Associated Press

WASHINGTON (Feb. 11) – Conspiracy theorists take note: The myths surrounding one of America’s oldest and most enduring national symbols are about to be debunked … if you believe the government, that is.

U.S. State Department / AP

Mysteries Behind
The Great Seal

This is the back side of the Great Seal of the United States. Its symbols have long fueled speculation that the nation’s founders used them to transmit secrets — that Freemasons run the nation, or that 13 families hold power over America, for example. A new State Department exhibit is taking aim at such myths.

Great Seal: Fact and Fiction

Myth: The design signifies the U.S. is run by Freemasons or some sort of cult.
Fact: The seal uses several Masonic symbols, including the unfinished pyramid, but the symbols aren’t exclusive to the Freemasons.

Myth: Repeated references to the number 13 — including the steps in the pyramid — represent the power of 13 American families.
Fact: Thirteen is used as a reference to the nation’s original 13 colonies.

Myth: The Seal draws on Satanism or other rituals to promote a world run by a single government.
Fact: The words “Annuit Coeptis” (“Providence favors”) and the eye of providence over the pyramid refer to twists of fate that helped bring about the birth of the United States….

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