Tennessee, the Volunteer State, has many symbols. Official symbols of the state are designated by act of the Tennessee General Assembly. The earliest state symbol was the first state seal, which was authorized by the original state constitution of 1796 and first used in 1802. The current seal design was adopted in 1987. The most recent designation of an official state symbol was in 2011, when "Tennessee", written by John R. Bean of Knoxville, was designated the ninth state song.