What is the national motto of the United States?

This four-word phrase is a familiar sight on all U.S. currency, but its origins trace back to the heightened religious sentiment of the American Civil War. After receiving numerous appeals from devout citizens, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase instructed the U.S. Mint to add a declaration of faith to the nation's money. The phrase first appeared on the two-cent coin in 1864.

Despite its long history on coinage, the phrase was not adopted as the official national motto until the height of the Cold War. In 1956, Congress passed a law, later signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, solidifying its status. This move was largely seen as a way to draw a clear contrast with the state-sponsored atheism of the Soviet Union. Following this declaration, the motto began appearing on paper currency for the first time in 1957.

This official designation replaced the nation's long-standing, though unofficial, motto: E pluribus unum. This Latin phrase, meaning "Out of many, one," speaks to the formation of a single nation from the original thirteen colonies and remains a prominent feature on the Great (Review) Seal of the United States.