Seal, Confederate States of America

OK, Grove, Headstone Symbols and Meanings, Seal, Confederate States of America

THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA SEAL -  The Seal was first used publicly in 1864.  The seal prominently features George Washington on horseback, in the same position as the 1858 Virginia Washington Monument, located adjacent to the Confederate Capitol in Richmond, Virginia.  Washington is pictured in his uniform of the Revolution securing American independence.

Washington is surrounded with a wreath, which is made of some of the main agricultural products of the Confederacy: wheat, corn, tobacco, cotton, rice and sugar cane. The top margin of the seal features the words "The Confederate States of America: 22 February 1862".  This date on the seal commemorates the establishment of the Confederate government in Richmond, Virginia with the inauguration of Jefferson Davis after the only Confederate general election, and is also Washington's birthday.

The bottom margin contains the national motto, Deo Vindice (variously translated as "Under God, [Our] Vindicator", "With God as [Our] Champion", "With God as [Our] Judge", and "Under the Guidance and Protection of God").  The Confederate Senator Thomas Semmes, in proposing this motto, took pains to stress that the Confederacy had "deviated in the most emphatic manner from the spirit that presided over the construction of the Constitution of the United States, which is silent on the subject of the Deity".  The religious motto reflected the view of, probably, most Confederate citizens: that slavery was condoned by Christianity and thus, by extension, the Confederacy was supported by God.

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OK, Grove, Headstone Symbols and Meanings, Confederate States of America Seal