How long has the penny been in America?

The first official cents were struck in 1793, although there were some experimental pieces made earlier than that date.

To be technical about it, the U.S. has never minted pennies. To distinguish the coins from their British counterparts, the new nation named the coins CENTS, referring to the fact that they're 1/100 of a dollar. But everyone kept calling them pennies and we still do today.