What’s a new year without instant controversy? As always, we surely have more than enough people or events that qualify for contentiousness. One that shouldn’t have made the cut is the pending semiquincentennial. Much is planned for our 250th anniversary as the world’s longest-existing democracy. It should be a time for celebration, not discord. Then again…
Consider the change soon coming to our change – specifically our nickels, dimes, quarters and half-dollars. That should be as exciting as it was a half-century ago, in 1976. Then, people were floored when the bald eagle, which had always appeared on the back of our quarter, was replaced with the image of a colonial drummer....
That eagle, or a variety of its ancestors, had graced the reverse of US quarters dating to their inception in 1796. Overnight, that changed. Now, in lieu of an eagle, we are treated to a multiplicity of subjects and images on quarters that change up to five time annually.
As for the current controversy, five different reverse designs have been proposed for our 2026 quarter dollar coins. Other variations are also coming to our nickel, dime and half-dollar. But, for now, the quarters are making news.
The third has Thomas Jefferson standing in profile on the front with a tolling Liberty Bell on the back. The fourth shows an admittedly spooky (look at the eyes) image of James Madison on the obverse and the spire of Philadelphia’s Constitution Hall on the reverse. The final quarter has a stoic Abraham Lincoln on the front and clasped hands on the back.
You’d think the images do a fair job representing much of our pending anniversary. The Pilgrims symbolize embracing the New World. Washington led the US Army and militia providing independence from British rule. Jefferson created the Declaration of Independence and Madison is credited with being the “Father of the Constitution.” Lincoln’s inclusion is meant to represent freedom for all individuals and the holding of our nation together.
Certainly, there could be a cavalcade more symbolic people or images emblematic of our earliest days of history. However, in very limited space, these seem to be a good representation of the colonial luminaries at the time of our creation and our democratic governance. (Lincoln is the one disconnect. He came almost 100 years after the American revolution. This may be an appeasement given his recent elimination from being front-and-center on our now-discontinued penny.)
Because we tend to live under the idiom, “No good deed goes unpunished,” there have been vocal critics of the new quarter lineup. Their issue is a lack of diversity among the subjects. Detractors decry the omission of topics/people they feel essential to our history. Specifically, they note the coins don’t feature anything regarding women’s history or the Civil Rights movement.
It’s true. Some previously proposed and considered designs included subjects as specific as Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old girl who helped integrate public schools and Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass as well as the women’s suffrage movement. Those aren’t included. It’s equally true that endless strides have been made by countless other individuals and events over the past two-and-one-half centuries. However, none of that has anything to do with the topical events or people involved with creating the United States 250 years ago.
In truth, much of that has already been commemorated on recent US coins. Since 2022, the US Mint has only honored women of note on its American Women’s Quarter’s Series – the vast majority of whom being people of color. Frederick Douglass had his own quarter in 2017 as did Black poet Maya Angelou in 2022. As for Ruby Bridges, though not independently depicted, her groundbreaking integration into the Little Rock public schools was showcased on a 2007 US silver dollar.
The list of potential subjects is endless – ranging from the advent of human flight and miracle medical breakthroughs to nuclear power or global human rights initiated in or fomented by the United States. For a quarter millennia the US has led the world in freedoms and human advancement. At least for this year, why not memorialize those that first made it all possible? After that, we can hope we have another 250 years to commemorate and celebrate all the other accomplishments.
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