American Symbols, the Pledge and Our Holidays

You see a red heart on a card. It can mean love. A green traffic light tells drivers to go. These are symbols: things that stand for something else. Pictures, objects, words, and songs can all be symbols.

A symbol for a whole country

A national symbol stands for a whole country. The American flag stands for the United States of America. You might see it outside a school, at a parade, or on a building. The cloth is only one part of the story. People care about the flag because of its meaning.

Some symbols stand for big ideas. Liberty, or freedom, means people can make choices and speak up. Justice means fair treatment. Independence means a country rules itself. You will meet these ideas in songs, on a bell, and in the stories of special days.

Look, name, and ask

You can learn about a symbol with three questions:

1. What do I see?
2. What does it stand for?
3. What person or event is behind it?

Try the American flag. You see stars and stripes. The flag stands for the United States. Its story reaches from 13 colonies to today's 50 states. The picture gives you clues, but the story helps you understand them.

Uncle Sam is another kind of symbol. He is a drawn character with a white beard. His tall hat has stars and stripes. He stands for the United States, even though he is not a real national leader.

Listen to each other's stories

Other countries have symbols, too. Canada's flag has a red maple leaf. A friend might know a flag or song from another country. You can ask what it means to that friend.

People may feel differently about the same American symbol. One person feels proud when the flag passes. Another thinks about work still needed to make the country fairer. Both are thinking about what the country means to them. You can listen kindly, even when their feelings differ from yours.

The American flag is red, white, and blue. White stars sit on a blue rectangle in the upper corner. That rectangle is called the union. Red and white stripes stretch across the flag.

Two counts, two stories

The flag has 50 stars for today's 50 states. It has 13 stripes for the 13 colonies that became the first states. Stars tell about the states today. Stripes remember where the country began.

Count the stripes from the top. Red and white take turns. There are seven red stripes and six white stripes. Both the top and bottom stripes are red.

Look closely at the stars. They sit in nine rows. Five rows have six stars each. Four rows have five stars each. An adult can help you count by rows instead of starting over each time.

A child draws 50 stripes and 13 stars. What needs fixing? The two counts have changed places. Keep this little link in mind: stars for states. The stripes keep the count of the first colonies.

How the flag grew

On June 14, 1777, leaders chose a flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes. As states joined, the flag changed. Today, the rule adds a new state's star on the next July 4. The stripes stay at 13.

Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959. The 50-star flag first flew on July 4, 1960. That is the design you see today.

You may hear three nicknames for the flag: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and Star-Spangled Banner. Each name can mean the American flag.

Colors and a famous story

Many people connect the flag's colors with meanings from the Great Seal. Red stands for courage. White stands for goodness. Blue stands for fairness and staying watchful. These meanings help people talk about ideas they value.

Betsy Ross was a real flag maker in Philadelphia. A famous story says she made the first American flag. People have not found enough evidence to know that story is true. You can remember her work as a flag maker without treating the story as a proven fact.

A pledge is a serious promise. Allegiance means loyalty. The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise of loyalty to the flag and the country it stands for. It is spoken. The national anthem is sung.

Listen to the words

The Pledge has 31 words:

"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."

Some words may be new. Read them slowly with your grown-up. You are learning what the promise means.

• Republic: a country where people choose leaders to speak for them.
• One Nation: one country made of many states and people.
• Under God: words that name God.
• Indivisible: unable to be split apart.
• Liberty and justice for all: freedom and fairness for everyone.

The words "for which it stands" point back to the flag. They mean the country that the flag stands for. Indivisible and invisible sound a little alike. Invisible means you cannot see something. Indivisible is about staying together.

A promise with a history

The Pledge first appeared in a children's magazine in 1892. It was part of a school celebration. Francis Bellamy worked at the magazine and is known as its writer. The words changed over time. "Under God" was added in 1954.

At many schools and meetings, people begin with the Pledge. People who take part usually stand and face the flag. They put their right hand over their heart. People in military uniform face the flag and salute silently.

Each person has a choice

Saying the Pledge is a choice. In 1943, the Supreme Court decided that public schools cannot force children to say it. The Supreme Court is the country's highest court.

Picture two classmates at a meeting. One says the Pledge. The other sits quietly. The quiet child can listen without joining in. The speaking child can let the other child choose. Both can treat each other kindly.

Etiquette means polite ways to act. The Flag Code gives guidelines for treating the American flag with respect. It contains no punishments. People follow its guidelines to care for a symbol that matters to them.

Flying and hanging the flag

A flag usually flies from sunrise to sunset. It can fly through the night when a light shines on it. People usually bring it in during bad weather. An all-weather flag can stay outside.

People raise the flag quickly and lower it slowly. When an American flag shares one pole with a state flag, the American flag goes above it. When a flag hangs flat against a wall, the blue corner goes at the top. It is on your left as you look at the flag.

The flag should stay clear of the ground, floor, and water. Imagine a classroom flag slips from its stand. Pick it up gently, brush away dirt, and put it back. An accidental touch on the floor does not mean the flag must be destroyed.

A flag that shows remembrance

Sometimes you see a flag halfway up its pole. This is half-staff. It shows sadness or honors someone who has died. To place a flag at half-staff, people first raise it to the top. Then they lower it to the halfway point. On Memorial Day, it stays at half-staff until noon.

Folding and retiring

People often fold an American flag into a triangle. The blue part and stars show on the outside. Folding keeps the flag neat when it is put away.

The Flag Code says a real flag should not become clothing, bedding, or a tablecloth. A shirt printed with a flag design is different from wearing an actual flag.

A flag that is too worn for display is retired respectfully. The Flag Code prefers a dignified burning ceremony. Veterans' groups and Scout troops often help with these ceremonies. Let a grown-up arrange a flag retirement; fire is an adult job.

The national anthem is the country's special, official song. America's anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner." A banner is a flag. Star-spangled means covered with stars.

A long night at a fort

Its story happened during the War of 1812. The United States and Great Britain were fighting. In September 1814, British ships fired at Fort McHenry. The fort was in Baltimore, Maryland.

Francis Scott Key was a lawyer watching from a ship. Through the night, flashes from the fighting helped him see the flag. At dawn on September 14, the big American flag was still flying. The fort had not given up.

Key put his feelings into a poem. He wrote the words, while the tune came from an older English song. People sang his words for many years. In 1931, a law made the song the national anthem. The poem came first; the official choice came 117 years later.

Understand the first verse

Here is the first verse to read with your grown-up:

"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

The first verse asks whether the flag is still there after the battle. It begins with a question about seeing it in the early morning. These old words help tell the scene:

The song's rockets and bursts of light belong to the battle. They helped Key see the flag during the night.

A flag from another time

The flag Key saw had 15 stars and 15 stripes. That was the design used then. It looks different from today's flag because flag designs have changed. The huge old flag is now at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

You may hear the anthem before a ball game or at a ceremony. People usually stand, face the flag, and place their right hand over their heart. If there is no flag, they face the music. People in military uniform salute.

"America the Beautiful" is also a patriotic song. It has a different story and is not the official national anthem.

A patriotic song shows love for a country. Patriotism means loving and caring about your country. Songs can show that love in different ways. Some praise the land. Others sing about freedom or the flag.

A view from a mountain

Katharine Lee Bates was a teacher who wrote poetry. In 1893, she traveled to Colorado and looked out from Pikes Peak. The view helped inspire the poem that became "America the Beautiful."

Its words describe wide skies, golden fields, and mountains. Spacious means wide and roomy. Amber is a golden color. When the song describes "amber waves of grain," picture golden grain bending in the wind. It is a field, not ocean water.

You can find a song's main idea by noticing its clues. Skies, fields, and mountains point to the beauty of the land.

A song about liberty

Samuel Francis Smith wrote "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in 1831. The old phrase "'tis of thee" means "it is about you." The song speaks to the country. Its words about liberty point to freedom.

The tune is also used for the British song "God Save the King." Different words can give the same tune a different meaning. The American words speak about America.

More songs you might hear

"Yankee Doodle" comes from the time of the American Revolution. "You're a Grand Old Flag" is a marching song from 1906. "God Bless America," by Irving Berlin, became popular in the late 1930s. You might hear these at concerts, parades, or community events.

Try listening to a patriotic song with your grown-up. Pick one word that helps you understand it. If you hear "liberty," talk about freedom. If you hear words about the flag, think about what the flag stands for.

Many songs are patriotic, but only "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the official national anthem. People can enjoy other patriotic songs while sitting, marching, or dancing.

A grown bald eagle has a dark brown body. Its head and tail are white, and its beak is yellow. The bird has feathers on its head! Here, "bald" comes from an old meaning connected with white markings.

Young bald eagles are mostly brown. Their white head and tail feathers appear at about four or five years old. A young bird's different colors do not make it a different kind of eagle.

Bald eagles live in North America, often near water. They eat mostly fish and build huge nests. Their open wings can stretch about six to seven feet across. That is wider than most grown-ups are tall.

Read the Great Seal

The Great Seal is the country's official stamp. It goes on important papers. The bald eagle became part of the seal in 1782. Many people connect the eagle with strength and freedom.

Look at what the eagle holds. The olive branch stands for peace. The 13 arrows show readiness to defend the country. The eagle turns its head toward the olive branch. That choice points toward peace.

A ribbon in its beak says "E Pluribus Unum." These Latin words mean "Out of many, one." Many states and many people make one country. You can find the Great Seal on the back of a one-dollar bill.

Helping eagles survive

Bald eagles nearly disappeared from much of the country. In 1963, fewer than 500 nesting pairs remained in the lower 48 states. People protected the birds and stopped using a harmful bug poison called DDT.

By 2007, the number had grown to 9,789 nesting pairs. The eagle came off the endangered list that year. Endangered means in danger of disappearing. Protecting a national symbol also meant caring for a living bird.

The bald eagle was already a famous American symbol for many years. A law officially named it the national bird in December 2024. Its place on the seal in 1782 and its official bird title in 2024 mark two different events.

A giant woman lifts a torch over New York Harbor. She is the Statue of Liberty, standing on Liberty Island. Her full name is "Liberty Enlightening the World." She stands for freedom.

A gift across the ocean

People in France gave the statue to the people of the United States. The gift honored friendship and American independence. French artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed her. Gustave Eiffel designed the strong frame inside.

French people paid for the statue. Americans paid for the base, called a pedestal. The statue was made in France, taken apart, and shipped across the ocean. Workers put the pieces together in New York. It officially opened on October 28, 1886.

Look for clues

Each part helps tell her meaning:

• The torch lights the way to freedom.
• The tablet in her arm shows July 4, 1776.
• Her crown has seven rays.
• The broken chains at her feet stand for freedom.

The tablet uses Roman numerals: "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI." Those marks give the date of the Declaration of Independence. The statue's opening in 1886 is a different date.

From the ground to the torch, the monument is about 305 feet tall. The statue alone is about 151 feet. The base adds about 154 feet. Part of her height comes from what she stands on.

Why is she green?

The statue's outer layer is copper. Copper starts as a reddish-brown metal. Air and water slowly changed the outside to green. That green layer protects the metal underneath. She was not always the color you see today.

A sign of welcome

An immigrant moves to a new country to live. Many immigrants arriving by ship saw the statue as they entered New York Harbor. Many went through nearby Ellis Island. For them, the statue could mean hope and welcome.

A poem by Emma Lazarus is on a plaque at the statue. It speaks of welcoming people looking for freedom and a better life. The statue stands in New York Harbor; it is not one of the monuments in Washington, D.C.

The Liberty Bell is an old bell with a famous crack. It is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near Independence Hall. People visit it to think about freedom. You can see the bell without paying an entrance fee.

From a working bell to a symbol

The bell was ordered in 1751 for the Pennsylvania State House. That building is now called Independence Hall. The first bell came from London. It cracked during its first test. Two local metalworkers, John Pass and John Stow, melted the metal and made the bell again.

The bell once called people to meetings and news. Today, its meaning matters more than its sound. Its words helped people use it as a symbol of freedom.

Words around the bell

The words on the bell call for liberty for everyone living in the land. The line comes from the Bible. Proclaim means announce. Inhabitants means the people who live in a place.

People working to end slavery saw power in that message. They were called abolitionists. In 1835, an abolitionist publication called it the Liberty Bell. Its words about freedom helped them speak against slavery.

Later, people seeking women's right to vote used the bell. Civil rights leaders used it, too. The same object could help different groups explain their wish for fair treatment.

What happened to the crack?

The first London bell's crack and today's famous crack are different parts of the story. After the bell was remade, it rang for almost 90 years. A thin crack probably appeared in the early 1840s. Nobody recorded exactly when it began.

In 1846, workers made that crack wider to try to repair it. Their plan was to stop the crack from spreading. A new crack formed, and the bell could no longer ring freely. The wide gap you see is part of that attempted repair.

A story says the bell cracked on July 4, 1776. There is no record supporting that story. The famous crack came much later.

A document is a written record. Two important American documents are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Both were written in Philadelphia. They have different jobs.

The Declaration announces independence

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration in rented rooms. Leaders approved it at Independence Hall on July 4, 1776. It told Great Britain and the world that the 13 colonies were free states.

You could explain its message this way: "We are our own country."

The Declaration says, "all men are created equal." Its idea of equal worth matters for everyone. Yet many people, including enslaved people and women, were denied fair treatment. Americans have worked for a long time to make equal rights real for all.

Approval and signing are different actions. Leaders approved the Declaration on July 4. Most signed the famous handwritten copy on August 2. July 4 remembers approval, not a day when every person signed together.

The Constitution sets the country's rules

The Constitution is the country's most important set of rules. Leaders wrote it at Independence Hall and signed it on September 17, 1787. George Washington led their meeting.

The first words are "We the People." They tell us that the government's power comes from the people. The Constitution explains how the country will work. It came 11 years after the Declaration.

Sort the clues

Imagine two museum labels lose their pictures. One says, "Announced a new country." That belongs with the Declaration. The other says, "Sets our country's rules." That belongs with the Constitution. Their jobs help you sort them even without reading every word.

You can see the original documents at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Special cases protect them. Independence Day remembers the Declaration's approval. Constitution Day remembers the Constitution's signing.

The United States has 50 states. Each state has its own symbols. A state flag, bird, flower, or motto stands for that state. A national symbol stands for the whole country.

A short saying with a meaning

A motto is a short saying that expresses a group's belief or idea. The national motto is "In God We Trust." A law made it official in 1956. The Great Seal also carries the saying "E Pluribus Unum."

A state can have a motto of its own. California's motto is "Eureka," meaning "I have found it." Texas's motto is "Friendship." A motto can be a single word.

Two state examples

Texas's single star stands on a state flag. The American flag has 50 stars for the states together. A state flag can fly with the American flag. On a shared pole, the American flag goes above it.

States can share a kind of bird. Seven states chose the northern cardinal. Six chose the western meadowlark. Five chose the northern mockingbird. A state bird does not have to live in only one state.

The bald eagle is the national bird. Your state has its own state bird. The country's national flower is the rose, while states also choose state flowers.

Make your own state page

Start by naming your state. Ask your grown-up to help you find the state government's website or a library book about it. Look for a page about official state symbols.

Fill in these lines together:

• "My state is ___."
• "Its flag shows ___."
• "Its state bird is the ___."
• "Its motto is ___."

If the motto uses unfamiliar words, ask what they mean. Draw the flag's main shapes and label them. A picture of a bird on a souvenir may be decoration; check the state's official list to learn which bird the state chose.

A capital is a city where a country's or state's leaders work. America's capital is Washington, D.C. The city is named for George Washington. "D.C." means District of Columbia.

Washington, D.C., is a city and a district. It is not part of a state. Washington State is a different place, far away on the Pacific coast. Check which Washington someone means when you look at a map.

The President's home and office

The White House is where the President lives and works. Its address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It has more than 130 rooms. The President is the country's leader.

George Washington chose the site in 1791. James Hoban designed the house. Construction began in 1792 and took eight years. Enslaved people, free Black workers, and white workers helped build it. Some workers had come from other countries.

John Adams was the first president to live there, in 1800. George Washington never lived in the White House. Choosing the site and moving into the finished house were different parts of its story.

During the War of 1812, British soldiers burned the house in 1814. Hoban helped rebuild it. Every president since John Adams has lived there.

Another building for Congress

The Capitol is a different building in Washington, D.C. It has a large white dome. Congress, the people who make the country's laws, meets there.

Imagine you want to label a picture of Congress's meeting place. Choose "Capitol," even though the building is in the capital city. A picture of the President's home gets the label "White House."

The spellings give a little memory clue. Capital with an a names the city. Capitol with an o names the building. Picture the round o as a dome.

A monument is built to honor a person or event. A memorial helps people remember. These places are not usually graves. Their shapes, statues, and words help tell a story.

The National Mall is a long, grassy park in Washington, D.C. The Capitol stands at one end and the Lincoln Memorial at the other. Many monuments and museums are nearby.

Four places to recognize

The Washington Monument honors the first president, George Washington. It is a tall, pointed marble tower. This shape is called an obelisk. The monument is about 555 feet tall.

The Lincoln Memorial honors Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president. He led the country during the Civil War and worked to end slavery. His large statue shows him sitting in a chair. Outside are 36 columns, one for each state when he died.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a round building with a dome near the water. Jefferson was the third president and the main writer of the Declaration of Independence. The memorial opened in 1943, 200 years after his birth.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial opened in 2011. Its statue of Dr. King is called the Stone of Hope. Words from his speeches and writings are carved nearby. Dr. King worked for fair treatment through peaceful protest.

Shapes help you sort

Dr. King gave his famous speech on the Lincoln Memorial's steps in 1963. One place can connect more than one person's story. King has his own memorial, too.

Some other famous landmarks are far from the capital. The Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota. Being an American landmark does not mean a place is in Washington, D.C.

When you visit a memorial, read its words and use a soft voice. Some people nearby may be remembering someone they loved. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, for example, honors people who served and died in a war.

A holiday is a special day for remembering or celebrating. A federal holiday is set by the country's law. Federal offices, banks, and many schools close. Many stores stay open. A holiday has a meaning as well as a place on the calendar.

Eleven federal holidays

The law names these holidays each year:

• New Year's Day
• Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Washington's Birthday, often called Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

A date or a weekday rule?

A fixed date stays the same each year. Independence Day is July 4. Veterans Day is November 11. Juneteenth is June 19. The day of the week can change, while the date stays the same.

Other holidays follow a weekday rule:

Count the right weekdays

Find Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2027. The Mondays are January 4, 11, 18, and 25. Touch each Monday as you count: first, second, third. The third is January 18. Do not count the first three dates of the month; count Mondays.

For Memorial Day in May 2027, the Mondays are 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31. The rule says last, so choose May 31. In a month with five Mondays, the fourth Monday is not the last.

The holiday and the day off

Sometimes a fixed date lands on a weekend. Offices often take Friday or Monday off instead. In 2027, July 4 falls on Sunday. Most federal workers have Monday, July 5, off. Independence Day is still July 4.

Independence Day is July 4. People also call it the Fourth of July. It is often called the country's birthday because it remembers the announcement of a new country.

An important approval

On July 4, 1776, leaders of the 13 colonies approved the Declaration of Independence. It announced that the colonies were free from Great Britain. Independence means a country rules itself.

The holiday remembers that approval. It does not mark the end of the war. Fighting continued for years. It also does not mark the Constitution's signing, which happened on September 17, 1787.

Think of a birthday card for the country. The card's date would be July 4. A picture of the Declaration would help explain the day. A picture of the Constitution would point to a different event.

How old is the country?

The United States turned 250 on July 4, 2026. You can check the age by taking the starting year from the later year:

One year later, on July 4, 2027, it turns 251. Your grown-up can help with the large numbers. The date marks another year since the Declaration's approval.

Ways people celebrate

People may watch a parade or have a picnic. They fly flags and wear red, white, and blue. Many towns hold fireworks shows after dark. Watch from a safe distance with your grown-up; trained adults handle fireworks.

The colors connect the celebration with the flag. A parade can include patriotic music, neighbors, and community groups. Families can celebrate in different ways while remembering the same event.

Freedom was still unfinished

In 1776, many people in the new country were enslaved. They were forced to work and could not choose their own lives. The Declaration's announcement did not give freedom to everyone.

That is why it helps to learn about more than one day. Independence Day remembers the new country's announcement. Juneteenth remembers news of freedom reaching enslaved people in Texas in 1865. Both days connect to freedom, with different events behind them.

Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks. Many families gather for a meal, often with turkey. The holiday comes on the fourth Thursday of November. It is not always on the same date.

Find the fourth Thursday

In November 2027, Thursdays fall on 4, 11, 18, and 25. Count them in order. November 25 is the fourth Thursday, so it is Thanksgiving that year. In a different year, the date can change.

A meal in 1621

One story often told at Thanksgiving is about a harvest meal. English settlers called Pilgrims crossed the ocean on the Mayflower in 1620. They built Plymouth in what is now Massachusetts. Many died during their hard first winter.

The Wampanoag people already lived on that land. Tisquantum, also called Squanto, showed the settlers how to grow corn. After the 1621 harvest, the settlers held a feast for about three days. About 90 Wampanoag men were there, too.

Giving thanks did not begin at that meal. Native peoples and English people already had ways to give thanks for harvests. Wampanoag people had their own traditions long before the settlers arrived.

A national holiday comes later

Sarah Josepha Hale was a magazine editor. For years, she wrote letters asking for a national Thanksgiving holiday. In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named a day of thanks.

A law in 1941 fixed Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. The 1621 meal and the national holiday were separated by hundreds of years. The holiday was not created at that first Plymouth feast.

People today have different feelings

Wampanoag people live in Massachusetts today and keep their culture alive. They are a living people, not only people in an old story.

Many families enjoy Thanksgiving meals and time together. Some Native Americans also remember the harm that came after settlers arrived. You can listen to those feelings with care. When you talk about the holiday, leave room for both the meal people share today and the different stories people bring to it.

Some special days remember freedom. Others honor work or ask us to learn about the past. The names on a calendar can help you ask whose story a day tells.

Juneteenth: June 19

Slavery treated people as property and forced them to work without freedom or pay. Millions of Black people were enslaved in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, U.S. soldiers announced freedom for enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth joins the words "June" and "nineteenth." People celebrate with music, gatherings, food, parades, and stories about freedom. It became a federal holiday in 2021.

The day remembers that announcement in Texas. Slavery ended nationwide later in 1865, when the Constitution was changed in December. June and December mark different steps.

Labor Day: the first Monday of September

Labor means work. Labor Day honors workers, including farmers, builders, nurses, and drivers. It became a national holiday in 1894. Many workers get time to rest. In 2027, Labor Day is September 6.

A day with different meanings

Columbus Day is the second Monday of October. It remembers Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage across the Atlantic. Native peoples already lived in the lands he reached. His arrival brought great harm to them.

Many states and cities mark Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same day. It honors Native peoples. Listen when people explain what the day means to them. Americans have different feelings about it.

Two special days without a federal day off

Flag Day, June 14, remembers the choice of the flag in 1777. Constitution Day, September 17, remembers the Constitution's signing in 1787. Both have fixed dates. Neither is a federal holiday, and schools and offices usually stay open.

A calendar may show all these names. A printed name alone does not tell you whether school closes. Ask what the day remembers and check your school's calendar for its schedule.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worked for fair treatment. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a minister and a leader in the movement for civil rights.

Unfair rules needed to change

When Dr. King was young, laws in many places separated Black people and white people. This was called segregation. Black children often had separate schools. Many restaurants, seats, and water fountains were kept separate, too.

Civil rights are rights people should have to fair treatment under the law. King worked for Black Americans' civil rights and fairness for everyone. Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and thousands of other people worked for change, too.

Change through peaceful protest

King believed in peaceful protest. People marched, gave speeches, and refused to follow unfair rules. They worked for change without hurting people.

On August 28, 1963, King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. He wanted his children to be judged by how they acted, not by their skin color.

Dr. King was killed in 1968. Many people grieved. Others continued the work he and many fellow leaders had begun. One leader's story is part of a much larger story of people working together.

A January day to remember and help

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the third Monday of January. A law created it in 1983. The first national celebration was in 1986. In 2027, it is January 18. His birthday is January 15, so the holiday and birthday are different dates that year.

Since 1994, the holiday has also been a national day of service. Service means helping others. People may collect food or clean a park. You might make a kind card or help sort donated books with your grown-up.

Imagine neighbors collecting warm clothes on this day. Their project helps people who need them. It connects remembering Dr. King's work with caring for people now.

The President is the leader of the United States. Americans vote to choose the President. A February holiday gives people time to learn about presidents and their place in the country's story.

One holiday, two common names

The law calls the holiday Washington's Birthday. Many people call it Presidents' Day. It falls on the third Monday of February. Many people use it to honor Washington, Lincoln, and other presidents.

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. The holiday follows a Monday rule, so it is not simply either person's birthday.

In February 2027, Mondays are 1, 8, 15, and 22. Count to the third one: February 15. The holiday's Monday can fall from February 15 to 21. It never falls on Washington's birthday, February 22.

George Washington

Washington led the American army during the Revolution. In 1789, he became the first president. People call him the Father of His Country. His face is on the one-dollar bill. The tall Washington Monument honors him in the capital.

You may hear a story about young Washington cutting a cherry tree. A writer made it up after Washington died.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was the 16th president. He led the country during the Civil War. He worked to keep the country together and to end slavery. People called him Honest Abe. His face is on the five-dollar bill, and his memorial has a large seated statue.

Learning about a whole person

Honoring a person does not mean everything they did was right. Washington and Thomas Jefferson helped shape the country. They also enslaved people. We can learn about their important work and the harm they caused.

A monument, a bill, and a holiday can point to one person's story. To understand that story, ask what the person did and who was affected.

The military is the group of people who protect the country. Its six branches are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force. A veteran is someone who has served in the military and left that service.

Two holidays honor military service. Their names and purposes are different.

Memorial Day remembers those who died

Memorial Day falls on the last Monday of May. It honors people who died while serving in the military. The word "memorial" connects with memory.

After the Civil War, people put flowers on soldiers' graves. The day was called Decoration Day. A large ceremony took place in 1868. Today, people visit cemeteries, place flags, and hold parades. Flags stay at half-staff until noon. At 3 p.m. local time, many people pause quietly to remember.

Veterans Day thanks those who served

Veterans Day is November 11 every year. It honors everyone who has served, including living veterans. A living veteran might be your neighbor, grandparent, or teacher.

The day began as Armistice Day. An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting. Fighting in World War I stopped on November 11, 1918. The holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Match the person to the purpose

A neighbor once served in the Navy and is now retired. Veterans Day is a fitting time to thank that neighbor. A family remembers a relative who died while serving in the Army. Memorial Day is especially for that remembrance. The days connect through service, but they are not the same holiday.

Places and small acts of care

Arlington National Cemetery is in Virginia, across the river from Washington, D.C. Its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded day and night. In Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a black stone wall with more than 58,000 names.

You can make a card, wave at a parade, or thank someone for their service. Some people feel sad while remembering. You can sit quietly with them and listen.