• Because there were 13 original colonies
• Because the stripes represent the original colonies

There are 13 stripes on the flag because there were 13 original colonies. We call the American flag “the Stars and Stripes.”

For 18 years after the United States became an independent country, the flag had only 13 stripes.

In 1794, Kentucky and Vermont joined the United States, and two stripes were added to the flag. In 1818, Congress decided that the number of stripes on the flag should always be 13.

This would honor the original states that were colonies of Great Britain before America’s independence.

• New York (Harbor)
• Liberty Island
  [Also acceptable are New Jersey, near New York City, and on the Hudson (River).]

The Statue of Liberty is on Liberty Island, a 12-acre island in the New York harbor. France gave the statue to the United States as a gift of friendship.

French artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi made the statue. It shows a woman escaping the chains of tyranny and holding a torch symbolizing liberty.

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, 110 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. President Grover Cleveland accepted the gift for the American people.

The Statue of Liberty is a well-known symbol of the United States and of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty became a symbol of immigration because it was located next to Ellis Island, which was the first entry point for many immigrants during the great waves of immigration.

The Statue of Liberty was the first thing new immigrants saw as they approached New York harbor.

• Washington, D.C.

When the Constitution established our nation in 1789, the capital of the United States was in New York City.

Congress soon began discussing the location of a permanent capital city. In Congress, representatives of northern states argued with representatives of southern states. Each side wanted the capital to be in its own region.

As part of the Compromise of 1790, the capital would be located in the South. In return, the North did not have to pay the debt it owed from the Revolutionary War.

George Washington chose a location for the capital along the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. As part of the compromise, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the temporary new location for the capital.

In 1800, after 10 years, the capital was moved to its current location of Washington, D.C.

• California
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• Texas

The border between the United States and Mexico is about 1,900 miles long and spans four U.S. states— Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

The United States established the border with Mexico after the Mexican-American War and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853.

The Gadsden Purchase helped the United States get the land it needed to expand the southern railroad. The United States bought this land for $10 million.

The land bought through the Gadsden Purchase is now part of the states of Arizona and New Mexico. The U.S. border with Mexico is one of the busiest international borders in the world.

•  Maine
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Ohio
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• Montana
• Idaho
• Washington
• Alaska

• Puerto Rico
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• American Samoa
• Northern Mariana Islands
•  Guam

There are five major U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A U.S. territory is a partially self-governing piece of land under the authority of the U.S. government.

U.S. territories are not states, but they do have representation in Congress. Each territory is allowed to send a delegate to the House of Representatives.

The people who live in American Samoa are considered U.S. nationals; the people in the other four territories are U.S. citizens. Citizens of the territories can vote in primary elections for president, but they cannot vote in the general elections for president.

• Atlantic (Ocean)

The Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast of the United States. The ocean was named after the giant Atlas from Greek mythology. It is the second largest ocean in the world.

The Atlantic Ocean is a major sea route for ships. It is one of the most frequently traveled oceans in the world. The Atlantic Ocean is also a source of many natural resources.

The Atlantic Ocean was formed by the separation of the North American and European continents millions of years ago. The ocean covers about one-fifth of the Earth’s surface.

In the middle of the ocean is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, an immense underwater mountain range that extends the length of the Atlantic and is a source of volcanic activity.

The U.S. states that border the Atlantic Ocean are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.

• Pacific (Ocean)

The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast of the United States. It is the largest ocean on Earth and covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific Ocean is important to the U.S. economy because of its many natural resources such as fish. Europeans first learned about the Pacific Ocean in the 16th century.

Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa reached the ocean in 1514 when he crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Later, Ferdinand Magellan sailed across the Pacific as he traveled around the Earth in search of spices. “Pacific” means “peaceful.” Magellan named the Pacific Ocean the “peaceful sea,” because there were no storms on his trip from Spain to the spice world. The U.S. states that border the Pacific Ocean are Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii.