The Alabama State Motto: History and Translation

The United States of America may be a unified nation, but it is a unified nation of unique and diverse states. The beauty of America is the very rich and individual history of the states. This series on the state mottos will attempt to not only explain the state mottoes, but also show you the uniqueness behind the meanings.

What is a Motto?
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines motto as a "short expression of a guiding principle." Carpe diem, or "seize the day", is a great example of this definition. State mottoes follow the same idea. Usually a state motto is taken from the Latin and is a simple statement of character or purpose for that state. Sometimes it is a reminder of the past; sometimes it is a purpose for the future. According to Netstate.com, "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."

History of Alabama's State Motto- "Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere"
This Latin statement translates as "We dare maintain our rights." Marie Bankhead Owen, the director of the state archives, came across the idea for this motto when she was searching for a "phrase that would interpret the spirit of our peoples in a terse and energetic sentence." The Birmingham News-Age Herald reported that she came upon a poem entitled, "What Constitutes a State?" by Sir William Jones and one stanza stood out in particular to her. "Men who their duties know. But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain."

This was not the first motto given to the state of Alabama. Following the Civil War, during the Reconstruction era, the United States legislature assigned "Here we Rest" as Alabama's state motto. Because the people of the state did not choose it, the motto was viewed as a repulsive. The meaning was meant to convey peace, as in the laying down of arms and a re-entry into the United States. But for the proud state that had lost many sons on the battlefield and once housed the capital of the Confederate States, it would not do.

What Alabama's Motto Means
When Marie Bankhead Owen came across the poem and pulled out the phrase, "We Dare Maintain Our Rights," she had found what the people of the state had been looking for. In 1923, the new state coat of arms was completed with the motto translated into Latin by Professor W. B. Saffold of the University of Alabama. Some translate the phrase, "we dare defend our rights" and this could not be truer of the state.

Alabama has a rich history of defending and maintaining rights. During the Civil War, Alabama fought valiantly to maintain individual states' rights. Later, in the 1960's during the Civil Rights movement, some of the most important events happened here. Rosa Parks' famous bus boycott happened in Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. Birmingham, one of the most segregated cities in the south in 1963, elected their first African-American mayor only 15 years later. It was not always easy, but the citizens of this state fought for and maintained personal rights.

Today, Alabama men and women are still fighting for rights. But now the fight is farther from home. On July 5, 2008, the Anniston Star News informed the state of another unit heading to Iraq. The Alabama 11th joins other Alabama-based military units, such as the Alabama National Guard unit out of Montgomery and other reservists, in Iraq. They are continuing the tradition of the great state of Alabama by "daring to defend our rights."

Sources:
www.annistonstar.com/news/2008/as-state-0705-0-8g04t2505.htm
http://www.ags.uci.edu/~skaufman/teaching/win2001ch4.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham%2C_Alabama
http://www.alabamainteractive.org/alabamainteractive_shell/Welcome.do?url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/aaa.html
http://www.alabama.gov/portal/index.jsp
http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/al_motto.htm