| Date: |
Monday, January 1, 2001
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| Question/Topic: |
In God We Trust - motto - money - dollar - currency
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| Answer/Pointer: |
"In God We Trust" is a motto now used on all U.S. currency. Religious mottoes had appeared on colonial coins but not on
early U.S. money. In 1861, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase ordered the director of the mint to prepare such a motto,
which he then altered to its present form. A law of 1864 created a bronze 2-cent piece bearing these words, and later acts
authorized further use of the motto. In 1908 the motto was made mandatory on all denominartions of coins on which it had
previously appeared. It was first printed on paper currency on the $1 bill of 1957 in compliance with an act of July 11, 1955,
requiring that the motto be placed on all coins and currency as new dies were adopted. Source: Encyclopedia Americana.
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| Librarian: |
LCLCPL
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| Comments: |
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