Subject: History Lesson
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 an actual material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents of which 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 of the seal, you will see the Scales of Balance -- 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, nor 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 cient 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
printed on this currency.
The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means "God has
favored our
undertaking." The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO
SECULORUM, 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 no one 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
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
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.
Why don't more people know this? Kids don't know this and
most history
teachers don't know this either. Too many veterans have
given up too
much to ever let such meaning fade. Many veterans remember
coming home
to an America that didn't care. And too many veterans never
came home at
all. |
