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The Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag |
The Pledge of Allegiance was first published for Columbus Day, on September 8, 1892, in the Boston magazine The Youth's Companion. It was written by a member of the magazine's staff, Francis Bellamy. The publication of the Pledge, and its wide redistribution to schools in pamphlet form later that year lead to a recitation by millions of school children, starting a tradition that continues today. The original text is: "I pledge of allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands - One nation indivisible - with liberty and justice for all." Several minor changes to the text, including changing "my flag" to "to the Flag of the United States of America," were made over time, some "official" and some less so. The U.S. Congress recognized the Pledge officially in 1942, and in 1954 added the phrase "under God" to the text. In 1943, the Supreme Court ruled in its Gobitis (310 US 586) decision that school children could not be forced to recite the Pledge as a part of their school day routine. Today, the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance is set in the US Code, at 36 USC 172. |
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The Star-Spangled Banner O say, can you see,
by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hail'd |
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially made the National Anthem by Congress in 1931, although it already had been adopted as such by the Army and the Navy. On Sept. 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key visited the British
fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, who
had been captured after the burning of Washington, D.C. The release was
secured, but Key was detained on ship overnight during the shelling of
Fort McHenry, one of the forts defending Baltimore. In the morning, he
was so delighted to see the American flag still flying over the fort that
he began a poem to commemorate the occasion. First published under the
title “Defense of Fort M'Henry,” the poem soon attained wide popularity
as sung to the tune “To Anacreon in Heaven.” The origin of this tune is
obscure, but it may have been written by John Stafford Smith, a British
composer born in 1750. |
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The American's Creed “I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.“I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.” William Tyler Page, Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote “The American's Creed” in 1917. It was accepted by the House on behalf of the American people on April 3, 1918. |
George
Washington Lifetime Presidential Election Record: 2-0 1789: Unanimously elected president of the United States. 1792: Reelected president. Birthplace: Westmoreland County, Virginia
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“In God We Trust” “In God We Trust” first appeared on U.S. coins after April 22, 1864, when Congress passed an act authorizing the coinage of a 2-cent piece bearing this motto. Thereafter, Congress extended its use to other coins. On July 30, 1956, it became the national motto. |
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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 by William Barton 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 arrows of war and an olive branch of peace. On the reverse side it shows an unfinished pyramid with an eye (the eye of Providence) above it. Although this description was adopted in 1782, the first drawing was not made until four years later, and no die has ever been cut. |
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"Liberty Enlightening the World." The official name for the Statue of Liberty. A gift from France, the statue was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated in New York harbor in 1886. |
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When did the name "America" first appear in print? In 1507 in Cosmographiae Introductio by German mapmaker Martian Waldseemuller. Waldseemuller named it in honor of explorer Amerigo Vespucci, whom he believed was the true discoverer of America. Vespucci's claims to have been the first to reach the American mainland (in 1497) and the first to realize that America was not part of Asia have long been disputed, but his name lives on in geography just the same. |
What immigrant group
has the most descendants in the United States today? More Americans (19.6 percent) report German ancestry than any other. In second place is Irish ancestry (13.1 percent) and in third place English (11 percent). |
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USA 2000 Census - Hispanic Statistics Hispanics by Origin: |
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Why is the flag called "Old Glory"? In 1831, Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem, Massachusetts, left on one of his many world voyages. Friends presented him with a flag of 24 stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze, he exclaimed, "Old Glory." He kept his flag for many years, protecting it during the Civil War, until it was flown over the Tennessee capital. His "Old Glory" became a nickname for all American flags. |
What does Flag Day commemorate? Instituted in 1897 and celebrated on June 14, Flag Day marks the day in 1777 that the Continental Congress adopted the "Stars and Stripes" as the American flag. |
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Betsy Ross sewed the first American Flag Betsy Ross was a seamstress who made clothes for George Washington. In June, 1776, Washington approached her to make the country's first flag and the rest is history. |
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The Bald Eagle - An American Emblem The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States
of American, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks,
and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent.
The Eagle He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
---Alfred Tennyson |
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How to fold the U.S. Flag
Fold the flag in half width-wise twice. Fold up a triangle, starting at the striped end ... and repeat ... until only the end of the union is exposed. Then fold down the square into a triangle and tuck inside the folds. |
Patriotic songs with midi |
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Superlatives
The most important of an endless list.
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The Land Area: 3,717,522 Sq. Miles
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