Should the Phrase, ‘In God We Trust’ Continue to be Used on U.S. Currency?

By Josiah Kramer

The United States of America is the nation of freedom, liberty, and equality. It is a land like no other where man and woman, young and old, black and white, and those of all types of religions can come together for the good of the nation. We have freedoms like no other including speech, press, assembly, petition, religion, and the right to bear arms.

Yet, even as America has all of these qualities, she was founded on a specific set of qualities. She was founded on independence when the Founding Fathers protested the King of England, risking their lives by committing treason, so that they may have the rights listed above.

The Founding Fathers wanted freedom of religion from the tyrannical reign of King George III. They were persecuted for practicing any other religion than that of the King. They didn’t want Christianity or any other religion to be forced upon anybody, they wanted to be free from the oppression of a particular faith.

The phrase “In God We Trust” was not on the first U.S. currency like some may believe. On November 20, 1861, during the Civil War, Secretary Chase sent a letter to the Director of the Mint in Philadelphia, James Pollock, saying, “Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.” (U.S. Department of the Treasury).

This is the sole reason that the phrase, “In God We Trust” should be kept on U.S. currency. I whole-heartedly believe that we are the most prosperous country because of our acknowledgement of God, and his power. Nations like, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and many more are so corrupt and in social and economic distress because of their denial of God. America is a nation where religious freedom is very central, but this can be so, because of the reliance on God for defense. Our President swears on the Bible when he becomes President, there is prayer at the start of almost all national meetings, and in the all-too forgotten fourth verse of the national anthem, it says, “And this be our motto – “In God is our Trust” (The Star-Spangled Banner). The national anthem of this great country says that our motto is “In God We Trust”, so it should never be taken off the currency of that same great nation.

The U.S. has a history like no other, freedoms like no other, and with a motto of “In God We Trust”, will always be a nation like no other.

Learn more about your Constitution with Josiah Kramer and the Institute on the Constitution and receive your free gift.

Works Cited

History of ‘In God We Trust’. (2011, March 8). Retrieved March 27, 2017

The Forgotten Verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. (2016, July 1). Retrieved March 27, 2017

Josiah Kramer is a senior attending Christian Academy high school in Sidney, Ohio. He will be attending Wright State University Lake Campus this fall for Mechanical Engineering. He  enjoys hunting, church youth group, working outdoors, and hanging out with friends.

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