National Holidays

and Symbols
What are National Holidays?
National Holidays are the
holidays that our country, United
States of America, celebrates
because of historical events that
are important to our country. It is
a day set aside to remember
what happened on that day in
the past.
 Labor Day
• Is celebrated on the first Monday in
September
• Matthew Maguire created this holiday to
celebrate people who work and give them
a day off.
• It is a celebration of the nation’s strength,
leadership, and freedom of the American
worker.
• It is usually celebrated by a local parade.
 Columbus Day
• Is celebrated on the
second Monday in
October.
• This day is celebrated
in the memory of
Christopher
Columbus’s
discoveries of the
Americas.
Veterans Day
• Is celebrated on
November 11.
• This holiday started right
after World War I.
• This day is to celebrate
those who have passed
away or fought during all
American wars and the
sacrifices the people have
made for our country.
 Thanksgiving Day
• Is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every
November.
• We celebrate Thanksgiving Day because of how
the Pilgrims beat the odds of a harsh winter
when they first settled here, and shared their
food and holiday with the Indians.
• During this holiday, we give thanks to the people
who take care of us and who we care for. It is a
time to give thanks and a time to be caring.
 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Is celebrated on the third
Monday of January
• We celebrate this
holiday in remembrance
of Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s life.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. is
most famous for his, “I
have a dream” speech
that was given by the
Washington Monument.
 Presidents Day
• Is celebrated on the
Here is George
third Monday in Washington on
February the right, our first
• We celebrate this president, and
Abraham Lincoln
holiday to remember on the left, our
what George 16th president.
Washington and
Abraham Lincoln did
when they were
presidents! This is our
• We use this day to current
president,
celebrate all of our George W.
past presidents, as Bush, our 43rd
well as our current president.
president.
 Memorial Day
• Is celebrated on the last Monday in May
• We celebrate this day in honor and in
remembrance of those who have died
in our nation’s military service.
• At first, this holiday was to honor those
who died in the Civil War, but now
Americans, on this day, honor those
who have fought in all of the wars.
Flag Day
• Is celebrated on
June 14th
• This day is to
celebrate our
nation’s flag, and
all of the hard work
that was put into it.
• Our flag represents
our freedom and
independence.
 Independence Day
• This day is celebrated
on July 4th.
• It is also known as
the holiday of Fourth
of July.
• We celebrate this
holiday because on
this day in 1776,
America claimed
independence from
Britain, and gained
freedom.
 What in the world….
are national symbols?
• Symbols are icons that represent a
person, place, object, or event.
• They are created to unite people by
making a visual or verbal representation of
our nation’s people, values, goals, and
history.
• For example, this symbol means to
recycle!
 National Flag
• The national flag is made up of red
and white stripes, with blue in the
corner that has 50 golden stars.
• Our flag represents freedom and
independence that all Americans
share.
• Betsy Ross not only made clothes
for George Washington, but also
created the American flag!
 Georgia’s State Flag
• Georgia’s flag has three stripes- two
red and one white. It also has a blue
corner like the American flag, but with
13 stars surrounding our state’s seal.
The Bald Eagle
• It is America’s national bird.
• The bald eagle was chosen
because it only lives in
America, and our founding
fathers wanted an animal to
represent our country that
lived only in America.
• It symbolizes strength,
courage, and freedom.
 The Statue of Liberty
• The Statue of Liberty is a
statue that was given to
the United States by the
king of France. It is a
symbol of friendship
between the two
countries.
• The Statue of Liberty
represents freedom, and
her light is for those to
use to guide them to
America to gain their
freedom.
Lincoln Memorial
• This is a memorial
that celebrates the
accomplishments of
Abraham Lincoln’s
presidency that
unites our nation.
• It symbolizes
strength, unity, and
freedom.
 Washington Monument
• This monument
honors the father of
our country, George
Washington.
• The Washington
Monument stands
555 feet tall!
The White House
• The White House is very
important to the United
States of America. It is
where the President and
his family sleeps and
makes executive
decisions regarding our
country.
 Pledge of Allegiance
• “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 is a promise of your

loyalty to the flag, to all of the United States, and
to the government that unites us all.
Star Spangled Banner
• The Star Spangled
Banner is America’s
national anthem or song.
• It was written by Francis
Scott Key during one of
many American wars.
• The Star Spangled
Banner is usually sang at
all sports, national, and
military events.
 Now it’s your turn!
• What is your favorite National Holiday
and why?

• What is your favorite National Symbol

and why?
 Other Lesson Plans
• A Celebration Time Line :
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/celtime.html
• Our Flag Activity:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/ourflag.html
• Understanding President’s
Day :
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/presidentsday/
• A Salute to Flag Day:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson005.shtm
 Bibliography
• http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/social.studiesK-5.pdf?p=4BE1EECF99CD364EA5554055463F1FBBF5D07
• http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
• http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/columbusday.html
• http://www.patriotism.org/veterans_day/
• http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/images/vetpos04.jpg
• http://www.answers.com/topic/holiday
• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/aa/king/aa_king_subj_e.jpg&imgr
efurl=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/king/aa_king_subj_e.html&h=791&w=580&sz=131&tbnid=yf7dNttPODP0t
M:&tbnh=141&tbnw=103&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Martin%2BLuther%2BKing,%2BJr.%2B
%2522%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
• http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/presday.html
• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/lincoln-
abraham.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/codingsystem17.html&h=306&w=230&sz=6&tbni
d=xEGiXka8BY8mLM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=84&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Abraham%2BLincoln
%2522%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG
• http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html
• http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~worldwarone/images/TheStar-SpangledBanner.jpg
• http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/officials/bush.jpg
• http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
• http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/flagday.htm
• http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/National_symbols
• http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/images/usflag.jpg
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/eagle.html
• http://www.chaffeezoo.org/images/bald-eagle.gif
• http://www.50states.com/flag/gaflag.htm
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/wa_monument.html
• http://www.atpm.com/7.01/washington-dc/images/white-house.jpg

• All pictures and information used for this powerpoint came from one of these websites.