District of Columbia and United States Territories Quarter Program

The District of Columbia and United States Territories Quarter Program was a one-year coin program of the United States Mint

United States Mint

The United States Mint primarily produces circulating coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint was created by Congress with the Coinage Act of 1792, and placed within the Department of State...

that saw quarters

Quarter (United States coin)

A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...

being minted in 2009 to honor the District of Columbia and the unincorporated United States insular areas of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, United States Virgin Islands

United States Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

, American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

, and the Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...

. The islands commonly grouped together as the United States Minor Outlying Islands

United States Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code, consists of nine United States insular areas in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll,...

were not featured, as the law defined the word "territory" as being limited to the areas mentioned above. It followed the completion of the 50 State Quarters

50 State Quarters

The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter....

program. The coins used the same George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

obverse as with the quarters of the previous ten years. The reverse of the quarters featured a design selected by the Mint depicting each territory/federal district

Federal district

Federal districts are a type of administrative division of a federation, under the direct control of a federal government. They exist in various countries and states all over the world.-United States:...

. Unlike on the 50 State quarters, the motto "E Pluribus Unum

E pluribus unum

E pluribus unum , Latin for "Out of many, one", is a phrase on the Seal of the United States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782...

" will precede and be the same size as the mint date on the reverse.

Legislation

Although the statehood program was, by legislation

Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

, originally intended to include only the 50 states, legislation (District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act) was signed into law in late 2007 to include the remaining jurisdictions of the nation. A bill had been introduced five times in the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

to extend the 50 State Quarters program an additional year to include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. During the 106th

106th United States Congress

The One Hundred Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1999 to January 3, 2001, during the last two...

, 107th

107th United States Congress

The One Hundred Seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final...

, 108th

108th United States Congress

The One Hundred Eighth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2005, during the third and fourth years of George W. Bush's...

, 109th

109th United States Congress

The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members...

, and 110th

110th United States Congress

The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...

Congresses, these bills had passed through the House of Representatives, and even had 34 Senate sponsors for the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

bill during the 108th

108th United States Congress

; however, none of these bills was passed by the Senate. , the version in the 109th Congress, passed the House by voice vote in the early hours of December 9, 2006, just before it adjourned sine die; but the Senate adjourned sine die shortly thereafter without considering the bill. The 110th Congress version of the bill, was introduced on January 10, 2007 by the Delegate

Delegate (United States Congress)

A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. In her position she is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor...

(D-DC) and was passed by the House of Representatives on January 23, 2007.

On December 10, 2007, Puerto Rico-born Rep. José Serrano

José Serrano

José Enrique Serrano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

, D-NY, attached HR 392's language to the Omnibus Spending Bill that the House passed. The bill passed in the US Senate on September 6; President George W. Bush signed the bill on December 26. The additional six coins to be minted in 2009 are expected to generate renewed interest in the series, generate over $400 million in additional revenue to the Treasury, and lead many publishers to produce new products to accommodate the additional six coins. HR 2764 also moves the "In God We Trust

In God We Trust

"In God We Trust" was adopted as the official motto of the United States in 1956. It is also the motto of the U.S. state of Florida. The Legality of this motto has been questioned because of the United States Constitution forbidding the government to make any law respecting the establishment of a...

" from the edge to the obverse or reverse of the Presidential $1 Coin Program.

The 1997 act that authorized the statehood quarter program had originally provided that if the federal district, or any of the territories or commonwealths, became states before 2009, that new state would get a quarter.

Mintage quantities

Territory or District	Engraver	Release date	Denver	Philadelphia	Total
Washington, D.C.	Don Everhart	January 26, 2009	88,800,000	83,600,000	172,400,000
Puerto Rico	Joseph Menna	March 30, 2009	86,000,000	53,000,000	139,000,000
Guam	Jim Licaretz	May 26, 2009	42,600,000	45,000,000	87,600,000
American Samoa	Charles Vickers	July 27, 2009	39,600,000	42,600,000	82,200,000
United States Virgin Islands	Joseph Menna	September 28, 2009	41,000,000	41,000,000	82,000,000
Northern Mariana Islands	Phebe Hemphill	November 30, 2009	37,600,000	35,200,000	72,800,000

Reverse designs

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia submitted three different designs to the United States Mint for its quarter: one with the District's flag

Flag of Washington, D.C.

The flag of the District of Columbia, USA, consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. It is based on the design of the coat of arms of George Washington, first used to identify the family in the twelfth century, when one of George Washington's ancestors took possession of...

, one depicting Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was a free African American astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, almanac author and farmer.-Family history and early life:It is difficult to verify much of Benjamin Banneker's family history...

, and one depicting Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

. The District suggested that each of the three designs include either the words "Taxation Without Representation" or "No Taxation Without Representation", both of which refer to the District's efforts to obtain full representation in Congress

District of Columbia voting rights

Voting rights of citizens in the District of Columbia differ from those of United States citizens in each of the fifty states. District of Columbia residents do not have voting representation in the United States Senate, but D.C. is entitled to three electoral votes for President. In the U.S...

. The Mint rejected both messages, because of its prohibition against printing controversial inscriptions on coins. The Mint said that, while it takes no stance on the voting rights of the District, it considers the messages controversial because there is currently "no national consensus" on the issue. In response, the District revised its designs for the quarter, replacing the text with "Justice for All", which is the District's motto. The District also changed the design with the District's flag to a design depicting Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...

. Following a vote by District residents, Mayor Adrian Fenty

Adrian Fenty

Adrian Malik Fenty was the sixth, and at age 36, the youngest, mayor of the District of Columbia. He served one term—from 2007 to 2011—losing his bid for reelection at the primary level to Democrat Vincent C. Gray...

recommended that the Mint select the design that depicts Duke Ellington, while expressing the District's disappointment that the Mint had disallowed the phrase "Taxation Without Representation".

Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico

Senate of Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

approved a resolution in June 2008, co-sponsored by Senate President Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth McClintock

Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...

and Senate Minority Leader José Luis Dalmau

José Luis Dalmau

José Luis Dalmau Santiago is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He is the current Minority Leader for the Popular Democratic Party on the Senate of Puerto Rico.-Public office:...

, urging the United States Mint to select an image of the Arecibo Observatory

Arecibo Observatory

The Arecibo Observatory is a radio telescope near the city of Arecibo in Puerto Rico. It is operated by SRI International under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation...

for Puerto Rico's commemorative quarter. On December 15, 2008, U.S. Representative José Serrano

José Serrano

José Enrique Serrano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

of New York released the winning design, the second option developed by the United States Mint. This design depicts a bartizan

Bartizan

A bartizan or guerite is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of medieval fortifications from the early 14th century up to the 16th century. They protect a warder and enable him to see around him...

(sentry turret) and a view of the ocean from Old San Juan

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and it is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Location:...

, a Flor de Maga

Thespesia grandiflora

Flor de Maga is the official national flower of Puerto Rico. The tree from which it originates, the Maga tree is widely distributed throughout the island...

(Maga tree flower), and the motto "Isla del Encanto", meaning "Enchanted Island". The Puerto Rico quarter was the first U.S. coin with an inscription in Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

Guam

Pictured on the Guam

Guam

quarter are the shape of the island of Guam, a proa

Proa

A proa, also seen as prau, perahu, and prahu, is a type of multihull sailing vessel.While the word perahu and proa are generic terms meaning boat their native language, proa in Western languages has come to describe a vessel consisting of two unequal length parallel hulls...

boat, and a latte stone pillar. The inscription "Guahan I Tanó ManChamorro" means "Guam, Land of the Chamorro" in the Chamorro language

Chamorro language

Chamorro is a Malayo-Polynesian language, spoken on the Mariana Islands by about 47,000 people Chamorro (Chamorro: Fino' Chamoru or simply Chamoru) is a Malayo-Polynesian (Austronesian) language, spoken on the Mariana Islands (Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan) by about 47,000 people Chamorro...

American Samoa

The quarter for American Samoa

American Samoa

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...

shows an ava bowl

Samoa 'ava ceremony

The Ava Ceremony is one of the most important customs of the Samoa Islands involving a solemn ritual where a ceremonial beverage is shared to mark most important occasions in Samoan society. The Samoan word ava is a cognate of the Polynesian word kava associated with the kava cultures in Oceania...

, a fue whisk and to'oto'o staff (symbols of traditional authority

Fa'amatai

Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...

) , and a view of the coastline showing a coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

tree. Inscribed on the coin is the motto of American Samoa, "Samoa Muamua Le Atua", which means "Samoa, God is First" in the Samoan language

Samoan language

Samoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...

U.S. Virgin Islands

Pictured on the U.S. Virgin Islands

United States Virgin Islands

quarter are the outlines of the islands of Saint Croix

Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...

, Saint Thomas

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...

, and Saint John

Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. St...

, a palm tree

Arecaceae

Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

, a bananaquit

Bananaquit

The Bananaquit is a species of passerine bird of uncertain relation. It is tentatively placed in the tanager family, but classified as incertae sedis by other authorities such as the American Ornithologists' Union. Its classification is debated, and it is often placed in its own family: Coerebidae...

bird, and a yellow cypress

Callitropsis nootkatensis

Nootka Cypress , formerly Cupressus nootkatensis, Xanthocyparis nootkatensis or Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, is a cypress with a chequered taxonomic and nomenclatural history. This species goes by many common names including Nootka Cypress, Yellow Cypress, and Alaska Cypress...

flower, along with the motto "United in Pride and Hope".

Northern Mariana Islands

The quarter for the Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands

depicts the sea shore, with a latte stone, two fairy terns

Fairy Tern

The Fairy Tern is a small tern which occurs in the southwestern Pacific.There are three subspecies:* Australian Fairy Tern, Sterna nereis nereis - breeds in Australia...

, a Carolinian canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

, and a mwar (head lei

Lei (Hawaii)

Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers draped around the neck presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of...

Legislation

Mintage quantities

Reverse designs

District of Columbia

Puerto Rico

Guam

American Samoa

U.S. Virgin Islands

Northern Mariana Islands

See also