Symbols On The One Dollar Bill

How much do you know about the symbols on the dollar bill?  How much history do you know about it?  Our Founding Fathers knew exactly what they wanted each item to symbolize for their day and for all the generations to come.

On the back of the One Dollar Bill you will see two circles.  Together they 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 could not do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.  The Latin above the pyramid, Annuit Coeptis, means, 'God has favored our undertaking.'  The Latin below the pyramid, Novous ordo Seclorum, means, 'a new order had begun.'  At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)

In God We Trust is on the currency.

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 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 there is 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, 'from many - one.'   Above the Eagle, we have the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds misunderstanding rolling away.  Again, we were coming together as one.

In his talons the Eagle 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.

And finally, notice the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right hand circle.  You will see that they are arranged as a Star of David.

This was ordered by George Washington who, when he asked Haym Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the Continental Army.  Solomon had given $25 million to save the Continental Army to help "-our freedom and independence from England."  Solomon's answer to Washington was he wanted nothing for himself, but he would like something for his people.  The Star of David was the result.  Therein lies America's Judeo Christian beginning.

Thank you, Steve Kennedy, for suggesting this subject for the blog.