Randy Wright is the eighth-grade civics teacher who originated the Liberty Dollar Bill Act.
By the time a dollar bill reaches your hands, it has traveled through those of countless other Americans. It is one of the most commonly shared physical objects in the United States. What if that dollar bill also carried the most important words Americans share?
As the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding nears, it is worth remembering that patriotism is not a campaign slogan or a partisan ideal. Patriotism is a commitment to the principles that define the U.S. Here’s a powerful, surprisingly simple way to reaffirm that commitment: printing passages from the U.S. Constitution on the back of the one-dollar bill.
The idea is one that I raised in the 1990s as an eighth-grade civics teacher in Virginia. My students and I launched a project that eventually made its way to Congress and became known as the Liberty Dollar Bill Act. The proposal: that Congress place an abridged version of the Constitution on U.S. currency. Our goal was to put a civics lesson in every American’s pocket.
The bill drew support from across the political spectrum. More than 100 members of Congress signed on as co-sponsors in the 106th House of Representatives. In July 2001, a group of more than two dozen Virginia middle and high school students testified in support of the bill before the House Financial Services subcommittee on domestic monetary policy, technology and economic growth. When the students finished their testimony, something happened that I was told is uncommon: They received a round of applause.
Two months later, the Liberty Dollar Bill Act vanished from Congress’s radar in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I received a call in January 2002 that the bill was back on the front burner — but it soon lost momentum. With midterm elections coming in November of that year, the proposal ceased to be a priority for Congress.
That outcome was regrettable but understandable. Altering the design of U.S. currency is a complex process that takes years to complete. But now, more than 25 years after the Liberty Dollar Bill Act was first introduced, the country could benefit more than ever from its unifying message.
Younger Americans are more likely to have a negative view of patriotism than a positive one, and less than a fifth of U.S. adults think the country is united on the most important values. The Liberty Dollar Bill Act would be a small step toward changing that.
Paper money isn’t as universal as it was in the 2000s, but a Siena Research Institute poll of more than 5,000 U.S. residents last year found that 85 percent said they had used cash for a purchase in the previous 30 days. If Congress reconsiders the proposal, everyone handling a dollar bill could see the government’s framework in the Constitution and Bill of Rights: the separation of powers, the limits placed on authority, the rights guaranteed to citizens. The First Amendment’s protections on freedom of speech and religion. The Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process. The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. With nearly a third of Americans unable to name all three branches of government, these words should not be confined to textbooks or courtroom arguments but instead woven into daily life.
The benefits would extend beyond education. U.S. currency travels widely. A modest percentage of the roughly 15 billion one-dollar bills are circulating abroad. In shops, taxis and military bases around the world, those bills quietly represent the nation. What better ambassador than the Constitution itself?
For service members stationed overseas, a dollar bill bearing the Bill of Rights would serve as a reminder of the ideals for which they are willing to give their lives. It would also signal to others that American power is rooted not only in military strength, but also in the principles of liberty and law.
Virginia has a special reason to lead this effort. George Washington and James Madison, two notable Virginians, were key to the creation of America’s founding documents. Washington was president of the Constitutional Convention, while Madison — known as the Father of the Constitution — was the principal architect of the Bill of Rights. The commonwealth has long played a central role in the birth and defense of American liberty. If Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Virginia’s General Assembly urged Congress to revive the Liberty Dollar Bill Act, they would be honoring that heritage and reminding the nation where some of its deepest democratic roots lie.
In an era when patriotism is often reduced to rhetoric, the Liberty Dollar Bill Act offers something better: a daily reminder of the ideals that bind Americans together.
Not a slogan. Not a campaign promise. Just the inspiring words of the Constitution — in millions of American pockets.
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