The Hidden Message of the Great Seal Book Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

The last couple of weeks I have been reading The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How Foundational Truth From The Dawn Of Liberty May Rescue A Republic In Peril from The Hidden Message, LLC.

The author Michael Kanis lives in Holland, MI with his wife Tina and their three sons. Michael has a BA in Business and a MBA in Finance and Operations. He has been a successful business man but, most of importantly is a man of faith.

Michael Kanis began an unexpected journey researching our American Seal with hopes to enlighten others with a message that is within our national seal. Michael Kanis strongly believes that he has uncovered “foundational truth from the dawn of liberty.” And suggest that knowing these truths “may rescue a republic in peril,” Quoted in the introduction.”

 

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal explores the meaning of the symbols on the Great Seal.

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal is a hefty book at 256 pages, 24 chapters. The book is 9” x 12”and a softbound book.  You can purchase this as a physical or an eBook. The book presentation is stunning with the full colored photos on just about every page. I loved the timeline in the book it just grabbed my attention. I found the book very appealing looking through the pages. I really appreciate books that have a strong visual appeal.

The Timeline is impressive and stunning to look at. I really appreciate the details in the timeline.

 I would say for age this book would be better for older high school students and adults. There is a lot of information and research in the book. By far not an easy sit-down and read quickly book. This book needs to be digested to really appreciate the research and insight put forth into it.

The Hidden Message of the Great Seal How Foundational Truth From The Dawn Of Liberty May Rescue A Republic In Peril is an informative look at our national Great Seal that was created in 1776 and Congress adopted it June 20, 1782. Michael Kanis takes both the eagle and the pyramid and breaks down each symbol and goes back to our founding fathers to tie it all together. First off let me say that this is not a conspiracy theory book that deals with the Illuminati, Freemasonry, or the occult. I would say that it is a very patriotic book looking back at our rich American history.

Mr. Kanis shares his journey and how he came about researching the Great Seal. He felt that the seal was very allegoric and that the designers Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and other involved in this process of our national symbol. He feels that the symbols in it are a message for us to find its hidden meaning. He starts out sharing different symbols throughout ancient history and brings forth how significant those symbols meant and said about the nation or an individual who held that symbol.

Mr. Kanis takes you on a journey exploring every aspect from the committees and designers. He explores the original draft of the Great Seal and the one we see today.

I enjoyed the chapter on Charles Thomson who we learn about from a short biography on his life in Scotland, to Ireland, and then to America. I learned about him prior to this book and felt he hasn’t received much attention in history. Mr. Thomson’s character is also examined and he is a noble character. Later on Mr. Thomson the “keeper of the seal” in which he was briefed on the seal with every detail of the Great Seal as it was being designed. He was vested with all the documentation from drafts, designs, committee notes, and all important information. Charles Thomson diligence to document with his notes and the records that he did are well documented. Indeed this was an interesting chapter and something to take note of.

There is a chapter on the pyramid to debunk the many misconceptions about it. He goes over all aspect from the pyramid, eye, rays of light, and the motto. From there it broadens into varies coins and possible inspiration from Roman currency. There is a lot and this is just one chapter. Other chapters break down the eagle, arrows, olive branch, stars, and other aspects are pointed out. There is a lot of details on so much and a lot covered.

There is a lot of charts and tables breaking down information throughout.

A lot of the book also deals with virtues and comparison. He shares the religious views and virtues of the individuals involved. He brings out Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues that he lived by. He has a chart and tables that point out information.

I liked the virtues tread weaved throughout the book.

My Thoughts:

I was the reader of The Hidden Message of the Great Seal and I was able to read the complete book.

Many and mean many years ago we had a neighbor and a few individuals who got fascinated with the seal, Iron Mountain, and other things in our history from a conspiracy theory and they were constantly giving us things to read and watch and this went on for a good 7 years. My husband and I felt that as believers they had a lot of fear in all of this and you couldn’t turn over a rock without some conspiracy coming out. So we began our own investigation to separate truth from conspiracy with history. Through it we were able to bring forth much truth to a few of the individuals with the fallacy of all of it. Fortunately for us we found enough of information to back it up. Going into this book I had my guard up trying to see fact from myth and keeping an open mind.

I have to say that this is a hard read due to the shear amount of research and information. Maybe it was in the shorter time frame that I read it that it felt like a hard read. There is a lot to digest and usually in a book like this I go back and forth looking at things for months. I like to really go into more depth when I read books like this and investigate certain aspects of it.

My first thought is, “Let’s agree to disagree.” I don’t see all of the information wrong weaved into the pages of the book. I just felt that it didn’t prove to me with the information provided that this was the intent of the founders without a solid backing of definite historical fact. I do believe that the symbols and the little details throughout our Great Seal all have meaning and where chosen for a reason. Yes, we are given some information from those involved in this project but I don’t see a hidden message and you can go many directions with this as many throughout history have. I don’t think the information supported Mr. Kanis logic and it has a lot of speculation in my opinion. I honestly would love to say that our founding fathers had all of this on their mind when they created our national symbol and they left a hidden message for use to discover to inspire and give us hope. We are a nation that is in need of hope and to embrace the virtues and faith of many of our founding fathers. There are a few other things that I just completely disagree with.

Michael Kanis is extremely passionate about this subject. You can tell throughout the book as this is a gift to be able to do be able to convey passion in a book. Some of the quotes within the pages are strong and heartfelt. He did a beautiful job researching the information. He does have end-notes on the chapters however not all the information for the reference is supplied in the end-notes. I would love to see more references on the information on his research.

Currently you can purchase this book for 50% off with free shipping. The information is provided in the graphic below.

Don’t let me deter you as this truly is a fascinating book and it has some beautiful insight that you can take out of it.  You will have to make your own decision on what you think of the material set forth within the pages of the book.

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