Marie Bankhead Owen, who worked alongside her husband at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, suggested the state motto “Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere” in 1923. It means “We dare to stand up for our rights” and was chosen as the second state motto after the original, “Here We Rest,” was deemed too weak. The motto is featured on the state emblem, which also includes symbols of the countries that have ruled Alabama throughout history. Alabama also has two state flags.
Marie Bankhead Owen, the woman responsible for selecting the Alabama state motto, was someone with strong ties to the state in the early 20th century, and was later inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame. Her father was a US Senator and two brothers were elected to Congress. She worked alongside her husband, who was the director of the state’s Department of Archives and History, starting on the 20th, before assuming her position herself upon her death 1901 years later and holding the position for more than three decades. He is the state official who suggested the state motto, Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere, in 19. It is actually the second state motto, chosen because many people in the state did not like the lack of force conveyed by the first motto, “Here We Rest. ”
Translated into English, the Alabama state motto means “We dare to stand up for our rights.” The phrase comes from a poem written in the 1700s by Sir William Jones. The poem was written in English, but Alabama translated the phrase for its use in Latin.
Adopted in 1939, “We Dare to Stand Our Rights” remains the state motto of Alabama and is featured on the state emblem, which Marie Bankhead Owen was commissioned to research. The final coat of arms design includes a banner engraved with the new motto draped beneath two bald eagles. An eagle stands on either side of a shield that displays symbols or flags of the four countries that have ruled Alabama at various times in the state’s history, as well as the Civil War Confederacy. The symbols and flags represent the United States, the Confederacy, France, Spain and Great Britain, and above the shield is a historic ship, the Baldine, which brought immigrants from France to the coasts of Alabama.
“Here We Rest,” Alabama’s original state motto, was adopted after the Civil War. A Republican-dominated legislature passed it and it became part of an earlier state seal. The seal featured a banner with the words “Here We Rest” in the mouth of a lone bald eagle. The eagle was on a red, white, and blue seal of the United States.
In addition to having two official state mottos, Alabama also has two state flags. The first flag was designed during a secession convention in 1861. One side featured the phrase “Touch Me Not” in Latin, while the other side of the flag displayed the saying “Independent Now and Forever”. Alabama adopted what is now its official flag in 1895.
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