Alabama

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of the United States

ALABAMA

Origin/meaning :
The bill to legalize a state coat-of-arms was introduced in the Alabama Legislature of 1939 by James Simpson, Jefferson County, and was passed without a dissenting vote by both houses. The coat-of-arms consists of a shield on which appears the emblems of the five governments that have held sovereignty over Alabama. The arms of Spain, and France, and the flaga of Great Britain and the Confederacy are bound by the shield of the United States.

This shield is supported on either side by bald eagles, symbolic of courage. The crest is a model of the ship, the Baldine, that Iberville and Bienville sailed from France to settle a colony near present day Mobile (1699). The motto beneath the shield is "Audemus jura nostra defendere," We Dare Defend Our Rights. Beneath the motto is the state name.

The seal of Alabama from 1868:

Literature : Information taken from : http://archives.state.al.us/emblems/st_coa.html; seal from http://www.heraldryclipart.com