“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That

to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

                                                                  -    Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the “Declaration of Independence” was highly influenced by John Locke, the English philosopher and one of the most influential ‘Enlightenment thinkers’. In the 17th century English society that John Locke lived in, the treatment of common people and the gentry (upper-class) were quite different. He challenged most of the existing practices and established that all men were created equal. He stated that people had the right to ‘life, liberty and property’. His ideas influenced many great thinkers and writers like Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Americans like Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson, a young diplomat in the Second Continental Congress representing Virginia was recommended by John Adams to be a part of the Committee of Five that drafted the ‘Declaration of Independence’. Thomas Jefferson was highly influenced by the writings of Locke, Montesquieu and the ideals of the rights of an individual. He drafted the declaration by consulting with the other members over a period of seventeen days. The declaration was mainly a list of 27 reasons that the colonies gave for splitting up with Great Britain. But the preamble to the declaration is considered the "the most potent and consequential words in American history” as it became the cornerstone of the American philosophy of ‘...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’.

Preamble to the Declaration of Independence Platinum Proof coin series

The "Preamble to the Declaration of Independence Platinum Proof Coin Series” started in 2018 and will end in 2020. The first-year obverse design was called "Life." The 2018 Platinum Eagle obverse depicts Lady Liberty carrying a small child while both are planting seeds in a field. In the background, it shows a stream of water, a tree, fields and mountains.

The second-year obverse design was called “Liberty”. The 2019 Platinum Eagle obverse depicts Lady Liberty keeping watch over prairies, lakes, and mountains as pioneers head westward. The wild terrain featured in the background evokes the American spirit to explore new territory and the freedom to pursue new landscapes, ideas, and ways of life. In the foreground, Lady Liberty’s torch is an emblem of the guiding light that liberty provides, while the open book represents the rule of law and its equal application.

2020 Platinum Proof coin - Design

The obverse design of the 2020 Preamble to the Declaration of Independence Platinum Proof Coin – Pursuit of Happiness depicts Lady Liberty harvesting the fruits of her labor with a young girl nearby. The coin is called “Happiness”. Lady Liberty is shown carrying a basket of the produce from the land that symbolizes the physical, intellectual, and spiritual bounty. It depicts what liberty makes possible—the good things that nourish the body, enliven the mind, and satisfy the soul.

TThe home, orchard, and silo represent American hopes, values, and aspirations. The stubble field depicts the ingenuity and hard work required to achieve liberty’s promise. The inscription “Happiness,” a facsimile of the handwritten word from the Declaration of Independence, includes the long “s,” a letterform which was typical of its time but is no longer in common use. The obverse designs for the three-year series were all created by Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Designer Justin Kunz. The common reverse design for this series depicts an eagle in flight with an olive branch in its talons. It was created by AIP Designer Patricia Lucas-Morris.

This entry was posted in General on February 03, 2020 by lavanya kannan