The Flag of the USA. The 50-star flag of the USA was raised for the first time officially on July 4, 1960. The 50th star had been added for Hawaii, a year earlier the 49th, for Alaska. Before that, no star had been added since 1912, when New Mexico and Arisona were admitted to the Union.
The true history of the Stars and Stripes has become so cluttered by a volume of myth and tradition that the facts are difficult, and in some cases impossible, to establish. For example, it is not certain who designed the Stars and the Stripes, who made the first such flag or even whether it ever flew in any sea fight or land battle of the American Revolution.
One they all agree on is that the Stars and Stripes originated as a result of a resolution offered by the Marine Committee of the Second Congress at Philadelphia and adopted in 1777. Despite repeated requests, Washington did not get the flags until 1783, after the Revolutionary War was over. And there is no certainty that they were the Stars and Stripes.
The thirteen stripes in the modern flag, seven red and six white, stand for the 13 colonies that joined together in 1776 to declare themselves free from the rule of England. The fifty white, five-pointed stars stand for the fifty states that now make up the nation.
The widely publicized legend that Mrs. Betsy Ross made the first Stars and Stripes in June 1776, at the request of a committee composed of George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, an uncle , was first made public in 1870, by a grandson of Mrs. Ross. Historians have been unable to find a historical record of such a meeting or committee.
Poets, patriots and composers have given different names to the National Flag. The best known are:
Old Glory – William Driver (1803-1886). As the flag of the United States was hoisted to the masthead of his brig, he said, “I name thee Old Glory.” This is the first time that the flag was called Old Glory.
The Star-Spangled Banner was the title of the song that Francis Scott Key wrote that night off Fort McHenry when he watched the bombbardment of the fort by the British in 1814. The poem was set to an old English tune and was declared the national Anthem by Congress in 1931.
Uncle Sam. There are several stories about the beginning of Uncle Sam, but the one Congress officially recognized in 1961 is the story that follows.
Samuel Wilson was born in Massachusetts in 1766. He fought in the Revolutionary War with his father and brothers. When the war was over, he moved to the New York state. He started a meatpacking business and was well-respected in his community.
During the war of 1812, Sam Wilson supplied meat to the US Army in barrels market U.S. When asked what the U.S. stood for, one of Wilson’s workers said, Uncle Sam Wilson, the meatpacker. This story gained popularity when it was printed in a New York City Newspaper. Soon many things labeled U.S. were being called Uncle Sam’s, not just meat!
After the war, Uncle Sam became the symbol of the nation. People drew him and dressed up like him. Uncle Sam is a United States’ symbol that is recognized throughout the world. He has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and on posters for the last 150 years.
The Liberty Bell. On July 8, 1776, a bell rang out to announce the first reading of the Declaration of Independence to the people of Philadelphia. It became then, and still is, a symbol of American Independence.
The people of Pennsylvania sent an order to England in 1751 for the making of a “bell of about two thousand pounds weight” to be used in the State House in Philadelphia.
Soon after the bell’s arrival to America in 1752, it cracked the first time it rang. It was then recast in Philadelphia and began its ringing for freedom. The Old State House Bell, as it was called, was beginning to live up to the words “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” that were inscribed on it, even before the people of the New World knew that it was complete liberty they wanted. This historic bell rang to proclaim liberty until 1855, when it cracked.
The Liberty Bell became a symbol of freedom, even though it could not be heard. It began to tour the country by train, visiting such places as New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, St Louis, and San Francisco. Since 1915, the Liberty Bell has been on permanent display in a glass-enclosed building in Philadelphia.
The Bald Eagle. This magnificent bird can be found on many things in the United States.
Since ancient times, eagles have been a sign of power. Eagles have great size and strength, and because of this, many have claimed this bird as their emblem and symbol. When it came to choosing a national bird for America after the Revolutionary War, many wanted this bird to be chosen. It was a great and powerful bird, just as the new nation was great and powerful.
But, not all in Congress wanted this bird as theirs. Benjamin Franklin proposed that the turkey be the national bird, because it was a true native of the country. It was finally decided that the bald eagle, which was unique to North America, to be the choice. In 1782, the bald eagle was finally adopted as the national bird for the country.
The bold eagle is not really bald. The head of the adult bird is white, and was called ‘bald’ by the people from England who first settled in America. To them, ‘bald’ meant ‘white’, not hairless! This bird also has white tail feathers.
The bald eagle still serves as the American national bird, a symbol of the size and strength of the nation.
The Great Seal of the U.S. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee consisting of Benjamin Franklin, john Adams and Thomas Jefferson ‘to bring in a device for a seal of the United States of America’. After many delays, a verbal description of a design was finally approved by Congress on June 20, 1782. The seal shows an American bald eagle with a ribbon in its mouth bearing the device E pluribus unum (One out of many). In its talons are the arrow of war and an olive branch of peace. One the reverse side it shows an unfinished pyramid with an eye (the eye of Providence) above it. Symbolically the seal reflects the beliefs and values that the founding fathers attached to the new nation and wished to pass on to their descendants. The red and white stripes of the shield represent the several states. The colours are adopted from the American flag: White signifies purity and innocence, Red – hardiness and valour, and the Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. The shield on the breast of an American Bald Eagle without any supporters denotes that the US ought to rely on their own virtue. The number 13, denoting the original 13 states, is represented in the bundle of arrows, the stripes of the shield and the stars of the constellation. The constellation of stars symbolizes a new nation taking its place among other sovereign states.
The Statue of Liberty. To many the Statue of Liberty is one of America’s most cherished symbols. It is the symbol of freedom, a freedom that millions of people have come to America to find.
Since 1886, the statue of Liberty Enlightening the World has stood in New York harbor. It also commemorates American friendship for it was given by the people of France, designed by Frederic August Bartholdi. A $2,5 million building housing the American Museum of Immigration was opened by President Nixon in 1972, at the base of the statue. It houses a permanent exhibition of photos, posters, and artifacts tracing the history of American immigration.
The people of France had long admired the liberty enjoyed by the people who lived in the United States. In 1865, Edouard de Laboulaye, French historian and admirer of American political institutions, suggested that the French present a monument to the United States that would be a tribute to this liberty as well as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. This idea became a reality when Frederic August Bartholdi sailed to the United States to find support and a location for France’s gift.
On Washington’s birthday, February 22, 1877, Congress approved the use of the site on Beadloe’s Island suggested by Bartholdi. It was called Beadloe’s until August 3, 1956, when President Eisenhower approved a resolution of Congress changing the name to Liberty Island. The sculptor sailed home to begin work on the monument.
Bartholdi decided to create a huge statue of a robed woman with her right arm holding a torch high above her head. He modeled her face after the strong features of his own mother’s face. Construction began on “Lady Liberty” in Paris workshop in 1875. Funds of the statue were raised by the French people. By July 4, 1876, Bartholdi had completed the right hand and torch and sent it to the Unites States to display for their continental celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At home, the sculptor continued to work on the rest of the statue.
Meanwhile back in the United States, money was being raised for the base and the pedestal necessary to support France’s gift. Construction on the pedestal started in 1884 but soon stopped because the money ran out. The needed funds were finally raised because of a newspaper campaign started by Joseph Pulitzer. He appealed to the people all over the United States to help in the building of the monument. Pennies, nickels, dimes, and dollars rolled in from all over the country, sent by children as well as by adults. In less than five months, the newspaper campaign had helped to raise the needed money. About 121,000 people had given the $100,000 needed to finish the pedestal.
The complete statue was officially presented to the United States in Paris, France on July 4, 1884. It was then carefully taken apart and shipped to America. The statue arrived in 1885 and the pedestal was completed in April of 1886.
Liberty Enlightening the World was hoisted on Beadloe Island on October 28, 1886, over ten years after the work began. Bartholdi was there as were members of the French government. People of America and the world over were delighted with this special monument.
The statue was made from copper sheets and it is hollow inside. Inside there is a circular staircase from the base to the crown. There is also a lift in it.
The figure shows a young woman. She holds a torch in her right hand above her head and in her left hand is a tablet with the date “July 4th, 1776” on it, which symbolizes the declaration of Independence. The torch lights up at night.
Over the years, Liberty Enlightening the World had commonly been called The Statue of Liberty. It became a symbol of hope for the millions of immigrants who came by it on their way to settle in America.
