Pennsylvania
"The Keystone State," the second to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Its reverse holds a goddess statue, the state outline, and a keystone.
Pennsylvania was a central stage during the era when America was being born. It was the second state to ratify the Constitution (No. 2), and its nickname is “The Keystone State.” A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone set at the very top center of an arched bridge that holds the whole structure firmly in place—a nickname that aptly reflects this state’s role in keeping the center steady among the many states.
On the coin’s reverse are engraved, together, the goddess statue “Commonwealth” standing atop the state capitol, the outline of the state of Pennsylvania, and the keystone that symbolizes the nickname. Below is written the phrase “Virtue, Liberty, Independence.”
This phrase holds the values Pennsylvania has long cherished. The three words—virtue, liberty, and independence—briefly sum up what spirit this state sought to uphold in America’s early history.
Pennsylvania joined the Union on December 12, 1787. At the very time when the foundations of the nation of America were being laid, this state took on a “keystone”-like position, tying the many states together.
Seeing the goddess statue, the shape of the state, and the keystone placed side by side on a single small coin, we can quietly reflect on how Pennsylvania has regarded itself.