NATIONAL SYMBOLS

•   A symbol is something that stands as a reminder of something else. The United States has many national symbols that help bring the local and regional communities together as a whole nation. By having some traditional symbols that people throughout our nation share, we are able to connect with each other and share the pride we have in our country.

• The United States flag is a symbol that is easy for all Americans to recognize. It stands for our country, with one star for each of our 50 states, and 13 stripes to represent each of our original 13 colonies. Those colonies later became states, and 37 more states joined them to make up our country.

• The American Bald Eagle is our national bird. It was chosen because it is so independent and free. Choosing such a bird to represent our nation tells everyone that our country values freedom and the courage to be independent.

• The State of Liberty is another very famous American symbol. It was a gift to the people of America from the people of France in 1885. It represented not only the spirit of friendship between our countries, but also the shared vision for liberty, which is a synonym for freedom.

• America’s symbols unite people from many different states and help them feel like Americans instead of just citizen of their own states. We all pledge allegiance to the same flag.  We celebrate national holidays. Our American spirit shows more than even when we unite in times of crisis, reaching out to help fellow Americans, or foreigners in need.

 Name:__________________________________

Answer the following questions based on the reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find or confirm your answers.

1)  What is the purpose of a symbol?

2)What do the thirteen stripes on the American flag represent?

3)   We almost had the turkey as our national bird instead of the American Bald Eagle.  Which do you prefer, and why?

4)   What famous American symbol was a gift from a foreign country?

5)   Which symbol do you think best represents  our country? Why?