One Seal for All of Groton

The Establishment Clause (First Amendment) of the Bill of Rights states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Thomas Jefferson, in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, declared that when the American people adopted the establishment clause they built a “wall of separation between the church and state.”

Keeping the uniquely Christian Holy Bible symbol on the town seal is in conflict with the widely accepted 'separation of church and state' interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the Bill of Rights.

History is happening in every moment and all around us. We cherish and respect our beautiful town of Groton's history.

Currently, there is work being done to ensure that the original Groton seal will be honored for its historical value to our town. With respect and care in mind, members of our community have convened to provide a place for the Groton seal to be displayed for all to recognize.

The Groton Seal History Myth

An invitation to dig a little deeper and get your fingers dirty. To pick away at the veneer of ‘history’ you have been offered and to ask some important questions. To see truth.

Some of us are hanging our hat on, or hiding behind the ‘history’, of the Groton seal as a reason to fail yet again at taking proper stock and taking proper action. Some are referring in reverent tones about the importance of place that the Groton town seal does hold and must hold in our town. But even a modicum of effort and noodling about the truth of the seal strips away the myths of ‘history’ being peddled.

Notions of ‘history’ presented and passed around Groton, are not entirely unlike the tomfoolery our country fell for when we let the Daughters of the Confederacy sprinkle around revisionist monuments and a sheen of respect for future generations to soak in. Where did those revisionist lies get us?

Why do I make this comparison?

Was Groton born with a seal? No. The seal was created 243 years after the town was established due to an unfunded mandate by the Commonwealth. The town is now 367 years old and its seal has only been around 124 of those years. That ‘history’ is fairly flimsy stuff to build an argument on. The seal has been a thing for a far shorter period than Groton has been here.

Back then, did Groton citizens want a seal and choose this seal because it represented them? No, they did not want a seal as already established by the fact that it was the Commonwealth of MA that demanded its creation. Because it was unfunded, it created a potential debt burden that was eased by the generous offer of Dr Samuel Green to create and pay for a seal that only he would design. Dr Green was a native born Grotonian, who at the time was more of a wealthy Boston Brahmin, summer vacationer, who had distinguished himself as an accomplished American and Bostonian.

When Grotonians voted at town meeting for the seal created and paid for by Dr Green, were they voting for the Bible or for the simple fact that the mandate was satisfied and paid for by a favorite son of Groton? If we look at the actual context of the moment, we may see that this was not a vote in favor of Dr Greens design choices per se, but rather a perfunctory closing of business and thankfulness of a debt avoided. There was no choice. Vote to take the payment and satisfy the obligation or vote to come up with the funds and a design on their own. Not much of a choice. In fact, it was not a real choice.

Was Groton a Bible clutching bastion of Christianity? Was it founded with a unique, elevated focus on faith in a way that was greater than other townships in its midst? Was the Bible and Christian faith uniquely Groton? In a word, no. In the documents, videos, reports and conversation I have seen, I can find no evidence that the Groton Plantation in its original manifestation or through its subsequent generations and iterations, was ever any of these things. The most that can be said is that Groton was a majority Christian town, as were most others it is surrounded by. Groton is no more or less Christian than those other towns – which notably did not choose to have a Bible affixed to their town seal.

Were Grotonians uniquely inspired by the Bible and/or did they live their lives in a way that was distinctly pious, reverent and religious? No. It is a little trick of any present moment, including now and in the future, that people will ascribe heroic traits to those who have come before. Our forebears are lionized as all good, all observant, and pious people. But a little digging reminds us that these forbears swore, gambled, cheated, lied, stole, murdered and more. Groton would be no different, witness Nate Nutting and his sad story. The idea that Groton held aloft its Bible and placed it on its seal because they were better than, or uniquely motivated by their fealty to the Bible is revisionist. It is a fallacy we are tabling as a truth.

So, what ‘history’ are we being pressed to preserve and give unflinching fealty to? Is it the late comer seal, drawn and paid for to satisfy a legal requirement? Is the ‘history’ some of us clutch to our bodies the myth of uber-faithful, all-pious, stunningly religious forebears? Or are we simply being demanded to move along and look no further, to ask no further questions, to dig no deeper and to carry on as if the Groton seal is bedrock?

We must ask of each other, and of course look in the mirror and ask of ourselves, to be truth tellers. Dig deeper and understand in detail. Don’t simply buy the lazy ‘history’ argument you’ve been sold before. It is a history of many fictions.

If we are to be clear-eyed about lies the Confederate monuments were meant to tell us, let us also be so for the ‘history’ of the Groton seal and what it actually is. Let us also acknowledge that preceding the design of the Groton seal by almost 100 years, was the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the establishment clause – the separation of church and state. It is that history that is genuine and is truly of our shared bedrock American values. And it precludes elevating any religious symbol, including the Bible, above any other. Our current seal unequivocally breaks with this core value.

If recognizing Grotons existing seal is important (and I do agree there is merit in some very specific ways), honoring that seal - its origin, its connection to Dr Green and his honorable legacy, as well as the seals time in service to our town - then that can be achieved by providing it an honorary place in a display case in town hall (not my idea but a wonderful one) or in the Groton History Center. When retired, the original seal can be honored for all of those particular elements, while being properly in its place.

Vote Yes on 2 to update the seal. Thank you.

1. Help out! Get a lawn sign or a button. Signs & buttons are free. A suggested donation of $20 will go to help the Groton Neighborhood Food Project. Email onesealforall@gmail.com

2. Make sure you are registered to vote before Friday, April 8, 2022 on Find my voter registration status.

3. Vote YES on the non-binding ballot question to support changing the town seal at the Town Election on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

See the Town Meeting and Election Calendar for more details.