Daniel Doss, age 11, of Indianapolis,Ind., for his question:

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF 'E PLURIBUS UNUM'?

This old old Latin phrase goes back at least 2,000 years  and 200 years ago it became a famous motto. In Latin it means one out of many  and our founding fathers thought that it had a very special meaning for their new nation. To them it meant the creation of the one United States from the original 13 Colonies. In 1776, it was suggested as the official motto to appear on the Great Seal of the United States.

As a rule, a good motto can be expanded to cover many meanings. For example, modern America is a merging of many different people into one nation.    

In 1873, Congress passed a law to place the famous motto on all our coins. Since then, 'E PLURIBUS UNUM' has been stamped on one side of all our cents, nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars. It also appeared on old silver dollars.