''Alis volat propriis'' is a Latin phrase used as the motto of U.S. state of Oregon. The official English version of the motto is "She flies with her own wings" in keeping with the tradition of considering countries and territories to be feminine. However, because the feminine pronoun in the Latin sentences is often omitted and the verb form is not inflected for gender, the phrase could be translated with equal validity as " neflies with ne'sown wings", " eflies with isown wings", or " tflies with tsown wings". If

macron Macron may refer to: People * Emmanuel Macron (born 1977), president of France since 2017 ** Brigitte Macron (born 1953), French teacher, wife of Emmanuel Macron * Jean-Michel Macron (born 1950), French professor of neurology, father of Emmanu ...

s are used to indicate the long vowels (standard practice in Latin dictionaries and textbooks), then the phrase becomes ''Ālīs volat propriīs''. The motto was written in English by the judge

Jesse Quinn Thornton Jesse Quinn Thornton (1810–1888) was an American settler of Oregon, active in political, legal, and educational circles. He served as the 6th Supreme Judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon, presented Oregon's petition for official territo ...

, and its Latin translation was added to the Territorial Seal adopted by the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1854. The motto referred to the May 2, 1843, vote by

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

settlers at the third Champoeg Meeting to form a provisional government independent of the United States and Great Britain. During the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 the motto on the state seal was changed to "

The Union The Union may refer to: Politics * The Union (Germany) or CDU/CSU, the partnership of the German political parties the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union * The Union (Italy), a former coalition of political parties in Ital ...

."Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. ''Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier''. Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 90, 136-40, 262. In 1957, the Oregon Legislature officially changed the motto to "The Union" reflecting conflicting views about slavery in Oregon's early days. In 1987, the legislature readopted the original motto, which it felt better reflected Oregon's independent spirit. The sponsors of the bill that changed the motto back to ''alis volat propriis'' included the

Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, ch ...

and later Governor Barbara Roberts, President of the Oregon Senate

Jason Boe Jason Douglas Boe (March 10, 1929 – March 20, 1990) was an American optometrist from Oregon. A native of California, he served as the 47th president of the Oregon State Senate. Prior to serving in the Senate he was a member of the Oregon House ...

, and Senate historian Cecil Edwards. In 1999, after a short debate in committee, the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

took a vote on HB 2269, which would revert the state motto to "The Union". The bill failed to pass on a 30-30 tie vote. The current Oregon State Seal, which appears on the obverse of the state flag, still features the motto "The Union."

In popular culture

Portland Thorns FC, a member of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...

, has adopted the motto and used it on their website and occasionally on merchandise. A

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

collection of Marvel Comics's '' Captain Marvel'' published in 2015 is titled ''Alis Volat Propriis''. The book's author, Kelly Sue DeConnick, is a resident of Oregon. In the third installment of the BioShock video game series, BioShock Infinite, the phrase appears on a metal plate in the early 20th century-style dystopia,

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, set within the paving stones on the side of the main street.

References

{{Reflist Latin mottos State mottos of the United States Symbols of Oregon