BYRD’S EYE VIEW: ‘In God We Trust’: A Motto for All Time
From the desk of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-WV
Washington, DC (HNN) -- Money is an important part of our daily lives, but the bills and coins hold meaning beyond their monetary value. Each is inscribed with a simple, yet powerful, phrase that has helped to shape and guide the nation from its beginning. It is the national motto, “In God We Trust,” and it is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The phrase began influencing national life long before its official adoption. The sentiment was central to the hopes and vision of the Founding Fathers. They relied on an abiding faith in the Creator for strength during the most difficult times in their struggle for freedom.
In the early days of the American Republic, while declaring independence from Great Britain, the Framers asserted: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The signers of the Declaration of Independence further declared: “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.”
Francis Scott Key captured this same sentiment of reliance on Divine Providence in song in 1814. The original version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” later adopted as the National Anthem, states: “Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust!’”
In 1955, the phrase was designated to be inscribed on all currency and coins of the United States, and, in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a joint resolution of Congress declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. It has played a fundamental role in America’s story since its designation.
As the only current Member of Congress who voted to establish our national motto, I was proud to introduce legislation in the Senate recently to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of “In God We Trust” and to reaffirm the motto’s place in our national life.
More than 50 years have passed since Congress officially endorsed the motto, but the words still ring as true today. Moral principles have shaped what America is today, and they should guide what America will be in the days and years to come.