Take two!
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution directing that Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson form a committee to design a seal,...
The Great Seal makes its debut
On September 16, 1782, this brass die of the front of the Great Seal was first used to impress its engraved design onto softer metals. Notice that it features a...
The Revolutionary War’s first battle—reported firsthand
On April 24, 1775, John Robins gave this account of the battle of Lexington, Massachusetts. Robins supports his commander’s account reporting that the militia began...
What does the Great Seal symbolize?
In 1782, Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, wrote this description of the Great Seal’s two-sided design and its symbolism. Thompson had used...