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What do the colors mean? The stars? The stripes? Read to learn more about the American flag and the rules that go with flying it.

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When should you fly the U.S. flag at half-staff? Learn the guidelines for displaying the flag, and what the flag’s colors, stripes, and stars mean.

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The History of the Star-Spangled Banner for Kids: Francis Scott Key and Fort McHenry - FreeSchool

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Learn more about our nation's bird!

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Bald Eagle Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren't really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings.

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Why the Bald Eagle Was Chosen as America's National Bird

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There's 50 states in our country-can you label them all?

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The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

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K‐12 : Games ‐ Name that state! : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Check your knowledge with a fun Quiz!

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Important American Symbols | 209 plays | Quizizz

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Important American Symbols quiz for KG students. Find other quizzes for History and more on Quizizz for free!

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Let's take a live look at Lady Liberty!

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Take in the sights from the torch balcony at the Statue of Liberty, where the public has not been permitted to visit in person since 1916, and see unique, one-of-a-kind perspectives of the torch, crown, face and tablet, in addition to ultra widescreen panoramic images and live HD streaming video. Enjoy unmatched streaming video of Lady Liberty from Brooklyn, as well.

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A virtual tour of Ellis Island!

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Ellis Island | Virtual Tour by Heritage Documentation Programs

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Ellis Island Virtual Tour created by the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), Heritage Documentation Programs, National Park Service

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Read about the history of two important US landmarks.

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Discover | Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

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Tour the various monuments and memorials in our nation's capital.

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Transport yourself to Washington, DC on dozens of immersive, first-person adventures. Experience what it's like to step foot inside the majestic Lincoln Memorial, walk through bustling Union Market or visit a free Smithsonian Institution museum. So what are you waiting for? Hop from neighborhood hot spots to awe-inspiring museums to world-famous landmarks, and then start planning your next trip to the nation's capital.
NOTE: 360-degree videos are best viewed through your phone's YouTube app and can also be viewed from the YouTube playlist on the @washingtondc channel.

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Transport yourself to Washington, DC on dozens of immersive, first-person adventures. Experience what it's like to step foot inside the majestic Lincoln Memorial, walk through bustling Union Market or visit a free Smithsonian Institution museum. So what are you waiting for?

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We have a LOT of holidays in the United States! Take a look at the different ones. Which ones do you celebrate?

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Learn about federal, state, cultural, and religious holidays celebrated in the U.S. Understand the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

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History of American Independence Day | The 4th of July | America v/s British Empire | Dr Binocs Show

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Why do we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.? Kid President will tell us all about him!

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The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Kid President

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How did it crack? Watch to learn that and more!

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The creator of our flag!

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Betsy Ross, née Elizabeth Griscom, (born January 1, 1752, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [U.S.]-died January 30, 1836, Philadelphia), seamstress who, according to family stories, fashioned and helped design the first flag of the United States.

Elizabeth Griscom, the eighth of 17 children, was brought up as a member of the Society of Friends, educated in Quaker schools, and became an apprentice to a Philadelphia upholsterer. She married another upholsterer's apprentice, John Ross, in 1773 and was disowned by the Society of Friends for marrying outside the faith. By 1775 the Rosses had opened a small shop in the commercial district of Philadelphia where they lived. John was killed in January 1776 soon after he joined a local militia company to fight in the American Revolution. Betsy continued to work as a seamstress and upholsterer. In June 1777 she married Joseph Ashburn, who would die in prison in England in 1782 after the merchant marine brigantine on which he was serving was captured during the war. In 1783 Betsy married again, this time to John Claypoole, who had been imprisoned with Ashburn and brought the news of his death and with whom Betsy joined the newly formed Free Quakers. Betsy ran her upholstery business with Claypoole and then for years afterward with her daughters, granddaughters, and nieces, producing flags among other objects.

The story that Betsy Ross made and helped design the American flag has been disseminated since her grandson William Canby presented his paper "The History of the Flag of the United States" to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1870. According to Canby's account, his grandmother not only made the first Stars and Stripes at George Washington 's behest but also helped design it. Canby based his paper on stories that he had heard from family members, along with his own memories of his grandmother's tales of her involvement in making flags.

Canby claimed that in June 1776 Washington and a committee from the Continental Congress asked his grandmother to make a flag for the new country on the verge of declaring its independence. The story then goes on to say that Ross made suggestions to improve a rough sketch of the flag that was presented to her-including the use of the five-pointed star rather than the six-pointed one chosen by Washington-and Washington incorporated her suggestions. Ross then fashioned the flag in her back parlour-again, according to the legend.

U.S. flag commonly attributed to Betsy Ross

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On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag of the United States. It is known that Ross made flags for the navy, but there is no firm evidence in support of the popular story about her making (and designing) the national flag. Since the turn of the 20th century, the Betsy Ross House on Arch Street in Philadelphia has been a museum; though it is debatable whether Ross actually ever lived or worked in this house, it is likely that she did live and work in the vicinity.

Marc Leepson The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

flag of the United States of America

...popularly known as the " Betsy Ross flag," although the widely circulated story that she made the first Stars and Stripes and came up with the ring pattern is unsubstantiated. Rows of stars (4-5-4 or 3-2-3-2-3) were common, but many other variations also existed. The new Stars and Stripes formed...

Society of Friends, Christian group that arose in mid-17th-century England, dedicated to living in accordance with the "Inward Light," or direct inward apprehension of God, without creeds, clergy, or other ecclesiastical forms. As most powerfully expressed by George Fox (1624-91), Friends felt that their...

Philadelphia, city and port, coextensive with Philadelphia county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S. It is situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. Area 135 square miles (350 square km). Pop. (2000) 1,517,550; Philadelphia Metro Division, 3,849,647; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metro Area, 5,687,147; (2010) 1,526,006; Philadelphia Metro Division, 4,008,994; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metro Area,...

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Betsy Ross, seamstress who, according to family stories, fashioned and helped design the first flag of the United States. Although the story is widely popular, there is no firm support for it. However, it is known that Ross made flags for the navy. Learn more about her life and work.

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Chat with the first president of the United States!

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Fill the first two sections of the KWL Chart (What you know and what you want to know). Come back at the end to tell me what you learned!

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Online whiteboard & online collaboration tool | Miro

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Online whiteboard & online collaboration tool | Miro.