Liberty and Prosperity has been the motto of New Jersey since 1776. We used that motto as the name of our organization when we founded it in 2003.
That motto comes from the seal and flag adopted by New Jersey’s legislature in August of 1776. That was after 13 North American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
That seal and flag depicted two ancient Roman goddesses standing side by side.
The goddess on the left is Libertas, the goddess of liberty and freedom. The goddess on the right is either Ceres, the goddess of bountiful harvests or Abundantia, the goddess of abundance and prosperity,
Libertas, the goddess of liberty is associated with two symbols, a red cap often known as a Liberty Cap or Phrygian Cap. According to legend, that cap was worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome. At that time, a slave was often identified by a shaved head or the name or symbol of the owner tattooed on it. Wearing a Liberty Cap announced that a former slave was now a free man.
In ancient Rome, Libertas was also associated with either a spear or a wooded stick or pike.
The spear could have reminded Romans that freedom must constantly be defended. It could have reminded them that many slaves won their freedom when they fought in the army to defend the Republic.
The wooden stick or pike could have reminded people of the rod (vindicta) used by a magistrate at the ceremony declaring that a slave was legally free.
The image of Liberty used for New Jersey’s flag and seal in 1776 holds a wooden stick. It could be a Roman vindicta. However, it may also depict the wooden pike commonly used as a weapon in England and Ireland during the English Civil War of 1641 to 1652.
That pike was the weapon of common citizens. It was cheap and easy to make. It required little training. It was useless in the hands of one man fighting alone against an aristocratic knight on a horse with a lance and sword. However large groups of common men fighting together with simple wooden pikes could knock privileged knights off their high horses to preserve their freedom.
Above Image: Official Seal of Argentina adopted in 1816 also depicts red Liberty/Phrygian Cap and wooden pole, rod or pike.
Patriots during the American Revolution of 1776 often wore and displayed that red Liberty or Phrygian Cap to show that they were now free citizens and no longer subjects to the kings and nobles of the British Empire. That same symbol was later adopted by revolutionaries in France and South America.
They proudly carried or displayed the Liberty pole or pike to symbolize that ordinary citizens could defeat the rich and powerful aristocrats of Europe by fighting together,
Standing next to liberty on the New Jersey flag and seal is a goddess carrying a cornucopia or horn of plenty. In ancient Rome, the goddesses of Ceres and Abundantia were associated with the cornucopia. That figure on the New Jersey state seal and flag symbolizes prosperity.
The New Jersey state flag reminds us that Liberty and Prosperity appear together. Whenever government power is used to deny people of their Liberty, it also destroys their prosperity. Whenever people are too poor to support themselves, they are eager to sell their freedom to survive.
In 1776, the people who created New Jersey as an independent state understood that Liberty and Prosperity only exist together,
Images and References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Phrygian_cap
Ceres – World History Encyclopedia
LibertyAndProsperity.com is a tax-exempt, non-political education organization of roughly 200 citizens who mostly live near Atlantic City, New Jersey. We formed this group in 2003. We volunteer our time and money to maintain this website. We do our best to post accurate information. However, we admit we make mistakes from time to time. If you see any mistakes or inaccurate, misleading, outdated, or incomplete information in this or any of our posts, please let us know. We will do our best to correct the problem as soon as possible. Please email us at info@libertyandprosperity.com or telephone (609) 927-7333.
If you agree with this post, please share it now on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the “share” icons above and below each post. Please copy and paste a short paragraph as a “teaser” when you re-post.
Also, because Facebook, YouTube and other social media often falsely claim our posts violate their “community standards”, they greatly restrict, “throttle back” or “shadow ban” our posts. Please help us overcome that by sharing our posts wherever you can, as often as you can. Please copy and paste the URL link above or from the Twitter share button to the “comments” section of your favorite sites like Patch.com or PressofAtlanticCity.com. Please also email it to your friends. Open and use an alternate social media site like Gab.com.
Finally, please subscribe to our weekly email updates. Enter your email address, name, city and state in the spaces near the top of our home page at Homepage – Liberty and Prosperity. Then click the red “subscribe” button. Or email me at sethgrossman@libertyandprosperity.com or address below. Thanks.
Seth Grossman, Executive Director
LibertyAndProsperity.com
info@libertyandprosperity.com
(609) 927-7333
Hello, you used to write magnificent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring?I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!