America speaks its identity in images - the flag, the eagle, the seal - but also in words. Two phrases in particular have become symbols in their own right: one stamped on every coin in the country, the other sung in stadiums and at memorials when no other words will do. "In God We Trust" and "God Bless America" are not the same kind of thing - one is law, the other is a song - but both express a strand of American faith that runs deep enough to be worn into the culture.
Here is where each came from, and why words can carry as much symbolic weight as any image.
"In God We Trust": The National Motto
The phrase first appeared on American coinage in 1864, during the Civil War, as a expression of national faith in a time of crisis. Nearly a century later, in 1956, Congress adopted "In God We Trust" as the official national motto of the United States, and from 1957 it began appearing on paper currency as well. Today it is perhaps the most widely circulated four words in the country - carried, quite literally, in nearly every pocket.
"God Bless America": The Song
Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America" in 1918, then set it aside for two decades. He revised it and reintroduced it in 1938, and the singer Kate Smith made it famous on the eve of the Second World War. It was written as a peace song and a prayer - a plea for the nation's protection - and it has served that role ever since, returning in moments of grief and celebration alike as an unofficial anthem.
Words as American Symbols
It is worth noticing how naturally the country turns phrases into symbols. The same instinct that gilded the eagle and the flag also enshrined sentences - E Pluribus Unum on the seal, "We hold these truths" in the Declaration, "In God We Trust" on the coin. A phrase, repeated across generations, becomes an object the culture can hold. That is why words like these belong in art as much as any image does.
Rendering the Words in Gold
Our God Bless America piece renders that phrase in genuine 24-karat gold and 925 sterling silver, as a numbered limited edition with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, framed in black, gold, or bronze. To set the words in gold is to treat them the way the country already does - as something worth keeping, and worth honoring.
Key Takeaways
- "In God We Trust" is the official U.S. national motto, adopted by Congress in 1956.
- It first appeared on coins in 1864 and on paper currency from 1957.
- "God Bless America" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised in 1938.
- Kate Smith popularized it on the eve of the Second World War; it became an unofficial anthem.
- Phrases, like images, become national symbols when a culture returns to them across generations.
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