Collection Highlights
The Great Seal
The Great Seal of the United States is a unique symbol of our country and national identity. Only one authorized Great Seal is in official…
Diplomacy Classroom: The Great Seal
This Diplomacy Classroom we took a closer look at the Great Seal of the United States. Each year the seal is impressed upon thousands of official documents such as treaties and commissions. NMAD Public Historian Dr. Alison Mann and Education Director Lauren Fischer discussed the importance of the seal and how it evolved to be the image now recognized around the world as a symbol of the United States. Also highlighted during the 45-minute program were artifacts from NMAD’s collection that bear the Great Seal. The artifacts showed how the seal is used not only on official documents but is affixed on U.S. missions across the globe and represented on diplomatic gifts. Learn its history and secrets through the timestamps below:
- What is the Great Seal? 5:10
- What’s the difference between the Great Seal and its representation? 9:29
- Has the Great Seal always looked the same? 10:30
- What was the evolution of the Great Seal? 14:19
- Where can we find representations of the Great Seal? 18:45
- How is the seal a tool of diplomacy? 27:32
To learn more about the Great Seal, check out the online exhibit.
Watch Diplomacy Classroom: The Great Seal
Explore Related Content
-
-
Item
Charred Great Seal
Protesters in Belgrade, Serbia, attacked and set fire to the U.S. embassy on February 21, 2008, in response to U.S. support for Kosovo’s independence. A large rally of Serbs, vowing to retake the neighboring territory which is viewed as Serbia’s religious and national heartland, preceded the attack on the embassy. This seal, which…
-
Item
Damaged Great Seal Emblem
This large metal Great Seal emblem, measuring approximately 4 ft. in diameter, was located at the entrance to the U.S. Consulate Herat, Afghanistan, and was damaged during the September 13, 2013, attack on the consulate by a truck bomb. Eight Afghan guards lost their lives defending the Consulate during this attack.
-
Lesson Plan
Monroe Doctrine 101
In this lesson, students step into the shoes of a historical figure and write a composition on how people, nations, and governments responded to the Monroe Doctrine.
