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US Great State Seal
Great Seal of the United State
Adopted on June 20, 1782.
The Great Seal was first used on the reverse of the one-dollar Federal Reserve note in 1935. The Department of
State is official keeper of the Seal. Symbolically, the seal reflects the beliefs and values that the Founding Fathers
attached to the new nation and wished to pass on to their descendants. Charles Thompson (Secretary of Congress -
1782) explained the obverse side of the seal this way: The red and white stripes of the shield "represent the several
states...supporting a [blue] Chief which unites the whole and represents Congress." The colors are adopted from
the American flag: "White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the color of the Chief,
signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice." The shield, or escutcheon, is "born on the breast of an American Eagle
without any other supporters to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own Virtue."
The number 13, denoting the 13 original States, is represented in the bundle of arrows, the stripes of the shield,
and the stars of the constellation. The olive branch and the arrows "denote the power of peace and war." The constellation
of stars symbolizes a new nation taking its place among other sovereign states. The motto E Pluribus Unum,
emblazoned across the scroll and clenched in the eagle's beak, expresses the union of the 13 States. Recent scholarship
has pointed out the probable source of this motto: Gentleman's Magazine, published in London from 1732 to
1922, was widely read by the educated in the American Colonies. Its title page carried that same motto and it is
quite possible that it influenced the creators of the seal.
The reverse, sometimes referred to as the spiritual side of the seal, contains the 13-step pyramid with the year
1776 in Roman numerals on the base. At the summit of the pyramid is the Eye of Providence in a triangle surrounded
by a Glory (rays of light) and above it appears the motto Annuit Coeptis, or "He (God) has favored our undertakings."
Along the lower circumference of the design appear the words Novus Ordo Seclorum, or "A new order of the
ages," heralding the beginning of the new American era in 1776.
Learn more about
(PDF, 981k) from the US State Department.
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State Seals
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In days when communications were transcribed by hand and
tediously undertaken, seals served to authenticate official government documents. In this
day of computers and instant communications, seals still serve the same purpose.
great seal
noun
The principal seal of a government or state, with which official documents are are stamped
as proof of having been approved or certified |
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