New York State Motto: Excelsior
Excelsior
Excelsior
The motto appears on the state seal of New York
- Motto
- Excelsior
- Language
- Latin
- Translation
- Ever Upward
- Adopted
- March 16, 1778
- Second motto
- E Pluribus Unum (2020)
New York State Motto
New York's official state motto is Excelsior, Latin for Ever Upward. The legislature adopted it on March 16, 1778, as part of the state coat of arms. The word appears on a ribbon at the base of the coat of arms and on the state seal and flag.
In April 2020, New York added a second official motto: E Pluribus Unum, Latin for Out of Many, One. The change was enacted through the 2021 state budget signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Excelsior remains the primary motto.
Translation of "Excelsior"
Excelsior is the comparative form of the Latin adjective excelsus, meaning high or elevated. As a comparative, it means higher or more elevated. New York's official translation is Ever Upward.
The word conveys aspiration rather than a fixed state. It does not mean simply high — it means in the act of going higher, always reaching above the present position.
New York State Motto Meaning
Ever Upward points to continuous progress and ambition. For the committee that chose the motto in 1777, surrounded by war and British occupation, the phrase expressed determination: New York would not stay where it was, it would rise.
The word has carried that meaning through different eras. Longfellow used it as the title of a poem about a young man who keeps climbing despite all obstacles. New York uses it on government documents, buildings, and the state flag as a statement about the state's direction.
History of New York's State Motto
In 1777, the New York legislature appointed a committee to design an official coat of arms for the new state. British forces had captured New York City in September 1776 and still controlled it. The committee, consisting of Gouverneur Morris, John Jay, and John Sloss Hobart, worked in upstate areas outside British control. At the time, Jay was 32 years old; he would later become the first Chief Justice of the United States.
The committee completed the coat of arms design in late 1777. On March 16, 1778, the legislature formally adopted it, with Excelsior on a ribbon at the base. No surviving records identify who among the committee proposed the word.
In January 1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his poem Excelsior, which he said was inspired by seeing the word on a scrap of newspaper that carried the New York state seal. The poem follows a young man who keeps climbing upward through hardship and storm, calling out the single word Excelsior. It became one of Longfellow's most widely read poems and cemented the word's association with New York.
In April 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo added E Pluribus Unum as a second official state motto through the 2021 state budget. The coat of arms was revised to carry both phrases.
"Excelsior" on the New York State Seal
Excelsior appears on a ribbon at the base of the New York coat of arms and state seal. Above the ribbon, two figures flank a central shield: Liberty at left, holding a Phrygian-capped staff with a crown at her feet, and Justice at right, holding scales and a sword. The shield shows a landscape with the Hudson River, two ships, and a rising sun.
Since 2020, the ribbon carries both Excelsior and E Pluribus Unum. The seal appears on official state documents, government buildings, and the state flag — a dark blue field displaying the full coat of arms.
New York State Motto Facts
- "Excelsior" is the comparative form of the Latin adjective excelsus, meaning higher or more elevated. New York translates it officially as "Ever Upward."
- The coat of arms was designed in 1777 by a committee of three: Gouverneur Morris, John Jay, and John Sloss Hobart.
- John Jay, a member of the design committee, later became the first Chief Justice of the United States.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published the poem "Excelsior" in January 1842 after seeing the word on a New York newspaper carrying the state seal.
- In April 2020, New York added a second official motto, "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One), through the 2021 state budget signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
- The state flag, a dark blue field carrying the coat of arms, displays the motto on a ribbon beneath Liberty and Justice.
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 New York's state motto?
What does "Excelsior" mean in English?
When did New York adopt its state motto?
Does New York have a second state motto?
What is the connection between "Excelsior" and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?
Sources
- New York State Emblems — NY Department of State
- Coat of Arms of New York — Wikipedia
- Seal of New York — Wikipedia
- Excelsior — Jay Heritage Center
New York State Symbols
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