A $1.00 Lesson
The $1 bill–people will pray for it, work for it, lie and cheat for it, but few ever take a good look at it. 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 75% cotton and 25% linen 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.
It measures 2 5/8″ by 6 1/8″ with a thickness of .0043″. It takes a stack of 233 dollar bills to equal an inch. If you have 490 of them they would weigh one pound. It costs the US government 4.2 cents to produce a dollar bill. They are printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. They print about 16,650,000 one dollar bills each day. Most of these are used to replace worn, older bills (which are shredded). According to the US Treasury, there are billions of one dollar bills in circulation. The average dollar bill has a life span of about 18-22 months.
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.
If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the
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, 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” is on this currency. You will see an unfinished pyramid that has 13 steps. 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 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. The top of the shield represents the Congress, the head of the eagle the Executive branch, and the nine tail feathers the Judiciary branch of our government. In the Eagle’s beak you will read, “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, meaning, ” Out of Many, One”.
Above the Eagle, you have 13 stars, representing the 13 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’s head is turned toward the olive branch, showing a desire for peace.
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 “E Pluribus Unum”, 13 letters in “ANNUIT COEPTIS”, 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 olives, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.
I hope you learned something about the dollar bill. This is the type of thing that is NOT being taught in most schools today. There is a lot of American history that is being left out. Those who founded our country were Godly men with great wisdom. They risked their lives and property so that we can live in a free country today. We can learn a lot from them.
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