Alabama State Motto, Nicknames, State Slogans

“Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere” (Official)

The English translation of the Alabama state motto: “We
Dare Defend our Rights” or “We Dare Maintain our
Rights” is derived from a poem by 18th century author Sir
William Jones:

“What constitutes a state? . .
.
Men who their duties know,
but know their rights,
and knowing, dare maintain.”

Marie Bankhead Owen, Director of the â€œAlabama Department of
Archives and Historyâ€ was the one who came up with the idea of
using Sir William Jones’ poems as inspiration for the Alabama
state motto when she was searching for an appropriate design for
the Alabama coat-of-arms.

Contrary to many Latin mottos this motto did not start out as
Latin but initially came about in the English language (“We
Dare Defend our Rights“), then was later translated into
the Latin motto: “Audemus jura nostra defendere” by W.
B. Saffold, a Professor at the University of Alabama.

The motto of Alabama may be said to reflect justice, freedom and
independence – values it shares with many other U.S. state
mottos.

Alabama State Nicknames

Whereas there is only one motto, there exist a number of
state nicknames for Alabama:

“The Cotton State”
The state of Alabama is placed in the middle of what is referred
to as the “Cotton Belt”. Cotton is one of the main pillars of
Alabama’s agricultural industry. In state statistics, Alabama
ranks between eight and ten in national cotton production for
the USA.

The cotton plantation state - cotton field in Alabama

Alabama State Slogans

Whereas the motto of Alabama intends to describe the ‘soul’
of Alabama with patriotism at heart, Alabama state slogans focus
especially on attracting tourists and as you will see, some
slogans are more serious in nature than others:

“Share the Wonder”
The official
website of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources uses this Alabama state slogan.

“Alabama the Beautiful”
From the “Alabama Official 2007 Vacation Guide”

“Where America Finds its Voice: Alabama”
From Associated Press 2006-08-03. “Alabama tourism agency
announces new ‘Idols’ billboards”. USA Today (Gannett Company).

“Sweet Home Alabama”
Most people recognize this expression from the famous
song or movie by the same title. However, it is also the slogan
for the official travel and tourism website for the State of
Alabama: Alabama.Travel

“Alabama: At Least We’re not Mississippi”

“Alabama: Got Teeth?”

“Alabama: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem”

“Alabama: Yes, We Have Electricity”

“Alabama: Like the Third World, but Closer!”
~ Jim Villani ~

“Alabama: Keeping it in the Family Since 1819”
~ Robert Pfaff ~

“Alabama: Fuckin’ A” Go here to see som

more hilarious state slogans.

“The Cotton Plantation State”
Cotton being central state crops, farmers in Alabama
have suffered when important cotton productions failed: For
instance, in the early 1900s poor cotton harvests had widespread
effect on farmers and their living.

“The Heart of Dixie”

Among one of the most popular Alabama State Nicknames is “The
Heart of Dixie”. This state nickname has been part of the design
on Alabama car licence plates since 1955. “The Heart of Dixie”
also has a thread going back to the state’s role in the South
and the Civil War.

The origin of the expression dates back to somewhere between the
1940s or 50s when the Alabama Chamber of Commerce felt a calling
for a more characteristic state nickname than the” Cotton
State”, as Alabama is not the only state producer of this crop.

“The Yellowhammer State”
There are two different explanations to the origin of
this Alabama state nickname. Both have their root in the Civil
War:

One story goes that the Confederate soldiers home dyed
their uniforms which made the grey parts of the uniform seem
yellow.
Another tale speaks of a company of soldiers that had
their uniforms trimmed with yellow cloth. This reminded
people of the northern flicker woodpecker, popularly known
as Yellowhammer (Alabama’s state bird). The Yellowhammers
have yellow patches under their wings and on their tail.

“The Lizard State”
In early times, the streams of Alabama were home for a
variety of lizards.

USA map with Alabama highlighted