Sic semper tyrannis is a
Latin phrase meaning "thus, ever (or always), to tyrants." It is sometimes mistranslated as "Death to tyrants." The phrase is a shortened version of
Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis, which translated means "Thus always death comes to tyrants." It is the
state motto of
Virginia in the
United States.
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. 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 originally attributed to
Marcus Junius Brutus, the central figure in the
assassination of
Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BC. The phrase however may well be a later dramatic invention. In American history, because of the association with the assassination of Caesar,
John Wilkes Booth reportedly shouted the phrase after
shooting United States President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.
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.
References
External links
