National symbols of the USA

Практическая работа «Национальные символы США.»

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Reading.

National symbols of the USA

Every country has symbols for important national events and groups, and symbols which identify the country. A national flag is probably the most prominent symbol in any country. Here is some information about important symbols in the United States.

American colonies planned the Declaration of delegates of the thirteen Independence, and Thomas Jefferson wrote it. The document declared the independence (separation) of the colonies from England.

Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the delegates signed the document on July 4, 1776. The Liberty Bell in the State House in Philadelphia rang out on that day.

The French gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a symbol of friendship. Now it is a symbol of freedom for new immigrants to this country.

The American eagle is the official emblem (sym­bol) of the United States. It appears on the Presidential flag and on some coins.

The donkey and the elephant first appeared in political cartoons. They are symbols for the Democratic and Republican Parties.

Uncle Sam has the initials US. He originally appeared in political cartoons and is an unoffi­cial symbol of the US government.

The United States flag is far more than the red, white and blue cloth it is made of. As a living symbol of America, it stands for the past, present and future of this country. It symbolizes American people, American land, and American way of life. The US flag has 13 alternate stripes - 7 red and 6 white - and 50 white stars on the blue background. The red stripes proclaim courage, the white stripes proclaim liberty, the field of blue stands for loyalty. The stripes remind us of the 13 original colonies that gained Americans their liberty. The stars represent the 50 states bound together as one country.

The design for the first official US flag was approved by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 14,1777. Today Americans celebrate June 14 as Flag Day. With the admission of new states Congress first added more stripes

and stars, but in 1818 the original 13 stripes were restored to remain unchanged thereafter; for each new state admitted to the Union, however, a new star was to be added. The 50th star - for Hawaii - was added on July 4, 1960.

The US flag is known as “Old Glory”, the “Stars and Stripes” or the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The latter comes from the national anthem of the USA, written by Francis Scott Key, who watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry in September, 1814, during the war between the USA and Great Britain in 1812-1814. The melody was taken from an English song composed by John Stafford Smith. Here are the words of the first stanza:

О say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

Over the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.

О say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

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

“America, the Beautiful,” a popular patriotic song, is not the national anthem of the United States, though many insist that it should be. The words of the song were written in 1893 by Katherine L. Bates, who was inspired by a spectacular view she had seen from Pikes Peak in Colorado. The melody “Materna” by the American composer Samuel Ward was chosen to set the poem to music. This truly national song expresses the loftiest ideals of patriotism of the American people; rejoices in the natural gifts and beauties of the US; it pays homage to the people’s past and to their heroes; and, above all, it utters their aspirations.

The coat of arms of the US represents an eagle with wings outspread, holding a bundle of rods - the symbol of admin­istering - in the left claw and an olive twig - the emblem of love - in the right claw. The motto on the coat of arms is “E Pluribus Unum” (“one out of many”).

1775 June 14, 1777 July 4, 1861

July 4, 1912 July 4, 1959 July 4, 1960

Content focus

1. Why is Flag Day celebrated on the 14th of June in the USA?

2. What do red, white and blue colors on the US flag sym­bolize?

3. What symbols does the eagle from the US coat of arms hold in its claws?

Discussion points

Match the sentence parts.