History You Can Find for a Buck!

Our United States One Dollar Bill

Physical - 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, not paper. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of inks is used, the contents we will never know since the formulae are a secret. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

Historical - 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 of which few are aware.

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 monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet few know what the symbols mean.
  • The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory, not just for its magestic appearance, but because:
    1. The Eagle is not afraid of a storm; he is strong and he is smart enough to soar above it.
    2. The Eagle wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England.
  • Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country could 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 can 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.
  • Note what the Eagle holds in his talons ... 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.
Some 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 with a 13th floor. But, think about this. There are:
  • 13 original colonies,
  • 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,
  • 13 stripes on our flag,
  • 13 block levels on the Pyramid,
  • 13 letters in the Latin above the Pyramid,
  • 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum" the Eagle holds
  • 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
  • 13 arrows.
Show friends what is on the back of the one dollar bill and what it stands for. It makes an interesting history lesson. Bet your local history teacher doesn't know.