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The Great Seal of the State of Kansas tells the history of the U.S. state of Kansas.[1]

The seal contains:

  • Landscape with a rising sun (the east)
  • River and steamboat (commerce)
  • Settler's cabin and a man plowing a field (agriculture) [foreground]
  • Wagon train heading west (American expansion / pioneer life)
  • Indians hunting American Bison (the buffalo are fleeing from the Indians)
  • Cluster of 34 stars (top of the seal) – identifying Kansas as the 34th state to be accepted into the Union of the United States.
  • State motto "Ad Astra per Aspera" (Latin: "To the Stars through Difficulties")

The seal is used on the Flag of the State of Kansas.[2]

History

Kansas state historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)

The design for the Great Seal of Kansas was submitted by John James Ingalls, a state senator from Atchison. Ingalls also proposed the state motto, "Ad astra per aspera."[3]

The Great Seal of the State of Kansas was established by a joint resolution adopted by the Kansas Legislature on May 25, 1861.[3]

The resolution states:

"The east is represented by a rising sun, in the right-hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and a steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state, by a settler’s cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons, going west; in the background is seen a herd of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians, on horseback; around the top is the motto, 'Ad astra per aspera,' and beneath a cluster of thirty-four stars. The circle is surrounded by the words, "Great seal of the state of Kansas. January 29, 1861."

See also

References

  1. ^ "Interactive Kansas Seal". governor.ks.gov. 2008-07-04. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  2. ^ "Kansas Flag". www.governor.ks.gov. 2006-10-17. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22.
  3. ^ a b "Seal of Kansas - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. 2013. Retrieved 2021-04-13.

External links