Editing Great Seal of the United States (section)

===First committee===
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| footer            = Interpretation of the first committee's seal proposal, made by [[Benson John Lossing|Benson Lossing]] in 1856. The obverse drawing is slightly incorrect; the linked state initials should be on the shield itself.
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The first committee consisted of [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and [[John Adams]]. While they were three of the five primary authors of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], they had little experience in [[heraldry]] and sought the help of [[Pierre Eugene du Simitiere]], an artist living in Philadelphia who would later also design the state seals of Delaware and New Jersey and start a museum of the Revolutionary War. Each of these men proposed a design for the seal.

Franklin chose an allegorical scene from [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], described in his notes as "[[Moses]] standing on the Shore, and extending his Hand over the Sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm [[Pharaoh]] who is sitting in an open Chariot, a Crown on his Head and a Sword in his Hand. Rays from a [[Pillar of Fire (theophany)|Pillar of Fire]] in the Clouds reaching to Moses, to express that he acts by Command of the Deity." Motto, "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."

Jefferson suggested a depiction of the [[Israelites|Children of Israel]] in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for the front of the seal; and [[Hengist and Horsa|Hengest and Horsa]], the two brothers who were the legendary leaders of the first [[Anglo-Saxon]] settlers in [[Great Britain|Britain]], for the reverse side of the seal. Adams chose a painting known as the "Judgment of Hercules" where the young [[Hercules]] must choose to travel either on the flowery path of self-indulgence or the rugged, more difficult, uphill path of duty to others and honor to himself.<ref name="gsfirst">{{cite web |url = http://www.greatseal.com/committees/firstcomm/index.html |title = First Great Seal Committee: July–August 1776 |publisher = greatseal.com |first = John D. |last = MacArthur |access-date = February 3, 2009 |archive-date = October 2, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231002225748/http://www.greatseal.com/committees/firstcomm/index.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

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| image2            = Continental Currency One-Third-Dollar 17-Feb-76 rev.jpg
| footer            = du Simitiere's initial sketch, and Franklin's earlier design on a 1776 currency note
| image3            = First rejected U.S. coat of arms.svg
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In August 1776, du Simitière showed his design, which was more along conventional heraldic lines. The shield had six sections, each representing "the Countries from which these States have been peopled" (using the symbols for [[Tudor rose|England]], [[Thistle#Scottish thistle|Scotland]], [[Coat of arms of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Fleur-de-lis|France]], [[Coat of arms of Germany#Holy Roman Empire|Germany]], and [[Dutch Republic Lion|Holland]]), surrounded by the initials of all thirteen states. The [[supporters]] were a female figure representing [[Liberty (personification)|Liberty]] holding an anchor of hope and a spear with a [[Phrygian cap|cap]], and on the other side an American soldier holding a rifle and tomahawk. The [[crest (heraldry)|crest]] was the "[[Eye of Providence]] in a radiant Triangle whose [[Halo (religious iconography)|Glory]] extends over the Shield and beyond the Figures", and the motto ''[[E Pluribus Unum]]'' (Out of Many, One) in a scroll at the bottom.<ref name="ahdesign">{{cite web |url = http://americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Official.NatDev1 |title = The Arms of the USA: Development of the Design |access-date = February 3, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090624214853/http://americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Official.NatDev1 |archive-date = June 24, 2009 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

On August 20, 1776, the committee presented their report to Congress. The committee members chose du Simitière's design, though it was changed to remove the anchor of hope and replace the soldier with [[Lady Justice]] holding a sword and a balance. Surrounding the main elements was the inscription "Seal of the United States of America MDCCLXXVI". For the reverse, Franklin's design of Moses parting the Red Sea was used. Congress was however not impressed, and on the same day ordered that the report "[[Table (parliamentary)|lie on the table]]", ending the work of the committee.<ref name="heraldica">{{cite web |url = http://www.heraldica.org/topics/usa/usheroff.htm |title = Official Heraldry of the United States |access-date = February 3, 2009 |archive-date = February 6, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090206143610/http://heraldica.org/topics/usa/usheroff.htm |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:GentlemansMagazine1737Vol7.jpg|thumb|1737 ''[[Gentleman's Magazine]]'' title page]]
While the designs in their entirety were not used, the ''E Pluribus Unum'' motto was chosen for the final seal, and the reverse used the Roman numeral for 1776 and the Eye of Providence. Jefferson also liked Franklin's motto so much, he ended up using it on his personal seal.<ref name="gsfirst"/>

The motto was almost certainly taken from the title page of ''[[The Gentleman's Magazine|Gentleman's Magazine]]'', a monthly magazine published in London which had used it from its first edition in 1731, and was well known in the colonies.<ref name="statepub"/> The motto alluded to the magazine being a collection of articles obtained from other newspapers, and was used in most of its editions until 1833. The motto was taken in turn from ''Gentleman's Journal'', a similar magazine which ran briefly from 1692 to 1694. While variants turn up in other places (for example a poem often ascribed to [[Virgil]] called ''Moretum'' contains the phrase ''E Pluribus Unus''), this is the oldest known use of the exact phrase.<ref name="ahsource">{{cite web |url = http://americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Official.National |title = The Arms of the USA: Blazon and Symbolism |access-date = February 3, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017200215/http://americanheraldry.org/pages/index.php?n=Official.National |archive-date = October 17, 2007 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="tottenv2">{{cite book |last = Totten |first = C.A.L. |author-link = C. A. L. Totten |title = The Seal of History, Vol II |year = 1897 |url = https://archive.org/details/sealofhistoryour02tottiala |pages = [https://archive.org/details/sealofhistoryour02tottiala/page/122 122]–3 }}</ref> Another source was some of the [[Continental (currency)|Continental currency]] issued earlier in 1776; these were designed by Franklin and featured the motto ''We Are One'' surrounded by thirteen rings, each with the name of a colony.<ref name="franklincurr">{{cite web |url = http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/CurrencyText/CC-02-17-76.html |title = Continental Currency: February 17, 1776 |last = Jordan |first = Louis |publisher = University of Notre Dame |access-date = February 3, 2009 |archive-date = December 25, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081225064830/http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/CurrencyText/CC-02-17-76.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="gsmoney">{{cite web |url = http://www.greatseal.com/mottoes/unummoney.html |title = Symbols of Unity on Continental Currency |publisher = greatseal.com |first = John D. |last = MacArthur |access-date = February 3, 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This design is echoed in the seal submitted by the first committee, and the motto was quite possibly a Latin version of this concept.<ref name="tottenv2"/>

The [[Eye of Providence]] had been a well-known classical symbol of the deity since at least the [[Renaissance]], which du Simitiere was familiar with.<ref name="eagleshieldeye">[https://archive.org/stream/TheEagleAndTheShield/The%20Eagle%20and%20the%20Shield#page/n577/mode/2up ''The Eagle and the Shield'', p. 531]. Some examples include the [[Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc|Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Czech Republic]] built from 1716–1754 (seen [[:File:Holy Trinity Column - Love.jpg|here]]), the [[Gate of Dawn]] in Vilnius, built between 1503 and 1522 (seen [[:File:Vilnius Dawn Gate.jpg|here]]), the [[Aachen Cathedral]] (seen [[:File:Allsehendes Auge am Tor des Aachener Dom.JPG|here]], inscription dated 1766), the [[:File:Morgagni adversaria anatomica omnia 1762.jpg|cover of a 1762 book]] by [[Giovanni Battista Morgagni]], or the 1789 French [[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]] (seen [[:File:Declaration of Human Rights.jpg|here]]).</ref><ref name="totten"/>