The 12 Most Amazing American Monuments and Symbols
1 AMERICAN FLAG REPRESENTS UNITY PATRIOTISM Only one country’s flag flies on the moon US astronaut Buzz Aldrin planted the American flag in 1969 during the first moon landing Here on Earth American flags have been flying since June 14 1777 On that day the Continental Congress approved a design with 13 stars and 13 stripes They represented the 13 colonies which became the first 13 states in the new union The first American flag left on the moon was blown over during takeoff but five flags from later missions are still standing 4
No one is sure who designed the first flag According to one popular legend George Washington asked seamstress Betsy Ross to make it Francis Hopkinson a member of the Continental Congress also took credit for the design He even asked Congress for payment The flag design has been altered over the years but it still has 13 stripes to represent the colonies The number of stars has grown as new states have joined the United States The flag now has 50 stars The last star was added for Hawaii in 1960 EARLY FLAGS During the American Revolution many different symbols were used on flags flown by the colonists who were fighting the British The soldiers flags represented ideas such as home freedom or bravery One flag featured pine trees Others had animals such as beavers or snakes One version had an anchor on it 5 The 50-star version of the flag has been in use for more than 50 years 3,000 Weight in pounds 1,400 kg of the largest US flag In 1996 it was hung across the Hoover Dam Flag design approved on June 14 1777 Inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner in 1814 National Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 Nicknames Stars and Stripes and Old Glory
2 STATUE OF LIBERTY STANDS TALL FOR FREEDOM The Statue of Liberty rises 15 stories high in the New York Harbor For more than 125 years it has welcomed visitors and immigrants to the United States At night light from the statue’s torch can be seen up to 24 miles 39 km away The statue was a gift from France to the United States It was a sign of friendship between the countries French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi began work on it in 1875 His team hammered copper sheets into shape by hand In 1885 the statue was ready to be delivered to the United States It was so big that it had to be split into 350 pieces to be loaded onto a ship Workers spent four months putting it back together after it got to New York 6 The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island which also includes a museum
Visitors to the Statue of Liberty can climb to the top of the pedestal or all the way to the crown On October 28 1886 President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty Since then it has been one of the country’s most recognizable symbols of freedom 377 Stairs visitors climb to reach the crown Statue and pedestal measure 305 feet 93 m Located on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay Restored in 1986 Approximately 4 million visitors per year and democracy The statue also became important to immigrants arriving in the United States Approximately 14 million immigrants entered the country through New York between 1886 and 1924 Many saw the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom opportunity and hope THINK ABOUT IT Symbols can mean different things to different people What do you think of when you see the image of the Statue of Liberty 7
