Message:24462 In: TODAY.WW
From: KF5JRVDate: Sat, 20 Jun 26 08:51:00 Z
Newsgroups: TODAY.WW
Subject: Today in History - Jun 20
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On June 20, 1782, Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States after six years of discussion.
The front of the seal depicts a bald eagle clutching an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left. On its breast a
ppears a shield marked with 13 vertical red and white stripes topped by a bar of blue. The eagle’s beak clutches a banner ins
cribed, E pluribus unum, a Latin phrase meaning “Out of Many One.” Above the eagle’s head, golden rays burst forth, encir
cling 13 stars.
Charles Thomson outlined the symbolic connotations of the seal’s elements when he presented his design to Congress. The botto
m of the shield (or pale) represents the 13 states united in support of the blue bar at the top of the shield (or chief), “wh
ich unites the whole and represents Congress.” The motto E Pluribus Unum serves as a textual representation of the same relat
ionship. The colors used in the shield are the same as those in the flag: alternating red and white for the important balance b
etween innocence and valor, topped by the blue of “vigilance, perseverance and justice.” The eagle’s talons hold symbols
of Congress power to make peace (the olive branch) and war (arrows). The constellation of stars indicates that “a new State [
is] taking its place and rank among other sovereign powers.”
The reverse side of the seal bears the familiar Masonic motif of a pyramid, which Thomson proposed as a symbol of “Strength a
nd Duration.” The pyramid, like the new nation, is unfinished and frequently depicted as having 13 steps for the original sta
tes. The disembodied eye floating above the structure is that of providence, which Thomson believed had acted “in favour of t
he American cause.” Beneath the pyramid, the number 1776 appears in Roman numerals as a reminder of the year of independence.
The phrase Annuit Coeptis or “Providence has Favored Our Undertakings” appears above the providential eye; Novus Ordo Secl
orum or “A New Order of the Ages” appears beneath the pyramid.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email KF5JRV@gmail.com
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