Pennsylvania’s state motto, “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence,” was adopted in 1875 and reflects the state’s history as one of the original colonies and its role in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The motto is featured on the state emblem and flag and represents the state’s desire to work together for the common good. The state coat of arms, designed by Caleb Lownes, features symbols of commerce, industry, and resources. The motto is used on official documents and tourist materials and is truncated to “the state of independence” on some street signs.
Pennsylvania’s state motto is “Virtue, Liberty, and Independence.” This particular phrase was adopted by the state government as its “official” motto in 1875 and has since appeared on numerous materials and documents and is featured on the state emblem. The exact origins of the motto are not entirely clear, but the wording is likely to have been heavily influenced by the Declaration of Independence, the seminal document that began the journey of the United States as an independent nation-state, free from the control of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, which is the largest city in Pennsylvania, and was also the first capital of the United States. Like most mottos, Pennsylvania’s phrase “official” is just one of many nicknames attached to the state. Its government endorsement is what sets it apart, and it joins the ranks of other official state identifiers, such as the state song, state flower, and state tree. Besides giving residents a sense of unity and belonging, mottos and the like often capture something important about the state and its history.
Brief history of the state
Pennsylvania’s motto is directly related to its history as an early state in what would become the United States. It began as one of the 13 original colonies that belonged to the crown of Great Britain. Beginning in 1681, the land was known as the “Colony of Pennsylvania,” and the city of Philadelphia became a center of commercial and political activity shortly thereafter. Major thinkers and leaders including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington all made Philadelphia their home for at least temporary periods, and the State House was where all the Founding Fathers met to draft the Declaration of Independence and, later, the Constitution. The new Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify the completed Constitution.
How was the motto chosen?
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is still the state’s official name. The word “commonwealth” literally means “for the common good” or for the good of all people. The Pennsylvania state motto directly reflects people’s desire to work together using the values of virtue, freedom, and independence. Most early states have mottos that capture something about their founding or their ties to the birth of the larger nation. For example, the neighboring state of Delaware has an almost identical state motto: “Liberty and Independence.”
The state motto of Pennsylvania is expressed in the official state coat of arms, which is displayed on the state flag, among other places. That coat of arms was first drawn in the late 1770s by a Pennsylvania iron merchant named Caleb Lownes. Lownes’ design was modified and redesigned several times before 1870, when the Pennsylvania state legislature decided on an official version. The crest officially adopted in 1875 was almost the same as Lownes’ original design, only with some changes to placement and colour. It was at this point that the phrase “Virtue, Liberty and Independence” became the official state motto, declared by the government and never contested overtly since.
Understand the state flag
The state flag has a blue field behind the state coat of arms, which includes a shield featuring a merchant sailing ship, a plow, and three sheaves of corn. These symbols represent the state’s commerce, industry, and resources. A black horse is on each side of the shield and a bald eagle is perched above it. Below the shield are an olive branch and a standard bearing the motto.
Basic use and meaning
In addition to its use on the official flag and coat of arms, the Pennsylvania motto is also printed on numerous official documents and handbills describing the state. It is used, for example, in tourist materials and official correspondence. The phrase is also featured in the Pennsylvania Memorial District, which began coining in 1999. It has also been truncated in some cases to describe the state as “the state of independence,” a phrase that is printed on street signs in many of the Pennsylvania borders.
Like most state mottos, the main purpose is usually to come up with an appealing way to describe the state, as well as capture something about the state’s residents and history. The characteristics of virtue, independence, and liberty were probably as important to the original founders as they are today, and Pennsylvania is especially proud to be the first—or at least one of the first—to pave the way for these sentiments to become instrumental to the nation in the as a whole.
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