California is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, prompting a closer examination of the state seal's historical and cultural significance. The Great Seal, designed at the 1849 Monterey Constitutional Convention, reflects key state issues like mining, farming, and water transportation. Over the years, the seal has undergone several changes, with the current full-color version adopted in 1978. The seal features important symbols such as the grizzly bear and the motto 'Eureka'. Its imagery continues to resonate through official documents like drivers' licenses and law enforcement badges.
The Great Seal of the State of California was designed and approved at the 1849 Monterey Constitutional Convention. The complex imagery on the Great Seal serves as a snapshot in time, capturing some of the main issues facing the convention members.
The California State Capitol Museum tells the seal's history: The Great Seal was engraved after the Constitutional Convention, with changes over the next century including the grizzly bear and state motto, Eureka.
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