the one-dollar bill

and what you should know about it

take out a one-dollar bill ...

and look at it. The one-dollar bill you're looking at in its present design first came off the presses in 1957.

This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with minute red and blue silk fibers running through it. It is actually cloth. (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, 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.

the Great Seal of the United States

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Together, the circles 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. The Pyramid is uncapped, signifying that we were not 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

The phrase In God we trust is prominently displayed on this currency. The Latin words above the pyramid, Annuit Coeptis, mean, "God has favored our undertaking." The Latin words below the pyramid, Novus ordo seclorum, mean, "a new order has begun." On the base of the pyramid are the Roman numerals 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 most familiar as the Seal of the President of the United States.

the bald eagle

The bald eagle was selected as a symbol for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he soars above it. Second, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England.

Also, notice that 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. In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E Pluribus Unum," from the Latin, "from many, one."

Above the eagle, there are thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace but does not fear to fight. The eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

lucky 13?

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number, 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 the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.