Top 9 Iconic Symbols of the USA You Should Know

Without further ado, let's check out the top iconic symbols of the USA right below!

Flag of the United States

Photo: Amazon

The American flag is often called «The Stars and Stripes» (other names «Old Glory» and «The Star-Spangled Banner»).

It has 13 horizontal stripes,7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states (thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union). In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state.

Seal of the United States (emblem)

Photo: Diplomacy.state.gov

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. It was first used publicly in 1782.

The Great seal is used as the national coat of arms of the United States. It is officially used on documents such as United States passports, military insignia, embassy placards, and various flags.

Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal have appeared on the reverse of the one-dollar bill. The Seal of the President of the United States is directly based on the Great Seal, and its elements are used in numerous government agency and state seals.

National bird: Bald Eagle

Photo: World Atlas

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the USA and is represented on its Seal. In the late 20th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States. Populations recovered and the species was removed from the U.S. federal government’s list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

Bald Eagles are not actually bald, the name derives from an older meaning of «white headed».

The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy.

Photo: CNN

It stands on Liberty Island in New York. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. This National Monument was a present from France to the USA. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. Liberty carries the torch of freedom — in her right hand. In her left hand she is holding a tablet with the inscription «July 4, 1776» — American Independence Day.

The Washington Monument

Photo: Old Town Trolley Tours

The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first American president, General George Washington. The monument is both the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk, standing 169.294 m. Construction of the monument began in 1848, but was halted from 1854 to 1877, and finally completed in 1884.

The White House

Photo: Old Town Trolley Tours

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C.. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800.

The house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia Creek sandstone in the Neoclassical style.

Independence Hall

Photo: National Park Service

Independence Hall is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known primarily as the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted.

The building was completed in 1753. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787. The building is part of Independence National Historical Park and is listed as a World Heritage Site.

The Liberty Bell

Photo: National Park Service

Formerly located in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall), the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack (today the Whitechapel Bell Foundry) in 1752, and was cast with the lettering “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” It originally cracked when first rung after arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose last names appear on the bell. In its early years, the Liberty Bell was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and proclamations.

Bells were rung to mark the reading of the Declaration on July 8, 1776, and while there is no contemporary account of the Liberty Bell ringing, most historians believe it was one of the bells rung. After American independence was secured, it fell into relative obscurity for some years. In the 1830s, the bell was adopted as a symbol by abolitionist societies, who dubbed it the “Liberty Bell”. It acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.

Mount Rushmore

Photo: The Nation

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, established in 1925, features 60-foot sculptures of these four US presidents. The memorial, designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, covers 1,278.45 acres and sits 5,725 feet above sea level.

Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown as a symbol of America - a symbol of freedom and a hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds. Millions of people from all over the world visit annually to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills and to learn about the birth, growth, development and the preservation of the United States.