As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, the distance between the founding ideals and modern realities often feels vast. The language of the founders is frequently invoked, yet sometimes it feels distant or abstract. In Iowa, however, one phrase has endured with clarity since the state’s founding: our state motto.
Things designed by committee are rarely remembered for their foresight. Yet a committee of three Iowa state senators in 1847 selected a creed that still inspires 180 years on. “Our liberties we prize, our rights we will maintain.” It strikes at the core of why our union was founded: for the love of liberty and the protection of inalienable rights. It has been invoked by folks across the political spectrum since its adoption because it captures the core principles of our country and its people.
In 2022, Gov. Kim Reynolds cited the motto in her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. According to Reynolds, the creed represents the belief that “the greatness of this state — that the greatness of this country — lies in our people, not government.” Last year, state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl invoked the motto following the removal of gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa civil rights code. Indeed, the creed has been used again and again by politicians, protestors, and the courts. That so many Iowans keep the motto close at hand highlights the deeper principles it represents. These are the principles that bind the state and country together, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The late Gilbert Cranberg, a former editor of the Des Moines Register, wrote in 2009 that the motto seems to be imprinted on the state’s soul. He pointed to a series of decisions, including the 1868 Iowa Supreme Court rejection of ‘separate but equal’ schools, the 1869 admission of women to the state bar, and the 2009 same-sex marriage ruling.
Most other state mottos do not impose a standard to be lived up to. Minnesota chose “L’etoile du Nord,” which is French for “Star of the North.” Alaska followed with “North to the Future,” despite being hours in the past. Missouri chose “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law,” which is a far cry from New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die.” While New Hampshire’s motto may be more flashy than Iowa’s, it wasn’t chosen until 1945, which gave the New Hampshirites almost 100 extra years to mull it over.
The Iowa state motto was drafted with the founding principles in mind, when the country could not agree on who the Constitution applied to. Eight years before becoming a state, “Iowa had already rejected slavery in a decision that found a slave named Ralph free, 26years before the Civil War decided the issue,” legislators declared in a statement. Iowa’s is the only state motto that makes a clear commitment. It is not in Latin, Spanish, or French. It does not reference silver and gold (Montana) or the highway system (Indiana). It made a promise that generations of Iowans have lived up to.
Despite an abundance of skepticism today, by many measures, there is more liberty in Iowa today than ever before. Still, as the state and country continue to evolve, there will be plenty more prizing and maintaining to do. Thankfully for Iowans, our flag, seal, and soul bear a motto that reminds us what is required.
Noah Gratias is a seventh-generation Iowan from Waukee.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A love letter to a state motto that’s worth keeping | Opinion
Reporting by Noah Gratias, Guest columnist / Des Moines Register
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