Brownback, Byrd Commemorate "In God We Trust"

Brownback, Byrd Commemorate "In God We Trust"
Introduced resolution marking 50th anniversary of national motto

U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Robert Byrd (D-WV) yesterday introduced S. Con. Res. 96, a Senate resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the national motto, "In God We Trust."

"As we mark the 50th anniversary of the official adoption of ‘In God We Trust' as our national motto, we should recognize the past and future role of America's reliance on divine providence and fight attempts to remove God from the public square," said Senator Brownback. "Since the beginning of our nation, America's citizens have acknowledged how God is very much a part of the founding principles and traditions of our democracy. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, God created man with unalienable rights that civil government is charged to protect."

Senator Byrd added, "An abiding faith in the Creator has helped to shape our country from its very beginning. The Founders of this great land relied on that faith for strength at the most difficult times in their struggle for freedom. As our nation's motto shows, moral principles have shaped what America is today, and they should guide what America will be in the days and years to come."

In 1861, Secretary of the Treasury Samuel P. Chase ordered that coins bear a motto expressing the American people's trust in God. The first coins with the phrase "In God We Trust" were minted in 1864. In 1955 the phrase was required for all new coins, and in 1956 Congress officially endorsed "In God We Trust" as the national motto.

Brownback chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.

http://brownback.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=256043