american symbols, people, and events ebook
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TRANSCRIPT
American Symbols, People, and Events
BY ERIN LUSK, EMILY QUINN, AND JULIA THELEN
USER GUIDE
What’s this Book Even About?
This book was created by Erin Lusk, Julia Thelen, and Emily Quinn. The purpose of this book was to complete the standard for first grade students to be able to iden-tify individuals, events and symbols that are important to our country.
CHAPTER 2
Famous American Symbols
There are many symbols that are impor-tant to our country. Some you might be familiar with, and some you might not. In this chapter, we will learn more about these symbols.
What do you think?
Check Answer
Are symbols important to our country?
A. Yes
B. N0
TAKE OUT YOUR NOTEBOOK AND ANSWER THESE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. What symbols do you already know for our country?
2. What do you think these symbols stand for? Or why are they important to the USA?
3. What symbol do you find to be the most important to our country?
Introduction Once you have some ideas down watch this video for an intro-duction to American symbols.
(Click on the link to watch the video and and once you’re done exit back to this page!)
http://www.brainpopjr.com//socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/
Now that you have some ideas of some of the United States symbols, we’ll get to learn a little more about each of these!
3
United States FlagThe United States Flag is an important symbol for our country because it stands for the United States of America.
There are so many places! The United States flag is seen in a lot of different places!
Maybe you’ve seen it...
...in your classroom
…during a sports game
...during the Olympics
...or maybe at a government building!
But do you know what it is and what it stands for? 4
Think
for a minute!
Where have you seen a United States Flag?
5
The United States flag is important to our country because it represents our country.
There are 50 stars on the United States flag to represent the 50 states of our coun-try.
There are also 13 stripes that represent the 13 original colonies of our country.
We say the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag while looking at it to show loyalty to our country. We also look at the flag and sing the National Anthem to show re-spect for our country during important events.
The United States flag is a symbol of unity.
In your notebook, please write 2 things that you’ve learned about the United States Flag.
The Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is our national bird. It is a very important sym-bol for our country.
Think
for a
minute!
Maybe you’ve seen one at a zoo. But besides in real life, where else have you
seen a bald eagle?
You can find a bald eagle on…
A silver dollar
A quarter
A half dollar
A gold coin
Or on the Great Seal of the United States
Can you think of anymore places?
Do you know why the bald eagle is so important to our coun-try?
6
7
The bald eagle is the emblem of the United States. It was chosen to be the emblem on June 20, 1782.
The bald eagle is a symbol of freedom.
In your notebook, please explain why the bald eagle was chosen as the United State’s emblem.
Question: But why was the bald eagle chosen as the emblem?
(Scroll down to see the answer!)
Answer: It was chosen as the
An emblem is a picture or object that representssomething.
The Liberty Bell
Today, the Liberty Bell can be found in Philadelphia Pennsyl-vania, the same place it’s been in since it was first rang. It’s an important symbol for the United States of America.
Think
for a
minute!
Can you think of a time when you’ve heard of or seen the Liberty Bell?
It looks like this:
But how can a cracked bell be so important to our country?
8
Here’s an even closer look at the Liberty Bell! Check it out!
Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRp8D9DdbI
9
The Liberty Bell first rang outside of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776 to summon the citizens of Philadelphia to listen to Colo-nel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence to the public for the very first time!
Why was the Declaration of Independence so important?The Declaration of Independence was what Congress used to announce the thirteen colonies’ independence from Great Britain, and that they were now their own independent states and nation. Without this, we would still be under Britain’s rule!
The Liberty Bell is still very famous today!
Give this one a try!
Check Answer
Where did the crack on the bell come from?
A. Someone threw a rock at it.
B. The crack appeared on the Bell when it was rang on Washing-ton’s birthday in 1846.
C. It magically appeared one day. No one knows why.
10
Later the Liberty Bell was used by abolitionists (people who wanted to stop slavery) as a symbol to end slavery.
The Liberty Bell is a symbol of unity.
In your notebook, please list 3 pieces of history about the Liberty Bell.
The White House
The White House is a very important symbol for the United States. It can be found in Washington DC.
Think
for a
minute!
Have you seen the White House before?
Why is the White House such an important symbol?
11
Try to Answer This!
Check Answer
Who lives in the White House?
A. The President of the United States
B. The First Lady
C. The family of the Presi-dent
D. All these people live in the White House!
12
The White House is located in Washington DC which is our nation’s capital. It is where the presidents of the United States live during their terms.
The White House is a place where the president can both live and work.
The White House is a symbol of freedom, democracy, our president, our country’s history and the United States.
President Obama and his family live in the White House.
The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a big, green statue that is found in the New York Harbor on Ellis Island.
The Statue of Liberty is found in New York. This is in the At-lantic Ocean on a small island named Ellis Island.
Why is this big statue of a woman important to our country?
13
Think
for a minute!
Have you ever seen the Statue of Liberty be-fore?
14
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French during the American Revolution to show their friendship. It was given on June 19, 1885.
Did you know? The Statue of Liberty was sent in parts and workers had to put her together? To the left you’ll see a picture of her arm!
Since the Statue of Liberty was on Ellis Island, it was seen by many immigrants when they came to America to start a new life. Immi-grants saw it as a symbol of hope.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the United States, liberty and freedom.
What is an immigrant?
An immigrant is a person that comes from a foreign country to live in a different country.
For example, there were lots of immigrants from countries in Europe that came to America to start a new life.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK PLEASE WRITE:
1. What was your favorite symbol we learned about?
2. Why is it your favorite symbol?
Review of Chapter Famous American Symbols
Now that you have learned all about the symbols, you can play two review games to see how much you know!
The first game, you are given a clue. Then you take the picture of the symbol that matches the clue into the big square. Click on the link to play!
The second game is a memory game of matching symbols to-gether. Click on the link to play!
In this chapter, you got to learn more about some of the impor-tant American symbols. There are a lot more, but we just touched on the major ones today. In the next chapter, you will learn about famous American people!
15
http://www.texaslre.org/asymbols/symbolsgame.html
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/matching/
CHAPTER 3
Famous American People
It is impossible to count the exact num-ber of people that impacted American his-tory because there have been so many. There are so many individuals who have made their mark on history that we can-not even mention every single one of them in this book!
What do you think?
Check Answer
Which of the following can be a famous person in history?
A. a president
B. an athlete
C. an ordinary per-son
D. all of the above
GET INTO GROUPS OF THREE OR FOUR AND COM-
PLETE THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITY
• Talk with your group members about people who you think have impacted American history in any way.
• Have one group member take out a notebook and write down a list of these names.
SECTION 1
IntroductionAfter you have finished writing down your list, click on the link below and see how many of the people on the list you cre-ated are mentioned on this website.
Feel free to go back to this website in your free time
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/the-top-100-influential-figures-in-american-history/305384/
Now that you have looked through the names of some histori-cal people, we can learn about something specific people who are well known for their actions in American history.
17
SECTION 2
George Washington
George Washington is most famously known for being the first president of the United States! He was elected as president in 1789, and was the only president to receive 100 percent of the electoral votes!
Becoming the first president was not his only accomplishment though!
You may also recognize George
Washington from the one dollar bill!
18
Think for aminute!
Have you seen George Washington anywhere?
Or heard anything abut him?
I was elected as
the very first presi-dent of the United
States of America!
There is a rule that presidents of the United States can only serve two terms as president. This rule was created because of George Washington! Washington was president for two terms, and that is why this rule was created!
Washington was a member of the Second Continental Con-gress. This was a very important event to be included in! Washington was asked to take on a very important role in the war when he was at this meeting!
Washington was also the leader of the Continental Army, which played a huge role in the victory of the American Revolution!
19
What did you find interesting about Washington’s speech? Write your answer in your notebook, along with 3 facts you learned about Washington.
MOVIE 3.1 Watch this Liberty Kids video featuring George Washington giving a speech to his soldiers! **Pay special attention to the clip from 0:02 to 0:47**
SECTION 3
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, and played a huge role in ending slavery in America.
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which began the process of freedom for American slaves.
He also strongly supported the Thirteenth Amendment that formally ended slavery in the US.
He also delivered the famous Gettysburg Ad-dress, which redefined the Civil War as a new birth of freedom.
20
Say NO to slavery!
What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
The Emancipation Proclamation was a war measure passed to free slaves in the ten states that were in the rebellion at during the Civl War.
SECTION 4
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American man who is known as a leader in the African American Civil Rights Move-ment.
King did many things that affected the African American Civil Rights Movement.
He was president of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which led to the Su-preme Court ruling that racial segrega-tion on public transportation was ille-gal.
Racial segregation is setting people apart from each other depending on the color of their skin.
He wrote his famous “Letter from a Bir-mingham Jail” in which he argued that individuals have the right to protest and disobey unjust laws.
21
What is the African American Civil Rights Movement?
The African American Civil Rights Movement was a movement to end the mean way Americans treated African Americans.
22
He gave the famous “I Have a Dream” Speech and then discussed the end of segregation in schools, as well as protection rights for African Americans with President John F. Kennedy.
Give this one a try!
Check Answer
Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of what movement? (do not look on the previous page. try to an-
A. Children’s Rights Move-ment
B. Anti-war Move-ment
C. African Ameri-can Civil Rights Movement
Can you
think of any other famous Afri-
can Americans?
SECTION 5
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is another African Ameri-can who had a great impact on the Afri-can American Civil Rights Movement.
She refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man who insisted on being able to sit.
She was associated with the Montgomery Bus Boycott after re-fusing to give up her seat.
23
Think about it!
What would you do if you were in Rosa Parks situa-tion?
SECTION 6
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross is well known for creating the first American Flag, shown below!
She took over her husband’s uphol-stery business after he was killed in the American Revolution!
She worked day and night to create flags!
She is a fine example of what women went through during her time. She was a widow, single mother, and managed a house-hold and business during the American Revolution!
24
Think about it!
How is this flag similar and different com-pared to today’s American flag?
SECTION 7
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is our cur-rent president.
He is the first African American to be elected President of the United States!
He is responsible for the troops that finally killed one of Amer-ica’s greatest enemies, Osama bin Laden.
He started to bring home our soldiers from Iraq in 2011. This allowed families to be reunited!
Improved school nutrition by signing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 with his wife, Michelle Obama.
25
SECTION 8
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major league baseball!
He faced insults and threats due to the color of his skin with grace.
But his graceful attitude towards these insults led other Afri-can Americans to question the “separate but equal” doctrine.
26
Think about it!
Do you know of any other famous Afri-can American ath-
letes?
What is a doctrine?
A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs taught by a certain group.
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK PLEASE WRITE:
The name of each important person shown below.
A. B.
C. D.
E. F.
SECTION 9
Review of Chapter Famous American People Answer the following questions in your notebook:
1. Who is the current president of the United States?
2. Name two people who were involved in the African Ameri-can Civil Rights Movement.
3. Who was the first president of the United States?
4.What sport did Jackie Robinson play?
5. True or False? Abraham Lincoln agreed with the idea of slav-ery?
27
When you are
finished, dis-cuss you answers with a partner!
We will go over the an-swers as a class later
on.
CHAPTER 4
Famous American Events
In this chapter, you will learn what an American event is! You will also learn about some important events, such as:The Louisiana Purchase (Section 1)The American Revolution (Section 2)September 11, 2001 (Section 3)Apollo 11 (Section 4)
PRE-LESSON ACTIVITY
1. In your own words, describe what makes an event important to our country?
2. List the important events you already know.
1. What happened in these events?
2. What happened because of these events?
SECTION 1 What shapes our country? What happened to make our coun-try what it is today?
Certain events occur that force our country to make de-cisions that could change our country instantly. Some events influence our country and helps shape our country in a good way, while other events affect our country in a bad way.
29
What is an event?
SECTION 2
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase affected our country in a positive way. Thomas Jefferson made a deal with the French to help them pay back debt they owed to America. Thomas Jefferson was not sure what was on this new land, so he hired Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the new land.
This purchase helped es-tablish new boundaries of the United States. It dou-bled the land area, gaining 828,800 square miles.
The main area of the pur-chase includes what is now Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri.
30
Who is Thomas Jef-
ferson? He was the President of our
country at the time
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. What would our country be like without it?
2. Why was this a good thing for our country?
SECTION 2
Louisiana Purchase• Why was this a positive event for America?
This nearly doubled the land in our country. Also, because we bought this land from the French, they no longer had land in what is now the United States.
• What was our country like before the Louisiana Purchase?
We did not have the land in between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains before the Louisiana Purchase. Now we did.
31
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. What was our country before the American Revolution?
SECTION 3
The American RevolutionThe American Revolution was a war fought over the 13 colo-nies and who would have con-trol over them. This war was caused by Britain wanting to have power over all the 13 colo-nies. This war was different be-cause there were many sepa-rate battles fought in different locations.
As a result of the American Revolution, the Declaration of In-dependence was written and signed. This is the document that made the 13 colonies free from Great Britain.
32
What are the 13 colonies?
The 13 colonies were the first 13 “states” that were founded
by the British.
What is the Declaration of In-
dependence?
This is the document that made the 13 colonies free from the Brit-
ish. This also is the base of our government today.
American RevolutionDeclaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independ-ence is what helped the 13 colo-nies become free from Britain.
This was just the start of it. The document is then what the coun-try would base their new govern-ment around. All men that were at the meeting, decided without a problem
that this document should be put into action.
33
SECTION 4
September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001, had a very negative impact on our coun-try. Islamic extremists, people who would do anything for their religion. These Islamic extremists were following the or-ders of Osama bin Laden.
They took over 4 commercial jets. Two jets were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City, New York. The twin towers was a national landmark. This was a terrorist attack. A terror-ist attack is a surprise attack using the purposeful use of vio-lence against a group of people in the hope of getting political or religious goals. This event also started the war on terror-ism.
34
What is a terrorist?
A terrorist is the person or group of people who
take out the violent action.
What is an Islamic extremist?
Islam is a religion. Islamic extremists are people who take their religion very seriously
to the point where they harm those not in that religion.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. Who all was involved?
2. How do we remember this event?
SECTION 4
What has 9/11 done to our country?
A $60 million dollar memo-rial site was made where the buildings used to be before the attack. There was a cere-mony honoring those who lost their lives in the attack. Not only did the people in the buildings lose their lives, but firefighters also did. We will forever remember those in-volved in the attack.
35
SECTION 5
Apollo 11Apollo 11 occurred on July 20, 1969. Apollo 11 was the mission to the moon that was successful in having a human step foot on the moon.
The United States’ space program, NASA, put the mission to-gether.
The astronauts were in the space shuttle for four days on their trip to the moon.
The first man to step foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong. He moonwalked with other for three hours.
36
xxxvii
Review FAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
Check Answer
What event involved the purchasing of land that nearly doubled the size of America?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American RevolutionFAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
Check Answer
What event involved the first person on the moon?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American Revolution
xxxviii
Review
FAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
Check Answer
What event did the Declaration of Independ-ence come from?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American Revolution
REVIEW 4.1 Lorem Ipsum dolor amet, consectetur
Check Answer
What event was an act of terrorism?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American Revolution
Sources UsedAmerican Symbol Sources:http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.htmhttp://www.ushistory.org/libertybell/http://macmillanmh.com/projectpresidency/election_central/why_white_house_important.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as9apKNqcG8http://www.brainpopjr.com//socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/matching/http://www.texaslre.org/asymbols/symbolsgame.htmlhttp://www.usa-flag-site.org/history.shtmlhttp://statueofliberty.org/Statue_History.htmlhttp://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/
American People Sources:http://www.freedomshrine.com/historical-american-figures.phphttp://www.biography.com/people/betsy-ross-9464205http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php?page=allhttp://www.ushistory.org/germantown/people/washington.htmhttp://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-kinghttp://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/rosa_parks.htmhttp://www.history.com/topics/franklin-d-roosevelthttp://www.history.com/topics/jackie-robinsonhttp://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/the-top-100-influential-figures-in-american-history/305384/#slide63http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln87.html
Famous American Event Sources:
http://www.capuchin.org/events
http://www.thefabricator.com/article/forceos/were-all-in-this-together-fighting-negativity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Louisiana_Purchase_states.png
http://totalfratmove.com/tfms-in-history-the-louisiana-purchase/
http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase
http://cordelia.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345269c569e2013485314f0b970c-pi
http://www.overviewinstitute.org/featured-articles/44-apollo-11-and-the-overview-effect
http://www.dogonews.com/2013/9/9/9-slash-11-slash-2001-the-day-our-lives-changed-forever
xl
Abolitionist
Person/people who wanted to end slavery.
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Democracy
Government where the people get to elect the government members.
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Emblem
A picture or object that represents something.
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Gettysburg Address
Speech given by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a cemetery.
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Immigrants
A person/people that comes from a foreign country to live in a different country.
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Liberty
Being free in a society.
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Montgomery bus boycott
An African American protest about the buses in Montgomery.
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Second Continental Congress
Group of people that got together to talk about the Revolutionary War.
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The Great Seal of the United States
A material with a design on it to show it came from the United States of America.
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Unity
Being together, or joined as one.
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