American Symbols
Mrs. Eason
4th Grade
The American Flag
• 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.
Why are the colors Red, White and
Blue?
• 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.
Interactive Flag coloring page
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/flash/c
olor_the_flag.html
The 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 chosen as the U.S. national
symbol because it symbolized strength, courage,
freedom, and immortality
The Great Seal of the United States
• 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
• In the center of the seal is a 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."
• A shield with thirteen red and white stripes covers the
eagle's breast.
Do you see a PATTERN of 13???
• Thirteen represents the first
thirteen states - Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New
Hampshire, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia,
Maryland, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia.
One side of
the seal
Reverse side of
the seal
•
•
•
•
•
Referred to as the “spiritual
side”
13 step pyramid with the year
1776 in roman Numerals at
the base
At the top is the Eye of
Providence
Motto - Annuit Coeptis; means
He favors our undertaings
Below the pyramid, a scroll
reads, Novus Ordo Seclorum,
meaning "New Order of the
Ages." It refers to 1776 as
the beginning of the American
new era.
The Seal Interactive Coloring Page
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/flash/c
olor_the_great_seal.html
The Liberty Bell
• 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%).
• The bell cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local
craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753,
using metal from the English bell.
• By 1846 a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell.
The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George
Washington’s birthday celebration, but the bell cracked
again and has not been rung since.
• No one knows why the bell cracked either time.
The National Floral Emblem:
The Rose
• The rose became the official flower of the
United States in 1986.
• The rose is a symbol of love, beauty, war,
and politics throughout the world.
• The flowers are generally red, pink, white,
or yellow and grow naturally throughout
North America
Uncle Sam
• Uncle Sam, a figure symbolizing the United
States, is portrayed as a tall, white-haired man
with a goatee. He is often dressed in red, white,
and blue, and wears a top hat.
• The exact origins of Uncle Sam as a symbol for
the United States are unknown. But the most
widely accepted theory is that Uncle Sam was
named after Samuel Wilson.
• Samuel Wilson was a businessman from Troy, NY
that supplied the U.S. Army with beef in barrels.
The barrels were labeled "U.S." When asked what
the initials stood for, one of Wilson's workers said
it stood for Uncle Sam Wilson.
• The suggestion that the meat shipments came
from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam
symbolized the Federal Government and
association stuck.
Uncle Sam Interactive Coloring Page
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/flash/c
olor_uncle_sam.html
Fun Interactive Games
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/35/games/interactive.html