When was “In God We Trust” added to coins and paper currency? Today, the motto is familiar to many Americans, but its appearance on currency resulted from specific debates and laws that shaped how Americans connect faith, government, and national pride.
The Civil War: North vs. South
During the Civil War, religion played a major role in debates over slavery. Some religious leaders used biblical arguments to defend slavery, while others argued that ending slavery was part of God’s plan. These disagreements deepened existing divisions between many Northern and Southern churches, several of which had already split over slavery before the war began.
In a letter to the United States Treasury Department, Rev. Mark R. Watkinson of Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, requested that the Treasury should add a statement recognizing “Almighty God in some form on our coins” to “relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism.”
“In God We Trust” emerged as a unifying declaration at a time when Americans were deeply divided, suggesting that supporters would view this motto as a unifying declaration during a divided era, arguing it symbolized trust and stability.
The Coinage Act of 1864
The U.S. Mint introduced the copper 1864 Two-Cent Piece after Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864. This is the first coin to bear “In God We Trust,” marking the motto’s official debut on American money. “In God We Trust” was not added to Confederate currency.
Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase instructed Mint Director James Pollock to mint the motto into upcoming designs, starting with the two-cent coin. Congress reinforced this on March 3, 1865, permitting the motto on any coin large enough to accommodate it. Not every denomination adopted it immediately. This was among Lincoln’s last signed bills before his assassination.
As of January 1, 1866, the inscription appeared on some gold and silver coins, with the dime excluded at first because it was too small. 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.”
1907: The Gold Eagle Controversy
Roosevelt instructed Saint-Gaudens not to include ‘In God We Trust’ on the $20 1907 Saint Gaudens Double Eagle gold coin because he believed it was irreverent to put God’s name on money. After the public backlash following the coin’s minting, “In God We Trust” was reinstated in the Double Eagle’s design in later mintages.
Theodore Roosevelt said that while he was in favor of placing the motto on public buildings and monuments, doing so for money would be “dangerously close to sacrilege,” in his words. He also said, “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.”
On May 18, 1908, Congress passed a law restoring the motto “In God We Trust” to all gold and silver coins that had previously carried it and authorizing its use on other coins at the Mint’s discretion. Beginning in mid-1908, the motto reappeared on many denominations, though smaller coins such as the dime did not include it at that time.
The Cold War
Before 1956, the informal national motto was “E Pluribus Unum.” On July 30, 1956, Congress adopted “In God We Trust” as the national motto, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the measure into law. The motto first appeared on paper currency the next year, 1957, on $1 Silver Certificates.
Lawmakers viewed the change as part of a broader anti-Communist and religious-affirmation movement in the 1950s. Eisenhower’s administration also oversaw the addition of the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.
The motto carried both domestic and international significance. Communist regimes, particularly the Soviet Union, often suppressed religious expression. Some believed the motto distinguished the United States from ideologies they viewed as secular and morally different, echoing Watkinson’s earlier argument for a faith-based inscription.
When “In God We Trust” Was Not Applied: The Godless Dollar Coin
The motto “In God We Trust” is recognized as a symbol of national identity, and people still take notice when the inscription is absent. In 2007, the Philadelphia Mint experienced a minting error, resulting in an estimated 50,000 to 300,000 George Washington Dollar coins struck without the national motto “In God We Trust,” the inscription “E Pluribus Unum,” or the mint mark on their edges.
Some nicknamed it the ‘The Godless Dollar’ believing, mistakenly, that the government aimed to remove religious references from currency. This minting error made the coin more valuable for collectors. In response to the controversy, Congress passed a law in December 2007 requiring that “In God We Trust” be moved from the edge to the obverse or reverse of all future Presidential $1 coins starting with 2009 mintages.
Separation of Church and State
The United States government is prohibited by the First Amendment from establishing a religion or restricting the free exercise of religion. Over time, the Supreme Court has interpreted this to mean that the government cannot endorse or favor one religion over another, and it must protect individuals’ rights to religious freedom. U.S. Federal judges declare the motto constitutional because it represents “ceremonial deism” and patriotic tradition, such as the “Star-Spangled Banner” and its regular appearance on coins since the 1860s.
The Star Spangled Banner coin, first minted in 2012, was created to commemorate the War of 1812 and to celebrate the bicentennial of the anthem’s writing. This coin bears the motto “In God We Trust,” and some argue that placing a religious phrase on government-issued currency challenges the separation of church and state. In contrast, others view it as a form of ceremonial tradition rather than a true endorsement of religion.
Some plaintiffs have argued that the use of “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency infringes on the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, blurs the line between church and state, and forces citizens who do not believe in God to use currency that conveys a message contrary to their beliefs, which they regard as a breach of religious freedom and separation.
In the 2019 case before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota, plaintiffs claimed that the motto violated the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The Eighth Circuit rejected these arguments, ruling that “In God We Trust” did not amount to government establishment of religion, was not coercive, and did not substantially burden religious exercise.
Plaintiffs then appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case in June 2019, thus leaving the Eighth Circuit’s decision in place.
The Impact of Our National Motto
Today, “In God We Trust” is printed on all U.S. currency, but people still have different opinions about it. Some believe the motto honors American history and brings citizens together, while others think it contradicts the principle of the separation of church and state.
