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 The
Alabama quarter is the second quarter of 2003, and the 22nd in the 50
State Quarters® Program. Alabama became the 22nd state to be admitted
into the Union on December 14, 1819. The Alabama quarter design features
an image of Helen Keller with her name in English, and in a reduced-size
version of braille. The Alabama quarter is the first U.S. circulating
coin to feature braille. An Alabama long leaf pine branch and magnolias
grace the sides of the design, and a "Spirit of Courage"
banner underlines the central image.
Helen Keller was born at "Ivy
Green" in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880. When she was a small child,
an illness destroyed her sight and hearing and, consequently, depriving
her of the senses by which we normally learn to speak. Despite her
disabilities, Helen Keller learned to speak and read using the raised
and manual alphabets, as well as Braille. Miss Keller also graduated
with honors, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe. She
went on to publish numerous books, articles and essays. Helen Keller
lived out her life addressing social issues for disabled persons and
women. Every year at "Ivy Green," a weeklong celebration is
held to commemorate her lifetime of accomplishments and her "Spirit
of Courage."
In January 2001, Governor Don Siegelman
announced a statewide competition for Alabama schools to submit concepts
for the Alabama quarter. Of the thousands of concepts submitted,
Governor Siegelman forwarded three to the United States Mint: Helen
Keller, Alabama's role in social movements, and Alabama's social and
economic history. The United States Mint returned five candidate designs
to the Governor's office where the final selection of Helen Keller,
"Spirit of Courage," was made. |
