FINAL WARNING: Bringing the World Together
missing, and replaced with an eye. The All-Seeing Eye can be traced
back to Chaldea as the Solar Eye, the Eye of Jupiter or Apollo, or the
Eye of Providence. Hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt identified the name
of the chief Sun God Osiris with a human eye.On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson (a Mason and Illuminist), John
Adams (a Mason), and Ben Franklin (a Mason and Rosicrucian), were
appointed by a Committee of the Continental Congress to prepare the
Great Seal of the United States to signify that the 13 states had united
in an act of independence. After some preliminary work by another,
William Barton submitted an Eagle on the pinnacle of a Doric column,
the All-Seeing Eye, and the stars (representing a new constellation, or
new empire). Barton’s second design pushed the All-Seeing Eye to the
reverse side, and moved the eagle up to the crest, and placed a
phoenix (a mythical bird that would be consumed with fire of its own
volition, then be resurrected out of its own ashes, which was the
Egyptian symbol of regeneration used by the Rosicrucians) rising from
the flames at the column’s summit, which was to indicate the revival of
the new (America) out of the old (England).This design was accepted on May 9, 1782 and referred to Charles
Thompson (a Mason), the Secretary of Congress on June 13th. The
final version, approved and adopted by an act of Congress on June 20,
1782, was the result of a series of committee meetings which
combined ideas from Barton, Thompson and Jefferson, who placed a
triangle around the eye, added the year ‘1776,’ ‘E Pluribus Unum,’ the
olive branch on the front, stars above the eagle, and other things.
Within weeks, a brass plate of the face of the Great Seal was produced,
but not the reverse side.Although the design of the seal was not to deviate from the one
approved, when the original wore out, and a second engraving in 1841
was ordered by Secretary of State Daniel Webster. The design by
French artist R. P. Lamplier and cut by John V. N. Throop had many
subtle differences, such as six, rather than thirteen arrows, and the
phoenix clearly became an eagle. Referred to as the Websterian Great
Seal, it was used until 1885.The third engraving was prepared in 1885 under Secretary of State F.
T. Frelinghuysen and cut by Tiffany and Co.; and the fourth engraving,