“E pluribus unum” became the first national motto of the United States and appears on the Great Seal, a symbol relevant to America250.
The Latin phrase means “Out of many, one.” It was proposed for the Great Seal in 1782 and placed on the seal’s scroll held in the eagle’s beak. The wording expressed the idea that separate states and peoples formed one union, making it especially suitable for the early republic.
The phrase was not created specifically for the United States. A similar motto had appeared on the cover of the Gentlemen’s Magazine, a London periodical, and its use reflected older European traditions of expressing unity from diversity. In the United States, it appeared on coins and currency as well as the Great Seal.
“In God We Trust” became the official national motto in 1956, so the two phrases are sometimes confused. “E pluribus unum” remains on the Great Seal and many U.S. coins, while “Annuit coeptis” and “Novus ordo seclorum” are separate Latin phrases on the reverse of the seal.