In 1847 the Iowa Senate appointed a three member committee to develop a state seal. The committee suggested "Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" as the state's motto. The committee also suggested the motto be included on the official state seal. States typically include their motto on their official seals.
On December 28, 1846, Iowa officially entered the Union. The first Iowa Legislature in 1847 set out to create what would become the Great Seal of Iowa. It was one of the legislature's first acts. The First General Assembly adopted the Great Seal of Iowa, and the suggested motto, "Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" on February 25, 1847.
Iowa had some difficulties while establishing statehood. Its motto is said to be a statement to affirm that the Iowa people place great importance on their liberties and were asserting their willingness to fight for those liberties, if threatened. When Iowa's territorial governor began pushing for statehood in 1839, citizens opposed the effort. As a territory the voters would not have to pay the salaries of the local officials, and that would change once Iowa became a state. Voters finally agreed in 1844 to move towards statehood, but when Congress rejected their proposed boundaries the move towards statehood again stalled. Iowa was finally admitted as a state in 1846.
As with many states, Iowa's motto is included as a feature on its state's seal. Iowa's Great Seal is officially under the custody of the Governor, whose responsibility it is to control the proper use of the seal. The Great Seal cannot be used without the Governor's permission, and is used on official documents. The motto also appears on the Iowa state flag.
The Iowa seal is circular, with an image of a citizen soldier and an American flag. Overhead is an eagle with the Mississippi River in the background. The eagle is holding a banner that displays the state motto. The state motto is also displayed on the Iowa state flag. But it wasn't until 75 years after statehood that the state flag or banner was adopted by the legislature. The flag was designed by Dixie Cornell Gebhardt of Knoxville, who was a member of the Daughters of the Revolution. The banner is comprised of three vertical stripes of red, white and blue. In the white center is an eagle who carries a streamer displaying the state motto. Gebhadt explained that the blue was to stand for loyalty, justice and truth, the white was to stand for purity, and the red was to stand for courage. The banner was designed in 1917 and officially adopted by the Legislature in 1921.