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In God We Trust

February 15, 2024

For other uses, see In God We Trust (disambiguation).

"In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the official motto of the United States[1][2][3] as well as the motto of the U.S. state of Florida, and Nicaragua (Spanish: En Dios confiamos).[4][5] It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing E pluribus unum ("Out of many, one"), which had been the de facto motto since the initial design of the Great Seal of the United States.[6]

Capitalized "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the reverse of a United States twenty-dollar bill

While the earliest mentions of the phrase can be found in the mid-19th century, the origins of this phrase as a political motto lie in the American Civil War, where Union supporters wanted to emphasize their attachment to God and to boost morale.[7] The capitalized form "IN GOD WE TRUST" first appeared on the two-cent piece in 1864 and initially only appeared on coins, but it gradually became accepted among Americans.[8] Much wider adoption followed in the 1950s. The first postage stamps with the motto appeared in 1954. A law passed in July 1955 by a joint resolution of the 84th Congress (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 84–140) and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower requires that "In God We Trust" appear on all American currency. This law was first implemented on the updated one-dollar silver certificate that entered circulation on October 1, 1957.[8] The 84th Congress later passed legislation (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 84–851), also signed by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956, declaring the phrase to be the national motto.[8][a] Several states have also mandated or authorized its use in public institutions or schools;[9][10] while Florida, Georgia and Mississippi have incorporated the phrase in some of their state symbols. The motto has also been used in some cases in other countries, most notably on Nicaragua's coins.[11]

The motto remains popular among the American public. According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today, CNN, and Gallup, 90% of Americans support the inscription "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins;[12] and a 2019 student poll by College Pulse showed that 53% of students supported its inclusion in currency.[13] Some groups and people in the United States, however, have objected to its use, contending that its religious reference violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.[14] These groups believe the phrase should be removed from currency and public property, which has resulted in numerous lawsuits. This argument has not overcome the interpretational doctrine of accommodationism and the notion of "ceremonial deism". The former allows the government to endorse religious establishments as long as they are all treated equally, while the latter states that a repetitious invocation of a religious entity in ceremonial matters strips the phrase of its original religious connotation.[15] The New Hampshire Supreme Court, as well as the Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits, have all upheld the constitutionality of the motto in various settings. The Supreme Court has discussed the motto in footnotes but has never directly ruled on its compliance with the U.S. constitution.[16]

Origins edit

The earliest recorded usage of the motto in English was in January 1748, when The Pennsylvania Gazette reported on the colours of Associators regiments, namely that of Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania militia, one of which said: "IX. A Coronet and Plume of Feathers. Motto, In God we Trust."[17][18][19] According to Thomas S. Kidd, an American historian, this appears to be an isolated instance of an official usage, which could be traced to some renderings of Psalm 56:11.[20]

The precise phrase, “In God We Trust” is also found in a publication of Isaac Watts’ Psalter which was revised and printed in America in 1785. Watts had translated Psalm 115:9-11 with the words, “Britain, trust the Lord.” An American publisher, Joel Barlow, sought to revise Watts’ Psalter for an American audience. Barlow's goal was to modify Watts in such a way as to purge the un-American flavor. Barlow simply translated Psalm 115: 9–11 with the words “In God we Trust.”[21]

 
Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary, scribes "In God is Our Trust," scratches out "is Our" and overwrites "We" to arrive at "In God We Trust" in a December 9, 1863, letter to James Pollock, Director of the Philadelphia Mint.[22][23]
 
Manuscript copy of Key's 1814 poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" (better known today as "The Star-Spangled Banner") in which one line of the fourth verse reads, "And this be our motto-"In God is our trust,"" (enclosed section)

There were several other unrelated recordings of the motto. It can be encountered in some literary works of the early 19th century.[24] One of them, "Defence of Fort M'Henry", contained a version of the motto and subsequently became the national anthem of the United States. It also appeared in 1845, when D.S. Whitney published an anti-slavery hymn in The Liberator.[25][26] Odd Fellows have also used the phrase as their motto from the 1840s at least into the 1870s.[7][26][27]

Motto on U.S. currency edit

Initial adoption edit

In a letter dated November 13, 1861, Rev. Mark R. Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania (pastor of the Prospect Hill Baptist Church in present-day Prospect Park, Pennsylvania), petitioned the Treasury Department to add a statement recognizing "Almighty God in some form on our coins" in order to "relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism".[8][28][29] At least part of the motivation was to declare that God was on the Union side of the Civil War,[7][8] given that the Confederacy's constitution, unlike the Union's, invoked God.[b] This sentiment was shared by other citizens who supported such inclusion in their letters.[30] Indeed, the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry for the Union Army assumed the motto "In God we trust" in early August 1862.[31]

In the South, the phrase has also gained significant traction. A Confederate bunting with “In God We Trust” printed in the center, dated to late 1861 or early 1862 and attributed to the 37th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, was probably captured by the 33rd Iowa Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Helena and is currently in possession of the Iowa Historical Society.[32][33] Another flag with exactly the same motto, this time of the 60th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, was captured in the course of the Battle of Big Black River Bridge.[34] Additionally, in 1864, Harper's Weekly reported that the Union Navy had captured a flag whose motto said: "Our cause is just, our duty we know; In God we trust, to battle we go."[35] Other Confederate symbols included close paraphrasing of the motto, such as the banner of the Apalachicola Guard of Florida (In God is our trust)[36] and "The Star-Spangled Cross and the Pure Field of White", a popular song in the Southern military whose refrain contains the following passage: "Our trust is in God, who can help us in fight, And defend those who ask Him in prayer."[37]

President Abraham Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase, a lifelong evangelical Episcopalian who was known for his public shows of piety,[7][38] acted swiftly on the proposal to include a motto referring to God and directed the then-Philadelphia Director of the Mint and member of the National Reform Association, James Pollock, to begin drawing up possible designs that would include the religious phrase.[28] Chase chose his favorite designs and presented a proposal to the Congress for the new designs in late 1863. He then decided on the final version of the new motto, "In God We Trust," in December 1863.[39] Walter H. Breen, a numismatist, wrote that Chase drew inspiration from the motto of Brown University of Providence, Rhode Island, In Deo speramus, which is Latin for a similarly sounding "In God we hope".[40] President Lincoln's degree of involvement in the process of the motto's approval is unclear, though he was aware of such talks.[c]

As Chase was preparing his recommendation to Congress, it was found that the federal legislature passed a bill on January 18, 1837, which determined the mottos and devices that should be stamped on U.S. coins. This meant that enactment of some additional legislation was necessary before "In God We Trust" could be engraved. Such bill was introduced and passed as the Coinage Act of 1864 on April 22, 1864, allowing the Secretary of the Treasury to authorize the inclusion of the phrase on one-cent and two-cent coins.[8]

On March 3, 1865, the U.S. Congress passed a bill, which Lincoln subsequently signed as the last act of Congress prior to his assassination,[26] that allowed the Mint Director to place "In God We Trust" on all gold and silver coins that "shall admit the inscription thereon", subject to the Secretary's approval.[8][41] In 1873, Congress passed another Coinage Act, granting the Secretary of the Treasury the right to "cause the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to be inscribed on such coins as shall admit of such motto".[42]

In God We Trust (or, rarely, its variation, God We Trust) first appeared on 2¢ coins, which were first minted in 1863 and went into mass circulation the following year.[43] According to David W. Lange, a numismatist, the inclusion of the motto on a coin was a major driver for the popularisation of the slogan.[44] Other coins, that is, nickels, quarter dollars, half dollars, half eagles and eagles, have had In God We Trust engraved from 1866 on.[45] Dollar coins got the motto in 1873 for trade dollars and 1878 for common circulation Morgan dollars.[45] However, there was no obligation for the motto to be used, so some denominations still didn't have it. Others, such as nickels, have seen the phrase disappear after a redesign, so that by the late 19th century, most of the coins did not bear the motto.[46] Finally, in 1892, an oversight caused the Coinage Act to lose the language which mandated inclusion of the phrase.[47]

 
"IN GOD WE TRUST" first appeared on the obverse side of the Two-cent piece in 1864.[8]
 
$20 interest-bearing note from 1864; "in god is our trust" appears on the bottom-right shield.
 
The reverse of the Morgan dollar presented the lower-cased "In God we trust".
 
Saint-Gaudens double eagle ("high relief" version), subject of public outcry in 1907 due to the lack of "In God we Trust" on the coin
 
Version with the national motto, 1908

Banknotes did not have formal authorization, or mandate, to have "In God We Trust" engraved until 1955. However, a version of the motto (In God Is Our Trust) first made a brief appearance on the obverse side of the 1864 $20 interest-bearing and compound interest treasury notes, along with the motto "God and our Right".[48][49]

Reactions edit

The initial reaction of the general populace was far from unanimous approval. On the one hand, Christian newspapers were generally happy with the phrase being included in coins, though some advocated for more religiously connoted mottos, such as "In God alone is our trust" or "God our Christ".[26] On the other, non-religious press was less impressed by the developments. The New York Times editorial board asked to "let us try to carry our religion—such as it is—in our hearts, and not in our pockets" and criticized the Mint for including the motto only on golden and larger silver coins.[50] New York Illustrated News ridiculed the new coins for marking "the first time that God has ever been recognized on any of our counters of Mammon,"[26] with a similar comparison made by the Detroit Free Press.[7] The different opinions on its inclusion eventually grew into a dispute between secularists and faith congregations.[7] Others still started to make jokes of "In God We Trust". The American Journal of Numismatics suggested that people would misread the motto as "In Gold we Trust", which they said was "much nearer the fact".[51] Newspapers also started reporting on puns made of the slogan. Already in 1860s, newspapers reported signs reading "In God we Trust — terms cash," "In God we trust. All others are expected to pay cash" and the like.[18][52]

The phrase, however, gradually became a symbol of national pride. Just six years after it first appeared on coins, the San Francisco Chronicle called it "our nation's motto"; similarly, groups as diverse as prohibitionists and suffragists, pacifists and nativists, Democrats and Republicans, Christians and Jews all adopted the motto or endorsed its usage by the end of the 19th century.[7] The motto stayed popular even as fewer denominations had "In God We Trust" embossed on coins.[26]

1907 Saint-Gaudens coins controversy edit

See also: Indian Head eagle and Saint-Gaudens double eagle

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt sought to beautify American coinage and decided to give the task to his friend, Augustus Saint-Gaudens,[40] who, after several delays and technical issues with his design, produced a new design for eagles and double eagles. Roosevelt specifically instructed Saint-Gaudens not to include "In God We Trust" on the coins, as the President feared that these coins would be used to further ungodly activities, such as gambling, and facilitate crime.[40][53] Saint-Gaudens did not oppose the order, as he thought that the phrase would distract from the coin's design features.[53]

The coin, whose ultra-high relief version is now considered one of the most beautiful coins ever struck in the U.S.,[53][54] was indeed appreciated for its esthetics by art critics.[55] However, a scandal immediately erupted over the lack of "In God We Trust" on the eagles and double eagles.[56][57] Theodore Roosevelt insisted that while he was in favor of placing the motto on public buildings and monuments, doing so for money (or postage stamps and advertisements) would be "dangerously close to sacrilege":[39]

"My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good, but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege. ...  Any use which tends to cheapen it, and, above all, any use which tends to secure its being treated in a spirit of levity, is from every standpoint profoundly to be regretted. ... it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins ...  In all my life I have never heard any human being speak reverently of this motto on the coins or show any signs of its having appealed to any high emotion in him, but I have literally, hundreds of times, heard it used as an occasion of and incitement to ... sneering ...  Every one must remember the innumerable cartoons and articles based on phrases like 'In God we trust for the 8 cents,' ...  Surely, I am well within bounds when I say that a use of the phrase which invites constant levity of this type is most undesirable."

— President Theodore Roosevelt, 13 November 1907[58]

Press response was largely negative. Most news outlets affiliated with Christian organisations, as well as The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Press and other newspapers were critical of the decision, with accusations amounting to the President being guilty of premeditated assault on religion and disregard for Americans' religious sentiments.[55] Atlanta Constitution wrote that people were to choose between "God and Roosevelt", while The New York Sun published a poem mocking Roosevelt's attitude.[39] In contrast, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and some religious newspapers such as The Churchman, sided with the President,[7][55] who was both stunned and irritated by people's opposition to excluding the motto. This prompted debate in Congress, which quickly decided to reinstate the motto on the coins in an act adopted in 1908. As a result of controversy, relevant design changes were subsequently introduced by the Mint Chief Engraver, Charles E. Barber.[47]

Other coins have also retained or renewed the usage of the motto. All gold coins and silver $1 coins, half dollars and quarters have had the motto engraved since July 1, 1908; pennies followed in 1909 and dimes in 1916.[8] Since 1938, all U.S. coins have borne the "In God We Trust" inscription on them.[8]

Road to universal mandate edit

 
8¢ postage stamp from 1954, with the motto inscribed around the Statue of Liberty's head. At the time, eight cents was the standard rate for international postage. A 3¢ (domestic mail rate) stamp with a similar design was also issued.

It is generally thought that during the Cold War era, the government of the United States sought to distinguish itself from the Soviet Union, which promoted state atheism and thus implemented antireligious legislation,[59] therefore, a debate for further usage of religious motto was started in Congress. Kevin M. Kruse offers an alternative explanation. In his book, he argues that conservative opposition to the New Deal, and those politicians' subsequent successful campaigns to expand the influence of religion, were the main factors that contributed to further adoption of "In God We Trust".[60]

The Eisenhower administration struck a deeply religious tone, which proved a fertile ground for lobbying for inclusion of the motto in more contexts.[61] This is often attributed to the influence of Billy Graham, a prominent evangelist of the time.[62] After intense public pressure for inclusion of the national motto, it appeared for the first time on some postage stamps of the 1954 Liberty Issue,[63][64][65] though lobbying for universal inclusion by Michigan Senator Charles E. Potter and Representative Louis C. Rabaut failed.[61]

The following year, Democratic Representative Charles Edward Bennett of Florida cited the Cold War when he introduced H. R. 619, which obliged "In God we trust" to be printed on all banknotes and struck on all coins, in the House, arguing that "[in] these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom, we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom".[66][67] The American Numismatic Association and the American Legion concurred and made resolutions urging to promote further usage of "In God We Trust".[68][69]

On July 11, 1955, the bill, having passed with bipartisan support of both chambers of Congress, was signed into law by President Eisenhower.[70][71] Since all coins already complied with the law, the only changes were made to the paper currency. The motto first appeared on the $1 silver certificate in 1957, followed by other certificates. Federal Reserve Notes and United States Notes[72] were circulated with the motto starting from 1964 to 1966, depending on the denomination.[8][73][74][d]

Adoption and display by government institutions in U.S. edit

 
The rostrum of the House of Representatives, where the Speaker sits. The national motto carved in marble can be seen at the top of the image.

Federal government edit

On July 30, 1956, the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution "declaring 'IN GOD WE TRUST' the national motto of the United States."[75] The resolution passed both the House and the Senate unanimously and without debate.[76][77][e] It replaced E pluribus unum, which had existed before as a de facto official motto.[6] The United States Code at 36 U.S.C. § 302, now states: "'In God we trust' is the national motto." The resolution was reaffirmed in 2006, on the 50th anniversary of its adoption, by the Senate,[78] and in 2011 by the House of Representatives, in a 396 to 9 vote.[79][80] In 2000, the House additionally encouraged to publicly display the motto.[81][82]

The House of Representatives features the motto above the rostrum of the Speaker, which was carved in the wall in December 1962[83] in response to the Supreme Court banning public school prayer in Engel v. Vitale.[84][85]

 
Seal of Florida, which also appears on the Flag of Florida. IN GOD WE TRUST appears at the bottom of the seal.

State and local governments edit

Adoption of the national motto in state symbols edit

In Florida, HB 1145 provided for the adoption of "In God We Trust" as the official state motto, instead of fairly similar "In God Is Our Trust", effective July 1, 2006.[4][5][86] The motto has also appeared on the seal of Florida[87] and on the flag of Florida, as the seal is one of its elements, since 1868.[88]

Georgia's flag features the motto since 2001, which was retained after a redesign two years later.[89]

In Mississippi, the Mississippi Senate voted to add the words, "In God We Trust" to the state seal, justifying it as an effort to protect religious freedom. The change was made effective on July 1, 2014.[90][91] Six years later, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed into law a bill requiring that the state's flag, which had contained the Confederate battle emblem, be replaced with a new one containing the phrase "In God We Trust."[92] A new flag containing the motto was approved by voters in a referendum, and it became the official state flag in January 2021.[93]

On April 28, 2023, Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill that would require him to submit a new state seal design which would include the national motto. The secretary of state should receive the proposal by July 1, 2025.[94]

 
A map of U.S. states with display of the national motto in public schools and government buildings as of August 2022
  Display in schools mandated
  Display in at least some government buildings mandated
  Display in schools mandated if a copy of the motto is donated
  Display in schools allowed
  Display in government buildings allowed
Note. Florida, Georgia and Mississippi use the national motto in state symbols, therefore the display of In God We Trust as it appears on state symbols is regulated by laws governing their usage.

Mandating display edit

  • Arkansas: In March 2017, Act 911, sponsored by state Representative Jim Dotson, made it a requirement of Arkansas state law for public schools to display posters with the national motto, if these were donated.[95][96] In 2019, the law was later amended to require public display of the national motto in public schools, higher education institutions and state government buildings, if funds are available for that purpose.[10]
  • Florida: In early 2018, Kimberly Daniels, a Democrat who served as a representative for the Florida House of Representatives, introduced HB 839, a bill that requires public schools to display the motto "In God We Trust" in a conspicuous place. On February 21, 2018, the bill passed 97 to 10 in the House.[97][98] Governor Rick Scott then signed the mandate into law.[99][100]
  • Idaho: House Concurrent Resolution 32, adopted in March 2020, mandates that the national motto be placed over the chairs of presiding officers of both chambers of Idaho Legislature.[101]
  • Kentucky: In 2014, a law was passed that obliged display of the national motto in legislative buildings and in committees.[102] In June 2019, a bill sponsored by state Representative Brandon Reed of Hodgenville was passed that required Kentucky public schools to display the motto "in a prominent location", beginning from the 2019–20 school year.[103][104] To protest the requirement, Fayette County Public Schools, a school district which serves Lexington, complied by posting framed one-dollar bills, which bear the slogan,[104][105] while in LaRue County, of which Hodgenville is seat, schools were using oversized images of pennies.[104]
  • Louisiana: A bill requiring public display of the motto in public schools was introduced by state Senator Regina Ashford Barrow in March 2018. It was passed unanimously both in the Senate (33 to 0) and in the House (93 to 0)[106] and signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards in May that year.[107][108] The bill also mandated school instruction about "In God We Trust" as part of the social studies curriculum.[106][109] The law was strengthened in August 2023 to require the motto to be hung in each classroom.[110]
  • Mississippi: In March 2001, Governor of Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove signed legislation requiring the motto "In God We Trust" to be displayed in every public school classroom, as well as the school auditoriums and cafeterias, throughout the state.[111]
  • Ohio: Ohio requires public schools to hang material featuring the motto if school districts receive it as donation, or if money is donated with the stated purpose of buying such materials.[10][112]
  • South Dakota: In March 2019, South Dakota required public schools to prominently display "In God We Trust" motto on their walls, starting from the 2019–20 school year.[113][114][115]
  • Tennessee: In March 2018, a bill sponsored by state Representative Susan Lynn, which requires Tennessee schools to prominently display "In God We Trust" passed the state House with 81 of the 99 members voting in favor of it.[116] After being approved unanimously in the Senate, it was signed by Governor Bill Haslam into law the following month.[117]
  • Texas: Texas allowed display of the motto in public schools and higher education institutions since 2003.[9][118] The Texas Legislature then passed a bill in 2021 to mandate donated copies of the motto to be hung in a "conspicuous place" in a collage that should, aside from the motto, also include the United States flag and the Texas flag, but nothing more.[119][120] Two years later, another bill prohibited anyone from denying the possibility to hang such mottos.[120]
  • Virginia: A regulation that obliges all Virginia schools to publicly display the motto was signed into law in May 2002.[121][122]
  • Utah: Utah's law to oblige schools to publicly display "In God We Trust" was signed into law in March 2002 by Governor Mike Leavitt.[123] The law also mandates school instruction about the motto.[124]

Allowing display edit

  • Alabama: A 2018 law allows display of the motto in schools, libraries, government buildings, and on law enforcement vehicles.[10][125]
  • Arizona: Arizona allows public display of the motto in public schools.[10]
  • Georgia: Georgia allows for usage of the national motto in schools and government buildings, provided they have funds for pay for its display.[10]
  • Indiana: Indiana allows display of the national motto in public schools since 2005.[10]
  • Michigan: Michigan allows and encourages the display of the motto in and on public schools as well as state and local government buildings.[10][126]
  • New Hampshire: HB 69, introduced in April 2021, initially proposed to require schools to display the national and state motto's, and passed the House 204–169. It was amended in the Senate to allow publication of the mottos and approved on May 13, 2021,[127] which was approved by the House the following month.[128] The bill was signed into law by Governor Chris Sununu on July 30, 2021.[129][130]
  • North Dakota: North Dakota statute allows display of the national motto in public schools.[10]
  • Oklahoma: A bill was passed in 2004 that allowed public schools to display "In God We Trust" and E pluribus unum in classrooms, auditoriums and cafeterias;[131] a 2018 Senate bill to mandate such display died in the House.[132]
  • South Carolina: South Carolina allows political subdivisions and schools to post a display detailing the foundations of the American law and government, of which the national motto is one of thirteen documents, while providing context to these documents in terms detailed by the state statute.[133]

In addition to that, several local governments have introduced the display of the motto in government buildings and municipal cars.[134][135][136][137] School boards have also seen voluntary introduction of the motto, particularly after the September 11 attacks, when the American Family Association supplied several 11-by-14-inch posters to school systems and vowed to defend any legal challenges to their display.[138]

Society and culture edit

 
Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (Siloam Springs, Arkansas) engraved with the words "IN GOD WE TRUST"

Multiple scholars have noted that "In God We Trust" motto is one of the main elements of civil religion in the United States.[139]

Religion edit

In Judaism and Christianity, the official motto "In God We Trust" is not found verbatim in any verses from the Bible, but the phrase is translated in similar terms in Psalm 91:2, in the Old Testament ("I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust") and in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 1:10 ("Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.") The concept is paraphrased in Psalm 118:8, Psalm 40:3, Psalm 73:28, and Proverbs 29:25.[140] According to Philip Jenkins, a historian of religion, some Bible translations rendered Psalm 56:11 as "In God I trust; I will not fear",[141] which could lead to substitution of the first "I" for "we".[20]

In Islam the word for the concept of reliance on God is called Tawakkul; the phrase "In God We Trust" is closely paraphrased in two places of the Quran, in surah 10 Yunus, as well as surah Al-A'raf (7:89), and several other verses reinforce this concept.[142] Melkote Ramaswamy, a Hindu American scholar, writes that the presence of the phrase "In God We Trust" on American currency is a reminder that "there is God everywhere, whether we are conscious or not."[143]

License plates edit

 
"In God We Trust" optional license plate of South Carolina, designed in 2002
 
Mississippi current standard plate design, approved in 2019.[144] "IN GOD WE TRUST" can be seen at the bottom of the state seal.

As of May 25, 2021, the following U.S. states currently offer an "In God We Trust" license plate (vanity and standard issues): Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio,[145] Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.[146][147]

Among the states that use the motto in standard issues, the Mississippi's standard plate will feature the motto as displayed on its state seal until the end of 2023, when it will change to the design that does not contain the motto.[148] Utah offers a standard option license plate with a seal.[149] Florida, which also offers a specialty plate, has an option to place "In God We Trust" instead of the official state nickname or county name;[150] Georgia also provides for such an option,[151] while North Carolina offers an option with North Carolina's state motto and "In God We Trust" instead of "First in Flight" or "First in Freedom".[152] In Tennessee, the 2022 issue license plates have two versions: with and without the national motto.[153] As of March 2023, about 60% of the state's license tags feature "In God We Trust", but this falls to 21% in Davidson County, which includes the state capital, Nashville.[154]

Opinion polls edit

According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today, CNN, and Gallup, 90% of Americans support the inscription "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.[12] MSNBC launched a similar live survey online that ran for several years in the late 2000s and yielded overwhelming opposition to the removal of the motto.[155] However, a more recent student poll in 2019 by College Pulse made for The College Fix showed that just over a half of students supports inclusion of the national motto in currency, with two-thirds of those who recognised themselves as Democrats opposing and 94% of Republicans in favor of the measure.[13]

Controversy edit

"In God We Trust" has long been controversial as an official motto due to what opponents perceive as being a religious statement, and as such, violating the separation of church and state. Secular and atheist organizations, such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State,[156][157] Freedom From Religion Foundation,[158][159] as well as The Satanic Temple[92] members, have all opposed inclusion of such motto. On the other hand, Project Blitz as well as conservative organizations and lawmakers have lobbied for its further adoption.[160][161]

Proponents have extensively argued for inclusion of the national motto in more settings, grounding it in the traditional invocations of God that they say have now become an element of a civil religion and should express the will of the founders, who believed in God.[7][82][162][163] Opponents, on the other hand, argue that not only does the motto violate the secular character of the United States, but it also predefines the type and number of gods (if any) to be trusted.[164][157][165]

Litigation edit

The constitutionality of the phrase "In God We Trust" has been repeatedly upheld according to the judicial interpretation of accommodationism, whose adherents state that this entrenched practice has not historically presented any constitutional difficulty, is not coercive, and does not prefer one religious denomination over another.[166] In Zorach v. Clauson (1952), the Supreme Court also wrote that the nation's "institutions presuppose a Supreme Being" and that government recognition of God does not constitute the establishment of a state church as the U.S. constitution's authors intended to prohibit.[167] The courts also rely on the notion of "ceremonial deism" (as defined in Brennan's dissent in Lynch v. Donnelly, 1984),[168] i.e. that there exist religious references that, through their repetitious and customary usage, have become secular and are thus constitutional.[169] While opponents of such rulings argue that Jefferson's notion of "wall of separation between church and state" prohibits any aid, direct or indirect, to any religious institution, and therefore any ruling to the contrary goes counter to Founders' intent, this separationist view has not gained significant ground in judicial settings.[166][170]

Even though not directly related to the motto, Engel v. Vitale (1962) elicited much speculation on the future of "In God We Trust" in public settings. In the ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York law that encouraged public schools to recite a prayer as written in state law on First Amendment grounds. The ruling sparked widespread outrage and was extremely unpopular at the time, even as the judges' decision was near-unanimous.[171] Almost 4/5 of Americans disapproved of the ruling, according to a Gallup poll.[172] Congressmen were afraid that "In God We Trust" would have to disappear from coins and banknotes,[173] the feeling shared by the then president of the American Bar Association, John C. Salterfield.[7] Senator Sam Ervin, a Democrat from North Carolina, went so far as to wonder if God was declared unconstitutional by that decision.[174] Congressmen tried to direct federal funds to buy Bibles for the Supreme Court justices and to propose a constitutional amendment allowing school prayer (both measures failed).[171] A similar ruling the following year in Abington Township v. Schempp prompted senators to attempt to force the Supreme Court to hang the national motto in the courtroom, which also did not succeed.[7]

Even though the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the constitutionality of "In God We Trust",[16] several appellate federal courts and some state courts have, and the Supreme Court itself did not seem to have any problem with the phrase being inscribed on coins and banknotes.[45]

Aronow v. United States (1970) was the first case to challenge the inclusion of "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency.[175] The passage of the statute that the lawsuit challenged ("the inscription 'In God we Trust'...shall appear on all United States currency and coins", 31 U.S.C. § 324a)[175] stood, and the Ninth Circuit stated that "its [motto's] use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise". In O'Hair v. Blumenthal (1978), the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas also upheld the law. A similar decision was reached on appeal to the Fifth Circuit in 1979, which affirmed that the "primary purpose of the slogan was secular".[42] The same decision was reached in Gaylor v. United States (1996) when it was appealed to the Tenth Circuit.[176]

Michael Newdow then launched a series of lawsuits attempting to outlaw "In God We Trust", with support of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, by Michael Newdow. Newdow was known for his previous case Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow (2004), in which the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance (the ruling was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court). A federal judge in California rejected his reasoning in a June 2006 ruling, as did the Ninth Circuit. Because the Supreme Court denied certiorari, the appellate court's decision, which said that "the national motto is of a "patriotic or ceremonial character," has no "theological or ritualistic impact," and does not constitute "governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise,"" remained unchanged and in force.[177] A lawsuit filed by Newdow and Freedom from Religion Foundation in 2013 in New York also failed, both on trial[178] and on appeal to the Second Circuit;[179] yet another one, filed in Ohio in 2016, was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit.[180] The same happened with the lawsuit in the Eighth Circuit, which was unrelated to Newdow's efforts.[181][182]

In 2015, David F. Bauman, a New Jersey state judge, dismissed a case against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District brought by a student of the district and the American Humanist Association that argued that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance created a climate of discrimination because it promoted religion, making non-believers "second-class citizens".[183][184] Bauman noted that "as a matter of historical tradition, the words 'under God' can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words 'In God We Trust' from every coin in the land, than the words 'so help me God' from every presidential oath since 1789, or than the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787."[185]

Additionally, several courts have agreed that "In God We Trust" on public buildings did not violate the Establishment Clause: the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1967)[186] and the Fourth Circuit (2005)[187] did so for public schools, and the same appellate federal court argued the same for a county government office (2005).[188][189]

Even though efforts to remove "In God We Trust" in most settings were largely fruitless, mandatory display of mottos in general on license plates drew some skepticism from the judiciary. In Wooley v. Maynard (1977), the Supreme Court struck down a New Hampshire law mandating that every person carry the state motto on their license plates. The Supreme Court noted in the case that the state can't force its citizens to "use their private property as a 'mobile billboard' for the State's ideological message". Applying Wooley in Griggs v. Graham (2023), a federal judge in Mississippi ruled that under the Free Speech Clause, the state may not force individuals to display "In God We Trust" as it appears on the state seal on their license plates (see above). The judge suggested that objectors to the statement may deface the part of the license tag containing it even though a Mississippi statute may arguably punish this behavior, but declined to order the state to issue religiously neutral license plates free of charge.[190] In an unrelated development while the ruling was on appeal, Mississippi announced the winner of a design contest for the new standard plate, which did not include the motto.[191] Atheist plaintiffs were satisfied and dropped the lawsuit in May.[192]

The Supreme Court never decided on the constitutionality of "In God we Trust" as a national/state motto. But in obiter dicta, the majority of the Supreme Court in Wooley indicated they would reject the line of argument that the plaintiffs used in that case to declare the presence of the national motto on currency unconstitutional. They argued that unlike license plates, currency was not something that was either associated directly with the owner or made to display.[45][193]

Usage in other countries edit

The Spanish equivalent of "In God We Trust", En Dios Confiamos, is an unofficial motto of the Republic of Nicaragua. The phrase can be seen on most of Nicaragua's coins.[11]

Additionally, the phrase has been used in heraldic settings. In 1860, the phrase was included in the coat of arms of New Westminster, British Columbia, and it stayed there ever since.[194][195] Until 1997 (though still traditionally remembered), the official heraldic motto of Brighton, England was the Latin equivalent of the phrase: In Deo Fidemus.[196][197]

In 2023, Shas, a Haredi religious political party in Israel, proposed a bill that would order inclusion of "In God we trust" motto on banknotes, but it was not likely to pass.[198]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ For the relevant statutes, see 36 U.S.C. § 302 and United States Public Law 84-851
  2. ^ See preamble of CSA Constitution: ...invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God...
  3. ^ According to the Congressional Record (1908, U.S. House of Representatives), p. 3387, the motto was adopted "doubtless with his [Lincoln's] knowledge and approval".
  4. ^ Quoting the peroration (abridged here) of the speech by Charles Edward Bennett, sponsor in the House, the only speech in either House of Congress on the subject. President Eisenhower and W. Randolph Burgess, Deputy to the Treasury for Monetary Affairs, had approved of the legislation. 101 Congressional Record pp. 4384 (quoted), 7796. (1955)
  5. ^ For the relevant statutes, see 36 U.S.C. § 302 and United States Public Law 84-851

References edit

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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to In God We Trust.
  • Final answer? Not quite as star gets second chance to play for a million – article in The Guardian about a disputed quiz question about the motto of the United States.
  • Local documentary on origin of phrase

February 15, 2024
trust, other, uses, disambiguation, also, rendered, trust, official, motto, united, states, well, motto, state, florida, nicaragua, spanish, dios, confiamos, adopted, congress, 1956, replacing, pluribus, unum, many, which, been, facto, motto, since, initial, d. For other uses see In God We Trust disambiguation In God We Trust also rendered as In God we trust is the official motto of the United States 1 2 3 as well as the motto of the U S state of Florida and Nicaragua Spanish En Dios confiamos 4 5 It was adopted by the U S Congress in 1956 replacing E pluribus unum Out of many one which had been the de facto motto since the initial design of the Great Seal of the United States 6 Capitalized IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse of a United States twenty dollar billWhile the earliest mentions of the phrase can be found in the mid 19th century the origins of this phrase as a political motto lie in the American Civil War where Union supporters wanted to emphasize their attachment to God and to boost morale 7 The capitalized form IN GOD WE TRUST first appeared on the two cent piece in 1864 and initially only appeared on coins but it gradually became accepted among Americans 8 Much wider adoption followed in the 1950s The first postage stamps with the motto appeared in 1954 A law passed in July 1955 by a joint resolution of the 84th Congress Pub L Tooltip Public Law United States 84 140 and approved by President Dwight Eisenhower requires that In God We Trust appear on all American currency This law was first implemented on the updated one dollar silver certificate that entered circulation on October 1 1957 8 The 84th Congress later passed legislation Pub L Tooltip Public Law United States 84 851 also signed by President Eisenhower on July 30 1956 declaring the phrase to be the national motto 8 a Several states have also mandated or authorized its use in public institutions or schools 9 10 while Florida Georgia and Mississippi have incorporated the phrase in some of their state symbols The motto has also been used in some cases in other countries most notably on Nicaragua s coins 11 The motto remains popular among the American public According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today CNN and Gallup 90 of Americans support the inscription In God We Trust on U S coins 12 and a 2019 student poll by College Pulse showed that 53 of students supported its inclusion in currency 13 Some groups and people in the United States however have objected to its use contending that its religious reference violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment 14 These groups believe the phrase should be removed from currency and public property which has resulted in numerous lawsuits This argument has not overcome the interpretational doctrine of accommodationism and the notion of ceremonial deism The former allows the government to endorse religious establishments as long as they are all treated equally while the latter states that a repetitious invocation of a religious entity in ceremonial matters strips the phrase of its original religious connotation 15 The New Hampshire Supreme Court as well as the Second Fourth Fifth Sixth Eighth Ninth and Tenth Circuits have all upheld the constitutionality of the motto in various settings The Supreme Court has discussed the motto in footnotes but has never directly ruled on its compliance with the U S constitution 16 Contents 1 Origins 2 Motto on U S currency 2 1 Initial adoption 2 1 1 Reactions 2 2 1907 Saint Gaudens coins controversy 2 3 Road to universal mandate 3 Adoption and display by government institutions in U S 3 1 Federal government 3 2 State and local governments 3 2 1 Adoption of the national motto in state symbols 3 2 2 Mandating display 3 2 3 Allowing display 4 Society and culture 4 1 Religion 4 2 License plates 4 3 Opinion polls 5 Controversy 5 1 Litigation 6 Usage in other countries 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksOrigins editThe earliest recorded usage of the motto in English was in January 1748 when The Pennsylvania Gazette reported on the colours of Associators regiments namely that of Benjamin Franklin s Pennsylvania militia one of which said IX A Coronet and Plume of Feathers Motto In God we Trust 17 18 19 According to Thomas S Kidd an American historian this appears to be an isolated instance of an official usage which could be traced to some renderings of Psalm 56 11 20 The precise phrase In God We Trust is also found in a publication of Isaac Watts Psalter which was revised and printed in America in 1785 Watts had translated Psalm 115 9 11 with the words Britain trust the Lord An American publisher Joel Barlow sought to revise Watts Psalter for an American audience Barlow s goal was to modify Watts in such a way as to purge the un American flavor Barlow simply translated Psalm 115 9 11 with the words In God we Trust 21 nbsp Salmon P Chase Treasury Secretary scribes In God is Our Trust scratches out is Our and overwrites We to arrive at In God We Trust in a December 9 1863 letter to James Pollock Director of the Philadelphia Mint 22 23 nbsp Manuscript copy of Key s 1814 poem Defence of Fort M Henry better known today as The Star Spangled Banner in which one line of the fourth verse reads And this be our motto In God is our trust enclosed section There were several other unrelated recordings of the motto It can be encountered in some literary works of the early 19th century 24 One of them Defence of Fort M Henry contained a version of the motto and subsequently became the national anthem of the United States It also appeared in 1845 when D S Whitney published an anti slavery hymn in The Liberator 25 26 Odd Fellows have also used the phrase as their motto from the 1840s at least into the 1870s 7 26 27 Motto on U S currency editInitial adoption edit In a letter dated November 13 1861 Rev Mark R Watkinson of Ridleyville Pennsylvania pastor of the Prospect Hill Baptist Church in present day Prospect Park Pennsylvania petitioned the Treasury Department to add a statement recognizing Almighty God in some form on our coins in order to relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism 8 28 29 At least part of the motivation was to declare that God was on the Union side of the Civil War 7 8 given that the Confederacy s constitution unlike the Union s invoked God b This sentiment was shared by other citizens who supported such inclusion in their letters 30 Indeed the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry for the Union Army assumed the motto In God we trust in early August 1862 31 In the South the phrase has also gained significant traction A Confederate bunting with In God We Trust printed in the center dated to late 1861 or early 1862 and attributed to the 37th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was probably captured by the 33rd Iowa Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Helena and is currently in possession of the Iowa Historical Society 32 33 Another flag with exactly the same motto this time of the 60th Tennessee Infantry Regiment was captured in the course of the Battle of Big Black River Bridge 34 Additionally in 1864 Harper s Weekly reported that the Union Navy had captured a flag whose motto said Our cause is just our duty we know In God we trust to battle we go 35 Other Confederate symbols included close paraphrasing of the motto such as the banner of the Apalachicola Guard of Florida In God is our trust 36 and The Star Spangled Cross and the Pure Field of White a popular song in the Southern military whose refrain contains the following passage Our trust is in God who can help us in fight And defend those who ask Him in prayer 37 President Abraham Lincoln s Treasury Secretary Salmon P Chase a lifelong evangelical Episcopalian who was known for his public shows of piety 7 38 acted swiftly on the proposal to include a motto referring to God and directed the then Philadelphia Director of the Mint and member of the National Reform Association James Pollock to begin drawing up possible designs that would include the religious phrase 28 Chase chose his favorite designs and presented a proposal to the Congress for the new designs in late 1863 He then decided on the final version of the new motto In God We Trust in December 1863 39 Walter H Breen a numismatist wrote that Chase drew inspiration from the motto of Brown University of Providence Rhode Island In Deo speramus which is Latin for a similarly sounding In God we hope 40 President Lincoln s degree of involvement in the process of the motto s approval is unclear though he was aware of such talks c As Chase was preparing his recommendation to Congress it was found that the federal legislature passed a bill on January 18 1837 which determined the mottos and devices that should be stamped on U S coins This meant that enactment of some additional legislation was necessary before In God We Trust could be engraved Such bill was introduced and passed as the Coinage Act of 1864 on April 22 1864 allowing the Secretary of the Treasury to authorize the inclusion of the phrase on one cent and two cent coins 8 On March 3 1865 the U S Congress passed a bill which Lincoln subsequently signed as the last act of Congress prior to his assassination 26 that allowed the Mint Director to place In God We Trust on all gold and silver coins that shall admit the inscription thereon subject to the Secretary s approval 8 41 In 1873 Congress passed another Coinage Act granting the Secretary of the Treasury the right to cause the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to be inscribed on such coins as shall admit of such motto 42 In God We Trust or rarely its variation God We Trust first appeared on 2 coins which were first minted in 1863 and went into mass circulation the following year 43 According to David W Lange a numismatist the inclusion of the motto on a coin was a major driver for the popularisation of the slogan 44 Other coins that is nickels quarter dollars half dollars half eagles and eagles have had In God We Trust engraved from 1866 on 45 Dollar coins got the motto in 1873 for trade dollars and 1878 for common circulation Morgan dollars 45 However there was no obligation for the motto to be used so some denominations still didn t have it Others such as nickels have seen the phrase disappear after a redesign so that by the late 19th century most of the coins did not bear the motto 46 Finally in 1892 an oversight caused the Coinage Act to lose the language which mandated inclusion of the phrase 47 nbsp IN GOD WE TRUST first appeared on the obverse side of the Two cent piece in 1864 8 nbsp 20 interest bearing note from 1864 in god is our trust appears on the bottom right shield nbsp The reverse of the Morgan dollar presented the lower cased In God we trust nbsp Saint Gaudens double eagle high relief version subject of public outcry in 1907 due to the lack of In God we Trust on the coin nbsp Version with the national motto 1908 Banknotes did not have formal authorization or mandate to have In God We Trust engraved until 1955 However a version of the motto In God Is Our Trust first made a brief appearance on the obverse side of the 1864 20 interest bearing and compound interest treasury notes along with the motto God and our Right 48 49 Reactions edit The initial reaction of the general populace was far from unanimous approval On the one hand Christian newspapers were generally happy with the phrase being included in coins though some advocated for more religiously connoted mottos such as In God alone is our trust or God our Christ 26 On the other non religious press was less impressed by the developments The New York Times editorial board asked to let us try to carry our religion such as it is in our hearts and not in our pockets and criticized the Mint for including the motto only on golden and larger silver coins 50 New York Illustrated News ridiculed the new coins for marking the first time that God has ever been recognized on any of our counters of Mammon 26 with a similar comparison made by the Detroit Free Press 7 The different opinions on its inclusion eventually grew into a dispute between secularists and faith congregations 7 Others still started to make jokes of In God We Trust The American Journal of Numismatics suggested that people would misread the motto as In Gold we Trust which they said was much nearer the fact 51 Newspapers also started reporting on puns made of the slogan Already in 1860s newspapers reported signs reading In God we Trust terms cash In God we trust All others are expected to pay cash and the like 18 52 The phrase however gradually became a symbol of national pride Just six years after it first appeared on coins the San Francisco Chronicle called it our nation s motto similarly groups as diverse as prohibitionists and suffragists pacifists and nativists Democrats and Republicans Christians and Jews all adopted the motto or endorsed its usage by the end of the 19th century 7 The motto stayed popular even as fewer denominations had In God We Trust embossed on coins 26 1907 Saint Gaudens coins controversy edit See also Indian Head eagle and Saint Gaudens double eagleIn 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt sought to beautify American coinage and decided to give the task to his friend Augustus Saint Gaudens 40 who after several delays and technical issues with his design produced a new design for eagles and double eagles Roosevelt specifically instructed Saint Gaudens not to include In God We Trust on the coins as the President feared that these coins would be used to further ungodly activities such as gambling and facilitate crime 40 53 Saint Gaudens did not oppose the order as he thought that the phrase would distract from the coin s design features 53 The coin whose ultra high relief version is now considered one of the most beautiful coins ever struck in the U S 53 54 was indeed appreciated for its esthetics by art critics 55 However a scandal immediately erupted over the lack of In God We Trust on the eagles and double eagles 56 57 Theodore Roosevelt insisted that while he was in favor of placing the motto on public buildings and monuments doing so for money or postage stamps and advertisements would be dangerously close to sacrilege 39 My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins or to use it in any kindred manner not only does no good but does positive harm and is in effect irreverence which comes dangerously close to sacrilege Any use which tends to cheapen it and above all any use which tends to secure its being treated in a spirit of levity is from every standpoint profoundly to be regretted it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins In all my life I have never heard any human being speak reverently of this motto on the coins or show any signs of its having appealed to any high emotion in him but I have literally hundreds of times heard it used as an occasion of and incitement to sneering Every one must remember the innumerable cartoons and articles based on phrases like In God we trust for the 8 cents Surely I am well within bounds when I say that a use of the phrase which invites constant levity of this type is most undesirable President Theodore Roosevelt 13 November 1907 58 Press response was largely negative Most news outlets affiliated with Christian organisations as well as The Wall Street Journal The Philadelphia Press and other newspapers were critical of the decision with accusations amounting to the President being guilty of premeditated assault on religion and disregard for Americans religious sentiments 55 Atlanta Constitution wrote that people were to choose between God and Roosevelt while The New York Sun published a poem mocking Roosevelt s attitude 39 In contrast The New York Times Chicago Tribune and some religious newspapers such as The Churchman sided with the President 7 55 who was both stunned and irritated by people s opposition to excluding the motto This prompted debate in Congress which quickly decided to reinstate the motto on the coins in an act adopted in 1908 As a result of controversy relevant design changes were subsequently introduced by the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E Barber 47 Other coins have also retained or renewed the usage of the motto All gold coins and silver 1 coins half dollars and quarters have had the motto engraved since July 1 1908 pennies followed in 1909 and dimes in 1916 8 Since 1938 all U S coins have borne the In God We Trust inscription on them 8 Road to universal mandate edit nbsp 8 postage stamp from 1954 with the motto inscribed around the Statue of Liberty s head At the time eight cents was the standard rate for international postage A 3 domestic mail rate stamp with a similar design was also issued It is generally thought that during the Cold War era the government of the United States sought to distinguish itself from the Soviet Union which promoted state atheism and thus implemented antireligious legislation 59 therefore a debate for further usage of religious motto was started in Congress Kevin M Kruse offers an alternative explanation In his book he argues that conservative opposition to the New Deal and those politicians subsequent successful campaigns to expand the influence of religion were the main factors that contributed to further adoption of In God We Trust 60 The Eisenhower administration struck a deeply religious tone which proved a fertile ground for lobbying for inclusion of the motto in more contexts 61 This is often attributed to the influence of Billy Graham a prominent evangelist of the time 62 After intense public pressure for inclusion of the national motto it appeared for the first time on some postage stamps of the 1954 Liberty Issue 63 64 65 though lobbying for universal inclusion by Michigan Senator Charles E Potter and Representative Louis C Rabaut failed 61 The following year Democratic Representative Charles Edward Bennett of Florida cited the Cold War when he introduced H R 619 which obliged In God we trust to be printed on all banknotes and struck on all coins in the House arguing that in these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and destroy freedom we should continually look for ways to strengthen the foundations of our freedom 66 67 The American Numismatic Association and the American Legion concurred and made resolutions urging to promote further usage of In God We Trust 68 69 On July 11 1955 the bill having passed with bipartisan support of both chambers of Congress was signed into law by President Eisenhower 70 71 Since all coins already complied with the law the only changes were made to the paper currency The motto first appeared on the 1 silver certificate in 1957 followed by other certificates Federal Reserve Notes and United States Notes 72 were circulated with the motto starting from 1964 to 1966 depending on the denomination 8 73 74 d Adoption and display by government institutions in U S edit nbsp The rostrum of the House of Representatives where the Speaker sits The national motto carved in marble can be seen at the top of the image Federal government edit On July 30 1956 the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States 75 The resolution passed both the House and the Senate unanimously and without debate 76 77 e It replaced E pluribus unum which had existed before as a de facto official motto 6 The United States Code at 36 U S C 302 now states In God we trust is the national motto The resolution was reaffirmed in 2006 on the 50th anniversary of its adoption by the Senate 78 and in 2011 by the House of Representatives in a 396 to 9 vote 79 80 In 2000 the House additionally encouraged to publicly display the motto 81 82 The House of Representatives features the motto above the rostrum of the Speaker which was carved in the wall in December 1962 83 in response to the Supreme Court banning public school prayer in Engel v Vitale 84 85 nbsp Seal of Florida which also appears on the Flag of Florida IN GOD WE TRUST appears at the bottom of the seal State and local governments edit Adoption of the national motto in state symbols edit In Florida HB 1145 provided for the adoption of In God We Trust as the official state motto instead of fairly similar In God Is Our Trust effective July 1 2006 4 5 86 The motto has also appeared on the seal of Florida 87 and on the flag of Florida as the seal is one of its elements since 1868 88 Georgia s flag features the motto since 2001 which was retained after a redesign two years later 89 In Mississippi the Mississippi Senate voted to add the words In God We Trust to the state seal justifying it as an effort to protect religious freedom The change was made effective on July 1 2014 90 91 Six years later Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed into law a bill requiring that the state s flag which had contained the Confederate battle emblem be replaced with a new one containing the phrase In God We Trust 92 A new flag containing the motto was approved by voters in a referendum and it became the official state flag in January 2021 93 On April 28 2023 Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill that would require him to submit a new state seal design which would include the national motto The secretary of state should receive the proposal by July 1 2025 94 nbsp A map of U S states with display of the national motto in public schools and government buildings as of August 2022 Display in schools mandated Display in at least some government buildings mandated Display in schools mandated if a copy of the motto is donated Display in schools allowed Display in government buildings allowed Note Florida Georgia and Mississippi use the national motto in state symbols therefore the display of In God We Trust as it appears on state symbols is regulated by laws governing their usage Mandating display edit Arkansas In March 2017 Act 911 sponsored by state Representative Jim Dotson made it a requirement of Arkansas state law for public schools to display posters with the national motto if these were donated 95 96 In 2019 the law was later amended to require public display of the national motto in public schools higher education institutions and state government buildings if funds are available for that purpose 10 Florida In early 2018 Kimberly Daniels a Democrat who served as a representative for the Florida House of Representatives introduced HB 839 a bill that requires public schools to display the motto In God We Trust in a conspicuous place On February 21 2018 the bill passed 97 to 10 in the House 97 98 Governor Rick Scott then signed the mandate into law 99 100 Idaho House Concurrent Resolution 32 adopted in March 2020 mandates that the national motto be placed over the chairs of presiding officers of both chambers of Idaho Legislature 101 Kentucky In 2014 a law was passed that obliged display of the national motto in legislative buildings and in committees 102 In June 2019 a bill sponsored by state Representative Brandon Reed of Hodgenville was passed that required Kentucky public schools to display the motto in a prominent location beginning from the 2019 20 school year 103 104 To protest the requirement Fayette County Public Schools a school district which serves Lexington complied by posting framed one dollar bills which bear the slogan 104 105 while in LaRue County of which Hodgenville is seat schools were using oversized images of pennies 104 Louisiana A bill requiring public display of the motto in public schools was introduced by state Senator Regina Ashford Barrow in March 2018 It was passed unanimously both in the Senate 33 to 0 and in the House 93 to 0 106 and signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards in May that year 107 108 The bill also mandated school instruction about In God We Trust as part of the social studies curriculum 106 109 The law was strengthened in August 2023 to require the motto to be hung in each classroom 110 Mississippi In March 2001 Governor of Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove signed legislation requiring the motto In God We Trust to be displayed in every public school classroom as well as the school auditoriums and cafeterias throughout the state 111 Ohio Ohio requires public schools to hang material featuring the motto if school districts receive it as donation or if money is donated with the stated purpose of buying such materials 10 112 South Dakota In March 2019 South Dakota required public schools to prominently display In God We Trust motto on their walls starting from the 2019 20 school year 113 114 115 Tennessee In March 2018 a bill sponsored by state Representative Susan Lynn which requires Tennessee schools to prominently display In God We Trust passed the state House with 81 of the 99 members voting in favor of it 116 After being approved unanimously in the Senate it was signed by Governor Bill Haslam into law the following month 117 Texas Texas allowed display of the motto in public schools and higher education institutions since 2003 9 118 The Texas Legislature then passed a bill in 2021 to mandate donated copies of the motto to be hung in a conspicuous place in a collage that should aside from the motto also include the United States flag and the Texas flag but nothing more 119 120 Two years later another bill prohibited anyone from denying the possibility to hang such mottos 120 Virginia A regulation that obliges all Virginia schools to publicly display the motto was signed into law in May 2002 121 122 Utah Utah s law to oblige schools to publicly display In God We Trust was signed into law in March 2002 by Governor Mike Leavitt 123 The law also mandates school instruction about the motto 124 Allowing display edit Alabama A 2018 law allows display of the motto in schools libraries government buildings and on law enforcement vehicles 10 125 Arizona Arizona allows public display of the motto in public schools 10 Georgia Georgia allows for usage of the national motto in schools and government buildings provided they have funds for pay for its display 10 Indiana Indiana allows display of the national motto in public schools since 2005 10 Michigan Michigan allows and encourages the display of the motto in and on public schools as well as state and local government buildings 10 126 New Hampshire HB 69 introduced in April 2021 initially proposed to require schools to display the national and state motto s and passed the House 204 169 It was amended in the Senate to allow publication of the mottos and approved on May 13 2021 127 which was approved by the House the following month 128 The bill was signed into law by Governor Chris Sununu on July 30 2021 129 130 North Dakota North Dakota statute allows display of the national motto in public schools 10 Oklahoma A bill was passed in 2004 that allowed public schools to display In God We Trust and E pluribus unum in classrooms auditoriums and cafeterias 131 a 2018 Senate bill to mandate such display died in the House 132 South Carolina South Carolina allows political subdivisions and schools to post a display detailing the foundations of the American law and government of which the national motto is one of thirteen documents while providing context to these documents in terms detailed by the state statute 133 In addition to that several local governments have introduced the display of the motto in government buildings and municipal cars 134 135 136 137 School boards have also seen voluntary introduction of the motto particularly after the September 11 attacks when the American Family Association supplied several 11 by 14 inch posters to school systems and vowed to defend any legal challenges to their display 138 Society and culture edit nbsp Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Siloam Springs Arkansas engraved with the words IN GOD WE TRUST Multiple scholars have noted that In God We Trust motto is one of the main elements of civil religion in the United States 139 Religion edit In Judaism and Christianity the official motto In God We Trust is not found verbatim in any verses from the Bible but the phrase is translated in similar terms in Psalm 91 2 in the Old Testament I will say of the LORD He is my refuge and my fortress my God in him will I trust and in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 1 10 Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us The concept is paraphrased in Psalm 118 8 Psalm 40 3 Psalm 73 28 and Proverbs 29 25 140 According to Philip Jenkins a historian of religion some Bible translations rendered Psalm 56 11 as In God I trust I will not fear 141 which could lead to substitution of the first I for we 20 In Islam the word for the concept of reliance on God is called Tawakkul the phrase In God We Trust is closely paraphrased in two places of the Quran in surah 10 Yunus as well as surah Al A raf 7 89 and several other verses reinforce this concept 142 Melkote Ramaswamy a Hindu American scholar writes that the presence of the phrase In God We Trust on American currency is a reminder that there is God everywhere whether we are conscious or not 143 License plates edit nbsp In God We Trust optional license plate of South Carolina designed in 2002 nbsp Mississippi current standard plate design approved in 2019 144 IN GOD WE TRUST can be seen at the bottom of the state seal As of May 25 2021 the following U S states currently offer an In God We Trust license plate vanity and standard issues Alaska Arizona Arkansas Florida Georgia Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana North Carolina Ohio 145 Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia and Wisconsin 146 147 Among the states that use the motto in standard issues the Mississippi s standard plate will feature the motto as displayed on its state seal until the end of 2023 when it will change to the design that does not contain the motto 148 Utah offers a standard option license plate with a seal 149 Florida which also offers a specialty plate has an option to place In God We Trust instead of the official state nickname or county name 150 Georgia also provides for such an option 151 while North Carolina offers an option with North Carolina s state motto and In God We Trust instead of First in Flight or First in Freedom 152 In Tennessee the 2022 issue license plates have two versions with and without the national motto 153 As of March 2023 about 60 of the state s license tags feature In God We Trust but this falls to 21 in Davidson County which includes the state capital Nashville 154 Opinion polls edit According to a 2003 joint poll by USA Today CNN and Gallup 90 of Americans support the inscription In God We Trust on U S coins 12 MSNBC launched a similar live survey online that ran for several years in the late 2000s and yielded overwhelming opposition to the removal of the motto 155 However a more recent student poll in 2019 by College Pulse made for The College Fix showed that just over a half of students supports inclusion of the national motto in currency with two thirds of those who recognised themselves as Democrats opposing and 94 of Republicans in favor of the measure 13 Controversy edit In God We Trust has long been controversial as an official motto due to what opponents perceive as being a religious statement and as such violating the separation of church and state Secular and atheist organizations such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State 156 157 Freedom From Religion Foundation 158 159 as well as The Satanic Temple 92 members have all opposed inclusion of such motto On the other hand Project Blitz as well as conservative organizations and lawmakers have lobbied for its further adoption 160 161 Proponents have extensively argued for inclusion of the national motto in more settings grounding it in the traditional invocations of God that they say have now become an element of a civil religion and should express the will of the founders who believed in God 7 82 162 163 Opponents on the other hand argue that not only does the motto violate the secular character of the United States but it also predefines the type and number of gods if any to be trusted 164 157 165 Litigation edit The constitutionality of the phrase In God We Trust has been repeatedly upheld according to the judicial interpretation of accommodationism whose adherents state that this entrenched practice has not historically presented any constitutional difficulty is not coercive and does not prefer one religious denomination over another 166 In Zorach v Clauson 1952 the Supreme Court also wrote that the nation s institutions presuppose a Supreme Being and that government recognition of God does not constitute the establishment of a state church as the U S constitution s authors intended to prohibit 167 The courts also rely on the notion of ceremonial deism as defined in Brennan s dissent in Lynch v Donnelly 1984 168 i e that there exist religious references that through their repetitious and customary usage have become secular and are thus constitutional 169 While opponents of such rulings argue that Jefferson s notion of wall of separation between church and state prohibits any aid direct or indirect to any religious institution and therefore any ruling to the contrary goes counter to Founders intent this separationist view has not gained significant ground in judicial settings 166 170 Even though not directly related to the motto Engel v Vitale 1962 elicited much speculation on the future of In God We Trust in public settings In the ruling the U S Supreme Court struck down a New York law that encouraged public schools to recite a prayer as written in state law on First Amendment grounds The ruling sparked widespread outrage and was extremely unpopular at the time even as the judges decision was near unanimous 171 Almost 4 5 of Americans disapproved of the ruling according to a Gallup poll 172 Congressmen were afraid that In God We Trust would have to disappear from coins and banknotes 173 the feeling shared by the then president of the American Bar Association John C Salterfield 7 Senator Sam Ervin a Democrat from North Carolina went so far as to wonder if God was declared unconstitutional by that decision 174 Congressmen tried to direct federal funds to buy Bibles for the Supreme Court justices and to propose a constitutional amendment allowing school prayer both measures failed 171 A similar ruling the following year in Abington Township v Schempp prompted senators to attempt to force the Supreme Court to hang the national motto in the courtroom which also did not succeed 7 Even though the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the constitutionality of In God We Trust 16 several appellate federal courts and some state courts have and the Supreme Court itself did not seem to have any problem with the phrase being inscribed on coins and banknotes 45 Aronow v United States 1970 was the first case to challenge the inclusion of In God We Trust on U S currency 175 The passage of the statute that the lawsuit challenged the inscription In God we Trust shall appear on all United States currency and coins 31 U S C 324a 175 stood and the Ninth Circuit stated that its motto s use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise In O Hair v Blumenthal 1978 the U S District Court for the Western District of Texas also upheld the law A similar decision was reached on appeal to the Fifth Circuit in 1979 which affirmed that the primary purpose of the slogan was secular 42 The same decision was reached in Gaylor v United States 1996 when it was appealed to the Tenth Circuit 176 Michael Newdow then launched a series of lawsuits attempting to outlaw In God We Trust with support of the Freedom From Religion Foundation by Michael Newdow Newdow was known for his previous case Elk Grove Unified School District v Newdow 2004 in which the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling removing under God from the Pledge of Allegiance the ruling was overturned by the U S Supreme Court A federal judge in California rejected his reasoning in a June 2006 ruling as did the Ninth Circuit Because the Supreme Court denied certiorari the appellate court s decision which said that the national motto is of a patriotic or ceremonial character has no theological or ritualistic impact and does not constitute governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise remained unchanged and in force 177 A lawsuit filed by Newdow and Freedom from Religion Foundation in 2013 in New York also failed both on trial 178 and on appeal to the Second Circuit 179 yet another one filed in Ohio in 2016 was dismissed by the U S District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit 180 The same happened with the lawsuit in the Eighth Circuit which was unrelated to Newdow s efforts 181 182 In 2015 David F Bauman a New Jersey state judge dismissed a case against the Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District brought by a student of the district and the American Humanist Association that argued that the phrase under God in the Pledge of Allegiance created a climate of discrimination because it promoted religion making non believers second class citizens 183 184 Bauman noted that as a matter of historical tradition the words under God can no more be expunged from the national consciousness than the words In God We Trust from every coin in the land than the words so help me God from every presidential oath since 1789 or than the prayer that has opened every congressional session of legislative business since 1787 185 Additionally several courts have agreed that In God We Trust on public buildings did not violate the Establishment Clause the New Hampshire Supreme Court 1967 186 and the Fourth Circuit 2005 187 did so for public schools and the same appellate federal court argued the same for a county government office 2005 188 189 Even though efforts to remove In God We Trust in most settings were largely fruitless mandatory display of mottos in general on license plates drew some skepticism from the judiciary In Wooley v Maynard 1977 the Supreme Court struck down a New Hampshire law mandating that every person carry the state motto on their license plates The Supreme Court noted in the case that the state can t force its citizens to use their private property as a mobile billboard for the State s ideological message Applying Wooley in Griggs v Graham 2023 a federal judge in Mississippi ruled that under the Free Speech Clause the state may not force individuals to display In God We Trust as it appears on the state seal on their license plates see above The judge suggested that objectors to the statement may deface the part of the license tag containing it even though a Mississippi statute may arguably punish this behavior but declined to order the state to issue religiously neutral license plates free of charge 190 In an unrelated development while the ruling was on appeal Mississippi announced the winner of a design contest for the new standard plate which did not include the motto 191 Atheist plaintiffs were satisfied and dropped the lawsuit in May 192 The Supreme Court never decided on the constitutionality of In God we Trust as a national state motto But in obiter dicta the majority of the Supreme Court in Wooley indicated they would reject the line of argument that the plaintiffs used in that case to declare the presence of the national motto on currency unconstitutional They argued that unlike license plates currency was not something that was either associated directly with the owner or made to display 45 193 Usage in other countries editThe Spanish equivalent of In God We Trust En Dios Confiamos is an unofficial motto of the Republic of Nicaragua The phrase can be seen on most of Nicaragua s coins 11 Additionally the phrase has been used in heraldic settings In 1860 the phrase was included in the coat of arms of New Westminster British Columbia and it stayed there ever since 194 195 Until 1997 though still traditionally remembered the official heraldic motto of Brighton England was the Latin equivalent of the phrase In Deo Fidemus 196 197 In 2023 Shas a Haredi religious political party in Israel proposed a bill that would order inclusion of In God we trust motto on banknotes but it was not likely to pass 198 See also editIn other countries Deus seja louvado Brazil Dieu et mon droit UK God Honour Fatherland Poland God Save the King UK God zij met ons Netherlands Gott mit uns Prussia previously in Germany In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash List of Florida state symbols May God have mercy upon your soul National symbols of the United States Pledge of Allegiance of the United States under God added in 1954 Religion in the United States So help me God Trust in God and keep your powder dryNotes edit For the relevant statutes see 36 U S C 302 and United States Public Law 84 851 See preamble of CSA Constitution invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God According to the Congressional Record 1908 U S House of Representatives p 3387 the motto was adopted doubtless with his Lincoln s knowledge and approval Quoting the peroration abridged here of the speech by Charles Edward Bennett sponsor in the House the only speech in either House of Congress on the subject President Eisenhower and W Randolph Burgess Deputy to the Treasury for Monetary Affairs had approved of the legislation 101 Congressional Record pp 4384 quoted 7796 1955 For the relevant statutes see 36 U S C 302 and United States Public Law 84 851References edit H CON RES 13 PDF United States Government Publishing Office Archived PDF from the original on 2019 05 12 Retrieved 2019 05 13 Reaffirming In God We Trust as the official motto of the United States Title 36 Patriotic and National Observances Ceremonies and Organizations United States Government Publishing Office Archived from the original on 2019 05 12 Retrieved 2019 05 12 302 National motto In God we trust is the national motto 36 U S Code 302 National motto Legal Information Institute Archived from the original on 2019 02 07 Retrieved 2019 05 12 In God we trust is the national motto a b Florida State Motto In God We Trust www netstate com Archived from the original on 2017 06 14 Retrieved 2018 02 24 a b State Motto Florida Department of State Archived from the original on 2018 02 16 Retrieved 2018 02 24 a b Bittker Boris Idleman Scott Ravitch Frank 2015 Religion and the State in American Law Cambridge University Press p 136 ISBN 9781107071827 Archived from the original on 2021 04 22 Retrieved 2020 11 12 via Google Books a b c d e f g h i j k Lienesch Michael May 2019 In God We Trust The U S National Motto and the Contested Concept of Civil Religion Religions 10 5 340 doi 10 3390 rel10050340 a b c d e f g h i j k History of In God We Trust U S Department of the Treasury 2011 Archived from the original on 2016 04 17 Retrieved 2017 03 14 a b Kelley Bryan 25 September 2019 In God We Trust Public School Displays of the National Motto Education Commission of the States Archived from the original on 2021 05 25 Retrieved 2021 05 25 a b c d e f g h i Display of National Motto in Public Schools PDF National Conference of State Legislatures September 2019 Archived PDF from the original on 2021 06 20 Retrieved 2021 05 25 a b Billetes y Monedas en Circulacion Central Bank of Nicaragua in Spanish Archived from the original on 2019 07 04 Retrieved 2021 05 29 a b USA Today CNN Gallup Poll results USA Today 2011 Archived from the original on 2022 01 08 Retrieved 2011 11 15 C The inscription In God We Trust on U S coins 2003 Sep 19 21 Approve 90 Disapprove 8 No opinion 2 a b Kabbany Fix Jennifer 2019 08 28 Nearly half of college students believe In God We Trust should be removed from U S currency poll The College Fix Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 24 Atheist in battle to remove In God We Trust from US currency The Daily Telegraph London 2010 03 12 Archived from the original on 2013 10 31 Retrieved 2014 02 04 Drakeman Donald L 1991 01 01 Church state Constitutional Issues Making Sense of the Establishment Clause Greenwood Press ISBN 9780313276637 a b Dunn Christopher 2015 10 02 Column The Pope Invoking God and New York Courtrooms New York Law Journal New York Civil Liberties Union Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 The Supreme Court has never ruled on any aspect of government use of In God We Trust and the phrase appears only as an aside in a few of the Court s opinions Founders Online Colors of the Associator Companies 12 January 1748 and 16 April 1748 National Archives and Records Administration Archived from the original on 28 July 2021 Retrieved 2021 05 29 a b Popik Barry 2009 07 02 In God we trust all others pay cash The Big Apple Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 29 Shapiro Fred Q 2006 The Yale Book of Quotations New Haven Ct Yale University Press p 145 ISBN 9780300107982 a b Kidd Thomas S 2015 11 10 The Origin of In God We Trust Anxious Bench Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 29 Watt s Psalter 1785 June 2006 Archived from the original on 2021 10 31 Retrieved 2021 10 31 Chase Salmon P 1863 12 09 Letter to James Pollock National Archives and Records Administration p 11 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Dominguez Andre In God We Trust originated from a Columbia County President Judge PDF Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society Archived PDF from the original on 2021 08 09 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Popik Barry 2009 07 02 In God we trust all others pay cash The Big Apple Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 29 The Liberator v 15 no 17 1845 Apr 25 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 28 via Digital Commonwealth a b c d e f Latterell Justin 2015 04 21 In God We Trust Abraham Lincoln and America s Deathbed Repentance Political Theology 12 4 594 607 doi 10 1558 poth v12i4 594 Disney David T February 1845 Bro Disney s Address The Ark and Odd Fellows Magazine 2 2 20 184 Archived from the original on 2021 10 15 Retrieved 2021 06 19 via Google Books a b Myers R Andrew 2020 07 25 How did In God We Trust come to be on American currency A 19th century Presbyterian played a major role Log College Press Archived from the original on 2020 11 03 Retrieved 2020 08 06 Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the Finances for the Year 1896 Washington United States Government Printing Office 1897 p 260 Archived from the original on 2016 11 18 Retrieved 2021 08 07 Begley Sarah 2016 01 13 How In God We Trust Got on the Currency in the First Place Time Archived from the original on 2021 05 06 Retrieved 2021 05 24 For sources discussing it see Alexander Ted 2011 The Battle of Antietam The Bloodiest Day Charleston S C The History Press p 76 ISBN 978 1 60949 179 6 125th PA Vol Infantry IN GOD WE TRUST WTAJ Television production 2012 06 28 Archived from the original on 2016 08 10 Retrieved 2016 11 29 via YouTube Antietam 125th Pennsylvania Infantry Antietam on the Web Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 29 Pennsylvania Infantry 125th Regiment 1862 1863 2009 History Of The One Hundred And Twenty fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers 1862 1863 Ithaca N Y Cornell University Library pp 150 152 ISBN 978 1 112 13570 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link A descriptive list of the Confederate flags in the possession of the State Historical Society of Iowa 1918 p 4 Retrieved 2021 10 31 Bunting 4x7 feet modified form of Stars and Bars Union blue with twelve 8 point stars in circle In God We Trust printed on white silk and stitched on white bar of Field No record of when or where captured Dedmondt Glenn 2009 The Flags of Civil War Arkansas Pelican Publishing pp 108 109 ISBN 978 1 4556 0432 6 Taylor William D 2008 A Fit Representation of Pandemonium East Tennessee Confederate Soldiers in the Campaign for Vicksburg Mercer University Press p 302 ISBN 978 0 88146 034 6 Sketches of the Metropolitan Fair Harper s Weekly 8 261 1864 04 23 Retrieved 2021 05 29 via Internet Archive Cunningham Sumner Archibald January 1896 Flag History Confederate Veteran Nashville 117 Pitney John J Jr 2001 09 01 The Art of Political Warfare University of Oklahoma Press p 91 ISBN 978 0 8061 3382 9 Harp Gillis J 2019 08 02 Protestants and American Conservatism A Short History New York Oxford University Press pp 95 96 ISBN 978 0 19 997741 3 Archived from the original on 2021 08 17 Retrieved 2021 06 19 a b c Fisher Louis Mourtada Sabbah Nada 2002 Adopting In God We Trust as the U S National Motto Journal of Church and State 44 4 682 83 doi 10 1093 jcs 44 4 671 via HeinOnline Referencing H Rept No 1959 84th Cong 2d Sess 1956 and S Rept No 2703 84th Cong 2d Sess 1956 2 a b c Breen Walter 1988 Walter Breen s Complete Encyclopedia of U S and Colonial Coins New York Doubleday pp 238 353 572 573 ISBN 978 0 385 14207 6 102 Congressional Record Senate PDF Washington D C 1956 p 13917 Archived from the original PDF on 2009 01 06 Retrieved 2021 08 09 via NonBeliever org a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link a b Duncan Ann W 2007 12 30 Church state Issues in America Today Vol 1 Westport Ct Praeger Publishers p 88 ISBN 978 0 275 99367 2 Archived from the original on 2021 08 17 Retrieved 2021 06 19 Giedroyc Richard Two Cent Professional Coin Grading Service Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 24 Lange David W 2005 History of the United States Mint and its Coinage Whitman Publisher LLC pp 98 99 ISBN 978 0794819729 a b c d Ackerman David M 1996 07 10 In God We Trust on the Nation s Coins and Currency and as the National Motto History and Constitutionality PDF Congressional Research Service Archived PDF from the original on 2021 07 25 Retrieved 2021 06 04 Mislin David 2 February 2018 The complex history of In God We Trust The Conversation Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 24 a b Type 2 No Motto Professional Coin Grading Service Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 20 Dollars Compound Interest Treasury Note United States 1864 National Museum of American History Archived from the original on 2021 08 09 Retrieved 2021 08 09 20 Dollars Interest Bearing Note United States 1864 National Museum of American History Archived from the original on 2022 01 08 Retrieved 2021 08 09 THE NEW LEGEND ON OUR COINS The New York Times 1865 12 18 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 2021 06 03 Retrieved 2021 05 29 The New Five Cent Piece Communicated American Journal of Numismatics and Bulletin of the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society 1 4 27 1866 ISSN 2381 4586 JSTOR 43585592 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 In God We Trust All Others Cash Quote Investigator 2017 12 10 Retrieved 2021 05 30 a b c Garret Jeff Guth Ron 2008 Encyclopedia of U S Gold Coins 1795 1933 2nd ed Atlanta Whitman Publishing p 476 ISBN 978 0 7948 2254 5 100 Greatest U S Coins www collectors com Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 30 a b c Gatewood Willard B 1966 Theodore Roosevelt and the Coinage Controversy American Quarterly 18 1 35 51 doi 10 2307 2711109 ISSN 0003 0678 JSTOR 2711109 Burdette Roger W 2006 Renaissance of American Coinage 1905 1908 Great Falls Va Seneca Mill Press pp 193 195 ISBN 978 0 9768986 1 0 10 Interesting Facts About Theodore Roosevelt Republicanpresidents net 2009 03 04 Archived from the original on 2014 02 17 Retrieved 2014 02 04 Roosevelt Dropped IN GOD WE TRUST President Says Such a Motto on Coin Is Irreverence Close to Sacrilege NO LAW COMMANDS ITS USE He Trusts Congress Will Not Direct Him to Replace the Exalted Phrase That Invited Constant Levity The New York Times 1907 11 14 Archived from the original on 2018 02 26 Retrieved 2010 08 26 via Newspapers com Merriman Scott A 2007 Religion and the Law in America An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy Santa Barbara Calif ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1851098637 Archived from the original on 2019 05 29 Retrieved 2021 08 09 In 1956 the United States changed its motto to In God We Trust in large part to differentiate itself from the Soviet Union its Cold War enemy that was widely seen as promoting atheism Kruse Kevin M 2015 One Nation Under God How Corporate America Invented Christian America New York Basic Books pp xiv xv ISBN 978 0 465 04949 3 a b Herzog Jonathan P 2011 08 05 The Spiritual Industrial Complex America s Religious Battle Against Communism in the Early Cold War New York Oxford University Press USA pp 97 101 ISBN 978 0 19 539346 0 Archived from the original on 2021 08 14 Retrieved 2021 06 19 Jain Kalpana 2021 06 11 Why the legacy of Billy Graham continues to endure 3 essential reads The Conversation Archived from the original on 2021 06 13 Retrieved 2021 06 28 NEW STAMP GETS MOTTO In God We Trust 8 Center to Go on Sale Early in April The New York Times 1954 02 26 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 2021 06 03 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Christopher West 2014 A History of America in Thirty Six Postage Stamps London Picador p 232 ISBN 978 1250043689 Cep Casey N 2014 02 20 When Did Americans Start Trusting in God Pacific Standard Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 The legislation placing In God We Trust on national currency US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov 1955 07 11 Archived from the original on 2017 05 19 Retrieved 2017 05 13 United States Currency Inscription Miscellaneous Hearings Hearings Before 84 1 on H J Res 202 H R 3327 H R 619 1956 Washington D C United States Congress House Banking and Currency Committee 1956 pp 47 57 Archived from the original on 2021 08 17 Retrieved 2021 08 11 Fitschen Steve 2018 02 11 Defending In God We Trust National Legal Foundation Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Congressional Record Volume 148 Issue 105 Monday July 29 2002 United States Government Publishing Office Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 The following year 1955 largely at the instigation of Matt Rothert later president of the American Numismatic Association Congress amended the U S Code to require the national motto to be placed on all coins and currency An Act to provide that all United States currency shall bear the inscription In God We Trust PDF United States Government Publishing Office 1955 07 11 Archived PDF from the original on 2021 08 14 Retrieved 2021 08 07 The Legislation Placing In God We Trust on National Currency United States House of Representatives Archived from the original on 2018 09 23 Retrieved 2019 09 16 Not produced since 1971 Merriman Scott A 2007 Religion and the Law in America An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy Vol 1 Santa Barbara Calif ABC CLIO p 281 ISBN 978 1 85109 863 7 Archived from the original on 2019 05 29 Retrieved 2016 12 16 Epstein Steven B 1996 Rethinking the Constitutionality of Ceremonial Deism Columbia Law Review 96 8 2083 2174 doi 10 2307 1123418 ISSN 0010 1958 JSTOR 1123418 Archived from the original on 2017 03 17 Margaret Wood 2013 04 22 In God We Trust Library of Congress Archived from the original on 2021 03 18 Retrieved 2021 04 02 New National Motto Of U S Recalls Key s Words Of 1814 Palladium Item Richmond Indiana 1956 08 13 p 8 Archived from the original on 2018 02 26 Retrieved 2018 02 15 via Newspapers com Miller Douglas Marion Nowak 1977 The Fifties The Way We Really Were Doubleday p 89 In God We Trust was adopted as the national motto in 1956 with neither debate nor a single dissenting vote in the House or Senate Felicia Sonmez 2011 11 01 Social issues return to fore with In God We Trust resolution The Washington Post Archived from the original on 2011 11 04 Retrieved 2021 08 09 In 2006 on the 50th anniversary of its adoption the Senate reaffirmed In God We Trust as the official national motto of the United States Forbes said in a statement announcing the vote Tomorrow the House of Representatives will have the same opportunity to reaffirm our national motto and directly confront a disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions misunderstandings of church and state rogue court challenges and efforts to remove God from the public domain by unelected bureaucrats Jennifer Steinhauer 2011 11 03 In God We Trust With the House s Help The New York Times Archived from the original on 2011 11 07 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Citing a crisis of national identity and mass confusion among Americans about their nation s motto the House on Tuesday voted on a resolution reaffirming In God We Trust as the official motto of the United States Todd Starnes 2011 11 03 See Which Congressmen Voted Against In God We Trust Fox News Archived from the original on 2011 11 04 Retrieved 2011 11 07 The House of Representatives passed a bi partisan resolution Tuesday night reaffirming In God We Trust as the official motto of the United States The 396 9 vote came at the request of Rep Randy Forbes R VA House Votes For Display Of in God We Trust Motto In Public Buildings Americans United for Separation of Church and State 2000 07 23 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 a b H Res 548 Engrossed in House United States Government Publishing Office Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Furniture US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Kruse Kevin Michael 2015 One nation under God how corporate America invented Christian America New York Basic Books p 185 ISBN 9780465040643 Kruse Kevin M 1 November 2023 Of Little Faith Campaign Trails Retrieved 2 November 2023 The 2020 Florida Statutes 15 0301 Florida Legislature Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 State motto In God We Trust is hereby designated and declared the official motto of the State of Florida State Seal Florida Department of State Archived from the original on 2021 04 23 Retrieved 2021 05 25 State Flag Florida Department of State Archived from the original on 2021 05 31 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Smith Whitney 2004 03 25 Flag of Georgia United States state flag Encyclopedia Britannica Archived from the original on 2021 08 14 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act enact and modify the great seal PDF Senate Bill No 2681 Jackson Miss Mississippi Legislature January 2014 Archived from the original PDF on 2014 04 02 Retrieved 2014 04 02 Wagster Pettus Emily 2014 01 31 Miss Senate OKs adding In God We Trust to seal Jackson Free Press Archived from the original on 2021 08 07 Retrieved 2021 08 07 a b Knowles Lindsay 2020 07 08 Satanic Temple threatens lawsuit if In God We Trust appears on new Mississippi flag WLBT 3 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Mississippi governor signing law for flag without rebel sign The Independent 2021 01 11 Archived from the original on 2021 02 02 Retrieved 2021 04 04 Tennessee SB0420 2023 2024 113th General Assembly LegiScan Retrieved 2023 09 02 In God We Trust Posters to Be Displayed in Arkansas Public Schools Fox News Insider 2018 03 12 Archived from the original on 2019 06 03 Retrieved 2019 06 03 Perozek Dave 2018 03 11 Some Arkansas schools will display In God we trust after posters donated Arkansas Democrat Gazette Archived from the original on 2019 06 03 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Sterling Joe 23 February 2018 Florida lawmakers advance a bill that requires In God We Trust displayed on school grounds CNN Archived from the original on 2018 02 24 Retrieved 2018 02 24 Florida lawmakers advance bill that would require In God We Trust to be visible on all school buildings Newsweek 2018 02 23 Archived from the original on 2018 02 24 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Atheist group offers to provide In God We Trust signs to Florida public schools Tampa Bay Times 2018 03 26 Archived from the original on 2019 06 03 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Balingit Moriah 2018 12 01 Does In God We Trust belong in schools More and more states say yes The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on 2020 11 08 Retrieved 2021 05 25 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 32 Idaho State Legislature Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 7 090 Legislative Research Commission Kentucky Kentucky General Assembly Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Display of national motto in public elementary and secondary schools Reading and posting in public schools of texts and documents on American history and heritage Kentucky General Assembly 2019 06 27 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 a b c Wood Josh 2019 09 13 In God We Trust display in Kentucky schools marks effort to mix church and state The Guardian Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 In God We Trust found in form of dollar bill at Fayette County schools WKYT 2019 08 14 Archived from the original on 2019 09 01 Retrieved 2019 09 01 a b Rand Brendan 2019 08 13 Louisiana public schools will display In God We Trust beginning this school year ABC News Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Kelly McCleary 2019 08 11 In God We Trust signs to greet Louisiana students in new school year CNN Archived from the original on 2020 09 13 Retrieved 2020 05 19 Torres Ella 2019 07 26 South Dakota public schools now required to display In God We Trust on walls ABC News Archived from the original on 2021 08 18 Retrieved 2021 05 25 SENATE BILL NO 224 Louisiana State Legislature Archived from the original on 2021 02 25 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Ogunbayo Morayo 2023 08 02 Louisiana public schools now required to display In God We Trust in all classrooms CNN Retrieved 2023 09 02 National News Briefs In God We Trust Motto For Mississippi Schools The New York Times Associated Press 2001 03 25 Archived from the original on 2017 12 22 Retrieved 2017 12 20 New Ohio Law Requires Schools to Display In God We Trust Liberty Counsel 2006 07 17 Retrieved 2021 05 25 dead link Matias Dani 2019 07 25 South Dakota Public Schools Add In God We Trust Signs To Walls National Public Radio Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 In God We Trust going up at South Dakota public schools Associated Press 2019 07 24 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Bill Title Require the national motto of the United States to be displayed in public schools Legiscan Archived from the original on 2019 07 26 Retrieved 2020 05 16 Meyer Holly Tennessee lawmakers pass bill requiring public schools to post In God We Trust motto The Tennessean Retrieved 2021 05 25 Constantine Mary In God We Trust motto now required to be displayed in all Tennessee public schools Knoxville News Sentinel Archived from the original on 2021 05 16 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Government Legislature In God We Trust Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Bohra Neelam 2021 05 24 Some Texas schools would be required to hang In God We Trust signs under measure nearing passage by lawmakers The Texas Tribune Archived from the original on 2021 05 24 Retrieved 2021 05 25 a b Dearman Eleanor 2023 06 09 Texas just modified the rules for In God We Trust signs hung in schools What changed Fort Worth Star Telegram Retrieved 2023 09 02 Helderman Rosalind S Samuels Christina A 2002 06 28 Va Schools Forge Ahead With National Motto The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on 2018 07 24 Retrieved 2021 05 25 2002 Uncodified Acts Chapter 895 Virginia General Assembly 2002 05 17 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Tanner Courtney 2019 07 27 Utah has required schools to have In God We Trust posted publicly for 17 years The Salt Lake Tribune Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 53G 10 302 Instruction in American history and government Study and posting of American heritage documents Utah Legislature Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Schleisman Nicolette 2018 08 21 New Alabama law allows In God We Trust in public schools WKRG News 5 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Pyeatt Matt 2002 01 03 Michigan government offices now urged to display In God We Trust Baptist Press Baptist Press Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Rayno Garry 2021 05 13 Senate Sends Bills Changing Public Education To Governor InDepthNH org Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 New Hampshire Legislature protects display of mottos Associated Press 2021 06 10 Archived from the original on 2021 06 28 Retrieved 2021 06 28 Governor Chris Sununu Signs 23 Bills Into Law Vetoes 2 Governor of New Hampshire 2021 07 30 Archived from the original on 2021 08 07 Retrieved 2021 08 07 DiStaso John 2021 08 07 NH Primary Source Democrats Republicans spar over bill prohibiting restrictions on display of state national mottos WMUR 9 Archived from the original on 2021 08 07 Retrieved 2021 08 07 Bill No 2477 An Act relating to schools PDF Oklahoma Legislature Archived PDF from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Oklahoma SB1016 2018 Regular Session LegiScan Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 South Carolina Code of Laws Title 10 Public Buildings and Property South Carolina General Assembly Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Daniel Rae 2015 08 01 In God We Trust stickers placed on Jefferson Co IL squad cars KFVS TV Archived from the original on 2015 08 01 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Atheist Group Asks Police Remove In God We Trust Car Decal Daily Signal 2015 10 01 Archived from the original on 2018 02 25 Retrieved 2018 02 25 Sam Morgan 2019 06 06 In God We Trust decals to be placed on local police fire vehicles The Bakersfield Californian Archived from the original on 2019 06 07 Retrieved 2019 06 06 Home In God We Trust America Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Howlett Debbie 2002 02 19 In God We Trust pressed for schools USAToday Archived from the original on 2013 11 11 Retrieved 2013 01 23 For various perspectives on the matter see Latterell Justin 2015 04 21 In God We Trust Abraham Lincoln and America s Deathbed Repentance Political Theology 12 4 594 607 doi 10 1558 poth v12i4 594 Bellah Robert N 1967 Civil Religion in America Daedalus 96 1 1 21 ISSN 0011 5266 JSTOR 20027022 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 26 In God We Trust Civil and Uncivil Religion in America Australian Broadcasting Corporation 1999 10 26 Archived from the original on 2021 08 14 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Fait Stefano Civil Religion Middle Tennessee State University Archived from the original on 2019 12 21 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Knicely James J Whitehead John W 2010 In God We Trust The Judicial Establishment of American Civil Religion John Marshall Law Review 43 Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 26 Coleman John A 1970 07 01 Civil Religion Sociology of Religion 31 2 75 doi 10 2307 3710057 JSTOR 3710057 In God We Trust The Motto All About History Archived from the original on 2013 02 16 Retrieved 2013 02 26 The Scottish Metrical Psalter www cgmusic org Archived from the original on 2021 04 23 Retrieved 2021 05 29 Verses including the word Putting One s Trust in Allah Tawakkul Quran Index Archived from the original on 2016 10 07 Retrieved 2016 06 16 Ramaswamy Melkote 2012 08 11 Faith Values Indianapolis Star indystar com Archived from the original on 2014 10 19 Retrieved 2014 02 04 Mississippi adding In God We Trust on new license plate Associated Press 2019 01 01 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 4503 763 Ohio Battleflag license plates Ohio Administrative Code Lawriter LLC Archived from the original on 2018 05 30 Retrieved 2018 05 29 Ohio Battleflag license plates shall be inscribed with the words In God We Trust Project Blitz In God We Trust License Plates BlitzWatch Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Parke Caleb 2019 01 03 Mississippi unveils new state license plates with In God We Trust Fox News Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Pittman Ashton 2023 05 03 In God We Trust Absent On New Mississippi License Plates After Atheists Lawsuit Mississippi Free Press Retrieved 2023 09 02 In God We Trust Utah Utah Department of Motor Vehicles Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 License Plates amp Registration Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Archived from the original on 2021 05 12 Retrieved 2021 05 25 2019 Georgia Code Title 40 Motor Vehicles and Traffic Chapter 2 Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicles Article 1 General Provisions 40 2 9 Space for county name decal display of In God We Trust decal in lieu of county name decal Justia Law Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Stradling Richard 2019 07 01 In God We Trust now an option on your next North Carolina license plate The News amp Observer Archived from the original on 2021 05 26 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Medina Daniella Exclusive Designer explains how we ended up with those 4 options for Tennessee s new license plate The Tennessean Retrieved 2022 01 07 Shoup Craig 2023 03 20 Just Askin How many Tennesseans have In God We Trust license plates The Tennessean Retrieved 2023 04 08 Mikkelson David 2009 10 28 NBC Belief in God Poll Snopes Retrieved 2022 06 11 Sokol Samantha 2020 07 02 Mississippi Trades Confederate Emblem For In God We Trust On State Flag Americans United for Separation of Church and State Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 a b Boston Rob 2019 01 25 If In God We Trust Isn t Really A Religious Statement Then What Exactly Is It Americans United for Separation of Church and State Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Nachreiner Mackesey Bailey TAKE ACTION In God We Trust bill has passed the Ill House Freedom From Religion Foundation ffrf org Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Nachreiner Mackesey Bailey Take Action N H lawmakers advance In God We Trust in schools Freedom From Religion Foundation ffrf org Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Project Blitz In God We Trust Displays in Schools BlitzWatch Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Taylor David 2019 01 14 In God We Trust the bills Christian nationalists hope will protect religious freedom The Guardian Archived from the original on 2021 06 03 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Foster Thomas A 2011 11 09 In God We Trust or E Pluribus Unum The American Founders Preferred the Latter Motto Origins Current Events in Historical Perspective Oregon State University Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Why Is This Significant In God We Trust Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Forman Carmen Oklahoma House speaker wants In God We Trust displayed in state buildings The Oklahoman Archived from the original on 2021 04 07 Retrieved 2021 05 25 Avery Daniel 2019 08 06 Where does In God We Trust come from National motto appearing in public schools across America Newsweek Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 a b Richard H Fallon 2004 The Dynamic Constitution an Introduction to Americans Constitutional Law Cambridge University Press p 60 ISBN 978 0 521 60078 1 Archived from the original on 2016 11 18 Retrieved 2016 09 24 Strict separationists believe that the government has no business supporting religious beliefs or institutions in any way for example by providing tax breaks to churches assisting parochial schools including prayers or benedictions in public ceremonies or inscribing In God We Trust on the currency Religious accommodationists can well explain why certain entrenched social practices such as the inscription of In God We Trust on the currency were not historically perceived as presenting constitutional difficulties The relevant practices are not coercive and do not prefer one narrow sect over another ABA Journal Sep 1962 September 1962 Archived from the original on November 19 2016 Retrieved 2016 09 24 Much more recently in 1952 speaking through Mr Justice Douglas in Zorach v Clauson 343 U S 306 313 the Supreme Court repeated the same sentiments saying We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being Mr Justice Brewer in the Holy Trinity case supra mentioned many of these evidences of religion and Mr Justice Douglas in the Zorach case referred to P rayers in our legislative halls the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive the proclamation making Thanksgiving Day a holiday So help me God in our courtroom oaths these and other references to the Almighty run through our laws our public rituals our ceremonies the supplication with which the Court opens each session God save the United States and this Honorable Court 312 313 To this list may be added tax exemption of churches chaplaincies in the armed forces the Pray for Peace postmark the widespread observance of Christmas holidays and in classrooms singing the fourth stanza of America which is prayer invoking the protection of God and the words in God is our trust as found in the National Anthem and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag modified by an Act of Congress of June 14 1954 to include the words under God Merriam Jesse Lupu Ira Elwood F Davis Eleanor Tuttle Robert R David Kirschner Sherry 2008 08 28 On Ceremonial Occasions May the Government Invoke a Deity Pew Research Center s Religion amp Public Life Project Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Thorne M Sep 2003 The Tangled Web of Ceremonial Deism Liberty Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 Jones Richard H 1989 In God We Trust and the Establishment Clause Journal of Church and State 31 3 381 417 doi 10 1093 jcs 31 3 381 ISSN 0021 969X JSTOR 23916922 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 via JSTOR a b Lain Corinna Barrett 2015 God Civic Virtue and the American Way Reconstructing Engel Stanford Law Review 67 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Lyons Linda 2002 12 10 The Gallup Brain Prayer in Public Schools Gallup Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 05 31 THE SUPREME COURT DECISION ON PRAYER IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NEW YORK PDF Congressional Record Senate 12226 1962 06 28 Archived PDF from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 The Supreme Court decision on prayer in public schools of New York PDF Congressional Record Senate 11709 1962 06 26 Archived PDF from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 a b Aronow v United States 432 F 2d 242 243 9th Cir 1970 10 06 GAYLOR v UNITED STATES Findlaw 1996 01 23 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Egelko Bob 2011 03 08 In God We Trust suit rejected by Supreme Court San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on 2018 02 13 Retrieved 2021 08 09 Lawsuit to remove In God We Trust from money gets dismissed KSL com ksl com Archived from the original on 2018 02 24 Retrieved 2018 02 24 Volokh Eugene 2014 05 28 In God We Trust on currency doesn t violate the First Amendment or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Washington Post Archived from the original on 2021 06 16 Retrieved 2021 06 01 New Doe Child 1 v Congress of the United States No 16 4345 6th Cir 2018 Justia Law Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Hudson Jr David L 4 September 2018 8th Circuit In God We Trust on money is constitutional Middle Tennessee State University Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Stempel Jonathan 2018 08 28 U S court rejects atheists appeal over In God We Trust on money Reuters Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Salvador Rizzo Hearing Under God in Pledge of Allegiance does not violate rights of atheist students NJ judge rules NorthJersey com Archived from the original on 2016 03 10 Retrieved 2016 02 29 Judge Refuses To Kick God Out Of Public Schools Forbes 2015 02 07 Archived from the original on 2016 02 29 Retrieved 2016 02 29 AMERICAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION v 176 Findlaw 2015 02 04 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Opinion of the Justices 108 N H 97 casetext com 1967 04 06 Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Lambeth v Board of Commr s of Davidson County Leagle Archived from the original on 2022 01 08 Retrieved 2021 06 01 LAMBETH v BOARD OF COMMR S OF DAVIDSON COUNTY 407 F 3d 266 4th Cir Judgment Law www casemine com Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Douglas Davison M 2012 07 08 National Motto In God We Trust Civil Liberties in the United States Archived from the original on 2021 08 15 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Judge declines to order Mississippi to issue nonreligious license plates Courthouse News Service 2023 03 03 Retrieved 2022 02 03 New state license plate Magnolia in In God We Trust out AP News 2023 05 02 Retrieved 2023 09 02 American Atheists Claims Victory for Removal of In God We Trust from Mississippi s Standard License Plate American Atheists 2023 05 24 Retrieved 2023 09 02 WOOLEY v MAYNARD 1977 No 75 1453 Findlaw Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Coat of Arms City of New Westminster 2006 10 07 Archived from the original on 2006 10 07 Retrieved 2021 05 29 City Symbols City of New Westminster Archived from the original on 2021 06 02 Retrieved 2021 06 01 Stock Photo The coat of arms of Brighton with Motto IN DEO FIDEMUS We trust in God on wall Brighton East Sussex England UK in April Alamy Archived from the original on 2019 06 03 Retrieved 2019 06 03 Carder Tim 1990 Arms and motto Encyclopedia of Brighton Archived from the original on 2021 03 28 Retrieved 2021 05 29 via My Brighton and Hove Shas bill Add In God we trust to banknotes as talisman for economic success The Times of Israel 2023 01 25 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to In God We Trust Final answer Not quite as star gets second chance to play for a million article in The Guardian about a disputed quiz question about the motto of the United States Local documentary on origin of phrasePortals nbsp Numismatics nbsp Politics nbsp Religion nbsp United States Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title In God We Trust amp oldid 1206942057, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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