Editors Note-The accuracy of this page has been questioned. Since I don't have a Phd in American History, I cannot verify one way or the other. If anyone knows the author of this article, please let me know. I have included some links to some other interpretations at the end of this article so you can draw your own conclusions. editor@woodsnews.com
The One Dollar Bill
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 the
balance-a balanced budget.
In the center you have a carpenter's
T-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 uncapped, again signifying that we
were not even
close to being finished.
Inside the capstone
you have the all-seeing eye, and 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 heroes'
monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of
the
United States and it is always visible whenever he speaks; yet no one
knows 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 plumes of feathers on each span of the
Eagle's wing, 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 may 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.
Tell everyone what is on the
back of the one dollar bill and what it stands
for, because
nobody else will.
Author unknown
TruthOrFiction
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/dollarbill.htm
HowStuffWorks
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question518.htm
GreatSeal.com
http://www.greatseal.com/
US
Treasury
http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/18/120
US
State
Department
http://www.state.gov/www/publications/great_seal.pdf