Editing Francis Hopkinson (section)

==Great Seal of the United States==
In 1776. Hopkinson designed the Great Seal of New Jersey with assistance from [[Pierre Eugene du Simitiere]] in 1776.<ref>Hastings, p. 217.</ref> He was thus chosen as a consultant to design the [[Great Seal of the United States]].<ref name=Patterson>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/TheEagleAndTheShield/The%20Eagle%20and%20the%20Shield#page/n81|title=The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States|last1=Patterson|first1=Richard Sharpe|last2=Dougall|first2=Richardson|publisher= Washington : Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, Dept. of State : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off.|date=1978|orig-year=1976 i.e. 1978|series=Department and Foreign Service series; 161 Department of State publication; 8900|lccn=78602518|oclc=4268298|page=32}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc01845))|title=Journals of the Continental Congress --FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1780|website=memory.loc.gov}}</ref><ref>Buescher, John. [http://www.teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/23852 "All Wrapped up in the Flag"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923065711/http://www.teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/23852 |date=September 23, 2011 }}, [http://www.teachinghistory.org Teachinghistory.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205612/https://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24484 |date=September 26, 2018 }}, accessed August 21, 2011.</ref> Fourteen men worked on the Great Seal of the United States, including two other consultants – Simitiere (first Great Seal committee) and [[William Barton (heraldist)|William Barton]] (third committee).<ref name="Williams2">{{cite journal|last1=Williams |first1=Earl P. Jr.|title=A Civil Servant Designed Our National Banner: The Unsung Legacy of Francis Hopkinson|journal=The New Constellation (Newsletter of the National Flag Foundation)|date=June 14, 1996|volume=Special Edition #7|page=8}}</ref>  The seal was finalized on June 20, 1782.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/TheEagleAndTheShield/The+Eagle+and+the+Shield#page/n127|title=The eagle and the shield : a history of the great seal of the United States|website=archive.org|year=1978 }}</ref>

In the current rendition of the Great Seal of the United States, the 13 stars (constellation) representing the 13 original states have five points. They are arranged in the shape of a larger star with six points. The constellation comprising 13 smaller stars symbolizes the national motto, "E pluribus unum." Originally, the design had individual stars with six points, but this was changed in 1841 when a new die was cast. This seal is now impressed upon the reverse of the [[United States one-dollar bill]]. The reverse of the seal, designed by Barton, contains an unfinished pyramid below a radiant eye. The unfinished pyramid was an image used by Hopkinson when he designed the Continental $50 currency bill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Continental_$50_note_1778.jpg|title=wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Continental_$50_note_1778}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coins.nd.edu/ColCurrency/CurrencyText/CC-09-26-78.html|title=Continental Currency: September 26, 1778|website=coins.nd.edu}}</ref><ref>Patterson and Dougall, p. 68</ref>