Great Seal of Massachusetts
Great Seal of Massachusetts
Official State Seal of Massachusetts
State Seal of Massachusetts
- First designed
- 1775 (Paul Revere)
- Formally adopted
- 1780
- Central figure
- Wampanoag figure
- Motto
- Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem
- Commission review
- 2024–present
Massachusetts State Seal History and Origin
Paul Revere designed the first Massachusetts seal in 1775 for the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, before independence was declared. The design incorporated a Wampanoag figure with a downward bow, a five-pointed star, a sword-bearing arm, and the motto "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem," a phrase attributed to Algernon Sidney, who was executed in 1683 for opposing absolute royal power.
When Massachusetts adopted its constitution in 1780, the oldest functioning written state constitution in continuous use in the United States, the seal was formally incorporated as the official emblem of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts styled itself a Commonwealth rather than a state, a distinction preserved in the border inscription "Sigillum Reipublicae Massachusettensis."
In 2024, Massachusetts established the Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission to develop recommendations for possible new state symbols. That process reopened debate over the seal's imagery, but it did not itself replace the traditional seal.
Great Seal of Massachusetts Meaning
The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts centers on a Wampanoag figure with a downward bow on a blue shield, paired with the motto "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem." Paul Revere first designed the seal in 1775; the motto is attributed to Algernon Sidney, an English theorist executed in 1683, and translates as "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty." The traditional composition remains the official seal while the Massachusetts Seal, Flag, and Motto Advisory Commission continues work on possible future replacements.
What the Massachusetts State Seal Symbols Mean
The traditional Great Seal of Massachusetts packed four distinct symbol systems into a single heraldic design.
Wampanoag Figure
Armored Arm with Sword
Motto — Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem
Star
Border Inscription
Previous Versions of the Massachusetts State Seal
The Massachusetts seal has two main historical phases in official use: the Revolutionary-era provincial seal designed by Paul Revere in 1775, and the Commonwealth seal formally adopted in 1780. Later changes affected rendering and proportions, but not the core composition.
Can You Identify All 50 State Seals?
Most state seals share similar imagery — eagles, shields, agriculture, and Latin mottos. Telling them apart requires spotting the small details: a specific figure, a founding year, an unusual animal. The State Seals Quiz covers all 50 and shuffles both the questions and answer positions every round.
Take the State Seals QuizMassachusetts State Symbols
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