The Great Seal of the State of Alabama is the state seal of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Seal of 1817

The first seal was designed in 1817 by

William Wyatt Bibb William Wyatt Bibb (October 2, 1781 – July 10, 1820) was a United States Senator from Georgia, the first governor of the Alabama Territory, and the first Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama. Bibb was a member of the Democratic-Republican ...

, the governor of the

Alabama Territory The Territory of Alabama (sometimes Alabama Territory) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Alabama Territory was carved from the Mississippi Territory on August 15, 1817 and lasted until December 14, 1819, when it w ...

and the subsequent first governor of the state. When Alabama became a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in 1819, the state legislature adopted the design as the official state seal. The seal prominently features a map showing one of the state's most valuable resources—its major rivers. The map was shown affixed to a living tree, with no motto.

Seal of 1868

The design was replaced with a new seal on December 29, 1868, featuring an American bald eagle with a U.S. shield. The law describes the design thus:

The seal is in the form of a circle, and two and a quarter inches in diameter; near the edge is the word 'ALABAMA' and opposite, at the same distance from the edge, are the words 'GREAT SEAL.' In the centre of the seal an eagle is represented with raised wings alighting upon the national shield, with three arrows in his left talon. The eagle holds in his beak a streamer, on which immediately over the wings are the words 'HERE WE REST.' The crest-word, which give name to the State, signifies "The land of rest."

This design is still used by the Alabama Department of Labor.

Seal of 1939

In 1939, at the request of Governor Frank M. Dixon, the original concept of a map design was returned to use. The new seal was adopted during a special session called by the Governor. The design was described as follows:

The seal shall be circular, and the diameter there of two and a quarter inches; near the edge of the circle shall be the word "Alabama," and opposite this word, at the same distance from the edge, shall be the words, "Great Seal." In the center of the seal there shall be a representation of a map of the state with its principal rivers. The seal shall be called the "Great Seal of the State of Alabama." The seal shall be kept and used as required by the Constitution and laws.Acts of Alabama 1939, Ex. Sess., No. 20

The use of stars in the border, the specific design of the letterforms and the map image, the labeling of adjacent states and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, and the application of colors to the seal are not described in the law.

Seals of the government of Alabama

There are several seals of the

government of Alabama The government of Alabama is organized under the provisions of the 1901 Constitution of Alabama, the lengthiest constitution of any political entity in the world. Like other states within the United States, Alabama's government is divided into ex ...

, which use a variety of designs, including the

coat of arms of Alabama The coat of arms of Alabama depicts a shield upon which is carried the symbols of the five states which have at various times held sovereignty over a part or the whole of what is now Alabama. These are the ancient coat of arms of France (three f ...

, the state seal, and other distinct elements. File:Seal of the Governor of Alabama.svg,

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

of the

Governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

File:Seal of the Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.svg,

of the

Lieutenant Governor of Alabama The lieutenant governor of Alabama is the president and presiding officer of the Alabama Senate, elected to serve a four-year term. The office was created in 1868,1868 Const. art. V, § 1 abolished in 1875,1875 Const. art. V, § 1 and recreated in ...

File:Seal of the Governor-Elect of Alabama.svg, Seal of the Governor-Elect of Alabama File:Seal of the Speaker of the House of Alabama.svg, Seal of the Speaker of the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

File:Seal of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama.svg, Seal of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama File:Seal of the Attorney General of Alabama.svg, Seal of the

Attorney General of Alabama The Attorney General of Alabama is an elected, constitutional officer of the State of Alabama. The office of the Attorney General is located at the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Henry Hitchcock was elected Alabama's first attorney general ...

File:Seal of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.svg, Seal of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles File:Seal of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.svg, Seal of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.svg, Seal of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Corrections.svg, Seal of the Alabama Department of Corrections File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Homeland Security.svg, Seal of the

Alabama Department of Homeland Security The Alabama Department of Homeland Security (AL DHS) is a state agency with the executive branch of the Alabama State government designed to develop, coordinate, and implement of a state policy to secure the State of Alabama from terrorist threa ...

File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Labor.svg, Seal of the Alabama Department of Labor File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Public Health.svg, Seal of the Alabama Department of Public Health File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Public Safety.svg, Seal of the

Alabama Department of Public Safety The Alabama Department of Public Safety is the uniform section of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is made up of three divisions: Highway Patrol Division, Marine Patrol Division, and Drivers' License Divis ...

File:Seal of the Alabama Department of Transportation.svg, Seal of the

Alabama Department of Transportation The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) is the government agency responsible for transportation infrastructure in Alabama. The Department is organized into five geographic regions, with a Central Office located in Montgomery, AL Montg ...

File:Seal of the Alabama Treasury Department.svg, Seal of the Alabama Treasury Department File:Seal of the Securities Commission of Alabama.svg, Seal of the Securities Commission of Alabama File:Seal of the Alabama National Guard.svg, Seal of the

Alabama National Guard The Alabama National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S State of Alabama, and consists of the Alabama Army National Guard and the Alabama Air National Guard. (The Alabama State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Alabama Military ...

File:Coat of arms of the Alabama State Defense Force.svg, Coat of arms of the

Alabama State Defense Force The Alabama State Defense Force (ASDF) is the state provided guard of the State of Alabama allowed by the Constitution of Alabama, The Code of Alabama and Executive Order. It has an authorized strength of 1,000 members and is organized on the Uni ...

References

External links

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The former "here we rest" seal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seal Of Alabama