HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 IN GOD WE TRUST MOTTO 05-20-08AGENDAREPORT
MEETING DATE: MAY 20, 2008
TO: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: CITY CLERK’S OFFICE
SUBJECT: “IN GOD WE TRUST” NATIONAL MOTTO
SUMMARY:
At the City Council meeting of April 1, 2008, the Council voted (5-0) to continue
discussion of matter to a future date to prepare a more detailed agenda report giving
historical context and suggest a manner of display that would be educational and
accessible to the public.
RECOMMENDATION:
Pleasure of the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If display is approved, the Millennium Exchange Club of Orange County has agreed to
fund at no cost to the City or the general fund.
BACKGROUND:
Staff has given due consideration to Council’s request. At City Hall presently, there is
an area just off the main lobby of City Hall that displays many documents that are
significant in the history of the United States of America. This “Freedom Shrine”, as it is
titled, was donated by the Millennium Exchange Club of Orange County includes copies
of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America,
the Gettysburg Address, the Bill of Rights, and other famous historical documents.
There is ample room in this general area to display the National motto along with a
narrative of its history and significance in American history.
Mayor Jerry Amante suggested that we also consider displaying the California motto
and the City of Tustin motto/nickname in the same area. It can be easily accommodated
by having a plaque each for the United States of America motto “In God We Trust”, the
State of California motto “Eureka!”, and City of Tustin motto “City of Trees” with a brief
history/description. The Millennium Exchange Club of Orange County has graciously
agreed to fund the project, if approved by the City Council.
The following language, or a variation, may be used on each of the plaques to be
displayed under the large “In God We Trust” letters, (as depicted on Attachment A) on
the wall to the right of the Freedom Shrine:
United States of America National Motto:
Use of the slogan “In God We Trust” dates back to the War of 1812. In September of
1814, fearing for the fate of his country while watching the British bombardment of Fort
McHenry in Baltimore, Francis Scott Key composed the poem the "Star Spangled
Banner," of which one line in the final stanza is "And this be our motto – "In God is our
trust.” Congress codified the longstanding motto in 1956 and signed into law by
President Eisenhower. At that time, Congress articulated a secular purpose of patriotic
inspiration: “It will be of great spiritual and psychological value to our country to have a
clearly designated national motto of inspirational quality in plain, popularly accepted
English.” House Report No. 84-1959, 1956 Cong. & Admin. News, p. 3720.
According to the United States Mint, based on Treasury Department records, the first
documented suggestion that God be recognized on U.S. coinage can be traced to a
letter addressed to the Secretary of Treasury from a minister in 1861. An Act of
Congress, approved on April 11, 1864, authorized the coinage of two-cent coins upon
which the motto first appeared.
The motto was omitted from the gold coins issued in 1907, causing a storm of public
criticism. As a result, legislation passed in May 1908 made "In God We Trust"
mandatory on all the coins on which it had previously appeared.
Legislation approved on July 11, 1955, made "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins
and paper currency of the United States. By the aforementioned Act of July 30, 1956,
"In God We Trust" became the national motto of the United States. ("E pluribus unum,"
while used on the national seal, has never been made a national motto by law.)
The Great Seal of the United States of America
Seal Details:
The most prominent feature is the American bald eagle supporting the
shield, or escutcheon, which is composed of 13 red and white stripes, representing the
original States, and a blue top, which unites the shield and represents Congress. The
motto, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), alludes to this union. The olive branch and
13 arrows denote the power of peace and war, which is exclusively vested in Congress.
The constellation of stars denotes a new State taking its place and rank among other
sovereign powers.
City of Tustin Motto:
Even before Tustin was established as a City, the area was well known for its trees and
continues to be an important and influential part of its rich history. A variety of trees is
responsible for this nickname and dates back centuries. The early Spanish Grijalva
scouting party (The Anza Expedition, 1776) identified the area from Santiago Creek to
Red Hill as El Alisal, the Sycamore Grove. At that time, the land was dotted with
massive, white-barked sycamore trees. To date, three of the massive trees still exist,
although they are now on private properties.
Around 1870, Columbus Tustin began planting trees to mark the streets and by the
1890’s those trees created shady lanes and walkways, which gave Tustin a distinctive
ambiance lasting well into the turn of the century. The reason trees grew well was the
availability of a dependable water supply, some of it from natural artesian wells that
flowed from the ground. This gave rise to agricultural groves that fueled the area
economy. By the turn of the century (i.e., 1900), groves of apricots and walnuts were
gradually being replaced by the more profitable Valencia oranges. In keeping with its
history on August 5, 1974, the Tustin City Council formally adopted a resolution
designating the City’s motto as the “City of Trees”.
Today, while most citrus orchards have been replaced by homes, schools, shopping
centers and industry, there remains a vast and varied assortment of eucalyptus, pepper,
palm, pine and oak trees throughout the City. As in the beginning, Tustin continues to
be the "City of Trees".
City of Tustin Seal
State of California Motto:
California's motto “Eureka!” means "I have found it" and is the only State motto
rendered in Greek. It was included as an element of the Great Seal of the State of
California when it was designed in 1849 and made the official motto in 1963. The seal
was designed by Major Robert Selden Garnett of the U. S. Army and adopted at the
California Constitutional Convention in Monterey.
Eureka (or Heureka) is a well-known Greek phrase that is associated with a Greek
mathematician of antiquity named Archimedes. Archimedes is said to have exclaimed
"Eureka!" when, after long study, he discovered a method of determining the purity of
gold.
The motto is widely accepted to relate to the discovery of gold in California and some
have reported that Eureka was an exclamation shouted by miners when they came
upon the precious metal.
State of California Seal
Seal Details:
Around the bevel of the ring are represented thirty-one stars being the
number of states of which the union will consist upon the admission of California. The
foreground figure represents the Goddess Minerva having sprung full grown from the
brain of Jupiter. This is introduced as a type of the political birth of the State of California
without having gone through the probation of a Territory. At her feet crouches a grizzly
bear feeding upon clusters from a grapevine emblematic of the peculiar characteristics
of the country. A miner in engaged with a rocker and a bowl at his side, illustrating the
golden wealth of the Sacramento upon whose waters are seen shipping typical of
commercial greatness and the snow-clad peaks of the Sierra Nevada make up the
background while above the Greek motto "Eureka" (I have found it) applying either to
the principle involved in the admission of the State or the success of the miner at work.
ATTACHMENT A
Sample display