3. History of American Flag.
For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol
of our nation's strength and unity. It's been a source of pride and
inspiration for millions of citizens. And the American Flag has
been a prominent icon in our national history. Here are the
highlights of its unique past. On January 1, 1776, the Continental
Army was reorganized in accordance with a Congressional
resolution which placed American forces under George
Washington's control. On that New Year's Day the Continental Army
was laying siege to Boston which had been taken over by the British
Army. Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his
base at Prospect Hill. It had 13 alternate red and white stripes and
the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton).
• In May of 1776, Betsy Ross reported that she sewed the first
American flag.
4. • On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag
for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the
first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United
States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and
white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue
field, representing a new Constellation."
Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts
that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the
flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be
added to reflect the admission of each new state.
• Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and
15 stars after May 1795.
5. Today the flag
• Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal
stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white.
The stripes represent the original 13
colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of
the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic
as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor,
White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and
Blue represents Vigilance/ vid, Perseverance
and Justice.
6. United States of America
Motto:
In God We Trust
Anthem:
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Largest city
New York City
National language
English
8. from the
Independence Kingdom of
Great Britain
Government
Declared
President
Legislature
Federal presidential
constitutional republic
Barack Obama (D)
Congress
Recognized
Upper House
Senate
Current
constitution
Lower House
House of
Representatives
11. Brief introduction of the USA
• The United States of America (also called the
United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the
States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising
fifty states and a federal district. The country is
situated mostly in central North America, where its
forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C.,
the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic
Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico
to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of
the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to
the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii
is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also
possesses several territories in the Pacific and
Caribbean.
12. • At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2)
and with over 312 million people, the United
States is the third or fourth largest country by
total area, and the third largest by both land area
and population. It is one of the world's most
ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the
product of large-scale immigration from many
countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest
national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP
of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and
over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power
parity).
13. The bald eagle, national bird of the United States since
1782
15. The federal government is composed of three branches:
• Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the
Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal
law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the
purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can
remove sitting members of the government.
• Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the
military, can veto legislative bills before they become law,
and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to
Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and
enforce federal laws and policies.
• Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts,
whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate
approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find
unconstitutional.
16. The west front of the United States Supreme
Court Building
17. Barack Obama taking the presidential oath of
office from U.S. The winner of the 2008
presidential election, Democrat Barack
Obama, is the 44th U.S. president.
