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THE 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 the balance - 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, and 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 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 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.
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 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. Too many veterans never came home at all.
Tell everyone what is on
the back of the one dollar bill and what it stands for, because nobody
else will.
FORWARDED BY DORIS
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