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N0KFQ > TODAY 18.05.08 05:22l 25 Lines 1053 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: +Today in History - May 18
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From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@ALLUS
May 18, 1908
Congress mandates use of "In God We Trust"
In a move that seemingly flew in the face of America's founding
belief in the separation of church and state, Congress passed
legislation on this day in 1908 that made the maxim "In God We
Trust" an obligatory element of certain coins. The motto dates
back to the early 1860s, when the Civil War stirred religious
feelings throughout the nation. America's heightened piety
manifested itself in many places, including the treasury
department, which received countless letters requesting that the
nation's coins pay some form of tribute to God. Concerned
citizens and religious leaders found a fast friend in Treasury
Secretary Salmon P. Chase, who readily agreed that the "trust of
our people in God should be declared on our national coins."
James Pollock, director of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, was
charged with devising a suitable motto. After some key revisions
from Chase, Pollock decided upon the now-familiar "In God We
Trust."
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