| Great Seal of the State of Illinois | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Armiger | State of Illinois |
| Adopted | 1868 |
| Motto | State Sovereignty, National Union |
The Great Seal of the State of Illinois is the official emblem of the State, and signifies the official nature of a document produced by the State of Illinois.
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The first Great Seal of the State of Illinois was adopted in 1819 by the first Illinois General Assembly. The first law authorizing the Great Seal required the Secretary of State of Illinois to procure and keep the seal.[1] The first seal engraved was essentially a duplicate of the Great Seal of the United States. It was used until 1839, when it was recut. The seal designed in 1839 became the Second Great Seal.[2]
Illinois Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale spearheaded the drive to create the third and present state seal. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C. Fuller to introduce legislation requiring a new seal. Tyndale originally planned to reverse the words of the state motto "State Sovereignty, National Union" in light of the American Civil War, but a bill was passed on March 7, 1867[3], keeping the original wording. Tyndale, however, was entrusted with designing it.[2]
The third seal features a Bald Eagle pitched on a rock carrying a shield in its talons and a banner with the state motto in its beak. It closely resembles the coat of arms of Mexico, which depicts a Golden Eagle with a snake in its mouth. Thirteen stars and thirteen stripes on the shield represent the original thirteen states of the Union. Tyndale's desire to change the wording of the motto are still reflected with the original wording, with "State Sovereignty" placed below "National Union" with "Sovereignty" upside down, decreasing its readability. The date August 26, 1818, when Illinois's first constitution was adopted in Kaskaskia, appears along the bottom arc of the circle, and 1818, the year of statehood, displays on the seal below 1868, the year the current seal was adopted. This basic design has survived through several modifications since it was first conceived. The Illinois Secretary of State is still the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Illinois.[2]
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