"In gods and goddesses we trust"

[ballen0351]

But that's also how the motto came about. Changing things just to change them.

My granddad was, among many other things, an avid coin and currency collector (I was sickened when I heard he sold his collection, but I digress...) He taught me a lot about old coins as a child and influenced me to study and learn a bit more about them. The history of coinage in America is interesting to say the least, so much reflecting the history of our country. Many older coins had curious sayings on them. Some of them seem a bit cryptic, perhaps they made more sense in the day, or perhaps my knowledge of American history isn't strong enough to appreciate it. Nonetheless, I find this to be very fascinating.
"I am good copper"
"Valve of 3 pence" (pre-Revolutionary times, naturally)
"Value me as you please"
"Our cause is just"
"Unanimity is the strength of society"

"In God we trust" is another one of those sayings from our currency. I realize that it is most likely from Francis Scott Key: "And this be our motto: In God We Trust," but to me the saying takes on an additional level of fascination when minted in to a coin...because introduces a vaguer meaning of the word 'trust'.

I don't have an issue with it on our money. Don't have an issue with the word God. I just don't care for the politics behind it, how churches lobbied for the change, and the reactionary authoritarian politics of McCarthy's day don't play well with my libertarian side. I think E Pluribus Unum was a better motto for our country and plays a deeper role in our history than In God We Trust.

No, it doesn't particularly bother me or insult me. No, I'm not out trying to change things (well...not with that anyway). But. if we're talking about traditions, perhaps we should restore E Pluribus Unum as a motto or return to a time where vague slogans were minted in to our currency, instead of just one. We had useful objects and idealized figures gracing the faces of the coins instead of Presidents.


Or, maybe we should first take a look at border patrol issues, outsourcing to China, our troops being spread too thin, accountability in spending, taxation...............

From what I read it said they started using In God we trust after the civil war to try and bring boths the north and south back together. The south was bitter towards the Govt and when they made the new money they tried to find something non-Govt related that both sides could get behind.

 

[fangjian]

From what I read it said they started using In God we trust after the civil war to try and bring boths the north and south back together. The south was bitter towards the Govt and when they made the new money they tried to find something non-Govt related that both sides could get behind.

True. I can respect that for that time period.

 

[Carol]

From what I read it said they started using In God we trust after the civil war to try and bring boths the north and south back together. The south was bitter towards the Govt and when they made the new money they tried to find something non-Govt related that both sides could get behind.

Makes a lot of sense. What's also interesting -- it wasn't the first use of "God" in a slogan on currency. The use predates our country's founding. This is a token from the Colonial days which reads "God Preserve New England. 1694"


If you think this has a very British sound to it, you'd be correct, they are believed to be sourced to a mint in London who produced tokens saying "God Preserve London" and "God Preserve Carolina"