Countries use symbols to express their ideals. What is more American than these symbols?
 Old Glory |
Betsy Ross is credited with sewing the first US flag. At the time the flag's colors did not have a specific meaning but the colors were significant for the Great Seal of 1782. White signifies purity and innocence, red for valor and bravery and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The stars are considered a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial and the stripes are symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun. More about the flag.
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More US Symbols Anthem: The Star Spangled Banner March: The Stars and Stripes Forever Motto: In God We Trust Tree: Oak Mammal: Bison |
The Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi discovered the perfect site in the New York Harbor saying, "...where all the ships of the universe arrive, she will rise from the bossom of the waves..." The Statue of Liberty stands tall in the harbor with a radiant crown whose seven points represent the seven continents and seven seas. She is holding the beacon of Enlightenment and a tablet inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4th, 1776).
The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of America, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. This majestic bird represents power and freedom.
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The Rose, queen of flowers, is suited to all kinds of landscaping needs used in parks and home gardens. Roses have been grown on the Whitehouse grounds since John Adams planted some in what is now know as the Rose Garden. On November 20, 1986, President Reagan signed Proclamation 5574: The National Floral Emblem of the United States of America: The Rose. More about roses.
- DVD, widescreen.
- In English with optional French or Spanish dubbing and optional French or Spanish subtitles; closed-captioned in English.
- Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Bruce Greenwood, Helen Mirren, Michael Maize, Timothy Murphy, Armando Riesco, Albert Hall, Ty Burrell.
- Videodisc release of the c2007 motion picture.
- MPAA rating: PG; some violence and action.
- When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Ben Gates' great-great grandfather is implicated as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The effort to find the rest of the missing pages to clear his ancestor's name takes Ben, Abigail, and Riley on a globe-trotting adventure.
Mount Rushmore sits high on a granite cliff in South Dakota's Black Hills tower the huge carved faces of four American presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Each was chosen to commemorate his unique contribution to building and shaping the country. Together they constitute the world's largest piece of sculpture.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff
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