Great Seal of the United States

Have you ever looked carefully at the back of a $1 bill and wondered what that pyramid and eye on the left side mean?  Perhaps the words above the pyramid, "Annuit Coeptis" seem mysterious as well?  Maybe you've even wondered what that eagle on the right side is clutching in its claws?  Those two pictures represent the back and front sides of the Great Seal of the United States. This page from the Department of State includes a link to a 16-page PDF booklet that explains both the development of the Great Seal and the meaning of all the designs and words used in it:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/dos/9087.htm 

It also explains the ways in which the Great Seal is still used today to physically seal printed documents and correspondence.  (And, even though a new die must be cast periodically for the Great Seal, it's still much more reliable than the Great Pumpkin.)