THE MYTH
Legend has it Ben Franklin dreamed up "E Pluribus Unum" in a flash of solo genius, or that Congress held some epic debate to nail the perfect slogan.
THE MOTIVE
Nope — this was branding under pressure. Weeks after declaring independence, the fledgling U.S. needed a seal, stat. Without one, it looked less like a sovereign nation and more like 13 colonies playing dress-up. A motto wasn't a nice-to-have — it was proof of concept.
THE FACTS
On August 10, 1776, a dream team — Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson — pitched "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one") for the Great Seal. They didn't even write it from scratch; they borrowed a phrase that had been kicking around Latin poetry and title pages for centuries. It then took SIX more years and a parade of committees to actually finish the seal in 1782. But the motto stuck — riding on U.S. coins for over 200 years, and still hanging around today even after "In God We Trust" took over as the official motto in 1956.
Talk about a slogan with staying power. 🦅