E Pluribus Unum

If the Latin phrase "E Pluribus Unum" sounds familiar, it should.

It is the motto of the United States of America as found on not only our Great Seal but also our currency.

The phrase means, "Out of Many, One."

Our nation's early currency featured phrases and symbolism representing unity, including "fractional Colonial Notes" (less than a dollar) designed by Benjamin Franklin which stated the same concept plainly in English: "We Are One."  He placed that uniting phrase in block letters within a circle of 13 interlinking rings, each of which had the name of one of the original colonies which became states.

On July 4, 1776, Congress appointed a committee to design a seal for the United States of America, selecting "E Pluribus Unum" to be included as our country's motto.

An early design of the Great Seal from 1776 had 13 smaller shields with each of the state names positioned in the outline of a shape of a larger shield.

Within the shield outline of states are six symbols representing "the six countries from which these states are peopled." There's a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a harp for Ireland, a fleur-de-lis for France, a lion for the Netherlands and the Habsburg Doubler Eagle representing Germanic central Europe.

These six countries provided the primary cultures and histories which formed the political, economic, social and legal foundations of our nation, but there seem to be three obvious omissions: Native America, Spain and Africa.

Native Americans were considered to be members of their own independent nations, and while Spain definitely had major colonies in the Americas at the time, few Spanish were part of this confederation seeking independence from English rule. Africans, on the other hand, had been dragged involuntarily to the New World not as citizens but as slaves.

Slavery is an ugly part of our country's history, although contrary to recently promulgated belief, slavery wasn't exclusively American.  In fact, slavery started thousands of years ago.  Slaves were conquered peoples captured in wars and put to work productively serving their captors rather than being put to death or imprisoned.  Over time, the repugnant slave trade developed, treating these unfortunate captured humans as chattel to be bought and sold.

Contrary to other widely held popular beliefs, dark-skinned people were not the only ones ever enslaved, and only about 6% of African slaves brought to the Americas came to the British colonies that became our United States.  Almost ten times as many went to the scattered small islands of the Caribbean, and most of the rest to predominantly Spanish-controlled South America.

The issue of slavery was much debated at the time our Constitution was being written, but our founding fathers reached compromise to continue the disgusting institution in order to form a defensive union with southern colonies, who erroneously believed slavery was the only way to get enough laborers to harvest plantations in an era before modern American agricultural machinery like Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin and scientific methods like crop rotation promulgated by scientists including George Washington Carver.

The horrific legacy was that children of slaves became slaves themselves, but fortunately that did not pervade ad infinitum.  About 80 years after our country gained independence from England, Republican President Abraham Lincoln led our country to emancipate all slaves.  After Lincoln's assassination, the Republican-led Congress passed the 14th Amendment to ensure that American citizenship continued for all descendants of former slaves.

We've come a long way from there.  Since our bloody Civil War ended US slavery in 1865, many millions of "blacks," dwarfing the number ever brought in as slaves, have freely come to the United States, not to mention stayed by choice.  Notably among that voluntary migration was the father of our current President, Barack Obama, the first African American to hold the highest office in our country.

Since our country's foundation, E Pluribus Unum has taken on greater meaning, as we have become a melting pot for people from everywhere in the world who choose to assimilate into this wonderful country where every person is free to become whatever he or she may choose to be, as long as they don't unjustly hurt anyone.

Living in our current era, it is easy to forget how unique our freedoms are compared to all of human history before our country's birth and many places in the world today.

What does this have to do with travel?

Well, as far as the lengthy tangent from my original subject, the new National Museum of African American History and Culture just opened in Washington, D.C., and that could be an easy addition if you visit our nation's Capitol, possibly in conjunction with a cruise departing from nearby Baltimore.

Regarding the original topic of this post, our oldest daughter Gina recently accepted a tenured position at Drexel University in Philadelphia, a city which brings to mind Ben Frankin and the founding of our nation.  We  look forward to visiting her family's new home in Philadelphia soon.

More to the point of cruising, this same spirit of E Pluribus Unum has been adopted by cruise ships, where crew members from all over the world combine their talents to provide cruise experiences unique to the particular cruise line's philosophy.  It's what helps us decide which cruise ship could be perfect for our next great vacation.



And what if you find a cruise line doesn't meet expectations?

We will provide feedback to the line in hopes of facilitating change, but we also will give greater consideration to alternatives for your next trip based on the latest information available about cruise ships and your ever-evolving personal preferences.

Which ONE is right for you?

Better service leads to better trips!