Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Sic semper tyrannis

 
Latin Phrase: Sic Semper Tyrannis
 

Thus ever to tyrants. The motto of the State of Virginia. John Wilkes Booth is supposed to have shouted this phrase as he jumped to stage of Ford's Theater after shooting Abraham Lincoln.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a word or phrase...
All Community Q&A Reference topics
 
Wikipedia: Sic semper tyrannis
Top
Great Seal of Virginia with the state motto.

Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants". It is sometimes mistranslated as "death to tyrants". It is most known as the official motto of Virginia and for its usage during the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Contents

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. city Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, and is referenced in the official state song of Maryland.

History

The phrase is attributed to Marcus Junius Brutus, the most famous figure in the assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC: however, it is more probably a later dramatic invention, as Roman historians of the period did not record it. In American history, John Wilkes Booth shouted the phrase after shooting Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, in part because of the association with the assassination of Caesar.[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] The phrase has been used in various popular media, including television shows and books.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Rowland, Kate Mason (1892). The Life of George Mason, 1725-1792. G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 264–265. http://books.google.com/books?id=jbiCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA265. 
  2. ^ Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth
  3. ^ TimesMachine April 15, 1865 - New York Times
  4. ^ Kilzer, Lou; Flynn, Kevin (1997-12-19). "Did McVeigh Plan to get Caught, or was he Sloppy?". Denver Rocky Mountain News. 

See also

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Answers Corporation Latin Phrase. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sic semper tyrannis" Read more