why is there a pyramid on the dollar bill

February 13, 2026

The pyramid on the U.S. one‑dollar bill is there because it’s part of the Great Seal of the United States , and it’s meant to symbolize the nation’s strength, its beginnings, and its future—not the Illuminati.

The Basics: What Is That Pyramid?

On the back of the dollar, you’re seeing the reverse side of the Great Seal: an unfinished pyramid with an eye above it (the “Eye of Providence”). This design was adopted for the national seal in the 18th century and later placed on the one‑dollar bill in 1935 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after his administration decided both sides of the Great Seal should appear on the currency as a unifying national emblem.

What the Pyramid Itself Means

The pyramid is loaded with symbolic details that all tie back to the early United States.

Unfinished top : The missing capstone suggests the country is still a work in progress—America is not “finished” and is meant to keep growing and improving.

Thirteen steps/tiers : Each step represents one of the original thirteen colonies that became the first states.

Roman numerals “MDCCLXXVI” : At the base you’ll see 1776 in Roman numerals, marking the year of the Declaration of Independence and the start of a new political era.

Strength and durability : A pyramid was chosen because it suggests something solid, ancient, and long‑lasting—designers described it as a symbol of “strength and duration,” indicating the new nation was meant to endure.

So, the pyramid is less about Egypt specifically and more about borrowing a powerful, instantly recognizable symbol of permanence and stability.

The Eye Above the Pyramid

Above the pyramid floats the Eye of Providence, often misread as an “Illuminati symbol.”

Eye of Providence : This eye inside a triangle is a traditional European and Christian symbol for divine providence—essentially, God watching over human affairs.

Latin motto “Annuit Coeptis” : This means roughly “He (God) has favored our undertakings,” implying that the founding of the United States has divine approval.

“Novus Ordo Seclorum” : This motto below the pyramid means “New order of the ages,” referring to the beginning of a new historic era with the founding of the American republic, not to a secret world government.

The original explanation by Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Continental Congress who finalized the Great Seal design, explicitly says the pyramid symbolizes strength and duration, and the eye and mottos refer to divine favor for the American cause.

Why Put It on the Dollar Bill?

The Great Seal existed long before it appeared on money, but it wasn’t used much outside of official documents at first.

18th–19th centuries : The Great Seal (with its eagle front and pyramid reverse) was mainly used to authenticate treaties and formal state papers. It wasn’t a common everyday symbol.

1935 decision : In the 1930s, Agriculture Secretary Henry A. Wallace suggested that both sides of the Great Seal be put on the one‑dollar bill, arguing the symbolism—especially the pyramid and eye—captured America’s ideals and destiny.

FDR’s approval : President Franklin D. Roosevelt liked the idea; the design was revised so the pyramid appears on the left, the eagle on the right, and the new bill was introduced in 1935.

Because the one‑dollar bill is the most used note, those symbols ended up becoming some of the most recognized images of American national identity.

Myths, Conspiracies, and Forum Talk

Because the pyramid and eye look mysterious, they’ve attracted a lot of theories.

Illuminati and Freemasonry Claims

You’ll often see people say the pyramid and eye are:

Proof of Illuminati control
A Masonic emblem hidden in plain sight
A sign of a secret “new world order”

Historians and specialists in the Great Seal point out that:

The Eye of Providence and pyramid were already common symbols in European and American art before the Illuminati and later pop‑culture conspiracies made them “spooky.”

The use of the eye on the Great Seal actually predates its later association with some Masonic imagery, not the other way around.

Official records from the seal’s design committees describe very straightforward symbolism: divine favor, strength, the thirteen states, and a new historical era—not secret societies.

Forums like Reddit’s r/NoStupidQuestions often have top comments that explain exactly this: it’s the Great Seal, not a secret Illuminati stamp.

Why People Still Doubt It

Even with clear records, speculation keeps going because:

The symbol looks mysterious and ancient, which invites storytelling and conspiracy thinking.
The Latin phrases sound cryptic out of context.
Modern media and internet culture lean into the “Illuminati confirmed” joke, keeping the myth alive.

But when you check the original documentation, the meaning is surprisingly plain: God’s favor, a strong but unfinished nation, and the birth of a new political order.

Mini Story: Reading the Dollar Like a Code

Imagine a person in the 1930s being handed a freshly printed one‑dollar bill with the new design. Instead of just seeing “money,” they’d notice the eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch, the shield of stripes, and above it all a constellation of thirteen stars. Flip the bill, and there’s a stark stone pyramid, its top missing, topped by a watchful eye. For a country still wrestling with the Great Depression but hoping for a new chapter, this was a quiet visual pep talk:

The pyramid tells them the country is solid and built to last.
The thirteen steps remind them of the scrappy colonies that pulled off independence.
The eye and mottos whisper that their national project is seen and favored by something bigger than themselves.

That’s the story baked into that small symbol most people barely glance at today.

TL;DR

There’s a pyramid on the dollar bill because it’s part of the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States, added to the one‑dollar note in 1935 to showcase national symbolism. The unfinished pyramid with thirteen steps stands for the original states and an enduring but still‑growing nation, while the all‑seeing eye and Latin mottos are about divine providence and the start of a new era—not about the Illuminati.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.