A 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 cloth.     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,
i.e 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 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 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 heroes' 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.

A Dollar Bill.   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.

It is said 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 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.

Pass this on. 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.