Over the years, American traditions have been questioned. One of these traditions is the United States national motto “In God We Trust.” The biggest objectors to the United States national motto “In God We Trust” are the secularist and separatist. Secularist are those who are non-religious and believe theistic views should not be included in government affairs. Separatists are those who are religious and believe there should be a full separation between church and state. Using the First Amendment as justification for opposing the national motto, secularist, and separatist have been trying to challenge it in courts. Not only has the courts ruled that the motto does not violate the First Amendment, but there is a historical precedent for the inscription. The United States national motto “In God We Trust” should remain a motto and remain on currency because of the historical precedent.
The words “In God We Trust” was only adopted as the national motto by Congress in 1956 (Public Law 84-851) as an alternative for the United States unofficial motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” which means “out of many, one,” however the inscription goes farther back in history. According to an article titled “Coining Controversy,” Brown states, “The phrase first appeared on an American two-cent coin in 1864 thanks to the joint efforts of a Pennsylvania minister, a ‘Christian nation’ advocate and a compliant U.S. treasury secretary” (12). The phrase was legislated to appear on all silver and gold coins in 1908 (Brown 14). In 1955, the phrase was legislated to appear on all paper money (Fisher 683-684).
“In God We Trust” may have started as an inscription on coins during the civil war but theistic notions go back to the founding fathers. In the Declaration of Independence, it states “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” (32). “Divine Providence” in this statement means being under God’s control. It is important to note that the Declaration of Independence has no legal authority (Brown 12). The Declaration of Independence may not have legal authority, but it still shows that the United States’ founding fathers felt significant enough to mention God. This also shows neutrality between religions because it is not a specific God.
Some people believe this motto is oppressive to atheists and citizens of different faiths and violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (First Amendment). The motto has been challenged several times since its adoption and each time the courts have ruled the motto to be constitutional. In an essay titled “Adopting ‘In God We Trust’ As the U.S. National Motto,” authors Fisher and Mourtada-Sabbah stated that “In Aronow v. United States (1970), the Ninth Circuit ruled that the inscription and its use as the national motto represented ‘patriotic or ceremonial character and …no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of religion’” (689).
In conclusion, some organizational groups and some individuals from time to time want to change laws and tradition. Some will go as far as continuing to challenge it in the courts despite the previous rulings declaring the motto constitutional. The motto is fairly new in American history, and there are some historical religious reasons for the motto prior to adoption. In recent times, the reasons for the motto have become more secular. In the essay titled “Adopting ‘In God We Trust’ As the U.S National Motto,” authors Fishers and Mourtada-Sabbah point out that “The primary purpose of the slogan was secular and served a secular ceremonial purpose in the ‘obviously secular function of providing a medium of exchange’” (690). This mounting evidence should be considered worthy enough as a reminder that “In God We Trust” should remain listed on currency and as a national motto.
Works Cited
Brown, Simon. “Coining CONTROVERSY.” Church & State, vol. 66, no. 6, June 2013, pp. 12–14. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=87852423&site=eds-live.
Fisher, Louis, and Nada Mourtada-Sabbah. “Adopting ‘In God We Trust’ As the U.S. National Motto.” Journal of Church & State, vol. 44, no. 4, Sept. 2002, p. 683-690 1. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/jcs/44.4.671.
“The Bill of Rights: A Transcription National Archives.” National Archives. Web. 2 Mar 2021. <http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript#toc-amendment-i>.
“Declaration of Independence: A Transcription National Archives.” National Archive. Web. 2 Mar 2021. <http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript>.
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