FACT: “In God We Trust” didn’t become the official motto of the United States until 1956.

This motto had nothing to do with our nation’s origin and didn’t appear on coinage until almost 100 years after independence. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, “In God We Trust” was first put on coins in 1864 at the urging of Reverend Mark Watkinson of Pennsylvania, largely “because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War.”

“In God We Trust” has always been about injecting Christianity into the public sphere and about excluding non-Christians. When Rev. Watkinson proposed the language to then-Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase in an 1861 letter, he argued that the “In God We Trust” inscription “would relieve [the U.S.] from the ignominy of heathenism.” Chase apparently agreed.

In 1955, nearly a century later, President Eisenhower declared, “Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first—the most basic—expression of Americanism.” The following year, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution “declaring In God We Trust the national motto of the United States” in order to differentiate the U.S. from the “godless” Soviets. The resolution was adopted without debate and without any dissenting votes in either the House or the Senate.

FACT: Until 1956, E Pluribus Unum served as our nation’s motto.

Meaning “out of many one,” this motto was deliberately secular in order to include all Americans. It was first proposed in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson and Pierre Eugene du Simitiere as part of a design for the first seal of the United States of America. If that motto was good enough for the Founding Fathers and the Great Seal of the United States, it is the most appropriate and historically accurate motto for us today.

FACT: Ten states force public schools to display “In God We Trust.”

In 2021, Texas became the 10th state to pass an “In God We Trust” display bill.

Texas’s Senate Bill 797 requires that public schools, colleges, and universities display a durable poster or framed copy of “In God We Trust” in a conspicuous place in each building.

Kentucky’s House Bill 46 and South Dakota’s Senate Bill 55 required that public schools display “In God We Trust” in a prominent location before the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

The other states that force “In God We Trust” displays on public school students and teachers are Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.

FACT: Mississippi forces certain drivers to display “In God We Trust” and penalizes others.

In 2019, Mississippi added “In God We Trust” to the standard license plate. No other standard license plate was made available.

Trailer, RV, and motorcycle owners, motorists with disabilities, and drivers with a custom plate message must display “In God We Trust.”

Car owners without a disability or a custom plate message must pay approximately $32 for a specialty plate without “In God We Trust.” This amounts to a fine.

On June 22, 2021, American Atheists filed a lawsuit against the state of Mississippi. The complaint accuses the Mississippi Commissioner of Revenue of violating nonreligious people’s freedom of speech and freedom of religion by forcing them to display this religious message on their private property.

FACT: "In God We Trust" displays promote the false belief that only Christians are "real Americans.”

“In God We Trust” displays stigmatize non-Christians by questioning their patriotism. Politicians have emphasized this divisive message and shown animosity toward non-Christians, especially atheists.

In 2014, then as lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves praised the state Senate’s efforts to put “In God We Trust” on the state seal; he claimed on Facebook that “Mississippians have a strong faith in God,” a statement that excludes Mississippi atheists and non-Christians. In his election campaign for governor, Reeves campaigned on the “In God We Trust” message, boasting about the new license plate and affixing one to a vehicle in a 2019 commercial titled “In God We Trust.” In the video, Reeves indicates that "In God We Trust" is part of "Mississippi's values," insinuating that non-Christians are not “real Mississippians.”

The South Dakota lawmakers behind the “In God We Trust” school display law have claimed that trusting in the Christian god would inspire patriotism, insinuating that only Christians can be patriotic. Kentucky bill sponsor, Representative Brandon Reed, has said that “In God We Trust” reflects an essential part of what it means to be an American. In other words, only if you "trust in God” are you a “true American.”

With 42% of Americans between the age of 13 and 18 identifying as non-Christian, “In God We Trust” school displays stigmatize nearly half of all American students. When non-Christian students are forced to read “In God We Trust” at school on a regular basis, their freedom of religion is under attack. It is the equivalent of an evangelical Christian being forced to see “In Allah We Trust,” “In Yahweh We Trust,” or “In No God We Trust” in classrooms and hallways.

FACT: “In God We Trust” bills are part of a larger Christian extremist plot to attack civil rights.

In recent years, Christian nationalist organizations, under the guise of acknowledging the “heritage and history” of the United States, have begun inserting “In God We Trust” into more and more public spaces besides public schools: police cars, government buildings, and license plates.

This is all part of Project Blitz, the Christian nationalist campaign to use “In God We Trust” to build enough momentum to pass far worse bills that attack LGBTQ rights, women’s health, and freedom of religion.

Christian nationalist organizations, including the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, have promoted the Project Blitz campaign by sending a guide full of copy-and-paste model bills to state legislators across the country.

FACT: We Are Offering Historically Accurate “In God We Trust” Posters to Public Schools

American Atheists is committed to providing students and the public with the full and accurate history of our nation’s motto. Therefore, we are offering donations of laminated posters to public schools for use in all classrooms and libraries. 

We believe that our posters are valuable educational tools that will provide students with an accurate, historical, and contextual understanding of the national motto.

Are you a teacher, principal, librarian, or parent and want your local public school to display a historically accurate “In God We Trust” poster? You can receive a free poster, courtesy of American Atheists.