Nevada State Motto: All for Our Country
All for Our Country
All for Our Country
The motto appears on the state seal of Nevada
- Motto
- All for Our Country
- Language
- English
- Adopted
- February 24, 1866
- Appears on
- Nevada State Seal
Nevada State Motto
Nevada's official state motto is All for Our Country. The Nevada Legislature adopted it on February 24, 1866, through Statutes of 1866, Chapter XLI. The motto encircles the Great Seal of Nevada alongside 36 stars, one for each state in the Union at the time.
Many people assume Battle Born is the state motto because it appears prominently on the state flag. It is not. Battle Born is Nevada's official state slogan, adopted in 1937. All for Our Country is the motto, designated by law and engraved on the seal since 1866.
Nevada State Motto Meaning
All for Our Country means total loyalty to the United States, placing the nation above everything else. Nevada adopted these words in 1866, less than two years after joining the Union during the Civil War.
Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, while the war was still being fought. The Union needed Nevada's silver wealth from the Comstock Lode. The motto sent a direct message: Nevada was fully committed to the Union cause.
History of Nevada's State Motto
When Nevada was still a territory, it used the Latin motto Volens et Potens, meaning Willing and Able. After statehood in 1864, the new legislature set about formalizing Nevada's official emblems.
On February 24, 1866, the second session of the Nevada Legislature adopted the official description of the Great Seal through Statutes of 1866, Chapter XLI. The description placed the motto All for Our Country encircling the seal alongside 36 stars.
The phrase Battle Born was coined by Thomas Fitch at Nevada's 1864 constitutional convention. Fitch later represented Nevada in Congress. Battle Born reflects the same Civil War moment but was designated the official state slogan in 1937 — not the motto. The official motto has been All for Our Country since 1866.
"All for Our Country" on the Nevada State Seal
The motto All for Our Country encircles the Great Seal of Nevada, written in an arc above 36 stars. The seal shows a mountain scene with a mine tunnel, a quartz stamp mill, a plow, a wheat sheaf, and a railroad — the industries behind Nevada's statehood.
Nevada Revised Statutes § 235.010 describes the seal and mandates the motto text as part of the official design. The seal appears on government documents, official letterhead, and state buildings.
Nevada State Motto Facts
- Nevada's official state motto is "All for Our Country" — not "Battle Born."
- The motto was adopted February 24, 1866, through Statutes of 1866, Chapter XLI.
- It replaced the territorial motto "Volens et Potens," Latin for "Willing and Able."
- "Battle Born" is Nevada's official state slogan, adopted March 26, 1937.
- The motto encircles the Great Seal alongside 36 stars — Nevada was the 36th state.
- Nevada entered the Union on October 31, 1864, during the Civil War.
Can You Match All 50 State Mottos?
Some questions show the original motto — Latin, Italian, Chinook — and ask which state it belongs to. Others give you the English translation and ask you to work backward. Both directions are harder than they look.
Take the State Mottos QuizQuick Answers
What is Nevada's state motto?
Is "Battle Born" Nevada's state motto?
When did Nevada adopt its state motto?
What was Nevada's motto before "All for Our Country"?
Sources
- Nevada Revised Statutes § 235.010 — Contents and Design of Seal
- The Nevada Independent — Is 'Battle Born' Nevada's Official State Motto?
- Las Vegas Review-Journal — When it comes to Nevada's state motto, confusion is born
Nevada State Symbols
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