Delaware State Motto: Liberty and Independence

Delaware's state motto is Liberty and Independence. The motto was adopted in 1777 as part of the Great Seal, created when Delaware approved its first state constitution and formally established itself as a government separate from Pennsylvania and from British authority.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, doing so unanimously on December 7, 1787 — earning the nickname the First State. The motto had been in place for a decade by then, already embedded in the identity of a state that moved faster than any other to commit to the new American republic.

Delaware's political identity predates independence. Under William Penn's charter, Delaware operated as the Three Lower Counties on Delaware, and its assembly had functioned separately from Pennsylvania's since 1704. When independence came in 1776, Delaware already had the governing structure to act as its own state.

Delaware declared independence from Britain in 1776 and drafted its first state constitution. In 1777, the General Assembly adopted the Great Seal of Delaware, placing the motto "Liberty and Independence" on a banner at the bottom of the seal. The seal also included a Continental soldier, a farmer, a sheaf of wheat, an ear of corn, an ox, and a ship — each representing what Delaware was at the moment of founding.

The motto has remained unchanged since 1777. The seal itself was updated in 2004 to reflect the dates 1704, 1776, and 1787 in the outer ring, connecting the seal to Delaware's separate assembly, independence, and first-state ratification — but the motto stayed the same.