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, A!
NNUIT 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 monu! ments.
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 talo! ns. 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 m! inorities: 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.
