service to someone they don't believe in anyway.

[5. Gene Kenney said the following at 2:36 PM on Oct 15:]

5

The problem is, as we remove any, and all public evidence of our beliefs, and roots, the nation becomes more adrift, meaning without direction or purpose. Thousands of kids graudate each year, not knowing where the statement " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." exists. But, they think that the statement of "Separation of Church, and State", exists somewhere in the Constitution. We could abolish the Constitution, too, if it depended on Congress persons not believing in it. America has been great because it had a great foundation. It was flawed, but, for man it was an inspiration. If the foundation is destroyed, or ignore, what will this country stand on?

[6. Ethan C. said the following at 4:03 PM on Oct 15:]

6

In response to Oxanna, I figure the "$1" is in compensation for the fact that none of the rest of the coins really say how much they're worth in a clear way (which often confuses the heck out of foreigners). The "George Washington, First President" bit is there because they plan on doing a dollar coin for every president. You may not need that info for old GW, but when we get to Chester A. Arthur, it may be a bit more useful. :-)