On July 4th 1776 this country officially declared its independence from Great Britain. That same day the Continental Congress appointed the first of three committees which would be tasked with designing the Great Seal of the United States. It took the contributions of fourteen people, over the course of 6 years, to arrive at the Seal we see today. The names of some of those who worked on the Seal are familiar to most Americans, others have names none of us ever heard in American History class. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were all members of the First Committee, but so was Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, an artist born in Geneva, Switzerland who emigrated to America in the mid-1700's. The design which the First Committee eventually submitted to Congress had an excess of religious connotation, and was rejected.
The Second Committee was entirely American-born, but each hailed from a different state. The design they submitted to the Continental Congress was stripped of religious overtones and bore a theme of 'war and peace' instead. Congress, however, was still not satisfied and, in May 1782, appointed the Third Committee. The design submitted by the Third Committee saw a return of the religious phrasing seen in the first design, while maintaining the 'war and peace' motifs of the Second Committee. Congress was again unwilling to accept the design submitted and, in June 1782, turned the whole project over to Congressional Secretary Charles Thomson.
Combining elements from each of the three committees, and adding a few touches of his own, Thomson designed a seal which he presented to the Continental Congress on June 20th 1782. It was accepted that same day. After the formation of the Federal Government in 1789, the United States Congress officially ordered that, 'the seal heretofore used by the United States in Congress, shall be, and hereby is declared to be, the seal of the United States.'
It took MANY people, over MANY years, to give us the ONE Great Seal we have today. A Great Seal bearing the phrase E Pluribus Unum, and that is just one of the reasons that E Pluribus Unum is a motto that truly represents this nation.
From thirteen states, huddled along the eastern seaboard, this nation grew. Spreading ever westward until it stretched from 'sea to shining sea'. MANY states coming together to form ONE great nation. The people of this nation are just as varied as its landscapes. They have come from MANY different countries, with MANY different backgrounds to form ONE people, and they have come from MANY different belief systems to form ONE secular government.
E Pluribus Unum represents all the people of this nation and it represents me. My earliest known ancestors came to this country during the Wisconsin Glaciation. More recent members of my bloodline have come from all over Europe and Asia. I am an American Suma (suma this, and suma that), and from my MANY ancestors has come ONE person who truly believes in E Pluribus Unum.