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What's on the One Dollar Bill? |
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US $1.00 Bill - What a Lesson, Print and save for
your children.
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 uncapped, 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 17 76.
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.
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This page last updated on
Tuesday, August 05, 2014 07:16:04 PM
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