Continental Congress (July 8, 1776) for the first time read the Declaration of Independence publicly, as the "Liberty Bell" was rung. Congress then established a three-man committee, consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, for the purpose of designing a great seal for the United States.
Benjamin Franklin's suggestions for a seal and motto, characterizing the spirit of this new nation, were:
<Moses lifting up his wand, and dividing the red sea, and pharaoh in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters. This motto: "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."> 1776CC007
Thomas Jefferson proposed:
<The children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.> 1776CC008
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1776CC008. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Continental Congress, July 8, 1776. Charles Francis Adams (son of John Quincy Adams and grandson of John Adams), ed., Letters of John Adams Addressed to His Wife (Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1841), Vol. I, p. 152. "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 3.