The US One-Dollar Bill


Take out a one-dollar bill and look at it.

The 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; i.e.,

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 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 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 with a 13th floor.

But, think about this: 13 original colonies, 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.

Pass this on. Your children don't know this and their history teachers
probably don't either. 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, and too many never came home at all.

Tell everyone, what is on the back of the one-dollar bill, and what it
stands for.