The American Flag
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he
"Stars and Stripes" is a popular name for the red, white
and blue flag of the United States. Another popular name is the "Star
Spangled Banner". This is also the name of the National Anthem
of the United States.
Every country has its own flag. In 1776 the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. So the United States were born.
George Washington was a general of the American Army. He decided that the United States also needed a flag.
There is a story that General George Washington asked Betsy Ross* to make the flag. She used three colors: red, white, and blue. The red color was for courage, white was for liberty, and blue was for justice. She sewed thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen white stars in a circle on a blue square. Thirteen stars and stripes stood for the number of states at the beginning of the United States. On June 14, 1777, the Congress confirmed this flag as the National Flag.
Later new states joined the United States. And in 1818 the Congress made another law about the flag. The thirteen stripes stayed the same, but for each new state there was a new star. Today there are fifty stars on the flag. Hawaii Island was the last star in 1959.
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*Elizabeth Phoebe "Betsy" Ross (January 1, 1752– January 30, 1836), is widely known with making the first American flag purportedly in 1776, according to family tradition, upon a visit from General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and changing the shape of the stars described on the flag from six-pointed to easier-to-produce five-pointed stars. However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first American flag, and it appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the 1870s (a century after the fact), with no mention or documentation in earlier decades.
The Fifty States
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fifty states have joined to make one nation. The United States did
not always have fifty states. At first there were thirteen. As the
United States grew, more states joined the union. The last two states
to join were Alaska and Hawaii. They both joined in 1959.
In the area of the United States covers every type of land, there are forests, deserts, mountains, and flat land. The area of the United States also covers every type of climate. The size of each state is different, too. Alaska is the biggest state. Rhode Island is the smallest one. Alaska is 500 times bigger than Rhode Island.
About 250 million people live in the United States. The people of the United States come from all over the world.
People often name new cities after those where they come from. For example, in the United States you will find Paris, Rome, Delhi, and Frankfurt. The state with the highest population is California. The state with the lowest population is Alaska.
Each state has its own name. More than a half of the states have names of American Indian origin. Each state also has a flag with colors that have a special meaning for the state. The flag is the symbol of the state. There are also state flowers, trees, and birds.
Task 7. On the basis of the information you have read in the text, say if the following sentences are true or false. If false, correct the information.
The "Stars and Stripes" is a popular name for the red, white and green flag of the United States.
In 1776 the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.
Betsy Ross decided that the United States also needed an army.
She sewed thirteen red and white stripers and thirteen white stars in a circle on a blue square.
Thirteen stars and stripes stood for the number countries of the beginning of the United States.
Alaska is the smallest state. Rhode Island is the biggest one.
About 200 million people live in the United States.
Each state also has a flag with colors that have a special meaning for the state.
Task 8. Enjoy some bits of humor and offer your comment.
Teacher: Class, when did the Great depression start?
Student: Last week when I got my report card.
Teacher: Class, where the Declaration of Independence signed?
Student: At the bottom.
Task 9. Tell in short about the USA.