On 4 July 1776, the same day that it approved the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress of the United States of America appointed a committee — made up of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson — to create an official “Great Seal” for the new nation.
The first design, shown above, was principally the conception of Benjamin Franklin, although the other two approved it. (Jefferson liked the slogan around the edge so much that he adopted it for his own personal seal.) It was never used.
But you will readily recognize it as a reference to the biblical book of Exodus: Moses and the children of Israel stand on the far bank of the Red Sea, as pharaoh and his pursuing army drown. At the top stands the column of flame that represents the protective presence of God.
Exodus and Passover (and the Jewish Passover seder) are often used as metaphors for political freedom and liberation. Martin Luther King famously used such imagery in, among other things, the remarkable last speech that he delivered, given on the night before he was assassinated.
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” (a 2:37 excerpt)
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