Does anyone even bother to do research anymore?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090714/ap_on_re_us/us_congress_national_motto

Uh, wasn't the US Two Cent piece from 1864 the first piece of US Currency that contained the IGWT motto? Can't these "reporters" even do a simple Wikipedia search?

 

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Wow........ Thats kind of sad........... All it takes is a two minute google search........I wonder where they got that information from.

 

I believe that they are refering to our currency (as in paper money), not coins.

 

I assume the reference is to paper money. The reporter should have said paper currency.

 

I agree.

 

Who needs research when all that sought after knowledge begins and ends right in here huh?

 

I'll interject on the reporter's behalf here, as the report was, in my opinion, adequately researched. Realize that use of the motto did not necessarily enact the motto as "the national motto" of the United States of America. The Coinage Acts of the mid-nineteenth century did not mandate what motto was to be inscribed on the coinage, but rather simply, with the secretary of the treasury's approval, place a motto on coinage that allowed for such given its space constraints. It was in 1873 that Congress passed a law allowing for the optional motto "In God We Trust" to be placed on coinage whose space constraints would allow such. Throughout the following decades, there were instances where the motto did not appear on coinage that would otherwise had been able to bear it.

It was in 1908 that the motto became mandatory. Yet, there was still no declaration by an act of Congress and the President assigning this motto as our "national motto". It was in 1956 that Congress passed a joint resolution, which the President approved, declaring "In God We Trust" to become the official "national motto" for US currency. This motto first appeared on US paper currency in 1957 when it was placed on the $1 Silver Certificate.

You can read all of this information and much much more at the US Treasury website.

 

Very sad. There was no internet when I was getting my journalism degree in the middle of the last century, but it was routine to verify facts.

In less than 20 seconds a Google search for "in god we trust coins" produced this official US Treasury fact sheet as the second entry, where I authoritatively learned that:

Believe me, this is far from my first feeling of disgust over what has happened to my former profession.

 

I see nothing sad or worthy of disgust here. And I don't believe that what you produced conflicts with what was reported.

 

The article could have been written a little better then it was. But the article is right, although the motto was use on several coin starting in 1864 it was not use on all currency (paper money) until 1957. Legislation approved July 11, 1955, made the appearance of "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins and paper currency of the United States in 1957. So the article is right when the reporter wrote the word currency and not coins or money.

 

yep, it was never declared a "national Motto" until 1956. Salmon P. Chase was the First Secretary to propose adding this inscription on coinage.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency

Again, a simple Wikipedia search turned up this. So in a sense, the report needed to recheck his facts.

 

very true. A fairly decent example of this is displayed is a previous post, regarding an Ebay Seller who used the phrase " unsearched roll" in describing a roll of Wheat Cents for sale.

 

Look at the 1886 $5 silver certificate

I believe that the 1935 G Silver Certs were issued in 1961/2 and the Federal Reserve notes of 1957A were issued after that. The $1 Federal Reserve Note actually went to press in late 1963, and all of them have the motto.

There is also the 1886 $5 silver certificate which has "In God We Trust" on it. The back design of this note shows five silver dollars which carry the motto. The five coins are shown partially overlapping in a stack. The complete motto is visible (a little bit from each coin).

Very best regards,
collect89

 

My son had a related question in school so I made these photos for him.

 

The one thing about this that is missed is the possibility that the reporter knows exactly what he has written. In present day reporting as well as in advertising there are methods used to become notable or popular. There are many that regardless of what you think or say about them, as long as you do mention and discuss them. If proven wrong, so what. Ever notice comercials that are so irritating, you actually get mad about them or the person doing the comercial. You do remember those now don't you. Think it's a mistake on the part of the sponsors. They accomplished thier goal. This reporter may well know exactly what he is saying and if he gets thousands of responses both for and against any statements he may have made, it's much better than no one knowing him at all. Yes he could have Googled or Yahooed the information and he may well have and looked for that little edge of a statement that arouses people. If so, he wins. If not, he wins.

 

Maybe that happened because "in 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer." (taken from http://www.oldtimeislands.org/pledge/pledge.htm)

 

Associated Press (AP) has issued a clarification:

Clarification: Congress-National Motto story

 

I wonder how many peeps emailed them about the error? :whistle:

Ribbit

Ps: I sent in a complaint.

info@ap.org