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Nebraska State Motto

Equality Before the Law	Language:English
Translation:	Adoption:1867

State mottoes may be said to reflect the character and beliefs of the citizens of the state, or more accurately, the citizens of the state when they were adopted. State mottoes can help us gain insight into the history of a state. [What is a motto? ]

The Nebraska Statutes

Like many states, Nebraska's motto is not an official state motto, as such, but is accepted as an element of its official seal. The following information is excerpted from the Nebraska Statutes, Chapter 84, Section 84-501.

CHAPTER 84. STATE OFFICERS.
SECTION 84-501. SECRETARY OF STATE; GREAT SEAL; CUSTODIAN.

84-501
Secretary of State; Great Seal; custodian.

The Secretary of State shall safely keep and not suffer to be imitated or counterfeited the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska of the form and design prescribed by the Act approved June 15, 1867, as follows:

Source:
Laws 1867, § 1, p. 57; R.S.1913, § 5569; C.S.1922, § 4873; C.S.1929, § 84-501. Note: Section 1 of the act of 1867 is as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Nebraska, That the Secretary of State be, and he is hereby authorized and required to procure, at the cost and expense of the state, and as soon after the passage of this act as practicable, a seal for the state, to be designated and known as the Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, and of the design and device following, that is to say: The eastern part of the circle to be represented by a steamboat ascending the Missouri river; the mechanic arts to be represented by a smith with hammer and anvil; in the foreground, agriculture to be represented by a settler's cabin, sheaves of wheat and stalks of growing corn; in the background a train of cars heading towards the Rocky Mountains, and on the extreme west, the Rocky Mountains to be plainly in view; around the top of this circle to be in capital letters, the motto. 'EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW,' and the circle to be surrounded with the words, 'Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, March 1st, 1867.' "

Additional Information

State Motto List: List of all of the state mottoes.

State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002

State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: A Study based on historical documents giving the origin and significance of the state names, nicknames, mottoes, seals, flowers, birds, songs, and descriptive comments on the capitol buildings and on some of the leading state histories, Revised Edition - George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 (Reprint Services Corp. 1971)

Source: Laws of Nebraska, Nebraska Statutes and Constitution , (http://statutes.unicam.state.ne.us/), March 23, 2005
Source: Merriam-Webster Online, (http://www.m-w.com/), March 3, 2005
Source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002
Source: State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: Revised Edition (Reprint)- George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938

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