By: Alicia Boursaw

* Symbols and Holidays of the United States

*The United States Flag

*Who made the first flag?*Betsy Ross or Francis

Hopkinson?

* Flag Act passed in 1777*13 stripes and 13 stars

*Today’s Flag:*13 stripes and 50 stars

Andee Duncan, Stars and Stripes, April 14, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial.

*Bald Eagle

Our national birdOfficially recognized in 1782Not actually bald

Parry, American Bald Eagle, January 30, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

*Uncle Sam

*First published July 6, 1916

*1917-1918: 4 million copies printed

*Named after Samuel Wilson

Jeanot, Uncle Sam (pointing finger), September 27, 2005 via Wikipedia, Public Domain.

*The White House

Shubert Ciencia, The White House (Washington DC), August 11, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

*President’s house

*1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

*1800: John Adams moved in

*132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 8 staircases.

*Statue of Liberty

*A gift from France

*Dedicated on October 28, 1886

*Icon for freedom, liberty, and democracy

*Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World

Adam Fagen, Statue of Liberty, July 24, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

*Liberty Bell

*Fixed 3 times

*Finally left the bell cracked

*It rang for:*First reading of the

Declaration of Independence.

Tony the Misfit, Philadelphia: “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout the land”, April 18, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

*Independence Hall

*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

*Declaration of Independence and Constitution written

*Housed the Liberty Bell

*Known as Philadelphia State House

HarshLight, Independence Hall, July 16, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

*The Great Seal

*Approved June 20, 1782

*Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson

*Found on one dollar bill

*“Out of many, one”

Ipankonin, US Great Seal Reverse, January 25, 2008 via Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike.

PatriciaR, US Great Seal-Observe, September 5, 2008 via Wikipedia, Public Domain.

*President’s Day

*Also called Washington’s Birthday

*3rd Monday of February

*1885: Became a federal holiday

*Now celebrates Abraham Lincoln as well

Robert Huffstutter, Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington, September 8, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial.

*Independence Day

*July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence passed

*Celebrates our independence

*Today: fireworks and parties

Kevin Myers, Spirit of ’76, February 9, 2005 via Wikipedia, Public Domain.

*Constitution Day

*September 17th

*Celebrates creation of the U.S. Constitution

*Constitution signed September 17, 1787

Stephencole2, Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, March 1, 2010 via Wikipedia, Public Domain.

*Martin Luther King Jr. Day

*Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth

*3rd Monday in January

*He was a civil rights leader

*Also known as Civil Rights Day

caboindex, Martin Luther King, August 20, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

*Memorial Day

*Decoration Day

*Remembrance for soldiers who have died

*Last Monday in May

*Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Photo from Arlington National Cemetery, May 31, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

*Labor Day

*1st Monday in September

*Celebrates achievements of American workers

*Federal holiday in 1894

*Today: parades, parties, athletic events

bluekdesign, Fort Calhoun Band, September 7, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Atrribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

*Summary

*The U.S. has many famous symbols

*They are important parts of our culture

*The holidays are important as well

*Holidays celebrate important events and people

*Sources* http://www.usflag.org/history/flagevolution.html

* http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.html

* http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm015.html

* http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/history

* http://www.nps.gov/stli/historyculture/

* http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/liberty/01_history_01.jsp

* http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/36liberty/36setting.htm

* http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_where_indepen.html

* http://www.nps.gov/inde/historyculture/

* http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/seal.html

* http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_seal.html

* http://www.patriotism.org/washingtons_birthday/

* http://www.history.com/topics/july-4th

* http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/ConstitutionDay.htm

* http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/king_m.htm

* http://www.patriotism.org/mlk/

* http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

* http://www.history.com/topics/memorial-day-history

* http://www.history.com/topics/labor-day

* http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm