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Interesting History lesson in
your pocket,
 Take out a one
dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you're
looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its
present design.
This so-called
paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red
and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It
is actually material. We've all washed it without it
falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the
contents we will never know. It is overprinted with
symbols and then it is starched to make it water
resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.
If you look on
the front of the bill, you will see the United States
Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a
balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's
square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the
Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy
to figure out, but
what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we
should all know.
If you turn the
bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles,
together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States.
The First Continental Congress requested that
Benjamin Franklin and a group
of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to
accomplish this task and another two years to get it
approved.
If you look at
the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the
face
is lighted, and the western side is dark. This
country was just beginning.
We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we
could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is
un-capped, again signifying that we were not even close
to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the
all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It
was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone,
but a group of men, with the help of God, could do
anything.
"IN GOD WE
TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the
pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our
undertaking." The Latin below the
pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order
has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman
Numeral for 1776.
If you look at
the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will
learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United
States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway
at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and
is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly
modified, it is the seal of the President of the United
States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet
very few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle
was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons:
First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he
is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no
material crown. We had just broken from the King of
England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported.
This country can
now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you
have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor.
We were coming together as one nation. In the
Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM",
meaning, "one nation from many people".
Above the Eagle,
you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen
original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding
rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.
Notice what the
Eagle holds in his talons. He holds
an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but
we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The
Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time
of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.
They say that
the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a
worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room
numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor.
But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of
the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag,
13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above
the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive
branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.
And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.
I always ask
people, "Why don't you know this?" Your
children don't know this, and their history teachers
don't know this. Too many veterans have given up
too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many
veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't
care. Too many veterans never came home at all.
Share this
page with everyone, so they can
learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR
BILL, and what it stands for... Otherwise, they will
probably never know... |
