August 21—Each week, The Spokesman-Review examines one question from the naturalization test that immigrants must pass to become United States citizens.
Today’s Question: Name one power that is only for the federal government.
Coins were originally designed for finance, but the art on coins often says more about the country responsible for making them. Chris Costello, coin collector and art designer for the US Mint, embraces this often overlooked side of the coin.
“As these pieces are distributed to the public, they tell the American story — our history, our culture, our people, our innovators,” Costello said. “Each nation that issues coins actually tells a piece of history about its nation and who it is and what it does.”
Coinage is one of the constitutional powers the Founding Fathers left to the federal government, not the states—along with printing paper money, declaring war, creating armies, making treaties, and setting foreign policy.
“The founding fathers thought it would be wise to have certain powers that would represent our united front,” said Dave Jackson, Lewis and Clark High School legal studies professor. “We could have ended up with a buck from Michigan or Alabama, but the journey is important, the move is important and the trade is important.”
According to Jackson, some of the early US coins were meant to reflect themes in foundational documents, such as the Declaration of Independence.
“Freedom was a very common theme,” he said. “Lady Liberty was represented on most of the old coins of the United States.”
A real woman wasn’t featured on a U.S. coin until the 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar. But starting this year and ending in 2025, the United States Mint is introducing the American Women’s Fourth program, designed to celebrate America’s women and their contributions to the country.
The obverse, or “head” side of the coins, will feature a profile of George Washington designed by Laura Gardin Frasier in 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth. Frasier became the first female artist to design a commemorative coin, the 1921 Alabama Centennial Half Dollar.
The obverse, or “tail,” of the coin features notable women such as astronaut Sally Ride, poet Maya Angelou, and a coin designed by Costello honoring New Mexico suffragist Nina Otero-Warren.
Otero-Warren was bilingual and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools. She worked in both the suffragist and educational fields to include Spanish and English speakers alike.
Born to two descendants of Spanish colonists in New Mexico in 1881, Otero-Warren was raised by her mother and stepfather in the upper echelons of Santa Fe society. After divorcing her husband Rawson Warren in 1910, Otero-Warren kept his surname and moved to New York to take care of her younger half-brother’s house while he studied at Columbia University.
“She was unusual in that she traveled and had that experience, especially for New Mexico women who didn’t travel,” said Gonzaga history professor Deena Gonzalez.
While living in New York, Otero-Warren became involved in the suffragette cause after volunteering at a settlement house, where she helped immigrant women settle into American society. Otero-Warren returned to New Mexico after two years to take care of the family home after her mother died.
“I think it kind of broadened her perspective and made her the advocate that she has become,” Gonzalez said.
Back home in New Mexico, Otero-Warren led the suffragist movement in the region.
Her efforts to expand the movement by teaching in both Spanish and English helped bring an important population of American women into action.
The Otero-Warren coinage is an important step in diversifying the history of the suffragette movement, Gonzalez said.
“It’s about time we realized how much these Hispanic women were a part of the nation,” she said.
When Costello responded to the invitation to design a Nina Otero-Warren coin, he wanted to include details relevant to Otero-Warren’s history. His final design incorporates the Yucca flower, the state flower of New Mexico, and the Spanish phrase “Voto para la Mujer,” meaning “Voices for Women.”
“It’s really our responsibility to put the whole picture into one small, iconic image that really best communicates everything a viewer or coin owner needs to know about that subject,” Costello said.
Costello has worked for the Mint since being hired under the Artistic Infusion Program in 2010. He competed with fellow Mint artists to design the American Women’s quarters.
After learning more about Otero-Warren and collecting existing images, Costello was able to create a design he said stood out for America’s Women’s Quarters. He used a compilation of existing photographs and research into Otero-Warren’s life to guide his design process.
“She overcame many obstacles,” he said. “I wanted to show that in her eyes and in the drawing I sculpt as best I could – a confident, determined woman who has a lot to be proud of.”
