About United States

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About United States

• Hsin Cheng Huang

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The US Flag Symbol

• The stripes represent the 13 original colonies.
• The 50 five-pointed stars represent the number of
  states.
• The colors of the flag have meaning as well
• Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor.
• White symbolizes Purity and Innocence.
• Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and
  Justice.

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US Flag History

• The first official national flag was approved by
  the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.
• It is widely believed, but not confirmed, that
  Betsy Ross sewed the first American Flag.
• The flag had 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent
  the 13 original colonies.
• The flag nickname is "Old Glory".
• On August 3, 1949 President Truman officially
  declared June 14th Flag Day.
• After 28 times design changes the flag currently
  has 50 stars. The last star was added when Hawaii
  became a state on July 4, 1960.

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Washington Monument

• Location
• It is located near the west end of the
  National Mall in Washington, D.C.
• Operating hours
• The Washington Monument is open daily from
  900 am to 500 pm, with the last tour beginning
  at 445 pm. The only days for scheduled closure
  are July 4th and December 25th.
• Fees
• Free

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Washington Monument

• History(1)
• The Washington Monument was built between
  1848 and 1884 as a memorial to George Washington.
  Its construction took place in two major phases,
  1848-56, and 1876-84. Pierre Charles L'Enfant
  (the architect who designed Washington, D.C.)
  planned in 1783 to have a prominent statue
  honoring George Washington near the White House
  and Capitol. But exactly how to honor the first
  President of the USA was not an easy decision,
  and in 1833, the Washington National Monument
  Society was formed with the purpose of deciding
  upon an appropriate memorial. This group had a
  design competition, and in 1836, the architect
  Robert Mills' obelisk design won the contest.

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Washington Monument

• History(2)
• Work on the stone monument to George
  Washington did not begin until July 4, 1848. Work
  on the monument was stopped in 1854, after
  donations dropped off. The project was almost
  abandoned, but work finally began again in 1876.
  Also, the Army Corps of Engineers, who started
  working on the monument after the Civil War,
  determined that the foundation was not sufficient
  for the 600-foot-tall obelisk that was originally
  planned, so a 550-foot-monument was built. The
  exterior of the Washington Monument was completed
  on December 6, 1884 it was opened to the public
  on October 9,1888. Upon completion, it became the
  world's tallest structure.

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Washington Monument

• Design
• Designed by Robert Mills
• Total height of monument 169.29 meters
• Width at base of monument 16.8 meters
• Thickness of monument walls at base 4.57
  meters
• Total number of blocks in monument 36,491
• Cost of monument
• 1,187,710

Washington Monument sketch
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Washington Monument

• Restricted within the Washington Monument 
• No storage facility available
• No Animals (except certified guide dogs)
• No Suitcases or Large Backpacks
• No Guns or Knives
• No Strollers
• No Food or Drink
• No Mace or Aerosol Cans

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Washington Monuments Scenery
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The End