What does the Latin motto E pluribus unum on the Great Seal of the United States mean?
Answer
Out of many, one
The Latin motto E pluribus unum on the Great Seal of the United States means “Out of many, one.”
The phrase expresses the idea that one nation emerged from many colonies and states. It appears on a scroll held in the bald eagle’s beak on the front, or obverse, of the Great Seal. The wording contains 13 letters, a symbolic reference to the original Thirteen Colonies.
E pluribus unum was approved for the seal in 1782 and served for many years as the United States’ de facto national motto. Congress adopted “In God We Trust” as the official national motto in 1956, but E pluribus unum remains a traditional national motto and continues to appear on the Great Seal and U.S. coins. The other two Latin phrases on the seal are Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum.