America's National

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America's National Symbols
MARQUISHA KIRBY 6th Grade Yakely
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Bald Eagle

• The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird
  with a white head and tail. The term "bald" does
  not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead,
  it comes from the word piebald, an old word,
  meaning "marked with white."
• The bald eagle was made the national bird of the
  United States in 1782. The image of the bald
  eagle can be found in many places in the U.S. The
  Founding Fathers wanted to choose an animal that
  was unique to the United States. For six years,
  the members of Congress engaged in a dispute over
  what the national emblem should be. As a result
  of the debate, the bald eagle was chosen because
  it symbolized strength, courage, freedom, and
  immortality and that it would look much better as
  our national symbol.
• When Europeans first arrived on the North
  American continent in the 1600's, there were an
  estimated 25,000 to 50,000 bald eagles, but
  populations have since dropped for many reasons.
  Many eagles were captured for getting too close
  to poultry or fishing nets some were captured
  for falconry and many eagles were poisoned by
  pesticides. In 1967, the bald eagle was included
  on the Endangered Species List. Federal laws,
  such as the Bald Eagle Protection Act, protect
  the bald eagle and have led to the recovery of
  bald eagle populations, such as on the Great
  Seal, Federal agency seals, the President's flag,
  and on the one-dollar bill.

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U.S. Flag

• The U.S. flag has undergone many changes since
  the first official flag of 1777. On June 14,
  1777, the Continental Congress passed the first
  Flag Act, which said that the flag would be made
  up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes
  and thirteen white stars on a blue field. Stars
  have been added to the flag as new states join
  the union. Currently, the flag contains 50 stars.
• Ever wonder why the flag is red, white, and blue?
  While the flag's colors did not have a specific
  meaning at the time, the colors were significant
  for the Great Seal of 1782.
• White Signifies purity and innocence
• Red Signifies valor and bravery
• Blue Signifies Vigilance, perseverance, and
  justice
• Why stars and stripes? Stars are considered a
  symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to
  which man has aspired from time immemorial the
  stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating
  from the sun.

• The U.S. flag has undergone many changes since
  the first official flag of 1777. On June 14,
  1777, the Continental Congress passed the first
  Flag Act, which said that the flag would be made
  up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes
  and thirteen white stars on a blue field. Stars
  have been added to the flag as new states join
  the union. Currently, the flag contains 50 stars.
• Ever wonder why the flag is red, white, and blue?
  While the flag's colors did not have a specific
  meaning at the time, the colors were significant
  for the Great Seal of 1782.
• White Signifies purity and innocence
• Red Signifies valor and bravery
• Blue Signifies Vigilance, perseverance, and
  justice
• Why stars and stripes? Stars are considered a
  symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to
  which man has aspired from time immemorial the
  stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating
  from the sun.

• The U.S. flag has undergone many changes since
  the first official flag of 1777. On June 14,
  1777, the Continental Congress passed the first
  Flag Act, which said that the flag would be made
  up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes
  and thirteen white stars on a blue field. Stars
  have been added to the flag as new states join
  the union. Currently, the flag contains 50 stars.
• Ever wonder why the flag is red, white, and blue?
  While the flag's colors did not have a specific
  meaning at the time, the colors were significant
  for the Great Seal of 1782.
• White Signifies purity and innocence
• Red Signifies valor and bravery
• Blue Signifies Vigilance, perseverance, and
  justice
• Why stars and stripes? Stars are considered a
  symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to
  which man has aspired from time immemorial the
  stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating
  from the sun.

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The Great Seal

• On July 4, 1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
  and Thomas Jefferson were given the task of
  creating a seal for the United States of America.
  The delegates of the Constitutional Convention
  believed an emblem and national coat of arms
  would be evidence of an independent nation and a
  free people with high aspirations and grand hopes
  for the future.
• The Great Seal was finalized and approved six
  years later on June 20, 1782. The seal reflects
  the beliefs and values that the Founding Fathers
  wanted to pass on to their descendents.
• In the center of the seal is an bald eagle, our
  national bird. It holds in its beak a scroll
  inscribed E pluribus unum, which is Latin meaning
  "out of many, one" and stands for one nation that
  was created from 13 colonies. In one claw is an
  olive branch, while the other holds a bundle of
  thirteen arrows. The olive branch and arrows
  "denote the power of peace and war

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The Liberty Bell

• Cast in London, England in 1752, the Liberty Bell
  rang when the Continental Congress signed the
  Declaration of Independence and has become the
  symbol of freedom in the United States. The bell
  weighs about 2000 pounds and is made mostly of
  copper (70) and tin (25). Made for the
  Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall),
  the Bell Bell was ordered by the Pennsylvania
  Assembly in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year
  anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of
  Privileges. Shortly after its arrival in
  Philadelphia the Bell cracked. Local craftsmen
  recast the bell using the metal from the old
  bell, but this one also proved defective. A third
  was cast by John Pass and John Stowe. On June 7,
  1753, the bell was hung in the tower of
  Independence Hall however, during the American
  Revolution, in 1777, British troops captured
  Philadelphia. For safekeeping, the bell was moved
  to Zion's Reformed Church in Allentown,
  Pennsylvania. It was returned to Philadelphia in
  1778.

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The White House

• Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in
  Washington, DC, the White House is one of the
  most popular tourist attractions in the country.
  The White House has been the official residence
  of all the presidents of the United States with
  the exception of George Washington. Washington
  served from 1789 to 1797. By the time the White
  House was completed in 1800, John Adams was
  President. The house was rebuilt and restored
  after it was burned by the British in August
  1814.
• The White House has six floors--two basements,
  two public floors, and two floors for the First
  Family. Visitors who tour the White House are
  able to see the most beautiful and historic rooms
  in the house including the East Room, the Green
  Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State
  Dining Room. These rooms are used by the
  President and First Lady to entertain guests and
  to receive leaders of other countries. The Oval
  Office is where the President does the business
  of the country--signing bills and Executive
  Orders and meeting with staff, visitors, and
  guests.

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Mount Rushmore

• In the Black Hills of South Dakota, stands the
  national memorial, Mount Rushmore, created by
  Gutzon Borglum. It was designed as a testament to
  the growth of the country and its great leaders.
  This magnificent rock carving depicts the 60-foot
  high (18.3 m) faces of four great U.S.
  Presidents. They are
• George Washington Thomas Jefferson Theodore
  Roosevelt Abraham Lincoln
• Borglum started drilling into the 6,200-foot
  mountain in 1927 however, he died in 1941 before
  it could be completed. The head of Washington was
  completed first, followed by Jefferson and
  Lincoln. Roosevelt's head was unfinished when
  Borglum died. The memorial was finished later
  that year by his son, Lincoln. Borglum's original
  design was a sculpture of the four presidents to
  their waists, but time and money only provided
  for their heads. A similar memorial honoring
  Crazy Horse, the Oglala Sioux chief, is currently
  under development nearby.

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The Statue of Liberty

• Located in New York, at 151 feet (46 meters) tall
  (305 feet including base and pedestal), the
  Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom throughout
  the world. Its formal name is Liberty
  Enlightening the World. The Statue was actually a
  gift from the people of France.
• The statue, made of copper sheets with an iron
  framework, depicts a woman escaping the chains of
  tyranny, which lie at her feet. Her right hand
  holds aloft a burning torch that represents
  liberty. Her left hand holds a tablet inscribed
  with the date "July 4, 1776" (in Roman numerals),
  the day the United States declared its
  independence from England. She is wearing flowing
  robes and the seven rays of her spiked crown
  symbolize the seven seas and continents.
• Near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor is
  Ellis Island. This island served as an immigrant
  station and a temporary shelter for people coming
  to the U.S. from other countries. Between 1892
  and 1954, approximately 12 million people passed
  through Ellis Island seeking refuge, freedom and
  opportunity. The main building on Ellis Island is
  now a museum dedicated to the history of the
  Ellis Island Immigration Station.

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The U.S. Capitol

• Built on a hill popularly called Capitol Hill in
  Washington, DC, the U.S. Capitol has been the
  home of the House of Representatives and the
  Senate since 1800.
• In March 1792, a design contest was announced to
  design the U.S. Capitol. All of the 16 plans
  submitted were rejected. A late entry by William
  Thornton, amateur architect from the British West
  Indies, was accepted in fall 1792. President
  Washington liked it because of its "grandeur,
  simplicity and convenience."
• The iron dome, also white, is surmounted by a
  statue of a woman representing Freedom, by the
  American sculptor Thomas Crawford. The height of
  the Capitol from the baseline on the east front
  to the top of the statue is 287.5 ft (87.6 m).
• Take a virtual tour of the U.S. Capitol from the
  U.S. Senate. You can learn more about the history
  of the Capitol from the Architect of the Capitol.

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Bibliography
http//bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/flag.html
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageFreiheitsstatue
_NYC_full.jpg
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ImageUSCapitol.jpg
http//en.wkipedia.org/wiki/White_House
http//www.atozkidsstuff.com/symbols.html