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South Dakota

The Great Seal of the State of South Dakota was designed while the area was a territory, in 1885. The outer ring of the seal contains the text 'State of South Dakota' on the top and 'Great Seal' on the bottom. Also the year of statehood, 1889. Inside the inner circle of the seal contains the state motto 'Under God the People Rule'. The picture features hills, a river with a boat, a farmer, a mine, and cattle. The items in the image are to represent the state's commerce, agriculture, industry, and natural resources. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Tennessee

The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee is the official insignia of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The Roman numerals XVI, representing Tennessee as the 16th state to enter the United States, are found at the top of the seal.[citation needed] Images of a plow, a bundle of wheat, a cotton plant, and the word 'Agriculture' below the three images occupying the center of the seal. Wheat and cotton were, and still are, important cash crops grown in the state.[citation needed] The lower half of the seal originally displayed a boat and a boatman with the word 'Commerce' underneath, but was changed to a flat-bottomed riverboat without a boatman subsequently. River trade was important to the state due to three large rivers: the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, and the Mississippi River; the boat continues to represent the importance of commerce to the state. Surrounding the images in the original design were the words 'The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee' and 'Feb. 6th, 1796'. The month and day have been dropped in the modern design.[citation needed] (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Texas

The Seal of the State of Texas was adopted through the 1845 Texas Constitution, and was based on the seal of the Republic of Texas, which dates from January 25, 1839. The official artwork, drawn by Juan Vega of Round Rock, Texas, was adopted in 1992 by Secretary of State John Hannah, Jr. The seal has specified wording on both the obverse and reverse sides. The Texas Constitution states, 'There shall be a seal of the State, which shall be kept by the Governor and used by him officially. The seal shall have a star of five points, encircled by olive and live oak branches, and the words 'the State of Texas''. The design is almost similar to the emblem of Paraguay. The reverse of the seal was adopted in 1961 and has a more detailed design, which is similar to other coats of arms found in Latin America; The original 1961 act of legislature which established it was unusual in that the act didn't actually define the reverse seal and was simply a picture of the design; it wasn't until 1991 that the seal was actually defined in writing by law. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Utah

The Great Seal of the State of Utah was adopted on April 3, 1896, at the first regular session of the Legislature (January, February, March, April 1896). The original seal was designed by Harry Edwards & C. M. Jackson and cost $65.00, equivalent to $2,286 in 2022. The great seal is described in Utah Code Annotated, 1953, Volume 7a, section 67-2-9 as follows: 'The Great Seal of the State of Utah shall be two and one-half inches in diameter, and of the following device; the center a shield and perched thereon an American Eagle with outstretching wings; the top of the shield pierced by six arrows crosswise; under the arrows the motto 'INDUSTRY'; beneath the motto a beehive, on either side growing sego lilies; below the figures '1847'; on each side of the shield an American Flag.; encircling all, near the outer edge of the seal, beginning at the lower left-hand portion, the words, 'THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF UTAH', with the figures '1896' at the base.' (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Vermont

The Great Seal of the State of Vermont is the official seal of the U.S. state of Vermont, used to emboss and authenticate official documents. It was designed by Ira Allen, brother of Ethan Allen and one of the state's founders. The seal, depicts a 14-branched pine tree rising from the forest, with a grain sheaf above. The 14 branches symbolize the Thirteen Colonies and Vermont as the 14th state admitted to the union. A cow on the right, representing Vermont's history of dairy farming, also appears. On the top of the seal are wavy lines, possibly suggesting clouds; on the bottom wavy lines suggest water. It is believed that the two sets of wavy lines might also suggest the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain, Vermont's east and west borders. The passage 'Freedom & Unity'—Vermont's state motto—is centered below the state name. The motto is central to the Vermont ideal of balancing personal freedom with the individual's responsibility to their community. The seal was first used by the government of the independent Vermont Republic as it existed prior to admission to the Union. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Virginia

The Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the official seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. The state flag of Virginia consists of the obverse of the seal against a blue background. The Seal of Virginia is officially described in the Code of Virginia (1950), §1-500, as follows: The great seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall consist of two metallic discs, two and one-fourth inches in diameter, with an ornamental border one fourth of an inch wide, with such words and figures engraved thereon as will, when used, produce impressions to be described as follows: On the obverse, Virtus, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear in her right hand, point downward, touching the earth; and holding in her left hand, a sheathed sword, or parazonium, pointing upward; her head erect and face upturned; her left foot on the form of Tyranny represented by the prostrate body of a man, with his head to her left, his fallen crown nearby, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right. Above the group and within the border conforming therewith, shall be the word 'Virginia,' and, in the space below, on a curved line, shall be the motto, 'Sic Semper Tyrannis.' On the reverse, shall be placed a group consisting of Libertas, holding a wand and pileus in her right hand; on her right, Aeternitas, with a globe and phoenix in her right hand; on the left of Libertas, Ceres, with a cornucopia in her left hand, and an ear of wheat in her right; over this device, in a curved line, the word 'Perseverando.' (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Washington

The Seal of the State of Washington contains a portrait of George Washington, the first President of the United States, as painted by Gilbert Stuart. The outer ring contains the text 'The Seal of the State of Washington' and '1889', the year Washington state was admitted to the Union. The seal is featured as the main element on both sides of the flag of Washington. The seal was designed by Charles Talcott, based on a painting by Gilbert Stuart. Originally the seal was to be a scene featuring Mount Rainier, but Talcott proposed the design featuring George Washington instead. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

West Virginia

The Great Seal of the State of West Virginia was adopted in September 1863. The obverse center of the seal contains a boulder that has been inscribed June 20, 1863, the date West Virginia became a state. In front of the boulder lie two crossed rifles and a liberty cap as a symbol of the state's fight for liberty. The two men on either side of the boulder represent agriculture and industry. On the left stands a farmer with an ax and plow before a cornstalk. On the other side stands a miner with a pickax, and behind him an anvil and sledge hammer. The outer ring contains the text 'State of West Virginia' and the state's motto 'Montani Semper Liberi', ('Mountaineers are Always Free'; the state nickname is 'the Mountain State'). The reverse of the seal, also called the lesser seal, is the official seal of the Governor. Its motto reads 'Libertas E Fidelitate' ('Liberty out of Fidelity'). (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Wisconsin

The Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin is a seal used by the secretary of state to authenticate all the governor’s official acts, except laws. It consists of the state coat of arms, with the words 'Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin' above it and 13 stars, representing the original states, below it. The state seal emphasizes mining and shipping because at the time of Wisconsin's founding in 1848 the mining of lead and iron and shipping (via the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River) were major industries. The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is the keeper of Wisconsin's great seal. The seal is displayed in all courtrooms in the state, often alongside the county seal. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

Wyoming

The Great Seal of the State of Wyoming was adopted by the second legislature in 1893, and revised by the sixteenth legislature in 1921. The two dates on the Great Seal, 1869 and 1890, commemorate the organization of the territorial government and Wyoming's admission to the Union. The draped figure in the center holds a staff from which flows a banner bearing the words, 'Equal Rights.' The banner symbolizes the political status women have enjoyed in Wyoming since the passage of the territorial suffrage amendment in 1869. The male figures typify the livestock and mining industries of the state. The number 44 on the five-pointed star signifies that Wyoming was the 44th state admitted to the Union. On top of the pillars rest lamps from which burn the Light of Knowledge. Scrolls encircling the two pillars bear the words, Oil, Mines, Livestock, and Grain, four of Wyoming's major industries. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)

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