Great Seal > Symbols > Pyramid > Strength "The Pyramid Signifies Strength and Duration" In his official remarks about the Great Seal, Charles Thomson used William Barton's brief explanation: "The Pyramid signifies Strength & Duration." That's all they said about the pyramid as a symbol for America. How Does the Great Pyramid Symbolize STRENGTH? Of course, its sheer mass is an obvious sign of strength, but another aspect to consider is how it was built. The three men primarily responsible for putting the pyramid on the Great Seal (Francis Hopkinson, William Barton, and Charles Thomson) all had access to books written by historians and explorers who estimated it took somewhere between 100,000 and 360,000 workers 20 years to build the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Compare those numbers to other historical events: Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire with 30,000 soldiers. At the siege of Yorktown, a British force of 8,000 surrendered to an army of 9,000 Americans allied with 7,000 French – for a total of about 24,000 men. As a symbol of national strength, the Great Pyramid epitomizes a revolutionary undertaking on a massive scale – as great a cooperative effort in its time as America's Apollo Project was in the 20th century. The Great Pyramid is an Obvious Symbol of DURATION At the time of the American Revolution, historians estimated the Egyptian pyramids had already survived for 3,000 years. Considered the most permanent form of structure, "the Pyramids have been too great to be consumed." What better symbol for the new nation? Rare in history is the person immune to the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Great Pyramid. This first wonder of the ancient world commands our admiration, challenges our imagination, and even renews our hope in the capacity of humans to work together to achieve greatness. The birth of the United States began a new era, a new order of the ages that America's founders hoped would long endure. "The human mind seems just awakening from a long stupor of many ages to the discovery of useful Arts and inventions." – Charles Thomson to Thomas Jefferson (1782) "'Tis not the concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or less affected, even to the end of time, by the proceedings now." – Thomas Paine, Common Sense Walt Whitman muses about America unfinished. Great Seal Symbols | Mottoes History | Myths ©2009 GreatSeal.com