Red, White, and Blue: The Story of the American Flag

Second Grade ReadingUnit 6 – Story 2

Vocabulary

•freedom•flag•stripes•stars•nicknames

•birthday•America•Congress•American Revolution

•colonies

freedom

•Being able to do, say, and think as you please.

flag

•A piece of colored cloth with stars or other symbols on it.

stripes

•A long, narrow band of color.

stars

•A shape that has five or six points.

nicknames

•A name used instead of real names.

birthday

•The day that you were born, celebrated each year.

America

•Another name for North America or the United States.

Congress

•The national lawmaking group of the United States.

American Revolution

•War in which the thirteen America colonies gained their freedom from England.

colonies

•Groups of people who left their own land to settle in another land.

Amazing Words

•history•independenc

e•symbol•patriotic

•unfurl•frayed•allegiance•indivisible

history

•All that has happened in the life of a people, a country, or a field of study such as science or art.

independence

•Freedom from being controlled by other people or countries.

symbol

•Something, such as a sign, a mark, or an object that stands for something else.

patriotic

•When someone shows love and loyalty to his or her country.

unfurl

•To unroll or spread something out.

frayed

•To be worn away on the edges, and threads are hanging loose.

allegiance

•Loyalty or faithfulness a person feels to his or her country, a leader, a friend, or family.

indivisible

•Cannot be divided, or separated into parts.

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the FlagOf the United States of America,

And to the Republic for which it stands,One Nation under God, indivisible,

With liberty and justice for all. — The Pledge of Allegiance, 1892

Francis Bellamy (1856-1931)

The Betsy Ross Flag

• Since there was no official flag during the first year of the United States, there were a great number of homespun flag designs. This flag is without question the most well known of those. There are many reasons why this flag is confused with the first

official U.S. flag

The First Official United States Flag

• This 13-Star Flag became the Official United States Flag on June14th, 1777 and is the result of the congressional action that took place on that date. Much evidence exists pointing to Congressman Francis Hopkinson as the person responsible for its design. The only President to serve under this flag was George Washington. This Flag was to last for a period of 18 years.

• Each star and stripe represented a Colony of which there were thirteen, united nearly one year earlier by the Declaration of Independence. The thirteen Colonies are listed below with the date that each ratified the Constitution and became a State.

The Star Spangled Banner, the 15 Star Flag

• This Flag became the Official United States Flag on May 1st,1795. Two stars were added for the admission of Vermont (the 14th State on March 4th, 1791) and Kentucky (the 15th State on June 1st, 1792, and was to last for 23 years. The five Presidents who served under this flag were; George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), James Madison (1809-1817), and James Monroe (1817-1825).

See more flags of the United States

• http://www.usflag.org/history/historicflags.html