The Great Seal of the United States authenticates an American president’s signature on important documents, such as treaties, international agreements and commissions for federal judges, Cabinet secretaries and diplomats.
On the same day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted — July 4, 1776 — the Continental Congress formed a committee to develop the seal. Its original design, reflecting the new nation’s values, was ready for use six years later.
The secretary of state is the custodian of the Great Seal.
Each element of the seal depicts a particular idea or national characteristic. The bald eagle, indigenous to the United States, symbolizes strength, and several items in clusters — the arrows, the olive branches, the shield’s stripes, the constellation’s stars and the letters of the Latin phrases — number 13 to reference the original number of American states.