Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tidbit #27, Part 2 - April 26, 2011

Okay, let's finish up our dollar bill analysis. We've already gone over all of the symbols on the front with any general relevance, so let's go over the back, where the real history lesson is.

If you need the dollar bill pictures, you can check 'em out in the last post.

Okay, the back of the dollar has a LOT of symbols. Before we begin, here's a neat factoid about the back of the dollar:

  • The Great Seal of the United States (the circles on the back) was actually designed by Ben Franklin and his peers when the First Continental Congress requested it of them. It took them four years to complete, and another two to get Congress to approve it.
Let's start with the pyramid. Here are your facts about the left half of the Great Seal of the United States (follow the photo below):
  • Annuit cœptis is a phrase with Latin roots. Annuit comes from the Latin word annuo, meaning "to approve." Cœptis comes from a Latin word coeptum, meaning "commencement" or "undertaking." When translated, this phrase was meant to say "He approves of the undertakings." (He being God)
  • The other motto on the pyramid, Novus Ordo Seclorum, translates in Latin to "New Order of the Ages," which means that there's a new power in the world, people better watch out! The idea was pitched by Latin expert Charles Thomson, who worked on the Seal with Franklin.
  • MDCCLXXVI, located at the bottom level of the pyramid, is the roman numeral for 1776, which is, of course, the year in which the United States signed its Declaration of Independence.
  • If you look closely, you will see the the pyramid (if you don't count the top section with the eye) has 13 sections to represent the original 13 colonies.
  • The eye at the top of the pyramid is supposed to represent God, shining onto the fledgling country like the sun. Franklin believed that one man couldn't make this Seal alone, but with the help of God, men are capable of anything.
  • The lit end of the pyramid represents the original U.S., while the dark half represents the then unexplored West, which puts the idea of manifest destiny into our Seal.
  • Wonder why the pyramid was uncapped? It was another symbol of manifest destiny, that our country was just getting started.
That's a lot for just ONE half of our seal, right? Well, I'm just getting started. The Eagle side has just as many, if not more, symbols in it. Here are your Eagle factoids (refer to the photo below):

  • First, of course, we have our eagle, which represents our country's bravery. Want a neat fact? Our forefathers chose the bald eagle for our national symbol because the bald eagle is the only bird that's ever been known to fly during a storm. It's also smart, since it knows to fly over the storm instead of through it. (UPDATE: Ben Franklin actually wanted the turkey to be the national emblem rather than the eagle. You can read more on that here.)
  • The eagle isn't wearing a crown, which means that our country will never have a monarch.
  • There are 13 stars in the set of stars at the top of the seal, once again to represent the original 13 colonies. The clouds around these stars are doubt and misunderstanding, drifting away.
  • If you look at the ribbon in the eagle's mouth, you'll see our third motto: E. Pluribus Unum. This phrase translates from Latin to "One nation from many people."
  • The shield in front of the eagle is unsupported; this was the country saying that it didn't need any more support from England.
  • If you look at the shield in front of the eagle, there are 13 large vertical stripes, if you count the sets of 3 black stripes as 1. (Kind of prying, I know, but there's still 13, so it's gotta have some meaning, right?)
  • The eagle's talons hold two items: an olive branch and a set of arrows. The olive branch represents peace, while the set of arrows represents war. In a nutshell, the country was saying: "We're a peaceful country, but we're not afraid to defend ourselves!"
  • Going further into the olive branch, there are 13 leaves on the branch, and 13 olives.
  • Going further into the arrows, there are 13 arrows in the eagle's talon.
  • Notice the direction the eagle's head points? What does it point to? The olive branch or the arrows? If the eagle's head points towards the olive branch, then that dollar was printed during an official time of peace in US History. However, if the eagle's head is facing the arrows, then the dollar was printed during a time of war. (Most of the time, the eagle's head points toward the olive branch, since it wants to maintain peace however possible)
  • The set of stars at the top of the seal is shaped like a Star of David, which could represent many different things. It could represent the coming together of man and woman (which is what the Star of David itself represents) or the country's religious tolerance, making stars in the shape of a Jewish Star.
So, as you can see, the dollar is much more than that piece of paper (starched cotton-linen) that you use to buy Twix.
Obviously, we put a lot of emphasis on the number 13. ("13 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 that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 olives, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment." [Re: terroristwatch.tripod.com])
We put emphasis in our seal for the number 1776, our bravery, and God.

Want to learn more? Check out my sources below, and I hope you guys enjoyed learning more about the dollar!

Sources:

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