Great Seal of the United States the crest, he used Hopkinson's constellation of thirteen stars. The motto was "E Pluribus Unum", taken from the first committee, and was on a scroll held in the eagle's beak. An eagle holding symbols of war and peace has a long history, and also echoed the second committee's themes. Franklin owned a 1702 [[emblem book]], which included an eagle with olive branch and arrows near its talons, which may have been a source for Thomson. The arrows also mirror those in the arms of the [[Dutch Republic]], the only country in Europe with a representative government at the time, which
Seal of New York Seal of New York The state seal of New York features the state arms (officially adopted in 1778) surrounded by the words "The Great Seal of the State of New York". A banner below shows the New York State motto "Excelsior", Latin for "Ever Upward". Allegorical figures of Liberty (left) and Justice (right) support the shield and an American eagle spreads its wings above on a world globe. Liberty's left foot treads on a crown, a symbol of freedom from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Justice is blindfolded and holds a sword in one hand and a scale in the