Sic semper tyrannis
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Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants." It is sometimes loosely translated as "Death to tyrants." The phrase may be a shortened version of Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis, meaning "Thus always do I deal death to tyrants."[citation needed] It is the state motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States.
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[edit]Motto
The phrase was recommended by George Mason to the Virginia Convention in 1776, as part of the state's seal. The Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shows Virtue, sword in hand, with her foot on the prostrate form of Tyranny, whose crown lies nearby. The Seal was planned by Mason and designed by George Wythe, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence and taught law to Thomas Jefferson.[1] Additionally, the phrase is the motto of the United States Navy attack submarine named for the state, the USS Virginia. The phrase is also the motto of the U.S. cityAllentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, and is referenced in the official state song of Maryland.
[edit]History
The phrase is originally attributed to Marcus Junius Brutus, the most famous figure in the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC. The phrase however is likely a later dramatic invention, as Roman historians such as Livy do not record it. In American history, because of the association with the assassination of Caesar, John Wilkes Booth shouted the phrase after shooting United States President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.[2][3] Timothy McVeigh was wearing a T-shirt with this phrase and a picture of Lincoln on it when he was arrested on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City Bombing.[4]
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