Commems Collection Modern: 2000 Leif Ericson Millennium - The Journey / Part II

Continuing from The Journey - Part I

Not to be deterred by past failures, Representative Leach tried again in November 1999. This time, however, he took a different tact. Instead of introducing a standalone bill for a Leif Ericson coin, he made it part of a coin bill that also included provisions for the Capitol Visitor Center Commemorative Coin program and the Lewis and Clark Expedition Commemorative Silver Dollar. The Section of the bill concerning the Leif Ericson coin was a mirror of Leach's previous standalone coin bills.

The bill was immediately referred to the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, but Leach, as he had done previously, motioned to suspend the rules and consider the bill without waiting for a Committee Report. The motion was passed and the multi-coin bill was considered in November 1999 (on the same day the bill was introduced).

Once again, no opposition to the bill was raised in the House. David R. Minge (D-MN) rose to support the bill, and offered (IMO) a welcome perspective:

"I rise as a co-chair of the Friends of Norway Caucus and would like to recognize the contributions of Leif Ericson as the original European to set foot in the North American continent and the establishment of permanent settlements by Scandinavian or Icelandic explorers a thousand years ago.

"I know that all of us have grown up learning about Christopher Columbus and what he did with his explorations and the so-called "founding" of the New World. But all of us also know that the indigenous residents of this continent had been here for thousands of years before, so it is somewhat of an insult to say that the Europeans "discovered" this continent because it had been discovered for centuries and inhabited.

"But, Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to note that there are these various hardy souls that ventured forth from Europe looking for new land, new territory to settle, riches, extending the religious beliefs that they held so dearly. It is also interesting to note that as we approach the year 2000, it is a thousand years since Leif Ericson set foot in what is now thought to be Newfoundland.

"It is also interesting to note that these Scandinavian settlers in the Western Hemisphere actually established farmsteads and it is estimated there were as many as 400 of them in Greenland and that these settlements endured for several centuries. In fact, longer than many of the regions of the United States have been settled. So, indeed, European peoples were on the North American continent and established settlements for centuries before our beloved Christopher Columbus actually set foot here."

Note: Christopher Columbus never set foot on the North American continent; he landed on islands (e.g., the Bahamas) near the North American continent.

After its debate concluded, the House passed the bill and sent it to the Senate where it quickly passed without opposition. US President William "Bill" Clinton signed the bill into law on December 6, 1999. Representative Leach had his Ericson coin!


I'll have a look at the US-Iceland Joint Issue coins here: The Coins


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other modern US commemorative coin stories, see: [b]Commems Collection