1. BY ERIN LUSK, EMILY QUINN, AND JULIA THELEN
American Symbols,
People, and Events

2. U SER 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 identify individuals, events and symbols that
are important to our country.

3. C HAPTER 2
Famous
American
Symbols
What do you think?
Are symbols important to
our country?
A. Yes
B. N0
Check Answer
There are many symbols that are important to our country. Some you might be
familiar with, and some you might not.
In this chapter, we will learn more about
these symbols.

4. Introduction
Once you have some ideas down watch this video for an introduction to American symbols.
(Click on the link to watch the video and and once you’re done
exit back to this page!)
T AKE OUT YOUR NOTEBOOK AND ANSWER THESE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS :
1. What symbols do you already know for our
country?
http://www.brainpopjr.com//socialstudies/citizenship/ussy
mbols/
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!
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?
3

5. ...in your classroom
United States Flag
The United States Flag is an important symbol for our country
because it stands for the United States of America.
…during a sports game
Think
for a minute!
Where have you
seen a United
States Flag?
There are so many places! The United States flag is seen in a lot
of different places!
...during the Olympics
...or maybe at a government building!
Maybe you’ve seen it...
But do you know what it is and what it stands for?
4

6. 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 country.
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 respect 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.
5

7. The Bald Eagle
A silver dollar
A quarter
The bald eagle is our national bird. It is a very important symbol for our country.
A half dollar
Think
for a
A gold coin
minute!
Maybe you’ve seen one at a
zoo. But besides in real
life, where else have you
seen a bald
eagle?
Or on the Great Seal of the United States
Can you think of anymore places?
You can find a bald eagle on…
Do you know why the bald eagle is so important to our country?
6

8. The bald eagle is the emblem of the United States. It was chosen to be the emblem on June 20, 1782.
An emblem is a picture or
object that represents
something.
Question: But why was the bald
eagle chosen as the emblem?
(Scroll down to see the answer!)
Answer: It was chosen as the
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.
7

9. The Liberty Bell
Today, the Liberty Bell can be found in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the same place it’s been in since it was first rang. It’s an
important symbol for the United States of America.
It looks like this:
Here’s an even closer look at the Liberty Bell! Check it
out!
Think
for a
minute!
Can you think of a
time when you’ve
heard of or seen the
Liberty
Bell?
Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRp8D9DdbI
But how can a cracked bell be so important to our country?
8

10. The Liberty Bell first rang outside of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776 to summon the citizens of Philadelphia to listen to Colonel 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!
9

11. Later the Liberty Bell was used by abolitionists (people who wanted to stop slavery) as a symbol to end slavery.
Give this one a try!
Where did the crack on the
bell come from?
A. Someone threw a
rock at it.
The Liberty Bell is a symbol of unity.
In your notebook, please list 3 pieces of history
about the Liberty Bell.
B. The crack appeared
on the Bell when it
was rang on Washington’s birthday in
1846.
C. It magically appeared
one day. No one
knows why.
Check Answer
10

12. Try to Answer This!
The White House
Who lives in the White House?
A. The President of the
United States
B. The First Lady
C. The family of the President
The White House is a very important symbol for the United
States. It can be found in Washington DC.
D. All these people live in the
White House!
Check Answer
Think
for a
minute!
Have you seen the
White House before?
Why is the White House such an important symbol?
11

13. 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.
President Obama and his family live in
the White House.
The White House is a symbol of freedom, democracy, our president,
our country’s history and the United States.
12

14. The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is found in New York. This is in the Atlantic Ocean on a small island named Ellis Island.
The Statue of Liberty is a big, green statue that is found in the
New York Harbor on Ellis Island.
Think
for a minute!
Have you ever
seen the Statue
of Liberty before?
Why is this big statue of a woman important to our country?
13

15. 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. Immigrants saw it as a symbol of hope.
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.
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the United
States, liberty and freedom.
14

16. Review of Chapter Famous
American Symbols
I N YOUR NOTEBOOK PLEASE WRITE :
1. What was your favorite symbol we learned about?
2. Why is it your favorite symbol?
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!
http://www.texaslre.org/asymbols/symbolsgame.html
The second game is a memory game of matching symbols together. Click on the link to play!
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/citizenship/ussym
bols/matching/
In this chapter, you got to learn more about some of the important 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

17. C HAPTER 3
Famous
American
People
What do you think?
Which of the following
can be a famous person
in history?
A. a president
It is impossible to count the exact number of people that impacted American history because there have been so many.
There are so many individuals who have
made their mark on history that we cannot even mention every single one of
them in this book!
B. an athlete
C. an ordinary person
D. all of the above
Check Answer

18. S ECTION 1
Introduction
After you have finished writing down your list, click on the
link below and see how many of the people on the list you created are mentioned on this website.
Feel free to go back to this website in your free time
G ET INTO GROUPS OF THREE OR FOUR AND COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITY
• Talk with your group members about people who
you think have impacted American history in any
way.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/thetop-100-influential-figures-in-american-history/305384/
Now that you have looked through the names of some historical people, we can learn about something specific people who
are well known for their actions in American history.
• Have one group member take out a notebook and
write down a list of these names.
17

19. S ECTION 2
George Washington
I
was elected as
the very first president of the United
States of America!
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
Think for a
minute!
Washington from the one dollar bill!
Have you seen George
Washington anywhere?
Or heard anything
abut him?
18

20. 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 also the
leader of the Continental
Army, which played a huge
role in the victory of the
American Revolution!
Washington was a member of the Second Continental Congress. 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!
M OVIE 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**
What did you find interesting about Washington’s speech?
Write your answer in your notebook, along with 3 facts you
learned about Washington.
19

21. S ECTION 3
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States,
and played a huge role in ending slavery in America.
He also delivered the
famous Gettysburg Address, which redefined
the Civil War as a new
birth of freedom.
Say NO to
slavery!
What is the Emancipation
Proclamation?
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which began
the process of freedom for American slaves.
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.
He also strongly supported the Thirteenth Amendment that
formally ended slavery in the US.
20

22. S ECTION 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 Movement.
He was president of the Montgomery
Bus Boycott, which led to the Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation on public transportation was illegal.
Racial segregation is setting people apart from
each other depending on the color of their skin.
King did many things that affected the African American Civil
Rights Movement.
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.
He wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in which he argued that
individuals have the right to protest and
disobey unjust laws.
21

23. Give this one a try!
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.
Martin Luther King Jr.
was the leader of what
movement? (do not look on
the previous page. try to an-
A. Children’s
Rights Movement
B. Anti-war Movement
C. African American Civil Rights
Movement
Check Answer
Can
you
think of
any other famous African Americans?
22

24. S ECTION 5
Rosa Parks
She was associated with the Montgomery Bus Boycott after refusing to give up her seat.
Rosa Parks is another African American who had a great impact on the African 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.
Think
about it!
What would you do
if you were in
Rosa Parks situation?
23

25. S ECTION 6
Betsy Ross
She took over her husband’s upholstery business after he was killed in
the American Revolution!
Betsy Ross is well known for creating the first American Flag,
shown below!
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 household and business during the American Revolution!
Think
about it!
How is this flag similar
and different compared to today’s
American flag?
24

26. S ECTION 7
Barack Obama
He started to bring home our soldiers from Iraq in 2011. This
allowed families to be reunited!
Barack Obama is our current president.
He is the first African
American to be elected
President of the United
States!
Improved school nutrition by signing the Healthy HungerFree Kids Act in 2010 with his wife, Michelle Obama.
He is responsible for the troops that finally killed one of America’s greatest enemies, Osama bin Laden.
25

27. S ECTION 8
Jackie Robinson
He faced insults and threats due to the color of his skin with
grace.
But his graceful attitude towards these insults led other African Americans to question the “separate but equal” doctrine.
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major
league baseball!
Think
about it!
Do you know of any
other famous African American athletes?
What is a doctrine?
A doctrine is a belief or
set of beliefs taught by a
certain group.
26

28. S ECTION 9
Review of Chapter Famous
American People
I N YOUR NOTEBOOK PLEASE WRITE :
The name of each important person shown below.
A.
B.
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 American 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 slavery?
C.
E.
D.
F.
When
you are
finished, discuss you answers with a partner!
We will go over the answers as a class later
on.
27

29. C HAPTER 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)

30. S ECTION 1
What is an event?
P RE -L ESSON 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?
What shapes our country? What happened to make our country what it is today?
Certain events occur that
force our country to make decisions 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

31. S ECTION 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
Who
is Thomas Jefand William Clark to explore the new
ferson? He was the
land.
President of our
country at the
time
This purchase helped establish new boundaries of
the United States. It doubled the land area, gaining
828,800 square miles.
The main area of the purchase includes what is
now Oklahoma, Nebraska,
Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas,
and Missouri.
30

32. S ECTION 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.
T HINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. What would our country be like without it?
2.
Why was this a good thing for our country?
• 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

33. S ECTION 3
The American Revolution was
a war fought over the 13 colonies and who would have control over them. This war was
caused by Britain wanting to
have power over all the 13 colonies. This war was different because there were many separate battles fought in different
locations.
The American Revolution
As a result of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence was written and signed. This is the document that
made the 13 colonies free from Great Britain.
T HINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. What was our country before the American
Revolution?
What is
the Declaration of Independence?
This is the document that made
the 13 colonies free from the British. This also is the base of our
government today.
What
are the 13 colonies?
The 13 colonies were the first
13 “states” that were founded
by the British.
32

34. American Revolution
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is what helped the 13 colonies become free from Britain.
This was just the start of it. The
document is then what the country would base their new government around.
All men that were at the meeting, decided without a problem
that this document should be put into action.
33

35. S ECTION 4
September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001, had a very negative impact on our country. Islamic extremists, people who would do anything for
their religion. These Islamic extremists were following the orders of Osama bin Laden.
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.
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 terrorist attack is a surprise attack using the purposeful use of violence against a group of people in the hope of getting political
or religious goals. This event also started the war on terrorism.
What
is a terrorist?
A terrorist is the person
or group of people who
take out the violent
action.
34

36. S ECTION 4
What has 9/11 done to our
country?
T HINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. Who all was involved?
A $60 million dollar memorial site was made where the
buildings used to be before
the attack. There was a ceremony 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 involved in the attack.
2. How do we remember this event?
35

37. S ECTION 5
Apollo 11
Apollo 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 together.
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

38. Review
FAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
What event involved the purchasing of land
that nearly doubled the size of America?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
FAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
D. The American Revolution
What event involved the first person on the
moon?
Check Answer
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American Revolution
Check Answer
xxxvii

39. Review
R EVIEW 4.1 Lorem Ipsum dolor amet, consectetur
What event was an act of terrorism?
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
FAMOUS AMERICAN EVENTS
D. The American Revolution
What event did the Declaration of Independence come from?
Check Answer
A. September 11, 2001
B. Apollo 11
C. Louisiana Purchase
D. The American Revolution
Check Answer
xxxviii

40. Sources Used
American Symbol Sources:
http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.htm
http://www.ushistory.org/libertybell/
http://macmillanmh.com/projectpresidency/election_central/why_white_house_important.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as9apKNqcG8
http://www.brainpopjr.com//socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/citizenship/ussymbols/matching/
http://www.texaslre.org/asymbols/symbolsgame.html
http://www.usa-flag-site.org/history.shtml
http://statueofliberty.org/Statue_History.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/
American People Sources:
http://www.freedomshrine.com/historical-american-figures.php
http://www.biography.com/people/betsy-ross-9464205
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php
?page=all
http://www.ushistory.org/germantown/people/washington.htm
http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/rosa_parks.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/franklin-d-roosevelt
http://www.history.com/topics/jackie-robinson
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/12/the-top-100-influential-figures-in-american-history/305384/#slide
63
http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln87.html

41. 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

42. Abolitionist
Person/people who wanted to end slavery.
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43. Democracy
Government where the people get to elect the government members.
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44. Emblem
A picture or object that represents something.
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45. Gettysburg Address
Speech given by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a cemetery.
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46. Immigrants
A person/people that comes from a foreign country to live in a different country.
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47. Liberty
Being free in a society.
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48. Montgomery bus boycott
An African American protest about the buses in Montgomery.
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49. Second Continental Congress
Group of people that got together to talk about the Revolutionary War.
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50. 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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51. Unity
Being together, or joined as one.
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