Seal of Tennessee
| The Great Seal of Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
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| Armiger | State of Tennessee |
| Adopted | September 25, 1801 |
| Motto | 'Agriculture,' 'Commerce' |
The Great Seal of Tennessee is the official government emblem of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Design
[edit]At the top of the Great Seal appear the Roman numerals XVI, signifying Tennessee’s position as the 16th state to join the United States.[1] In the original design, the phrases "The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee" and "Feb. 6th, 1796" surrounded the central imagery; the month and day were removed in 1929.[1] Centered within the seal are images of a plow, a bundle of wheat, and a cotton plant, with the word "agriculture" displayed below.[1][2] Wheat and cotton represent the importance of farming to the state’s economy.[1]
History
[edit]The Tennessee Constitution of 1796 required the creation of a state seal, but Governors John Sevier and Archibald Roane used their personal seals on state documents until a design was actually undertaken in 1801.[2][3][4] The original version, completed in 1802, remained in use until 1929.[1] The lower half of the original seal featured a boat and boatman above the word "commerce", symbolizing the significance of river trade. This was later simplified to a flat-bottomed riverboat without a boatman (see comparisons below).[2][1] The current version of the seal was officially adopted in 1987 by the 95th General Assembly under Public Chapter 402.[1]
Modernization
[edit]The seal of the state changed over time. On the left is the original 1802 seal, compared to the 1929 update.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Tennessee State Symbols". sos.tn.gov. Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c "State Symbols" (PDF). Tennessee House of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 15, 2018.
- ^ Simbeck, Rob (October 28, 2017). "Tennessee State Symbols". tennesseeencyclopedia.net. Tennessee Historical Society. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "State Seal". Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
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