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THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES

HE GREAT SEAL, which is under the custody of the Secretary of State, is affixed only to the commissions of the members of the cabinet, diplomatic and consular officers, and to civil officers appointed by the President, to ceremonial communications from the President to foreign governments, to exequaturs, and to warrants of extradition of fugitives to foreign governments. By provision of a law enacted in 1789 the seal cannot be affixed to any commission or document until the same has been signed by the President.

The Great Seal now in use is the same as that used by the Confederation before the adoption of the Constitution. Immediately after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson a committee to prepare "a device for a seal for the United States of America." They made a report on August 26, 1776, but it was never acted upon. Many suggestions were made to the committee, and each member of the committee suggested a device, but none proved entirely satisfactory.

Some of the designs submitted were really unique. That suggested by Mr. Jefferson proposed a shield with six quarterings, to represent the countries from which the United States were settled. The first, gold and an enameled rose, red and white, for England; the second, white with a thistle, in proper colors, for Scotland; the third, green with a harp of gold, for Ireland; the fourth, blue with a golden lily, for France; the fifth, gold with the imperial black eagle, for Germany; and the sixth, gold with the Belgic crowned red lion, for Holland. Around the shield in a red border were thirteen white escutcheons, linked together by a gold chain, bearing in black the initials of the thirteen states. The supporters of the shield were: on the right side the Goddess of Liberty, in a corselet of armor, in allusion to the then state of war, and holding the spear and cap in her right hand, while with the left she supported the shield. The support on the left hand was the Goddess of Justice, leaning on a sword in her right hand and holding in her left a balance. For a crest, the eye of Providence in a radiant triangle, whose glory should extend over the shield. The motto was: "E pluribus unum." Around the whole seal were the words: "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," with the date, MDCCLXXVI. The device for the reverse was Pharaoh sitting in an open chariot, with a crown on his head and a sword in his hand, passing through the Red Sea in pursuit of the Israelites. Rays from a pillar of fire in a cloud, as expressive of the divine command and presence, were beaming on Moses standing on the shore, and extending his hand over the sea, causing it to overwhelm Pharaoh. The motto was: "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."

It is a singular fact that it remained for a British nobleman to suggest a satisfactory device. While John Adams was in London the question of a seal was discussed by him with Sir John Prestwick, an English antiquarian, and Sir John submitted to Mr. Adams a device which was finally adopted. Mr. Adams sent the device to Franklin and Jefferson, who submitted it, after some delay, to Congress.

On June 20, 1782, the Continental Congress adopted a device "for an armorial achievement and reverse of the Great Seal for the United States in Congress assembled," as follows:

ARMS: Paleways of thirteen pieces, argent and gules; a chief azure; the escutcheon on the breast of an American eagle displayed proper, holding in his dexter talon an olive branch, and in his sinister, a bundle of thirteen arrows, all proper, and in his beak a scroll inscribed with the motto, “E pluribus unum.”

CREST: Over the head of the eagle, which appears above the escutcheon, a glory, or, breaking through a cloud, proper, and surrounding thirteen stars, forming a constellation, argent, on an azure field.

REVERSE: A pyramid unfinished. In the zenith, an eye in a triangle surrounded with glory, proper. Over the eye these words: “Annuit coeptis." On the base of the pyramid, the numerical letters, "MDCCLXXVI," and underneath the following motto: "Novus ordo seclorum."

The report of the committee recommending the adoption of the device, was accompanied by the following explanation:

The escutcheon is composed of the chief and pale, the two most honorable ordinaries. The pieces pales represent the several states all joined in one solid compact entire, supporting a chief, which unites the whole and represents Congress. The motto alludes to this union. The pales in the arms are kept closely united by the chief, and the chief depends on that union and the strength resulting from it for its support, to denote the confederacy of the United States of America; and the preservation of their union through Congress. The colors of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; white signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and the blue, the color of the chief, signifies vigilant perseverance and justice. The olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace and war, which is exclusively vested in Congress. The constellation denotes a new state taking its place and rank among other sovereign powers. The escutcheon is borne 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. The pyramid on the reverse signifies strength and duration. The eye over it and the motto allude to the many signal interpositions of Providence in favor of the American cause. The date underneath is that of the Declaration of Independence, and the words underneath it signify the beginning of the new American era, which commences from that date.

The Latin motto over the eye on the reverse of the seal, “Annuit coeptis," translated is "God has favored the undertaking." The words. beneath the unfinished pyramid, "Novus ordo seclorum," designate "A new series of ages."

The first die for the seal was cut in 1782, and was used continually until 1841, when, having become so worn that a perfect impression could not be made, Daniel Webster, at that time Secretary of State,

ordered a new die. The order was made without authority from Congress, and resulted in the use for more than twenty years of an illegal seal. Secretary Webster gave the order for cutting the new die to a jeweler in a small town in Maryland. The die was made and accepted by the Secretary, and used by him, notwithstanding the cutter had materially deviated from the design adopted by Congress. Two differences may be noted. In the pales the red were twice the size of the whites, when all should have been equal. Instead of thirteen arrows in the eagle's sinister talon there were only six. This was corrected in 1883, and a new die made, according in every respect to the design adopted by Congress. The die now in use was cut in 1902. No die has ever been made of the reverse of the seal.