E Pluribus Unum | Encyclopedia.com (2024)

gale

views updated May 11 2018

"E PLURIBUS UNUM" (Out of many, one), motto featured on the Great Seal of the United States. After declaring independence, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to devise a seal. In consultation with Swiss-born artist Pierre Eugène du Simitière, they selected E Pluribus Unum, motto of the popular London-based anthology, Gentleman's Magazine, to emblematize the diversity of the American people. Scholars have not located the exact phrase in classical literature, but Virgil's Moretum contains a similar expression. Subsequent committees kept this motto, but substituted an eagle for the proposed heraldic shield. Adopted by Congress on 20 June 1782, the Great Seal appears on numerous currencies, seals, and flags.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

McDonald, Forrest. E Pluribus Unum: The Formation of the American Republic, 1776–1790. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1976. A history of the critical period taking E Pluribus Unum as its theme.

Patterson, Richard S., and Richardson Dougall. The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Department of State, under the Auspices of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, 1976. The most thorough history of the Great Seal, its origins, components, and official uses.

Benjamin H.Irvin

See alsoSeal of the United States .

Dictionary of American History Irvin, Benjamin H.

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Pluribus Unum, E Latin phrase, ‘out of many, one’, selected as the motto for the American national seal in 1776 by a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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E Pluribus Unum | Encyclopedia.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of E Pluribus Unum answer? ›

E Pluribus Unum. Educational Notes. “Out of many, one.” This is the literal translation for the motto of the United States of America.

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What is the full phrase of E Pluribus Unum? ›

E pluribus unum (/iː ˈplɜːrɪbəs ˈuːnəm/ ee PLUR-ib-əs OO-nəm, Classical Latin: [eː ˈpluːrɪbʊs ˈuːnʊ̃], Latin pronunciation: [e ˈpluribus ˈunum]) – Latin for "Out of many, one" (also translated as "One out of many" or "One from many") – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with ...

What is the spiritual meaning of E Pluribus Unum? ›

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. This is a Biblical concept found everywhere from Isaiah 66 to Romans 12. God takes people from all nations and peoples, no matter how unlikely, and makes them one in Christ, often to the surprise of those who currently see themselves as “the one true church.”