On July 4th, 1776 Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were asked to create a seal for the United States of America.

Six years later the Great Seal was chosen.  The seal shows the beliefs and values that our founding fathers wanted to pass on to us.  In the middle if the seal is a bald eagle our national bird.  In it's beak is a scroll with the words, E pluribus Unum.  In Latin this means "out of many, one" meaning one nation that was created from 13 colonies.  In one of the eagle's claw is an Olive branch, in the other claw is a bundle of 13 arrows.  The olive branch and arrows symbolize the power of peace and war.  Across the eagle's chest is a shield.  The shield has 13 red and white stripes.