The Special Commission on the State Seal and Motto seeks your feedback on the Commonwealth's future seal and motto. A random sample of households across the Commonwealth will receive a mailed survey; all Massachusetts residents can take the 5 to 10-minute online survey here:
The goal of the Special Commission is to learn how residents view the seal and motto and gather input to represent the diversity and aspirations of communities within the Commonwealth. The survey's findings will be submitted to the Special Commission by the end of September 2023, which will present final recommendations on the seal and motto by November 15, 2023.
The seal was last updated in 1898, but its origins date back to the early colonial period. Efforts to address potentially harmful imagery in the seal have been ongoing for over forty years. The Latin motto loosely translates to "By the sword, we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."
If you want to know more about the Massachusetts seal and motto, check Wikipedia.