On February 24, 1775, Rittenhouse delivered a lecture on the history of astronomy to the American Philosophical Society, in which he linked the structure of nature to the rights of man, liberty and self-government. Rittenhouse also used the occasion to decry slavery.   So impressed were those in attendance that the American Philosophical Society commissioned the speech to be printed and distributed to delegates of the Second Continental Congress when they arrived in 1776.

When American Revolution began, Rittenhouse was appointed to the Committee of Safety as an engineer.  With his skills in surveying and manufacturing, where he was charged with assessing sites for forts and finding new ways to cast cannon and improve rifles. Rittenhouse worked on two rifle improvements related to a telescopic sight and building into a stock a box large enough to carry bullets and wipers. He was then appointed supervisor of the Salt Peter works on Market Street in Philadelphia. Saltpeter or potassium nitrate was the most critical single ingredient in gunpowder. Rittenhouse began with a limited knowledge of the manufacture of explosives, a defect he remedied through dedicated study.

As the Revolution came to a close, Rittenhouse stepped away from his public roles to devote himself to astronomy through his role as a professor of astronomy at the College of Philadelphia and as the vice president of the American Philosophical Society. But his retirement from public service didn’t last long as he was nominated in 1792 by President George Washington to be the first director of the U.S. Mint.

Following the example of Sir Isaac Newton, who worked as the master of the Mint at London, Rittenhouse set to creating modern currency difficult to counterfeit currency for the newly-formed nation. Rittenhouse believed that the design of a coin reflected the sophistication and culture of a country.

During the Colonial Period, monetary transactions were handled using foreign or colonial currency, livestock, or produce. After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which authorized states to mint their own coins leading to great confusion as to rates of exchange and relative valuation. On Congress, now under the newly ratified US Constitution, passed the Coinage Act, establishing the first national mint in the United States in 1792. Philadelphia, then the nation’s capital, was chosen as the site of our first Mint and the first Mint was erected at 7th and Arch Streets.  The Act specified the following coinage denominations:

• In copper: half cent and cent
• In silver: half dime, dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar
• In gold: quarter eagle ($2.50), half eagle ($5), and eagle ($10)

On April 2, 1792 the United States Mint opened its doors, but would not produce coins for almost four months. Rittenhouse believed that the design of the coin made the coin a piece of artwork. The first coins were made from flatware that was provided by Washington himself on the morning of July 30, 1792. The coins where hand-struck by Rittenhouse, to test the new equipment, and were given to Washington as a token of appreciation for his contributions to making the United States Mint a reality.

Rittenhouse faced many obstacles including a shortage of raw materials, a lack of funding, a lack of sufficient equipment needed to mass produce coins, and sometimes even the lack of cooperation by the city government. Despite the political changes, and the challenges of starting a new government institution, the mint achieved great milestones during Rittenhouse’s tenure.

In 1794 over one million copper coins were minted in Philadelphia.  Silver coinage in 1795 with the creation of new US coins for the half dime, half dollar and dollar. The first silver half dollars were delivered on October 15, 1794 and they went into commerce as soon as they were released.  The first silver dollars (twice the size of half dollars) were struck on the same day but the presses used were inadequate.  The impressions were weak and the obverse die was damaged early on and had to be polished down along one part of its circumference. The only way it had proved adequate for striking the copper pattern was by striking the piece twice which created a shadow. Rittenhouse used his own money to obtain equipment needed to keep the mint running.

Rittenhouse faced numerous criticisms for how he managed the mint.  His designs were often implemented before approval was obtained by Congress his standards for quality differed markedly from the specifications laid down by congress. Rittenhouse decided to correct these differences by following the intent of the law instead of its letter.  In 1795, facing labor shortages, the Mint became the first federal agency to employ women: Sarah Waldrake and Rachael Summers were hired as adjusters. Rittenhouse resigned from the Mint on June 30, 1795, due to poor health.

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