Seal, United States Presidential

UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL SEAL -  A symbol of the presidency itself, the central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S. presidency and also appears on the presidential flag.

The presidential seal developed by custom over a long period before being defined in law, and its early history remains obscure.  The use of presidential seals goes back to at least 1850, and probably much earlier.  The basic design of today's seal originated with Rutherford B. Hayes, who was the first to use the coat of arms on White House invitations in 1877.  The precise design dates from 1945, when President Truman specified it in Executive Order 9646.  The only changes since were in 1959 and 1960, which added 49th and 50th stars to the circle following the admissions of Alaska and Hawaii as states.

The Presidential seal pictures an American bald eagle holding a ribbon in its beak; the ribbon has the motto of the USA, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning "Out of many, one."   The eagle is clutching an olive branch (with 13 olives and 13 leaves) in one foot (symbolizing peace) and 13 arrows in the other (the 13 stands for the original 13 colonies and the arrows symbolize the acceptance of the need to go to war to protect the country).

A shield is in front of the eagle; the shield has thirteen red and white stripes (representing the original 13 colonies) with a blue bar above it (it symbolizes the uniting of the 13 colonies and represents congress).  Above the eagle are 13 white clouds, 13 white stars, and many tiny stars.  Fifty white stars surround the eagle in a circle (on a deep blue field) one for each state.  The words, "Seal of the President of the United States" surround the seal (on a tan field).