The dollar has been intertwined with American history from the very beginning. He was called the root of all evil and the salvation of individualism.
But why does he look that way? The American paper currency has undergone many changes, its design was mainly regulated by practical problems. Of particular interest is the symbolism of images on a dollar bill. In particular, people were always curious about what a pyramid with an eye on a dollar means.
How did American money
The American currency did not start with the dollar. Before the paper currency became standardized and began to be issued at the federal level by a new country, which became the United States of America, and before the creation of the US Treasury on September 2, 1789, the currency of the colonies, foreign money, bills were in circulation. It was only in 1775 that the Continental Congress issued the first common colonial currency.
Image History
The actual design of this new currency was far from the modern look of American paper money, but already had familiar motives. The dollar-stub pyramid with 13 steps representing 13 colonies now recognizable from the United States Great Seal was part of the design. The Eye of Providence was added to it later.
Over time, the design of banknotes has undergone changes. Only in 1913 did the Federal Reserve Act create a preserved modern form of currency. The law gave the federal government the right to issue Federal Reserve Bonds (commonly called US dollars) as legal tender.
But by this time, many design elements of the American currency, including the pyramid with an eye on the dollar, had already been used. Rough proportions, font, intricate frames, green color, even some formulations - all these components were already part of American banknotes.
Large print images
First of all, the question arises of what does the pyramid on the dollar mean. It represents strength and prosperity. Some interpret the missing peak as a sign that the country's construction is not yet complete. The western side of the pyramid is in shadow, while the front is illuminated, which, according to some statements, indicates that the nation has not explored the West or figured out what it will do for Western civilization.
Eye over the pyramid
When Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams got together to design the seal (they were the first of three committees to make proposals on this subject), they did not propose using the pyramid on the dollar, but discussed this issue. They wanted the seal to have a symbol of divine providence. At the same time, the all-seeing eye, similar to the top of the pyramid, was an ancient symbol of divinity.
Letters at the base
As you can see in the photo of the pyramid on the dollar, the inscription MDCCLXXVI is on its lower bricks. It is not a random set - these are Roman numerals meaning 1776, the date America declared its independence.
In 1782, the "Eye of Providence" was adopted as part of the symbol on the back of the Great Seal of the United States. Many began to believe that this was evidence of Masonic influence on the American government. The "eye of providence" on the dollar bill was perceived as a signal that the US government was captured by evil forces.
However, according to Bill Ellis, an honorary American professor and researcher from the state of Pennsylvania, the pyramid and eyes did not appear on the US dollar until 1935. They were invented as part of the Great Seal.
The dollar pyramid was seen as a man-made structure that lasted centuries, and the founding fathers wanted the country to exist as long as the pyramids stand.
Eye of Providence - Christian Symbol
An “all-seeing eye" is an image of an eye surrounded by rays of light (or glory) and enclosed in a triangle. This geometric figure is a symbol of the Christian trinity. Rays of light and clouds are commonly used to portray holiness, divinity and God. The eye is interpreted as the eye of God observing humanity.
The eye is a sacred, very important and ancient symbol used by people for thousands of years. For the Sumerians, the eye was the sacred eye of God, and it was a symbol of wisdom, omniscience and generosity.
Native Americans believe that “the eye of the heart sees everything,” and as such is the eye of the Great Spirit, which is omniscient. In Hinduism, the third eye of Shiva is a pearl in the center of the forehead, it represents spiritual awareness, heavenly wisdom. The eye of Varuna symbolizes the Sun. Ancient sources also mention that the eye is part of the ancient symbol of hamsa (protective amulet).
Depicted as an eye embedded in the palm of an open hand, the symbol of hamsa has had many other names for centuries. Some scholars believe that the symbol is of pagan origin and was later adopted by other religions. Hamsu is often worn as an amulet to invoke the hand of God or to oppose the evil eye. Tracing the roots of this ancient symbol is not easy, because Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars cannot agree on the interpretation of hamsa.
Myths and Fiction
The “Pyramid and Eye” on the back of the Big Seal is a misunderstood symbol that has actually become a victim: the media extremely simplified it by presenting it as a background image of the evening financial news. Conspiracy theorists in full speculated on this image, and science fiction writers did not pass him by.
The reverse side of the Great Seal was not compiled with the help of an anagram found by drawing a six-pointed star, whose points touch the letters in the slogans, making up the word "freemason".
First of all, the original Great Seal is just a written description, no works of art were presented or approved by Congress in 1782.
In addition, the image of the star is in no way connected with the word "Mason" in the first edition of the back of the bill (1786) or on the medal of the US government (1882).
The anagram is compiled on a one-dollar bill in 1935 (lower left), but this version is in no way connected with the work of the founding fathers of America and, therefore, is not proof that the Masons had a secret influence on the American nation.
The Great Seal Pyramid is not truncated, it is not completed. From the point of view of symbolism, this is of great importance. On the whole, its symbolism and the value of the pyramid on the dollar are represented as “magical, secret, occult” and so on. Of course, there is a secret in history. But this is because some facts remain unknown, and not because they are unknowable or supernatural.
Character Creation
The origin of the Great Seal is neither "hidden" nor "little known." His story is very well documented. Less is even known about the origin of the American flag.
There is no estimated value for the number of stones in the pyramid (or the shadow it casts). These details are simply invented by artists. Although the pyramid on the dollar is traditionally shown with thirteen feet, in the official description of the Great Seal of 1782, their number is not indicated. Also in this description does not contain indications of the right or left eye. Its creators did not call it the "all-seeing eye" or the "eye of Horus." They called it the Eye of Providence.
The phrase Novus ordo seclorum does not mean “a new world order”. Novus ordo seclorum is a Latin phrase of the 18th century (which, in turn, was borrowed from the 1st century BC). “New World Order” is an 20th-century English phrase that, if it were translated into Latin, would have looked completely different. Seclorum is a plural form. Ordo refers to a sequence, not a system, hierarchy, or organization
Charles Thomson explained that the motto dates back to the new American era, starting in 1776. He is associated with a speech by Thomas Jefferson: “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. Today we must appreciate the people who warn us about emerging threats to our freedoms from international (as well as national and local) organizations that show the negative consequences of what is called the new world order. ”
The Great Seal and all its symbols do not belong to any special group in the past or present, secret or overt. This is the original American symbol created in 1782.