Massachusetts State Motto

"Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem"

(By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty)

Adopted on June 4, 1885.

Language: Latin

Focus: Liberty and Freedom

See Massachusetts State Seal

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem has not been specifically adopted as the motto of Massachusetts but has been accepted as an element of the arms and seal of the Commonwealth adopted on June 4, 1885. Massachusetts' State motto, Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem, can be translated as With the sword she seeks peace under liberty. This is attributed to Algernon Sydney (1622-1683), an English political writer, from the complete phrase, ...Manus haec inimica tyrannis Ense petit placidam sub liberate quietam.

Motto appeared a seal that was adopted in response to a July 25, 1775 order from the Massachusetts General Court. The order appointed a committee to consider "what is necessary to be done relative to a Colony Seal." The colony no longer recognized the authority of the Royal Govern or General Thomas Gage and he had possession of the Seal of the Province. A new seal was adopted, depicting a man holding the Magna Carta. The seal, engraved by Paul Revere, also included the motto, (Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem.)

These a states with mottos that focus on liberty.

1. Delaware: "Liberty and Independence"
2. Iowa: "Our Liberties We Prize, and Our Rights We Will Maintain"
3. Massachusetts: "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem"
   (By the Sword We Seek Peace, but Peace Only under Liberty)
4. New Jersey: "Liberty and Prosperity"
5. North Dakota: "Liberty and Union Now and Forever; One and Inseparable"
6. Pennsylvania: "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence"

General Laws

Massachusetts General Laws, Part 1, Title 1, Chapter 2, Section 1.

PART I. ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT.
TITLE I. JURISDICTION AND EMBLEMS OF THE COMMONWEALTH, THE GENERAL COURT, STATUTES AND PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
CHAPTER 2. ARMS, GREAT SEAL AND OTHER EMBLEMS OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
SECTION 1.

Chapter 2: Section 1 Coat of arms of commonwealth Section 1. The coat of arms of the commonwealth shall consist of a blue shield with an Indian thereon, dressed in a shirt, leggings, and moccasins, holding in his right hand a bow, and in his left hand an arrow, point downward, all of gold; and, in the upper right-hand corner of the field a silver star of five points. The crest shall be, on a wreath of gold and blue, a right arm, bent at the elbow, clothed and ruffled, and grasping a broad-sword, all of gold. The motto ""Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem'' shall appear in gold on a blue ribbon.