The Great Seal of the United States was first used in 1782.
The Continental Congress appointed its first committee to design a national seal on July 4, 1776, the same day it adopted the Declaration of Independence. Congress needed an official emblem for authenticating treaties, diplomatic papers, and other national documents.
The design took six years, involved three committees, and drew contributions from 14 men. Congress accepted the final design on June 20, 1782. Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson assembled major elements, while William Barton contributed heraldic work. The first brass die was made later that year.
The seal’s obverse shows a bald eagle carrying an olive branch and arrows, with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing the original states. Its reverse includes an unfinished pyramid, the Eye of Providence, and the Roman numeral MDCCLXXVI for 1776. The seal’s Latin mottoes include E pluribus unum, meaning “Out of many, one.”