Great Seal of Missouri

Two grizzly bears stand upright on either side of the shield, each resting a forepaw on it as if holding the state's identity in place. They are the seal's most immediately recognizable feature and the origin of Missouri's early nickname, 'The Bear State.'

The central shield is divided vertically into two halves. One half bears the coat of arms of the United States: a bald eagle with a striped shield, holding an olive branch and arrows. The other half bears Missouri's own arms: a grizzly bear on a blue field with a silver crescent above it.

Twenty-four stars appear in the outer ring of the seal. They represent the number of states in the Union when Missouri was admitted on August 10, 1821; Missouri was the 24th.

Salus populi suprema lex esto is Latin for "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law." The phrase is taken from Cicero's De Legibus (Book III), written around 52 BCE. It is Missouri's official state motto and appears in the outer ring of the seal.

The phrase "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" appears on a scroll at the base of the seal. The saying originated in the Revolutionary War era and was widely known as a statement of American unity before Missouri became a state.

The Roman numeral MDCCCXX, representing 1820, appears on the seal. It marks the year Missouri's first state constitution was adopted, not the year of admission (1821) or the year the seal was authorized (1822).

A silver crescent appears in Missouri's half of the divided shield, above the grizzly bear, and also in the crest above the helmet at the top of the seal. In European heraldic tradition the crescent signifies a newly established or growing entity.