O.T. Query: back of U.S. one-dollar bill

[Steve Boatti]

The following is from an NIH website for children --
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/triviadollar.htm:

National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

    Jokes!
NIEHS Kids' Pages Index


Understanding the Design and Symbolism
of the U.S. One Dollar Bill

Although symbols are open to many interpretations, we believe the following
information offers some historical insight (and some undocumented
perceptions) about the design and meaning of some of the images on the one
dollar bill. The explanations and interpretations that appear below were
verified by the Truth or Fiction website, and predominantly (except where
noted otherwise) reflect the official interpretations of the United States
Treasury Department and the United States Department of State, the official
keeper of the United States Seal. . . .

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. The two circles reflect
the two sides of the Great Seal of the United States. Before the adjournment
of the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, a committee was appointed to
develop a seal for the United States. The committee was Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, three of the five men who had drafted the
Declaration of Independence. They were merely the first committee, however.
It took six years, the work of two additional committees and a total of 14
men before a final version of the Great Seal was approved. The final
proposal, as accepted by Congress, was submitted on June 13, 1782, by Charles
Thompson, Secretary of Congress. He brought together some of the
recommendations of the three committees, their consultants, and artists.
If you look at the left hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. This pyramid was
not a part of the proposals for the Great Seal until the third committee, and
it was not suggested by Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams. Notice the face is
lighted and the western side is dark. Although there is no "official"
explanation for the shading, some interpret it as a reflection that our
country was just beginning and had not begun to explore the West or decided
what we could do for Western Civilization.
The Pyramid is UN-capped, which may signify that our country was not yet
finished. The unfinished state of the pyramid was intentional, and Charles
Thompson, in his remarks to congress about the symbolism on the Great Seal,
said the pyramid represented "Strength and Duration." Inside the capstone you
have the all-seeing eye, and ancient symbol for divinity. Although Franklin's
committee did not suggest a pyramid, it did originate the suggestion of the
eye. However, the term "the all-seeing eye" was never officially used when
describing it. The Franklin committee wanted the seal to include a reflection
of divine providence and discussed a variety of themes including the Children
of Israel in the Wilderness.
Some have suggested that the pyramid and the eye are the result of Masonic
influence, but that is not supported by historical evidence. The claim that
"the all seeing eye" is uniquely Masonic first appeared in 1797, nearly 15
years after the adoption of the symbolism by Congress. In addition, the only
member of the original committee who was a Mason was Franklin; that
committee's design was actually rejected by Congress, and none of the final
designers of the seal were Masons. The eye as representing "the eye of
providence" has a long history. It's more likely that both the designers of
the Great Seal and the Masons drew from that history.
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT
COEPTIS, means "God has favored our undertaking." 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. The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, actually
means "a new order for the ages." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman
Numeral for 1776.

Steve Boatti