The Story of the Great Seal of the United States

The Great Seal of the United States is everywhere and easy to overlook: on treaties, presidential appointments, passports, and the back of the one-dollar bill. Adopted by the Continental Congress on June 20, 1782, the seal was meant to be an official mark of sovereignty and authenticity. More than two centuries later, it remains one of the most recognizable emblems of American identity, packed with deliberate symbols and a surprisingly human backstory.

How a handful of founders and a secretary shaped the final design

The seal’s creation was not a single moment of inspiration but a long, messy process. Congress formed three separate committees between 1776 and 1782 to propose emblems that would represent the new nation. The first group included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson; their sketches and writings reflected a mix of classical references, biblical imagery, and Enlightenment ideals. No single proposal satisfied lawmakers.

Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, ultimately combined earlier ideas with a heraldic design submitted by William Barton. Thomson supplied two Latin mottos—“E pluribus unum” and “Annuit cœptis”—and the final arrangement: the obverse featuring the bald eagle with a shield and the reverse showing an unfinished pyramid topped by the Eye of Providence. Congress approved Thomson’s composite design on June 20, 1782.

The hidden language of the eagle, pyramid, and Latin mottos

Every element on the seal carries meaning, much of it tied to the original thirteen states. The bald eagle faces an olive branch in its right talon and thirteen arrows in its left—together a statement that the nation prefers peace, but will defend itself when necessary. The shield on the eagle’s breast has thirteen vertical stripes united by a blue chief, symbolizing the states united under a stronger central government.

On the reverse, the unfinished pyramid has thirteen steps and a floating Eye of Providence above it. The pyramid’s incompleteness symbolizes a work in progress and the need for endurance; the eye evokes divine favor or guidance, a common motif in 18th-century civic art. The mottos explain intention: “E pluribus unum” means “Out of many, one,” while “Annuit cœptis” is often rendered as “Providence has favored our undertakings.” Below the pyramid, “Novus ordo seclorum,” borrowed from Virgil, signals a “new order of the ages,” a reference to the American experiment beginning in 1776.

How the seal moved from Congress to everyday life

After its adoption, the Great Seal became the formal instrument for authenticating government documents. The U.S. Secretary of State is the official “keeper” of the seal and custodian of the dies used to impress it. Over time, the symbol branched out from legal instruments into currency and popular culture. Both sides of the Great Seal appear on the reverse of the one-dollar bill, a placement that started with note designs in the 1930s and helped cement the seal’s place in the public imagination.

Myths, misunderstandings, and why historians push back

The seal’s classical language and mysterious imagery have inspired myths—everything from secret-society conspiracies to coded messages about hidden powers. Scholars point out that many supposed mysteries evaporate when you read the 18th-century sources: designers blended familiar classical, biblical, and heraldic language to convey ideas acceptable to a broad audience. While the symbols were chosen deliberately, most interpretations that tie them to modern conspiracies lack credible historical evidence.

Why the Great Seal still matters today

The Great Seal is a practical tool and a story told in symbols: unity, vigilance, balance between peace and force, and a nation imagined as a work in progress. It reflects the debates and compromises of America’s founding era, and it continues to appear when the government needs to signal authenticity and authority. For a quick dive into the broader context that shaped the seal, including the political and artistic currents of the period, see our overview of U.S. history. The seal’s images remain a compact visual history—both deliberate and evolving—of how the United States wanted to present itself to the world.