The Great Seal - The National Museum of American Diplomacy (2024)

The Great Seal - The National Museum of American Diplomacy (1)

The Great Seal of the United States is a unique symbol of our country and national identity. Only one authorized Great Seal is in official use and is operated by the U.S. Department of State. The Great Seal is impressed upon official documents such as treaties and commissions. The Department of State affixes about 3,000 seals to official documents yearly.

There is perhaps no better-known document in American history than the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.Most Americans, however, do not know that it is our country’s first foreign policy document. While the Declaration did serve to inform the American people of the colonies’ determination to form a separate and independent nation from Great Britain, it was, as John Adams later wrote,“…a formal and solemn announcement to the world, that the colonies had ceased to be dependent communities, and become free and independent States.”This formal proclamation demonstrated globally that this “rebellion” was no civil war between Britons; rather, it was a pronouncement that the United States intended to join and engage with the world as an equal, sovereign nation. American leaders quickly sent copies to European nations, and it was translated into many languages and widely distributed.

Members of the Continental Congress also recognized that the new nation needed a formal seal to affix on official documents and passed a resolution on July 4, 1776, before adjourning.

“Resolved, that Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams, and Mr. Jefferson, be a committee, to bring in a device for a seal for the United States of America.”

These illustrious founders proposed several fascinating preliminary concepts for a seal to represent the new nation, drawing on classical and biblical imagery. In an August 14, 1776 letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams recounted some of the debate. Benjamin Franklin, Adams wrote, suggested “Moses lifting up his wand, and dividing the Red Sea, and Pharoah, in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters,” and the following motto, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Thomas Jefferson imagined Americans as “the children of Israel in the wilderness…led by a pillar of fire by night,” alongside representations of early Britons “whose political principles and form of government” the United States assumed. Adams concentrated on Hercules, the mythical figure of strength, “resting on his club,” gazing towards a figure of virtue, and impervious to sloth and vice.

The Great Seal - The National Museum of American Diplomacy (2)

In 1782, after six years and three committees, the Continental Congress decided on a less abstract seal and incorporated a design that reflected the beliefs and values that the Founding Fathers ascribed to the new nation. Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, designed the 1782 seal to symbolize our country’s strength, unity, and independence. The olive branch and the arrows held in the eagle’s talons denote the power of peace and war. The eagle always casts its gaze toward the olive branch signifying that our nation desires to pursue peace but stands ready to defend itself. 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,” Thomson explained in his original report.

The seal shares symbolism with the colors of the American flag. In addition, 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 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.

Today the Secretary of State is the custodian of our national symbol, the Great Seal of the United States. The seal is impressed upon documents such as treaties and commissions, and it is also found on documents such as U.S. passports and the reverse of the $1 bill.

The Great Seal Information Packet

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The Great Seal - The National Museum of American Diplomacy (2024)

FAQs

The Great Seal - The National Museum of American Diplomacy? ›

Only one authorized Great Seal is in official use and is operated by the U.S. Department of State. The Great Seal is impressed upon official documents such as treaties and commissions. The Department of State affixes about 3,000 seals to official documents yearly.

What are three facts about the Great Seal? ›

The Great Seal is used as our national coat of arms. The Great Seal is used officially as decoration on military uniform buttons, on plaques, and above the entrances to U.S. embassies and consulates. Both the seal and the reverse, which is never used as a seal, appear on the one-dollar bill.

What do the words on the Great Seal mean? ›

The seal contains three Latin phrases: E Pluribus Unum ("Out of many, one"), Annuit cœptis ("He has favored our undertakings"), and Novus ordo seclorum ("A new order of the ages").

What do the 13 arrows on the Great Seal represent? ›

Quiver of arrows - a case holding 13 arrows. It means "war" and each arrow stands for one of the original 13 states. The people who make the laws in Congress also make decisions about war. Shield - the colors in the shield are red, white, and blue, just like the American flag.

What famous words appear on the Great Seal of the United States? ›

Over the eye these words, “Annuit Coeptis.” On the base of the pyramid the numerical letters MDCCLXXVI. And underneath the following motto, “Novus Ordo Seculorum.” The three Latin mottoes have been translated, “Out of many, one”; “He [God] has favoured our undertakings”; and “A new order of the ages.”

What is a Great Seal and why is it important? ›

The Great Seal of the United States is the symbol of our sovereignty as a nation. Its obverse is used on official documents to authenticate the signature of the President and it appears on proclamations, warrants, treaties, and commissions of high officials of the government.

What does the 13 arrows in the claw mean? ›

In addition, 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 constellation of stars symbolizes a new nation taking its place among other sovereign states.

What does the eye on the Great Seal mean? ›

Great Seal of the United States reverse

U.S. Department of State. The pyramid signifies strength and duration. The eye over it and the motto, Annuit Coeptis (He [God] has favored our undertakings), allude to the many interventions of Providence in favor of the American cause.

What does the blue rectangle on the Great Seal represent? ›

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 & valour, and Blue, the colour of the Chief, signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.” The shield, or escutcheon, is “born on the breast of ...

What do the 45 stars on the seal represent? ›

It is symbolic of peace and plenty. Around the large star are 45 smaller stars, representing the 45 U.S. states that existed prior to Oklahoma's statehood (the large star would be the 46th star in the seal, representing Oklahoma's admission as the 46th state).

What is the Great Seal of God? ›

The Sigillum Dei (seal of God, "Seal of Truth" or signum dei vivi, symbol of the Living God, called by John Dee the Sigillum Dei Aemeth) is a magical diagram, composed of two circles, a pentagram, two heptagons, and one heptagram, and is labeled with the names of God and its angels.

What is the 7th seal of God? ›

The opening of the fifth Seal releases the cries of martyrs for the "Word/Wrath of God". The sixth Seal prompts plagues, storms and other cataclysmic events. The seventh Seal cues seven angelic trumpeters who in turn cue the seven bowl judgments and more cataclysmic events.

Why is the pyramid unfinished on the Great Seal? ›

The pyramid is unfinished, representing the unending work of creating and sustaining the new nation. Today, the Great Seal is used on official documents to authenticate the President's signature. It is placed on treaties, commissions, proclamations, and warrants.

What does E Pluribus Unum mean on the Great Seal? ›

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 does the blue band on the Great Seal stand for? ›

"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."

What are the 3 seals? ›

In Manichaeism, the behavior of the Elect, the priestly class was traditionally bound by the Three Seals: Mouth, Hands, and Heart. By the Seal of the Mouth they were prohibited from eating meat or drinking wine.

What are some facts about the world's largest seal? ›

Southern elephants are the largest of all seals. Males can be over 20 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds. But these massive pinnipeds aren't called elephant seals because of their size. They take their name from their trunklike inflatable snouts.

What are some facts about ancient seals? ›

Ancient Seals and Modern Science
  • originated in ancient Mesopotamia at the end of the fourth millennium. ...
  • on which contracts or receipts were written, or on balls of clay called bullae which were wrapped around rope to secure vessels. ...
  • so that they could be worn as amulets.

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