Question

Please explain why the eagle holds the olive branch in its right talon rather than its left talon.





WRITER

Answer 1

Because of heraldic symbolism and the message the designers wanted the seal to convey.

- In heraldry the “right” side (the dexter) is the position of honor and precedence. Placing the olive branch in the eagle’s right talon signals that peace is the preferred, honorable policy.
- The arrows are in the left talon to show that while the nation is ready and able to fight, war is secondary — a last resort.
- Charles Thomson, who finalized the Great Seal in 1782, specified the olive branch and arrows and their placement; the arrangement was meant to communicate “peace, but readiness for war.”
- A small technical note: “right” is the eagle’s right (the bearer’s right), which appears as the viewer’s left when you look at the seal.

If you need a writerly line, you can use one of these:
- “The eagle clasps the olive branch in its right talon — the dexter side of honor — to declare that peace is the nation’s first aim, while the arrows in its left talon signify war kept as a reluctant necessity.”
- “By placing the olive branch in the eagle’s right talon, the seal makes clear: peace is preferred; force is reserved.”