Did you know series (13): The Great Seal of the United States of America: The significance of the mottoes “E.Pluribus Unum”, “Annuit Coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” and the symbols on the Seal and the U.S. currency/coinage:

Did you know series (13): The Great Seal of the United States of America:

The significance of the mottoes “E.Pluribus Unum”, “Annuit Coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum”

and the symbols on the Seal and the U.S. currency/coinage:

The three mottos on the great seal of the United States of America:

The above is an image of the obverse of the Great Seal (Eagle side).
It, inter alia, contains the undernoted motto :

1)  E Pluribus Unum: 

This inscription in Latin is found on the seal of the United States of America and all the coins minted by the US Mint at its various mints located in Denver, Philadelphia, and San Francisco etc. How many of us actually know what it means or why does it find a prominent place on US coinage mostly on the obverse of the coin, with the exception of dimes where it is found on the reverse, due to size/space constraints and, as an edge inscription on one dollar coins, as well as, on the one-dollar bill (since 1935).

This phrase/motto literally means “Out of many One” and was adopted by the US Congress in 1782 along with the phrases “Annuit coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” to be used in the seal of the United States of America. 

“E Pluribus Unum” appears on the obverse of the seal while “Annuit coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” appear on the reverse of the seal. 

Interestingly, both “E Pluribus Unum” and “Annuit coeptis” consist of 13 letters each, which have led  historians to believe that the 13 letters represent the 13 colonies/states which joined together to become the United States of America. 

Origins: “E Pluribus Unum” may have its origins in “Heraclitus” in which it is mentioned as “Out of all things one”, or “one out of all things”. 

Virgil too has used a variation of this phrase in a poem “colour est e pluribus unus” in which he has used the phrase to describe the blending of colours into one colour.

At the time of the American Revolution, the phrase was carried in “The Gentlemen’s Magazine” and was suggested for inclusion in the Federal seal by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere (an artistic consultant to the Committees that designed the Great Seal of the United States) to the committee seized with recommending the seal to the US Congress for its consideration. 

(For numismatists, it may be of interest to know that Du Simitiere’s coin collection (contained in a mahogany cabinet and consisting of gold, silver, copper coins and medals), is the first record in American history in which the collection served as a collateral to a loan taken by him, and on his default, sold at a public auction by Matthew Clarkson and Ebenezer Hazard in 1785. The next known/recorded sale of this kind is only 43 years later in 1828).

The phrase at the time of its active consideration for inclusion in the Federal seal gained currency, because it seemed to symbolize the mood of the young American Nation that out of many colonies/States representing many people, religions, races etc. has emerged a single people and a united nation.

Since being enacted into law in 1782 by the US Congress, “E Pluribus Unum” has been like the de facto motto of the United States and the first coins which were struck with this motto bear the date 1786 and were issued by the State of New Jersey.

Myth about the Eagle side:

-          The American Bald Eagle and a Phoenix were together placed in the design suggested by the third Great Seal Committee, the American bald Eagle and the Phoenix symbolizing the birth of a new nation from the ashes of the British Empire. Nevertheless Charles Thomson’s eagle design (he was a member of the third Committee on the Great Seal design and was a Latin expert), was approved by the Congress, as the National icon, being the more favoured design by Congress.
 

Why was the American Bald Eagle the preferred symbol for the Great Seal?

-          More than 5000 years ago, the Sumerian city of Lagash had adopted the Eagle as its symbol of Divinity, fascinated by the majestic sight of an Eagle soaring in the skies.

-          The powerful Roman Legions carried Standards which had sculptured eagles as symbols of Sovereignty on top and the Great Seal bore several (3) Latin inscriptions as its mottoes.

-          The Bald Eagle is found in North America only and because of its great strength and grandeur in flight had more weightage in its favour than the mythical bird “Phoenix”. 

-          Nevertheless, one and a half centuries later, because of its declining population due to Environmental Degradation, illegal shooting by poachers and bounty hunters etc. in 1940,the US Congress passed the "Bald Eagle Protection Act". The Worldwide Fund for Nature too has taken several initiatives in coordination with US based Agencies/Groups to save this Bird which is the USA's symbol of Freedom and Democracy.

 In 1956 the U.S. Congress adopted another phrase “In God We Trust” as the official motto.

-          

 Obverse of a 1957 five cent coin (Nickel) from my mother-in-law’s collection, which is one of the first few coins to be minted with the new motto “In God We Trust”.

-     Also notice that this nickel has no mint mark. 

 The reverse of the above coin shows the motto "E. Pluribus Unum" along with an image of Monticello.

-          An image of a  1995 nickel which carries the Philadelphia mint mark “P”, unlike the 1957 coin.It also carries the motto "In God We Trust".

Reverse of the above coin also showing the motto "E.Pluribus Unum".

Obverse of a 2010 uncirculated coin in my collection showing the motto "In God We Trust" and the word "Liberty".

I have in my collection the US Penny from the uncirculated coin sets of 2010 and 2011, which features the phrase “E Pluribus Unum” together with a shield having 13 vertical stripes taken from the obverse of the Great Seal which has replaced the earlier design from 2010 onwards. 

 Reverse of the above uncirculated penny showing the new design introduced in 2010 with the shield from the Obverse (eagle side) of the Great Seal and the motto "E.Pluribus Unum". Also notice that the inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" has the letter "O" in capitals in the new design, as against the earlier design shown below where "OF" is spelt as "oF".

Obverse of a penny issued in 1971 from the Denver Mint.

Reverse of the earlier design showing the Lincoln Memorial and "oF" in the United States of America.

Obverse of a coin  issued by Denver Mint in 1984.

 Reverse of the same coin showing "oF" spelt in the peculiar fashion, an error which has been rectified in the recent penny issues. These last two coins were picked up by me at Heathrow Airport where a passenger suddenly took them out of his purse and threw them on the ground, little realising that he was throwing away a part of his own History, told by these little pennies of a person who played such an important part in the shaping of the USA as well as the motto "E.Pluribus Unum" (out of many - one) which several patriotic Americans took pride in , for over two centuries.

Take a look at this uncirculated half dollar coin issued by Philadelphia mint (mint mark "P" below Kennedy's image) in my collection which has JFK on the obverse and a replica of the great seal on the reverse. It shows the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”, 13 stripes on the shield and 13 stars, 13 arrows, 13 olives etc. and the whole image is surrounded by 50 stars representing the States which now form the United States of America. The half dollar coin does not circulate widely, but is mostly brought out as a Collector's coin.

The above is an image of the reverse side of the Great Seal.

2)   Annuit Coeptis:

This is the other motto on the reverse of the Great seal of the United States. In English it stands for “He approves/has approved of the undertakings” or “our undertaking has been favoured”. 

Annuit Coeptis has its origins in the “Aeneid” (Book IX) also written by Virgil. 

While designing the Great seal the “Eye of Providence” was taken from a design suggested by William Barton , a design artist from Philadelphia whose two suggested mottos “Deo Favente”(meaning “with God Favouring”) and “Perennis” (meaning “Everlasting”) did not find favour  of the Committee , instead the Committee settled for “Annuit Coeptis” and “Novo ordo seclorum” based on the suggestions of Charles Thomas (who was a former Latin teacher  and perhaps, Virgil was his favourite poet) . 

Also, Barton’s suggestion that the seal should, also, contain a thirteen layered pyramid underneath the Eye was accepted by the Committee.

 Notice that the mottos "Annuit Coeptis" , the Eye of Providence , the 13 layered pyramid, the motto "Novus Ordo Seclorum" are seen on the reverse of the seal on the back of this one dollar issued in 1978 and the front of the seal with the American Eagle and the motto "E. Pluribus Unum" , the 13 arrows, the 13 berries on the olive branch, the 13 stars etc. is seen on the right hand side.

3)   “Novus Ordo seclorum”: 

The third motto on the seal in English stands for “New Order of the Ages” and is found on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States. 

Since 1935, it is also printed on the back of the one-dollar bill. This phrase is taken as a version from the fourth Eclogue of Virgil which inter alia mentions “Magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo” meaning “The Great Order of the Ages is born afresh”. This motto was proposed by Charles Thomson, while the Great Seal of the United States was being designed and it signifies the beginning of a new era in America with the adoption of the Declaration of American Independence.

But then, “Novus ordo seclorum” has seventeen letters which does not fit into the theory that all phrases carried on the Seal consist of 13 letters, although two phrases on the seal do qualify for this assumption.

4)   The Year MDCCLXXVI (in English 1776): 

At the bottom of the pyramid on the back of the Note is a date enumerated in Roman numeral MDCCLXXVI, which has been the subject matter of great speculation. The straight-forward meaning emerging from using these numerals is:

M = 1000

D = 500

C = 100

L = 50

X = 10

V = 5

I = 1

If one adds up all these numbers, i.e. 1000+500+100+100+50+10+5+1 = 1776.

It is pertinent to note that the year 1776 was considered so important, that, even though there were 14 states by the time the Great Seal was adopted in 1782, the number of stripes, stars and arrows was set at 13, the number of States which originally joined the Federation in 1776.

This year is described in the Great seal and the motto “Novus ordo seclorum” below it is explained by Thomson as: “The date is that of the declaration of Independence and the words under it signify the beginning of the new American Era, which commences from that date.” 

This fact is affirmed in the document on which the Great Seal first appeared by the Creators of the Seal who gave due importance to the year 1776.

Misconceptions about the year 1776:

1)   Nowhere has it been written that one should read all the numbers in the Roman numerals MDCCLXVI together to arrive at the year 1776. Hence, among skeptics, there is a belief that if the Roman numeral M is omitted from this number along with one C, then, when you add the remaining numbers in twos, then an interesting combination of numbers emerges:

D = 500

C = 100 (D and C in Latin total to 600)

L = 50

X = 10 (L and X in Latin total to 60)

V = 5

I = 1 (V and I in Latin total to 6)

Thus, if all these numbers are taken together, one gets the number 666, in other words the sign of the “Devil”. This seems to be a willful twisting of interpretations by vested interests. Why should one not take into account an M and a C which are vital to denote the year 1776, and which numerals were approved by the Congress?

Another interpretation is:

(Illuminati/Illuminist hidden meaning in the number MDCCLXXVI)

          MDC = 1600

 CLX = 160

 XVI = 163

The first two digits of these numbers i.e. 16 add up to 7 +7+7 (or 3x7) = 21 and the year 1776 also totals to 21.

1= Beginning; 6 = Man; 7 = God; 8 – The new beginning; 10 or 0 = Testimony; 21 =exceedingly sinfulness of sin.

Thus, after a series of calculations/interpretations, an occult (hidden) meaning emerges:

“The year 1776 is the beginning year in which man is placed above God through exceeding sinfulness of sin. This is the testimony of the Illuminati”.

(To me this looks more like a distorted message planted by the then losing British sympathasizers at the time of the American Revolution who wanted the young American nation to get off to a false/wrong start. After all the importance of 1776 in American History cannot be undermined).

2)   When you add MDCLXVI (1000+500+100+50+10+5+1) or 1666 (again containing the numerals 666). But, then, why should one omit a C (100) and X (10) which were originally envisaged to depict the year 1776, keeping in view, that the approach to the wordings/numerals of the seal were in Latin.

3)  It is said that the MASONS held secret influence over the fledgling American nation and left a proof in that if one puts a six pointed Star over the two Latin mottos on the reverse one gets the tips of the star points spelling out (clockwise) “ASMON” an anagram for “MASON”.

Dan Brown has taken this as an example in his “The Conspiracy Theory”. (If you ask me “ASMON” in Urdu or Arabic means “the Sky”, therefore, could the Seal designers have also, meant “The Sky is the Limit” for the young American Nation (Notice that the "illuminated" sixth point of the Star is actually pointing towards the Sky).? Or were they working towards increasing their influence all over the World particularly, in the Middle-East and were the recent interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan a culmination of what the Founding fathers of the Great Seal had envisaged two centuries ago? Perhaps, some enterprising writer could also research this aspect and arrive at another best-seller!! :-).

The two sides of the Seal have natural and cultural symbols: that combine to create a very eloquent design. As Charles Thomson who was advising the Committee on the Great Seal design was a Latin expert, the several images are complimented by the three Latin mottoes and a date in Roman numerals. 

Symbols on the Obverse side:

-          Rays (representing the dawn of a new era) breaking through a cloud (freedom from British Rule).

-          Constellation of 13 Stars (Representing the 13 States which had initially joined the American Federation in 1776).

-          The American Bald Eagle: Holds arrows in its left and olives in its right talons. The eagle faces left towards the olives which represent the ancient symbol of peace indicating that it favours peace but is ready for war in case of need (arrows). 

-          E Pluribus Unum : (Explained in detail above)

-          Bundle of 13 Arrows : held in the left talon of the American Bald Eagle bunched together (this symbolism, perhaps was inspired by an initial design of a Red Indian warrior holding a bow and arrow with a quiver of arrows denoting the readiness or power to defend the hard won Independence)

-          Olive Branch with 13 leaves and 13 olives/ berries:  held in the right talon of the American Bald Eagle ( this symbolism was perhaps inspired by an initial design of a lady representing Peace bearing an olive branch or the Nation’s willingness to be at peace with all nations of the World).

-          Shield with 13 vertical stripes:  It has a blue horizontal bar and red and white pales (i.e. 13 vertical stripes) which represent the 13 States all joined as one, supporting the blue Horizontal Bar (which represents the Union).

Symbols on the Reverse:

-          Annuit Coeptis (13 letters): (explained in detail above).

-          Eye at the top of the Pyramid:(indicating that the “Eye of Providence” has favoured the young American Nation and will continue to protect the people and enterprises of the 13 States in future too and by logical extension, any other people or states that join the Union in future). It also signifies “Eternal Vigilance”.

-          13 layered unfinished Pyramid: (indicating that 13 States have joined the Union initially and it is the endeavour of the Nation to get more states to join the Union to build up a great nation).

-          MDCCLXXVI: (explained in detail).

-          Novus Ordo Seclorum: (explained in detail above).

 Uses of the Great Seal: 

Thus, we have seen that, the Great Seal of the U.S.A. has “Annuit Coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” on the reverse and “E Pluribus Unum” on the obverse.

 This image is used as the National emblem of the U.S.A. and also appears on official documents, for eg: passports. It also appears on the seals of the Vice President of the United States, the Congress, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Supreme Court.

Links: 

1) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2010

2) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2011

3) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2012

4) America and the Beautiful Quarters 2013

5)State Commemorative Quarters

6) Native American Themed one dollar coins

7) Susan B. Anthony, Civil Rights Leader - one dollar Commemorative coin

8) America The Beautiful Quarters 2014

9) Westward Journey Nickel Series 2004-2006

10) New $ 100 Bill with Additional Security Features

11) The Strange Case of me becoming a US Citizen, without even applying for it, thanks to the US MInt

12) US Bicentennial Coins

13) America the Beautiful Quarters Programme - 2015

14) Forever Stamps: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the US Civil War 1861-1865

15) Commemorating the 225th Anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service with coins

16) American Gold Buffalo Coins

17) American Eagle Gold Coins

18) America the Beautiful Quarters - 2016