The United States adopted the design of its Great Seal in 1782.
Congress approved the final design on June 20, 1782, after six years of work involving three committees and contributions from fourteen people. Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, combined elements from earlier proposals into the accepted design.
The obverse shows a bald eagle carrying an olive branch and thirteen arrows. These objects traditionally symbolize the preference for peace but the readiness for war. The shield has thirteen stripes, and the eagle holds a scroll bearing the Latin motto E pluribus unum, meaning “Out of many, one.”
The reverse includes an unfinished pyramid, an Eye of Providence, and the mottos Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum. The seal was first used in September 1782 on a document authorizing George Washington to negotiate a prisoner exchange. It remains the official seal of the federal government.