Great Seal of the State of Mississippi
ArmigerState of Mississippi
AdoptedJuly 1, 2014[1][2]
TorseTHE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
BlazonPalewise of eleven pieces Argent and Gules, on a Chief Azure, eleven Mullets Argent
SupportersAn Eagle displayed Or
MottoIN GOD WE TRUST

The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi was adopted in 2014, replacing a previous version that had been used since the 19th century.

Design

The eagle is positioned in the center of the seal, with its wings spread wide and its head held high. Stars and stripes adorn its chest. In its talons, the eagle grasps an olive branch symbolizing a desire for peace and a quiver of arrows representing the power to wage war. The outer circle of the seal contains the text "The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi" at the top and the words "In God We Trust" at the bottom.[1][2] The governor of Mississippi is tasked by the constitution with safeguarding the seal.[3]

History

The first Mississippian governmental seal was adopted on January 19, 1798,[1] when it was organized under the name of the Mississippi Territory.

After it became a state in 1817, the same seal was designated as the state's seal the following year. In July 2014, Mississippi adopted a new seal, which is still in use today.[1][2]

On January 31, 2014, purportedly to defend religious freedom, Mississippi's state senate voted to add the words, "In God We Trust" to the state seal and the change was unilaterally made effective on July 1, 2014.[1][4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mississippi Legislature (January 2014). "Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act; enact and modify the great seal" (PDF). Senate Bill No. 2681. Mississippi: State of Mississippi. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 State of Mississippi (July 1, 2014). "3: State Boundaries, Holidays, and State Emblems". § 3-3-42. The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi. Vol. 3: State Sovereignty, Jurisdiction, and Holidays. Mississippi: State of Mississippi. Retrieved February 12, 2015. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure the official seal of this state as described in this section. The center of the seal shall have an eagle displayed proper, holding an olive branch in his dexter talon and a bundle of three (3) arrows in his sinister talon. The shield on the breast of the eagle shall have eleven (11) vertical stripes of alternating white and red, supporting a chief of blue with eleven (11) white five-pointed stars in two (2) rows with five (5) stars in each row and one (1) star centered over the third column. The margins dexter and sinister of the center point of the shield shall each have one (1) white five-pointed star. The margin over the eagle shall have the inscription 'THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.' The margin under the eagle shall have the inscription 'IN GOD WE TRUST.' The official seal need not be printed or otherwise displayed in color. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Winkle, John W. III (2014). The Mississippi State Constitution (second ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 92–93. ISBN 9780199300631.
  4. ↑ Wagster Pettus, Emily (31 January 2014). "Miss. Senate OKs adding 'In God We Trust' to seal". WorldNow and WLBT. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
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