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Symbols on the Obverse Side of the Great Seal of the United States Text is original 1782 description of the design. Click a symbol or motto to got to its page. The front or obverse side of the Great Seal of the United States is composed of seven symbolic elements derived from nature and culture that combine to create a dynamic design whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ARMS* The shield is on the breast of the American bald eagle holding in his right talon an olive branch and in his left talon a bundle of thirteen arrows. CREST Golden rays of light are breaking through a cloud surrounding thirteen stars forming a constellation. The iconic imagery is complemented by the Latin motto E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One. Related pages: Benjamin Franklin on the Turkey as a symbol of America and the Rattlesnake Seal of the President Stars on the Flag Holy Hexagram! Thirteen – America's number Musings on 13 FDR and 13 Thirteen 13-year time periods on the unfinished pyramid Official 1782 Remarks and Explanation of the symbols *The obverse side of the Great Seal is America's "coat of arms," a heraldic term for the official mark and emblem of a sovereign nation's authority.

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