Education

Children are required in most states to attend school from the age of six or seven until they turn eighteen; some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen. The United States has many private and public institutions of higher education. According to international rankings, 13 or 15 American colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in the world.

Symbols of the USA

There are many symbols that represent the United States of America. Some of the most popular ones are the Stars and Stripes (the US flag), the Great Seal of the USA, the bald eagle, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol, the White House, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Uncle Sam, the Golden Gate Bridge, and many others.

The design of the first seal of the President of the United States of America was designed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the request of the Continental Congress. The ribbon has the motto of the USA, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning "Out of many, one." The eagle is clutching an olive branch (with 13 olives and 13 leaves) in one foot (symbolizing peace) and 13 arrows in the other (the 13 stands for the original 13 colonies and the arrows symbolize the acceptance of the need to go to war to protect the country).

The bald eagle is a magnificent bird native to North America. This majestic eagle is not really bald; white feathers cover its head. The name "bald" is from an obsolete English word meaning white. The bald eagle has been the national symbol of the USA since 1782.

The Lincoln Memorial commemorates the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. It is located in Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. Inside the building is a huge statue of a sitting Lincoln. Over Lincoln's head is the inscription:

"IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER."

The White House is the official residence of the President of the United States of America, and has been for over 200 years. It is located in Washington, D.C. The White House was originally built from 1792 to 1800; it was constructed by paid and slave laborers. The first US President to live in the White House was John Adams (the second President of the USA).

The Liberty Bell is a huge bronze bell that symbolizes freedom in the United States of America. This historic bell is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The bell was originally cast in 1752 in London. Across the top of the bell is the inscription, "PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF LEV. XXV X." This is a quote from the Old Testament of the Bible. The bell was first called the Liberty Bell around 1839 by abolitionist (anti-slavery) publications.

The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France in recognition of the French-American alliance during the American Revolution.

It pictures a woman who has escaping the chains of tyranny (the broken chains lie at her feet). Liberty's right hand holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty. There are 354 steps inside the statue. There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of Liberty's crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads "July 4, 1776" (in Roman numerals), Independence Day of the United States of America. Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is a huge mountain sculpture of four US Presidents, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Presidents depicted are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

The Construction began on August 10, 1927. The sculpting was done by first blasting away tons of rock with dynamite. Bad weather and a lack of funding slowed work. The monument was completed in 1941.

The image above presents an illustration of "Uncle Sam", as he appeared in a World War I Army Recruiting poster.  Uncle Sam is a popular name for the government of the United States. Its origin was as follows: Samuel Wilson, commonly called "Uncle Sam," inspected the meat purchased for the government after the declaration of war against England in 1812. Elbert Anderson purchased a quantity of provisions, and the barrels were marked "E. A.," the initials of his name, and "U. S.," for United States. The latter initials were not familiar to Wilson's workmen, who inquired what they meant. A fellow answered, Uncle Sam.' The joke spread, and by 1820, Uncle Sam was sometimes used as a term for the United States.  By 1864, Uncle Sam had become the symbol of the United States in newspapers and other publications.

The Golden Gate Bridge links the city of San Francisco to Marin County. It is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and of the United States. It has been declared one of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It is "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world".