Celebrate Freedom Week
There are symbols, landmarks, customs, and celebrations that contribute to our national identity. It is important that individuals participate in the democratic process at the local, state, and national levels. Celebrate Freedom Week allows you to understand some of the important ideals we hold dear as Americans, as well as identifying important symbols in our nation, and investigating important documents in our nation's history.
There are symbols, landmarks, customs, and celebrations that contribute to our national identity. It is important that individuals participate in the democratic process at the local, state, and national levels. Celebrate Freedom Week allows you to understand some of the important ideals we hold dear as Americans, as well as identifying important symbols in our nation, and investigating important documents in our nation's history.
Fact Files
Declaration of Independence Resources
Congress for Kids - Declaration of Independence
National Archives - Declaration of Independence
Congress for Kids - Declaration of Independence
National Archives - Declaration of Independence
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A host of celebrities including Mel Gibson, Whoopie Goldberg, and Michael Douglas perform a live reading of the Declaration of Independence in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA.
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Bill of Rights Rap - Smart Songs
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Constitution Resources
The Constitution for Kids
The Constitution - with George Washington's handwritten notes in the margin
The Constitution for Kids
The Constitution - with George Washington's handwritten notes in the margin
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Schoolhouse Rock! The Preamble
The Constitution of the United States of America |
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was first recited in 1892, the year it was first written. The author was Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister from New York. Bellamy was also a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. Public schools all around the country were preparing a celebration in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. Bellamy wanted a special celebration, and he wanted to center it around a flag-raising ceremony and salute. With this in mind, he wrote his pledge:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Notice the words "my flag." They stayed this way in the Pledge until 1924, when a National Flag Conference announced that the words "my flag" would be changed to "the flag of the United States of America."
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
The Pledge stayed this way until 1954, when Congress added the words "under God." This was the final change, giving the Pledge its current wording:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of 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 was first recited in 1892, the year it was first written. The author was Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister from New York. Bellamy was also a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. Public schools all around the country were preparing a celebration in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. Bellamy wanted a special celebration, and he wanted to center it around a flag-raising ceremony and salute. With this in mind, he wrote his pledge:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Notice the words "my flag." They stayed this way in the Pledge until 1924, when a National Flag Conference announced that the words "my flag" would be changed to "the flag of the United States of America."
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
The Pledge stayed this way until 1954, when Congress added the words "under God." This was the final change, giving the Pledge its current wording:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Star Spangled Banner
The “Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem, or national song, of the United States. The words are from a poem that was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. He watched a night-time battle between Great Britain and America that took place in Baltimore at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
He was very excited when the American flag was still flying in the morning and wrote a poem that began with these words:
O 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
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem is also called the “Star Spangled Banner.” The flag is old and fragile, but is now being cared for at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
The “Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem, or national song, of the United States. The words are from a poem that was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. He watched a night-time battle between Great Britain and America that took place in Baltimore at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
He was very excited when the American flag was still flying in the morning and wrote a poem that began with these words:
O 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
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem is also called the “Star Spangled Banner.” The flag is old and fragile, but is now being cared for at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.
Patriotic Symbols of America
Citizenship Guide to U.S. Symbols
Citizenship Guide to U.S. Symbols
Freedom Week Vocabulary Cards
Freedom Week Vocabulary Cards
Freedom Week Vocabulary Cards