Why is Sacagawea on the gold dollar?
When the gold dollar coin was unveiled in 2000, Native American Sacagawea was pictured on it, which might seem like an odd choice to those who don’t know about her contributions to American exploration.SignificanceSacagawea was a Shoshone Indian girl who had been sold first into slavery and then as a wife to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader. Charbonneau was hired as part of Lewis and Clark’s team because of his wife’s ability to converse with Indian tribes and her familiarity with the terrain.SubjectSacagawea was chosen as the subject of the dollar because of her significance to Lewis and Clark’s exploration. Her work was well-documented in their writings and William Clark expressed an indebtedness to her.CreationThe $1 Coin Act was passed in 1997, stipulating the value of the coin, its gold color and its size–the same as that of the Susan B. Anthony $1 coin.DecisionIn June 1998, the Dollar Coin Design Advisory Committee of the United States Mint met to discuss the
