Secrets of the US dollar Bill

[Guest guest]

Wed, 03 Apr 2002 08:00:59 -0800

"J. Wirth" <jwirth

Our 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 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 people, 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 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 someone, 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.