Editing 13 (number) (section)

== History ==
{{Improve|reason=This coverage of 13 in American heraldry must be shortened. It should be treated as no more or less important than the religious content. All of this non-math content must be strictly focused on the meaning of the number to these groups.|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg|thumb|The [[Great Seal of the United States]] features several groupings which consist of 13 things of the same type e.g. 13 olive leaves, 13 stars, 13 arrows.]]
*The United States of America was created from [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen British colonies]] and as such, the number thirteen is a commonly recurring motif in [[United States heraldry|American heraldry]]. For example, there are thirteen stars on the [[Great Seal of the United States]] and there are thirteen stripes on the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] as well as thirteen rays on the [[Flag of Arizona]].
**The first flag of the United States bore thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, and thirteen white stars in the blue union. The thirteen stripes represented the [[Thirteen Colonies]] from which the United States was created, and the thirteen stars represented the number of states in the new nation.  When two new states were added to the Union in 1795, the flag bore fifteen stars and fifteen stripes.  With the addition of five new states in 1818, the number of stripes was re-set and permanently fixed at thirteen.
**The [[Great Seal of the United States]] bears many images of the number thirteen, representing the [[Thirteen Colonies]] from which the United States was created.  On the Seal's obverse, the overhead glory bears thirteen stars. The chest shield in front of the spread eagle bears thirteen stripes (seven white and six red). The eagle's right talon holds the Olive Branch of Peace, bearing thirteen olives and thirteen olive leaves. The eagle's left talon holds the Weapons of War, consisting of thirteen arrows. The eagle's mouth holds a scroll bearing the national motto "E Pluribus Unum" (which, by coincidence, consists of thirteen letters).  On the Seal's reverse, the unfinished pyramid consists of thirteen levels.