<P> A brief and official explanation of the symbolism, was prepared in the form of a historical sketch (or pamphlet) of the seal of the United States, entitled, The Seal of the United States: How it was Developed and Adopted . It was written by Gaillard Hunt in 1892 under the direction of then Secretary of State James G. Blaine . When the copyright on the pamphlet expired, Hunt expounded upon the information in more detail . This was published in 1909 in a book titled The History of the Seal of the United States . This work was largely based on a two - volume work written in 1897 by Charles A.L. Totten titled Our Inheritance in the Great Seal of Manasseh, the United States of America: Its History and Heraldry; and Its Signification unto the' Great People' thus Sealed . Hunt's account greatly details how the seal was chosen, containing sketches of other suggestions for a great seal which were made, such as Franklin's suggested motto "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God", information on the illegal seal, iterations and changes that have been made to the seal, and it also includes detailed descriptions of the symbology of the great seal (such as that provided by Charles Thomson). </P> <P> In honor of the fact that there were originally thirteen States in the Union, the inclusion of items consisting of this number is a common motif in the seal . The official description of the seal states that there should be thirteen stars in the "glory" above the eagle's head, thirteen stripes on the shield, and thirteen arrows in the eagle's talon . The initial description of the reverse specified thirteen levels to the pyramid, and though the number was left out of the final version, all depictions typically still show thirteen levels . Also by custom, since 1885 there are thirteen leaves and thirteen olives on the olive branch . The fact that there are thirteen letters in two of the mottos ("e pluribus unum" and "annuit cœptis") seems to be coincidental (and depends on whether one considers the ligature "œ" to be one letter or two). </P> <P> In the Department of State, the term "Great Seal" refers to a physical mechanism which is used by the department to affix the seal to official government documents . This mechanism includes not only the die (metal engraved with a raised inverse image of the seal), but also the counterdie (also known as a counter-seal), the press, and cabinet in which it is housed . There have been several presses used since the seal was introduced, but none of the mechanisms used from 1782 through 1904 have survived . The seal, and apparently its press, was saved when Washington, D.C. was burned in 1814 though no one knows by whom . </P> <P> The press in use today was made in 1903 by R. Hoe & Co's chief cabinetmaker Frederick S. Betchley in conjunction with the 1904 die, with the cabinet being made of mahogany . It is marked with the contracted completion date of June 15, 1903, but delays and reworking pushed final delivery into early 1904 . From 1945 to 1955, the Great Seal changed quarters almost once a year . In 1955, the seal was put on public display for the first time in a central location in the Department's main building . In 1961 the Seal became the focus of the new Department Exhibit Hall, where it resides today in a glass enclosure . The enclosure remains locked at all times, even during the sealing of a document . </P>

What does the us coat of arms represent