Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Presidential Golden Dollars (Part II)

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Thomas Jefferson Presidential Golden Dollar

Released August 16, 2007
The third coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President Thomas Jefferson. Sometimes referred to as the silent member of the Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson spoke volumes with his pen. He drafted the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33, and later succeeded Benjamin Franklin as America’s foreign minister to France. During his first term as President, Thomas Jefferson virtually doubled the size of the United States when his Administration successfully completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the new territory. The Thomas Jefferson $1 Coin features a likeness of Jefferson on the obverse and a reverse design with a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. This coin features larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions of the year, E Pluribus Unum, In God We Trust, and the mint mark.

James Madison Presidential Golden Dollar

Released November 15, 2007
The fourth coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President James Madison.

A student of both history and law, James Madison attended the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University), returning to his native Virginia to help craft that state's Constitution, as well as serving as a leader in the Virginia Assembly.

Following the American Revolution, Madison was instrumental in determining the course of the new Republic and in framing the government of the new Nation. With Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, Madison wrote The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays that advocated the adoption of the United States Constitution. In Congress, James Madison helped secure passage for the Bill of Rights.

France and Great Britain were at war when James Madison was elected to the presidency. Though he favored a more neutral position, the continued harassment of American sailors, combined with the seizure of American cargo, forced President Madison to ask Congress for a declaration of war with Great Britain on June 1, 1812.

James Monroe Presidential Golden Dollar

Release: February 14, 2008
The fifth coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President James Monroe.

Virginia native James Monroe was exceptionally qualified to serve as the United States’ fifth president. Not only was he a Revolutionary War soldier, he was champion of the Bill of Rights, U.S. diplomat in Europe, governor of Virginia, senator, secretary of state, secretary of war, and negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase, before being overwhelmingly elected president in 1817.

His time in office is known as the “Era of Good Feelings” for the peace and booming economy the country enjoyed. The Monroe Doctrine, a foundation of American foreign policy introduced in an 1823 message to Congress, warned European powers against expansionism in the Western Hemisphere.

Monroe’s presidency was also marked by the Missouri Compromise, which preserved a balance of free states and slave states in the United States and prohibited slavery in western territories above the 36/30’ north latitude line.

John Quincy Adams Presidential Golden Dollar

Release: May 15, 2008
The sixth coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President John Quincy Adams.

John Quincy Adams was born into politics as the son of second U.S. President John Adams and Abigail Adams. As a child, he watched the American Revolution unfold and accompanied his father on his diplomatic posts to Europe. He followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a diplomat in Europe and, later, the sixth U.S. president.

Adams became president by the slimmest of margins in a controversial election that was ultimately decided in the US House of Representatives by one vote. As president, Adams proposed a wide system of roads and canals to stimulate the economy and foster trade throughout the Nation. During his administration, the Cumberland road was extended into Ohio, and several major canal systems were begun.

After his unsuccessful bid for re-election, Adams went on to serve nine terms in the US House of Representatives. He and Andrew Johnson, 17th president, are the only two former presidents to later serve in Congress.

Andrew Jackson Presidential Golden Dollar

Release: August 14, 2008
The seventh coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President Andrew Jackson.

A citizen of Tennessee, Andrew Jackson was the first president elected from west of the Appalachian Mountains. As a boy, he fought in the Revolutionary War. Jackson gained national prominence as a hero of the War of 1812, and was nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his firm discipline as commander of his troops.

As president, Jackson worked to strengthen the executive branch and vetoed more bills than the six prior presidents combined. His renomination to a second term marked the first use of a national nominating convention to select a party’s candidate instead of a congressional caucus. A strong proponent of federal supremacy over states’ rights, he took a forceful stance against the state of South Carolina’s attempt to nullify a federal tariff, declaring “Our federal Union: it must be preserved.”

Martin Van Buren Presidential Golden Dollar

Release: November 13, 2008
The eighth coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program honors President Martin Van Buren.

Martin Van Buren, the first president from New York and not of British descent, was also the first president to be born an American citizen. Raised in a Dutch neighborhood in Kinderhook, New York, his interest in politics took root at his father’s tavern where prominent politicians, including Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, would stop by on their travels.

He served in the United States Senate and was governor of New York before becoming Andrew Jackson’s secretary of state. He served as vice president during Jackson’s second term and handily won the 1837 presidential election.

As president, Van Buren initiated an independent federal treasury system to take the place of state banks’ handling of federal monies and peacefully settled disputes with Great Britain that were threatening to take the country to war. However, a deep economic depression persisted throughout his term in office and he lost his bid for re-election in 1841.

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