On what date did Congress approve the design of the Great Seal of the United States?

Congress approved the design of the Great Seal of the United States on June 20, 1782.

The seal’s final design was largely prepared by Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, with heraldic work by William Barton. Its obverse shows an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, while its reverse displays an unfinished pyramid beneath an Eye of Providence.

The Roman numerals MDCCLXXVI at the pyramid’s base represent 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence. The seal also includes the Latin mottoes “E Pluribus Unum,” “Annuit cœptis,” and “Novus ordo seclorum.” These elements connect the new government to unity, national beginnings, and providential imagery.

The first brass die was made later in 1782, and the seal was first used on September 16 to authenticate a document concerning a prisoner exchange. Approval of the design and first use are therefore separate dates, a distinction often overlooked in accounts of the emblem.