The United States Mint has released high-resolution images of the 2024 Native American Dollar. The new dollar coin will honor the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 on its reverse, keeping the well-known Obverse of Sacagawea that the coin has had since its inception in 2000.
The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, (43 Stat. 253, enacted June 2, 1924) was an Act of the United States Congress that granted U.S. citizenship to the indigenous peoples of the United States. While the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution defines a citizen as any persons born in the United States and subject to its laws and jurisdiction, the amendment had previously been interpreted by the courts not to apply to Native peoples.
The act was proposed by U.S. Representative Homer P. Snyder (R-NY), and signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on June 2, 1924. It was enacted partially in recognition of the thousands of Native Americans who served in the armed forces during the First World War.
The Sacagawea, or now as we know it Native American, Dollar was the first gold tinted clad coin that the United States Mint ever produced. Aimed to be easily distinguishable in pocket change, the Sacagawea almost didn’t happen as we know it today. Initially, the legislation for the coin called for the Statue of Liberty to be used on the Obverse of the coin. That was changed however to honor the contribution of Sacagawea, the Shoshone guide of Lewis & Clark on their expedition in the Americas. It was also the first dollar coin produced by the Mint that had a smooth edge, with year and Mint Mark information on the edge.
You can read more about the history of the Native American Dollar in this Coin History article.