Seal of Georgia (U.S. state)

The Seal of Georgia was originally adopted in 1798 as part of the State Constitution, though it has been modified since. Its specifications are currently spelled out by statute.

The obverse (front) of the seal is centered around an arch with three pillars, the arch symbolizing the state's Constitution and the pillars representing the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation", are wrapped around the pillars, being guarded by a man (possibly a soldier from the American Revolution) with a drawn sword, representing the military's defense of the Constitution. This image also serves as the state's coat of arms.

The front side motto, surrounding the coat of arms, consists of the words "State of Georgia" in the top half of the circle and the year 1776 on the bottom, commemorating the date of the Declaration of Independence. The date was originally 1799 (the adoption of the seal) but was changed in 1914.

On the less-prominent reverse of the seal, there is an image of Georgia's coast, with a ship (bearing the American flag) arriving to take aboard tobacco and cotton, symbolizing Georgia's export trade. There is another boat, bringing the crops from the inland regions, representing the state's "internal traffic". In the back, there is a man plowing and a flock of sheep. As the motto around the top indicates, this collection of images represents the state's "agriculture and commerce". The date here is also 1776.

Trivia

*By law, the Secretary of State is the official custodian of the Great Seal, which is attached to official papers by executive order of the Governor. This custodianship has led to some controversies:
**From 1868 to 1871, during the Reconstruction era, the seal was not used for official business because it was hidden under the home of wartime Secretary of State Nathan C. Barnett. In 1872, when Georgians re-took control of the government, Barnett (who had been re-elected by that point) brought the seal back. [http://www.friendsofcems.org/MemoryHill/SQLSelect2.asp?key=EI063011]
**During the Three Governors Controversy in 1947, Secretary of State Ben W. Fortson, Jr., took the seal and hid it, preventing any of the claimants to the governorship from executing any business until the Supreme Court of Georgia could make a ruling on the rightful winner.

*The seal or coat of arms appears on seven of the eight flags of Georgia. (It does not appear on the state flag used from 1879 to 1902.)

*A cast iron representation of the pillars and arch has stood at the north entrance of the University of Georgia since 1858. According to legend, it is bad luck for freshmen (or, in some versions, any undergraduate student) to walk under "The Arch", as the Athens landmark is popularly known. Legend suggests that any student walking through the arch prematurely will never graduate. Today, The Arch is an important symbol of the University.

External links

* [http://www.sos.state.ga.us/state_symbols/state_seal.html Georgia Secretary of State's Page on the Seal]
* [http://www2.state.ga.us/doah/sealinfo.html Georgia Great Seal] , State Department of Archives and History
* [http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=50-3-30 Official Code of Georgia 50-3-30] , the section that describes the state seal