Oh say! Can you see, by the dawn’s

early light,

what so proudly we hailed at the

twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars,

through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched were

so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the

bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that

our flag was still there,

Oh, say, does that Star -Spangled

Banner yet wave

O’ re the land of the free and the home of the brave?

И в самых первых утренних лучах

И при последнем всполохе заката

Ты видишь, что приветствуем мы гордо,

Чьи полосы широкие и звёзды

Сквозь все препоны битвы и сраженья,

Ты знаешь, путеводно нам светили?

И нам разрывы вражеских снарядов

Служили верным знаком среди ночи,

Что флаг наш полосатый не опущен.

Скажи мне, друг, по-прежнему ли реет

Свободы звёздно-полосатый вестник

Над этой вольной храбрости купелью?

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 Arlington, Massachusetts in 1766.He fought in the Revolutionary War with his father and brothers. When the war was over, he moved to Troy, New York. He started a meatpacking business and was well-respected in his community.

During the war of 1812, Sam Wilson supplied meat to the U.S. Army in barrels marked 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 middle 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. They asked that this inscription be cast around the bell’s crown: “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”.

Soon after the bell’s arrived 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 Bell was known by several names besides the Old State House Bell. It was called the Bell of the Revolution and Old Independence. But it was not until 1839 that it was called the Liberty Bell. 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, Charleston, 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 Liberty Bell continues to “proclaim liberty throughout all land” and to people throughout the world.

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 nation was great and powerful.

But, not all in Congress wanted this bird as their. Benjamin Franklin proposed that the turkey be 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, be the choice. In 1782, the bald eagle was finally adopted as the national bird for the country.

The bald 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” or “white-streaked”, 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 USA

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 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.

The NATIONAL MOTTO

In God We Trust, designed as the U.S. National Motto by Congress in 1956, originated during the Civil War as an inscription for U.S. coins, although it was used by Francis Scott Key in a slightly different form when he wrote The Star Spangled Banner in 1814. It first appeared on some U.S. coins in 1864, disappeared and reappeared on various coins until 1955, when Congress ordered it placed on all paper money and coins.

The STATUE of LIBERTY

To many people, 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 (1834-1909). 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 a sculptor named 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. This island of 12 acres had been owned in the 17^th century by a Walloon, named Isaac Beadloe. 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 modelled her face after the strong features of his own mother’s face. Construction began on “Lady Liberty” in a Paris workshop in 1875. Funds for 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 United States to display for their centennial celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At home, the sculptor continued to work on the rest of the statue.

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. The statue was made from copper sheets and it is hollow inside. Inside there is a circular stairway 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 her left hand is a tablet with the date “July 4^th, 1776” on it, which symbolizes the Declaration of Independence. The torch light up at night.

Here are some interesting statistics about the statue:

- pedestal height: 47 meters                - statue height: 46.05 meters         

- statue weight: 204 metric tons         - torch arm: 13 meters

- face: 3 meters from ear to ear          - across each eye: 8 meters

- combined height: 92.9 meters from base of the pedestal to the top of the torch.

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 immigration who came by it on their way to settle in America. American poet Emma Lazarus wrote a poem which was placed on a plaque in the pedestal in 1903. The words gave, and continue to give, a message of hope to all who wish to settle in the land of liberty.

“Give me your tired, your poor,