Great Seal of the United States
Great Seal of the United States
Reverse of the Seal
Details
Armiger
The United States of America
Adopted
1782
Crest
A glory Or, breaking through a
cloud proper, surrounding a
constellation of thirteen stars
argent, on an azure field
Escutcheon Paleways of 13 pieces, argent
and gules; a chief, azure
Supporters A Bald Eagle displayed
Motto
E pluribus unum
Other
elements
In the eagle’s dexter talon an
olive branch; in its sinister talon
thirteen arrows; in its beak, a
scroll bearing the motto; the
reverse bears "A pyramid
unfinished. In the zenith an eye
in a triangle, surrounded by a
glory, proper."
Use
On treaties, commissions, and
more
The Great Seal of the United States is
used to authenticate certain documents is-
sued by the United States federal govern-
ment. The phrase is used both for the physic-
al seal itself (which is kept by the United
States Secretary of State), and more gener-
ally for the design impressed upon it. The
Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782.
The design on the obverse of the great
seal is the national coat of arms of the United
States.[1] It is officially used on documents
such as United States passports, military in-
signia, embassy placards, and various flags.
As a coat of arms, the design has official col-
ors; the physical Great Seal itself, as affixed
to paper, is monochrome.
Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal
appear on the reverse of the one-dollar bill.
The Seal of the President of the United States
is directly based on the Great Seal, and its
elements are used in numerous government
agency and state seals.
Design
Obverse
The design on the obverse (or front) of the
seal is the coat of arms of the United States.
The shield, though sometimes drawn incor-
rectly, has two main differences from the
American flag. First, it has no stars on the
blue chief (though other arms based on it do:
the chief of the arms of the United States
Senate may show 13 or 50 , and the shield of
the 9/11 Commission has, sometimes, 50 mul-
lets on the chief). Secon