On This Day in History: October 1

In God We Trust goes on US currency

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Canada is subtle regarding the sky fairy stuff. On the back of every coin is an image of Elizabeth II saying, “D G Regina.” D G stands for Dei Gratia and the whole thing means “By the Grace of God, Queen.” In the U.S., they’re blatant. On October 1, 1957, all American currency came right out and said, “In God We Trust.”

--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: October 1, 1957--

“In God We Trust” is America’s official motto, but it wasn’t always so. Back in 1776, when the Great Seal of the United States was created, it included E pluribus unum, which is Latin for “Out of many, one;” that was the traditional motto for almost two centuries. It was a good motto, representing at least an idea of a united country. Then President Eisenhower fucked it up.

I’m-really-fucking-serious-all-caps IN GOD WE TRUST began appearing on the U.S. one and two-cent pieces back in 1864. Prior to that it was used by various American militia and military outfits, because you gotta believe some invisible hand is gonna save your ass when you’re facing a wall of cannons ready to blast you into the afterlife. Speaking of, it was the middle of the Civil War and Abe Lincoln’s Treasury Secretary was a Jesus freak and he was the one who pushed for adopting the GodIsSoFuckingAwesome motto on the coins.

Not everyone was pleased. The New York Times wrote that religion should be carried “in our hearts, not in our pockets.” Others thought it didn’t go far enough, wanting “In God alone is our trust” or the fuck-you-if-you’re-not-Christian styled “God our Christ.” Gradually, however, Americans started to dig it because for the longest time in the U.S. being an atheist was the worst thing ever.

During the Cold War President Eisenhower wanted to stick it to the godless commies and their “state atheism.” That was only part of it. The power of evangelicals in the U.S. was growing, galvanized by their opposition to FDR’s New Deal. Because anything that helps poor people is something conservatives fucking hate. Evangelist Billy Graham played a significant role in pushing for greater use of In God We Trust; the lobbying effort gained steam.

Separation of church and state is only implied via the First Amendment where it says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” And if people can ignore the “well-regulated militia” part of the 2A, they can ignore that. So in 1956 Eisenhower signed legislation making In God We Trust the national motto, and a year later it was on all the money.

Its usage has been the subject of many lawsuits, but the Supreme Court has never ruled on its constitutionality. They might be afraid to, because it’s probably not constitutional (not that such a thing matters in a conservative-controlled court), and the majority of Americans still approve of having the phrase as their national motto and on all currency.

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