The motto E pluribus unum appears on the Great Seal of the United States.
The Latin phrase means “Out of many, one,” expressing the idea of unity formed from separate states and people. It appears on the scroll held in the bald eagle’s beak on the seal’s obverse design. The eagle also holds an olive branch and arrows, representing peace and war.
Congress accepted the final design of the Great Seal on June 20, 1782. Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, combined elements from proposals developed by three earlier committees. The design includes thirteen stars, thirteen arrows, thirteen stripes, and other references to the original states.
E pluribus unum is not the same as the later national motto, “In God We Trust,” which Congress adopted as the official motto in 1956. “Annuit coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” appear on the reverse of the Great Seal.