West Virginia National Motto Project
Calling all West Virginia Patriots and FaithBlazers
West Virginia National Motto Project
“In God We Trust”
Following the passage of a West Virginia bill, a coalition of organizations including First Liberty Institute, Patriot Mobile, and others are launching a statewide initiative to donate and display “In God We Trust” posters in public schools and universities. This effort aims to restore America’s national motto to educational spaces. We’re trying to recruit volunteers from across the state to adopt counties and coordinate donations. Will you join us in this initiative?
Questions and Answers
What is this initiative?
This year in West Virginia, Senator Mike Azinger sponsored and successfully passed SB280 which allows for donated “In God We Trust” posters to be displayed in common areas in all public schools and universities in the state. First Liberty Institute (through their Restoring Faith in America project), Patriot Academy, Patriot Mobile and the American History and Heritage Foundation have offered to partner with Senator Azinger and other state leaders to get the displays donated and put up in all the schools across West Virginia.
Why is this significant?
The United States’ national motto, “In God We Trust,” was officially adopted in 1956, but its roots go back to the Civil War era. The phrase “In God We Trust” was first used on U.S. coins in 1864 after Union supporters began using the phrase to boost morale and emphasize their faith during the war. In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill declaring it the official national motto, also requiring it to appear on all US currency.
Since then, there have been concerted efforts to take God out of the public square through inaccurate representations of the history of our nation. This has resulted in anti-religious activists bringing lawsuits across the country to have displays and monuments removed from public spaces.
However, several things have been occurring over the last 20 years to turn the tide back to what our Founders intended. One of the significant occurrences was the 2022 Supreme Court decision, Kennedy v. Bremerton, which did away with the faulty “Lemon Test” that was being used to adjudicate religious liberty lawsuits. The court ruled that First Amendment establishment clause cases should instead be decided through the lens of the history and traditions of our country and its founding and not the arbitrary Lemon test. This was a HUGE win for religious liberty and public expressions of faith and bolsters laws like the one in West Virginia. This is just one step into making sure our children and citizens are educated on the truth about our heritage.
What are we asking you to do?
We are asking people to sign up to adopt schools in specific counties and show up at the capitol on September 8th at 12pm to pick up your displays. We will provide all the resources you need to be successful. You can see if your county has been adopted yet HERE. We also ask that you let us know when you have completed a donation by filling out this quick COMPLETION REPORT. This is critical in making sure we know where we might have gaps still and also is a great way to collect pictures and stories of your great work!
How much are the displays and where do I get them?
Patriot Mobile has generously offered to cover the cost of the first 2,500 displays. We will be having a gathering and press conference at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston on September 8th at 12pm. Volunteers are encouraged to join us there to pick up displays to take back to the schools in your area, or we can ship them directly to you. PLEASE NOTE: Once the first 2,500 have been disbursed additional displays will need to be purchased.
How do I sign up?
In order to sign up to help and choose the counties you wish to sponsor, please fill out the form on this page and we will be in contact with additional information. You can check the status of your county HERE. You can also reach out to us at rfia@firstliberty.org if you have any questions.
How You Can Help
“In God We Trust”
Following the passage of a West Virginia bill, a coalition of organizations including First Liberty Institute, Patriot Mobile, and others are launching a statewide initiative to donate and display “In God We Trust” posters in public schools and universities. This effort aims to restore America’s national motto to educational spaces. We’re trying to recruit volunteers from across the state to adopt counties and coordinate donations. Will you join us in this initiative?
Questions and Answers
What is this initiative?
This year in West Virginia, Senator Mike Azinger sponsored and successfully passed SB280 which allows for donated “In God We Trust” posters to be displayed in common areas in all public schools and universities in the state. First Liberty Institute (through their Restoring Faith in America project), Patriot Academy, Patriot Mobile and the American History and Heritage Foundation have offered to partner with Senator Azinger and other state leaders to get the displays donated and put up in all the schools across West Virginia.
Why is this significant?
The United States’ national motto, “In God We Trust,” was officially adopted in 1956, but its roots go back to the Civil War era. The phrase “In God We Trust” was first used on U.S. coins in 1864 after Union supporters began using the phrase to boost morale and emphasize their faith during the war. In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill declaring it the official national motto, also requiring it to appear on all US currency.
Since then, there have been concerted efforts to take God out of the public square through inaccurate representations of the history of our nation. This has resulted in anti-religious activists bringing lawsuits across the country to have displays and monuments removed from public spaces.
However, several things have been occurring over the last 20 years to turn the tide back to what our Founders intended. One of the significant occurrences was the 2022 Supreme Court decision, Kennedy v. Bremerton, which did away with the faulty “Lemon Test” that was being used to adjudicate religious liberty lawsuits. The court ruled that First Amendment establishment clause cases should instead be decided through the lens of the history and traditions of our country and its founding and not the arbitrary Lemon test. This was a HUGE win for religious liberty and public expressions of faith and bolsters laws like the one in West Virginia. This is just one step into making sure our children and citizens are educated on the truth about our heritage.
What are we asking you to do?
We are asking people to sign up to adopt schools in specific counties and show up at the capitol on September 8th at 12pm to pick up your displays. We will provide all the resources you need to be successful. You can see if your county has been adopted yet HERE. We also ask that you let us know when you have completed a donation by filling out this quick COMPLETION REPORT. This is critical in making sure we know where we might have gaps still and also is a great way to collect pictures and stories of your great work!
How much are the displays and where do I get them?
Patriot Mobile has generously offered to cover the cost of the first 2,500 displays. We will be having a gathering and press conference at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston on September 8th at 12pm. Volunteers are encouraged to join us there to pick up displays to take back to the schools in your area, or we can ship them directly to you. PLEASE NOTE: Once the first 2,500 have been disbursed additional displays will need to be purchased.
How do I sign up?
In order to sign up to help and choose the counties you wish to sponsor, please fill out the form on this page and we will be in contact with additional information. You can check the status of your county HERE. You can also reach out to us at rfia@firstliberty.org if you have any questions.