North Dakota State Motto: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
The motto appears on the state seal of North Dakota
- Motto
- Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
- Language
- English
- Source
- Daniel Webster's Senate speech, January 1830
- On seal since
- 1889
North Dakota State Motto
North Dakota's state motto is Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable. The words come directly from Senator Daniel Webster's January 1830 speech and have appeared on the state seal since 1889.
The motto traveled an unusual path to North Dakota. Before it became a state symbol, the phrase appeared on the seal of Dakota Territory starting in 1863 — but with the phrases in a slightly different order than Webster originally spoke them. North Dakota restored the correct word order when it became a state in 1889.
North Dakota State Motto Meaning
The motto pairs two ideas: liberty and union. Liberty stands for individual freedom. Union refers to the United States as one indivisible nation. The phrase insists these two ideas belong together and cannot be separated — not temporarily, not ever.
Webster spoke these words to argue that the Union was permanent and that no state had the right to nullify federal law or leave the country. The motto carries that argument into North Dakota's official seal and identity.
History of North Dakota's State Motto
Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts delivered his Second Reply to Hayne on January 26–27, 1830, during a Senate debate with Senator Robert Hayne of South Carolina. Webster closed with the words that became the motto: Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable. The speech became one of the most celebrated in Senate history.
In 1863, Dr. Joseph Ward of Yankton suggested the phrase for Dakota Territory's official seal. The territorial version placed the phrases in a different order — Liberty and Union, One and Inseparable, Now and Forever — which did not match Webster's original wording.
When North Dakota drafted its constitution in 1889 and prepared to enter the Union as the 39th state, delegates took the territorial seal as a starting point and corrected the phrase to match Webster's speech. The motto has appeared on the Great Seal of North Dakota since 1889.
"Liberty and Union" on the North Dakota State Seal
The motto appears on the Great Seal of North Dakota, adopted in 1889. The seal shows a central tree surrounded by wheat bundles, a plow, an anvil and sledge, and a Native rider pursuing a buffalo across the Great Plains. The motto runs along the bottom of the seal.
The state flag also carries the seal design, placing the motto visibly on North Dakota's official banner.
North Dakota State Motto Facts
- The motto comes directly from Senator Daniel Webster's Second Reply to Hayne, delivered January 26–27, 1830.
- Webster spoke the words to argue that the United States was one permanent, indivisible nation.
- Dakota Territory used the phrase on its seal starting in 1863, but with the phrases in the wrong order.
- North Dakota corrected the word order to match Webster's original speech when it became a state in 1889.
- Dr. Joseph Ward of Yankton first suggested the phrase for Dakota Territory's seal.
- Webster's Second Reply to Hayne was widely considered one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in the U.S. Senate.
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 North Dakota's state motto?
What does North Dakota's state motto mean?
Where does North Dakota's motto come from?
When did North Dakota adopt its state motto?
Why is North Dakota's motto worded differently than the territorial motto?
Sources
- ND Studies — North Dakota Motto (Grade 4)
- ND Studies — State Symbols (Grade 8)
- North Dakota Secretary of State — Great Seal
- NPS — Webster Replying to Hayne
North Dakota State Symbols
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