Symbols of America

When we think of America, what do we think of? The Stars and Stripes, the bald eagle, Uncle Sam? Well, those are a few of the many symbols of America.

Our flag is the most common symbol of the United States. It has 50 stars and 13 stripes that represent the original thirteen colonies. There are a lot of names for our flag, including "Old Glory," "The Stars and Stripes," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and many more. We also had different styles of our flag before it became the flag that we know today.

The bald eagle is our national bird. It used to be endangered because of poisons and pesticides that were weakening the eagles' egg shells. It is now protected by law and is still as beautiful as it was before. The eagle is on many other symbols, such as the Great Seal and the dollar bill.

You may think that Uncle Sam is a fictonal character, but Uncle Sam was actually Samuel Wilson, who sent meat to U.S. troops during the war of 1812. The stamp on the package was written "U.S." for "United States," but people came to think it was from "Uncle Sam" (Samuel Wilson)! Over time, Uncle Sam became the Uncle Sam we know today.