The American Flag

Study Notes

The American flag is a symbol of the nation, with 13 horizontal stripes representing the original 13 colonies (7 red and 6 white).
The flag features 50 white stars on a blue background, representing the 50 states in the United States.
The first U.S. flag was designed in 1777, and it has been changed many times since then, with new stars added as new states joined the Union.
The 50-star flag used today dates from July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the 50th state.

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States, chosen by the Founding Fathers in 1782.
It is one of the best-known symbols of the U.S. government, appearing on the Great Seal of the United States, Presidential Seal, Federal agency logos, coins, paper money, and postage stamps.
Bald eagles have a white head and tail, dark brown body and wings, and yellow beak, feet, and eyes.
The name "bald eagle" comes from the word "piebald", referring to the eagle's light and dark colored feathers.
Bald eagles are only found in North America.

The Liberty Bell is a well-known symbol of freedom in the United States.
It was first made in 1752 for the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The bell cracked soon after it arrived, and a new bell was cast from the same metal in 1753.
It bears a Bible verse: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10).
In the early 1800s, abolitionists used the bell as a symbol for their cause, calling it the "Liberty Bell".

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom, located on Liberty Island in New York.
It is a tall statue of a woman holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet with the date July 4, 1776, in her left hand.
The statue's crown has seven points, representing rays of light, and broken chains around her feet symbolize freedom.
The statue was a gift from the people of France to the United States, dedicated in 1886.

The "Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States.
The words are from a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, after watching a night-time battle between Great Britain and America at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
The poem was inspired by the American flag still flying after the battle, and its opening lines are: "O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming..."
The flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 is also called the "Star-Spangled Banner", and is now preserved at the American Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The White House is the official home and workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.
Every President except George Washington has lived there.
It was built between 1792 and 1800, and was burned by the British army in 1814 during the War of 1812.
The White House has been rebuilt, expanded, and redecorated over the years, and is now open for public tours.
The President's office, called the Oval Office, is shaped like an oval, and features a famous Resolute desk made from the wood of a British ship.