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The Bennington County Republican Party

The Bennington County Republican Party

GOP- Grand Old Party- The party of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass

  • Home
  • Our Platform
  • Legislative Issues
  • Events
  • References
  • Contact Us

The American Experience

Some Resources to help citizens understand who we are as a nation, how our government was formed and our aspirations.

The Pledge of Allegiance

The Constitution of the United States

The Heritage Foundation link to the Constitution of the United States.

Heritage Guide to the Constitution

Constitution America

A guide to the Constitution of the United States

The first Great Seal of Vermont, designed by Ira Allen and made by Reuben Dean of Windsor in 1778, was accepted by resolution of the General Assembly on February 20, 1779. That seal wore out so a new seal was made in 1821.
The seal, depicts a 14-branched pine tree rising from the forest, with two grain sheaves above. The 14 branches symbolize the Thirteen Colonies and Vermont as the 14th state admitted to the union. A cow on the right, representing Vermont’s history of dairy farming, also appears. On the top of the seal are wavy lines, possibly suggesting clouds; on the bottom wavy lines suggest water. It is believed that the two sets of wavy lines might also suggest the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain, Vermont’s east and west borders. The passage “Freedom & Unity”—Vermont’s state motto—is centered below the state name. The motto is central to the Vermont ideal of balancing personal freedom with the individual’s responsibility to their community. The seal was first used by the government of the independent Vermont Republic as it existed prior to admission to the Union.