The state of Alabama has no official nickname but is often called the ‘heart of dixie’.All governments of states find a phrase that describes their state in the best way. This becomes the state motto of a particular state.The state of Alabama is no different. The state motto of Alabama is in Latin but there is an interesting history behind how Alabama ended up with this motto. The state motto is seen on the coat of arms of Alabama. Other than the state motto, there are other things that make the state of Alabama unique. There are state flowers, flags and seals. Let’s dive deep into the Alabama state and find some interesting facts about this state.After reading this article all about the Alabama state motto, you can also check out more articles full of lots of interesting facts about Russia and amazing facts about Cuba. Why not give them a read?What is Alabama’s state motto in English?Every state has a state motto that stands as a representation for the state. It either represents the motivation or intention of the state. Sometimes the state motto is in English and other times, the state motto is in another language.The famous Alabama state motto is in Latin. What is the English translation of this Alabama state motto?The Alabama department adopted Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere as their state motto in 1939 inspired by a stanza from the poem called ‘What Constitutes a State?’ by William Jones published in the 1700s. The English translation of the Alabama state motto is ‘we dare defend our rights’ or ‘we dare maintain our rights’. The Alabama state motto is inspired by Sir William Jones. The poem is called ‘What Constitutes a State?’ by Sir William Jones and it contains a stanza that goes ‘men who their duties know. But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain.‘The motto was translated to the Latin phrase by professor W. B. Saffold. He was from the University of Alabama. The motto is featured on the Alabama coat of arms. The first motto of Alabama state was ‘here we rest’ and it was adopted after the civil war. The Republican legislature approved this state motto for Alabama. This phrase became part of the state seal. In the earlier state seal, the banner with these words was seen at the eagle’s beak. Even though the state legislature agreed with the first state motto, the people of Alabama found the motto a bit lacking.That is when the second Alabama state motto happened. The new phrase was adopted by the Alabama department and state legislature. Along with the state motto, the original seal of the state also changed. The new seal of the Alabama state became a phrase that has the words ‘Alabama great seal’ on it. This official seal of Alabama has two circles. The outer circle has the words ‘Alabama great seal’ while the inner circle contains an outline of the Alabama state with the major rivers of the state along with the adjacent states.The new state motto was featured on the Alabama coat of arms. The symbol on the Alabama coat of arms became a banner inscribed with the new motto draped in two bald eagles. In the Alabama coat of arms, the bald eagle stands on either side of a shield that shows symbols or flags of the four countries that governed Alabama. Throughout history, Alabama was governed by the United States, France, Spain, and Great Britain. The states featured on the official coat of arms also have the symbols or flags of the United States, Spain, France, and Great Britain. One of the state symbols of Alabama is a union binding all these countries. Along with the four countries the civil war, confederacy is also depicted in the official coat of arms along with other Alabama state symbols. Thus the original motto and the official motto of the Alabama state became Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere.What does Alabama’s state motto mean?Alabama has had two state mottos until now. The Latin phrase that stands as the current Alabama state motto is ‘Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere’ which translates into ‘we dare defend our rights’. What does this state motto imply? What is represented through this phrase?The one who came up with this Alabama state motto is Marie Bankhead Owens who was the director of state archives. The idea that she had for the state motto was to find a phrase that would interpret the spirits of the people of Alabama in a terse and energetic sentence. While going through the search for a phrase that would show this idea, she came across the poem of William Jones in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. The ‘dare maintain’ part of the stanza of the poem was emphasized along with rights to make the phrase ‘we dare maintain our rights’.Initially, this wasn’t the Alabama state motto. The initial state motto was ‘here we rest’. But this phrase couldn’t convey or represent the Alabama state. The people of Alabama also found this state motto inadequate in representing their country. So the state motto that we see now that goes ‘we dare maintain our rights’ is actually the second Alabama state motto. In the year 1939, the state of Alabama adopted this state motto and it still remains the same to this day. But the state motto is actually translated from English to Latin in the state motto to make it easy for people to understand.The poem by William Jones was actually written in English. This phrase got translated into Latin and was later officially adopted as the Alabama state motto. The people of Alabama also found that the state motto depicted Alabama better than the first one and as such, it became extremely popular. This resulted in the new motto finding a place in all government buildings and establishments.How do you pronounce Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere?If you ever come across the official coat of arms of the Alabama state and see the Latin phrase on it, you might wonder how to pronounce it out loud. Unless you’re very good at Latin, the correct pronunciation might be a hassle.So, in order to not embarrass yourself with the pronunciation of the Latin phrase, let’s see how it is pronounced.Latin is not an easy language but there is a pride in using Latin phrases as symbols. The phrase Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere is actually pronounced ‘au-de-mus ju-ra nos- tra de- fen-de-re’. The transcription of the word goes /au̇-ˈdā-mu̇s-ˌyu̇r-ä-ˈnȯ-strä-dā-ˈfen-de-rā/. If you find the Latin phrase hard to remember, there is always the English translation that goes ‘we dare defend our rights’.Latin phrases are widely used all over the world. Latin is a language that has been used for centuries. There is a long history behind this language, so when we use Latin words and phrases, there is a feeling of timelessness that comes with it. Latin also sounds smart which is a bonus that comes along with the language being used all through the years. Many schools and other institutions prefer Latin phrases for their motto since it brings a rich history behind it. The language is still preserved in this way. So, having the state motto in Latin on the official coat of arms of Alabama brings in a history of its own along with the other symbols used.Other symbols seen along with the Latin phrase are the symbols of France, Spain, the United States, Great Britain, and the civil war confederacy. There is also a depiction of the baaldine ship that brought immigrants from France to Alabama. Other states besides Alabama also have Latin state mottos along with English, Greek, and Spanish. Some examples are the state motto of Ditat Deus of Arizona and Ad Astra Per Aspera of Kansas.Alabama State SongApart from the Alabama state motto, there are other symbols that make this state unique. The Alabama state flower is the camellia and the state bird is the northern flicker.The state even has a song for itself. The Alabama state song is called ‘Alabama’, which is not a surprising title. The lyrics to the song are written by Julia S Tutwiler and the music is given by Edna Gockel Gussen. The song became the official song of the Alabama state in the year 1931. The cheerful song of the state begins with the words ‘Alabama, Alabama’ and goes on to describe the beautiful state of Alabama. There are seven verses in this song and in each verse, there is a particular phrase repeated. ‘Alabama, Alabama, we will aye be true to thee’ is repeated in each verse. It is a way of showing how a person is in love with his or her state and how that person will defend the state throughout his or her life. This is much like the meaning behind the state motto of Alabama. The song is a happy one describing the beautiful scenarios you can find in Alabama state.Other than the beautiful Alabama state motto and state song, this state also has two state flags. We already know that they have two state mottos. The first of the two-state flags has the phrase ’touch me not’ inscribed in Latin on one side. The other side has the phrase ‘independent now and forever’. It was designed in 1861. The official flag of Alabama seen in the official coat of arms was adopted in 1895 and this flag is still the state flag today.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Alabama state motto then why not take a look at Alabama state bird or facts about Alaska.
The state of Alabama has no official nickname but is often called the ‘heart of dixie’.
