”In God We Trust is the official motto of the United States. It was adopted as the nation’s motto in 1956 as an alternative or replacement to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum, which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782.[1][2]
“In God We Trust” first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864[3] and has appeared on paper currency since 1957. A law passed in a Joint Resolution by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84–140) and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower on July 30, 1956 declared IN GOD WE TRUST must appear on currency. This phrase was first used on paper money in 1957, when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the phrase entered circulation on October 1, 1957.[4]
Some groups and people have expressed objections to its use, claiming it is a religious reference that should be removed from the currency, claiming that it violates the First Amendment.[5]”
Notes and references
[1] Annual report – American Civil Liberties Union, Volume 5. American Civil Liberties Union. 1951. Retrieved 1 May 2012. In 1956, an official national motto was adopted, “In God We Trust,” replacing the unofficial “E Pluribus Unum.”
[2] Refiguring Mass Communication: A History. University of Illinois Press. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2012. He held high the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the nation’s unofficial motto, e pluribus unum, even as he was recoiling from the party system in which he had long participated.
[3] U.S. Department of the Treasury. (2011) “History of ‘In God We Trust’” http://www.treasury.gov. Last accessed 02–19-2012.
[4] U.S. Department of the Treasury. (2011) “History of ‘In God We Trust’” http://www.treasury.gov. Last accessed 11–6-2011.
[5] 12 Mar 2010 (2010–03-12). “Atheist in battle to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from US currency”. London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2014–02-04.
see also history