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ONE
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. 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 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
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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