The original motto of the United States was secular. E Pluribus Unum is Latin for One from Many refers to the joining of the original colonies into one political unit. However our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key while he was prisoner on a British ship watching the bombardment of Baltimore’s Fort Mc Henry, encapsulated his sentiments of freedom and liberty in the final verse:
And this be our motto: In God is Our Trust
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave
Solomon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln, saw the need to officially recognize our creator in 1861 when he wrote to the U.S. mint in Philadelphia “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense” as he suggested putting the motto on coins. The motto, In God We Trust, has appeared on U.S. coins since 1864. It has been in continuous use on pennies since 1901 and on the dime since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins, silver dollars, half-dollars, and quarters since 1908.
It was not until July 30th, 1956 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a joint resolution of Congress declaring “In God We Trust” as our nation’s official motto. The motto began to appear on US currency a year later.
