Coins: What "E Pluribus Unum" Means

E Pluribus Unum - we see these words on our nation's coins, and it is not uncommon to see or hear the motto "E Pluribus Unum" in many other forms as well, including in books, journals, and documentaries. But what does "E Pluribus Unum" mean? Why is "E Pluribus Unum" so important to America? How does "E Pluribus Unum" relate to society today? As a numismatist for almost 20 years, I have studied much about the history of United States coinage and its symbolism; the motto "E Pluribus Unum" is required on all coinage since the late-nineteenth century, and it is coinage where "E Pluribus Unum" is encountered probably most-often by Americans today.

"E Pluribus Unum": The Motto's Importance to the United States

"E Pluribus Unum" is a Latin phrase which is best translated as "Out of many, one." These words, as they relate to the United States, have particularly great symbolism when taking into account the fact that the motto was proposed on July 4, 1776 as the theme of the seal for the United States.

This seal was to incorporate a set of six shields representing the major nationalities of the people which comprised the United States at the time (England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, and Holland). These six shields would be surrounded by 13 more shields representing the 13 colonies which became the Union: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. That these thirteen colonies, composed of peoples of various other nationalities, could unite to become one country - the United States of America - made the motto "E Pluribus Unum" a vitally symbolic reflection of our nation's strength and dynamism.

The "E Pluribus Unum" seal concept was not approved, but the powerful motto was included as part of the Great Seal Charles Thompson created in 1782. In time, "E Pluribus Unum" became a part of many aspects of American government and culture, perhaps most notably on our money.

"E Pluribus Unum" on United States Coinage

In 1795, the United States $5 Gold Eagle became the first coin to feature the motto "E Pluribus Unum." The coin's reverse (also popularly referred to as the "tail's" side) has a design similar to the nation's Great Seal. While the motto did not appear regularly throughout much of the nineteenth century, it would eventually be included on all United States coinage.

An 1873 Act mandated the motto appear on all United States coinage. Incidentally, it was on the two-cent coin in 1864 that "In God We Trust" - which in 1956 would become our nation's official motto - first appeared on our nation's coinage.

United States coinage today is changing at a rapid pace due to laws which have authorized several new designs for the one-cent, twenty-five cent, and one-dollar coins. Yet, despite all the design changes, "E Pluribus Unum" remains a reminder in our pockets, purses, and piggy banks that our nation is built on the labor, efforts, dreams, and hopes of many people of diverse backgrounds working toward one shared goal of contributing to, living in, and protecting one single country - the United States of America.

Resources:

MacArthur, John D. Great Seal.Com. "E Pluribus Unum." November 1, 2009. http://www.greatseal.com/mottoes/unum.html

United States Department of Treasury. "Fact Sheets: Currency & Coins." November 1, 2009.
http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml

United States Department of Treasury. "FAQs: Coins." November 1, 2009. http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/coins/portraits.shtml