Tammi Russell, age 15, of Gadsden, Ala., for her question:
WHAT IS IN THE GREAT SEAL OF THE U.S.?
The Great Seal of the United States symbolizes the sovereignty of the United States. The government adopted it on June 20, 1782, and uses the seal to authenticate important documents. The Great Seal of the United States is also printed on the reverse side of the $1 bill.
The Great Seal of the United States is also called the Seal of the United States. A specialist in heraldry named William Barton advised the government committee which designed the seal. Barton designed most of the reverse side while the secretary of the Congress, a man named Charles Thomson, prepared the design used on the face.
The present official drawing of the seal was made in 1885, when a fourth die was. cut. The fifth die, which replaced it in 1904, is still in use today. This die is on permanent exhibition in the Department of State building in Washington, D.C., and may be seen in action by appointment.
The face of the seal bears the design used on official documents. The American eagle with an escutcheon, or shield, on its breast symbolizes self reliance. Its pose is rather stiff because it is displayed in heraldic style.
The 13 vertical stripes on the escutcheon came from the flag of 1777, but seven are white, while in the 1777 flag seven are red.
At the top of the escutcheon is a blue chief above the stripes. In 1782 this symbolized Congress but since 1789 it has meant ail branches of the United States government.
The eagle holds an olive branch of 13 leaves and 13 olives in its right talon and 13 arrows in its left. It prefers to live in peace, but can wage war. In the eagles beak is a scroll inscribed "E pluribus unum," which means "One (nation) out of many (states)."
Above the eagle's head is the 13 star "new constellation" of the 1777 flag, enclosed in a glory or golden radiance breaking through a cloud.
On the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States is a pyramid of 13 courses of stone, representing the Union. The pyramid is watched over by, the Eye of Providence enclosed in its traditional triangle.
The upper motto, "Annuit coeptis," means "He (God) has favored our undertakings." The lower motto, "Novus ordo seciorum," means the "new order of the ages" that began in 1776, the date on the base of the pyramid.
The reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States is never used as an official seal on government documents.
European countries had long used official seals, and the Great Seal of the United States was made up to signify that our new nation was of equal rank to other countries and that we had adopted our own official seal.