National symbols bring to mind our heritage and give us pride in our nation’s history. We use these symbols to celebrate our country. State symbols perform the same purpose in every state in the United States.

What Primary Sources Can Tell Us about Our Country
Our nation’s songs, official documents, items related to historic figures, and national symbols all help to piece together the story of our country. 

• Written Forms – Songs like the Star Spangled Banner, our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance, and documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States play an important role in our nation’s history.
• Physical artifacts - The Liberty Bell, American flag, and images of the bald eagle help instill pride in our country. Which presidents did we choose to depict on our nation’s coins? This, too, says a lot about who we honor as role models for our children.
• Images – Portraits of state and national leaders tell us who our public servants are. Photographs and films help show us what they have done to improve our nation.  

 Primary Sources 

Patriotic Medals

The Congressional Medal of Honor

The Purple Heart

The Presidential Medal of Freedom

Medal of honor

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award a person serving in the United States’ military can receive. It is awarded to those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty. Generally presented by the President of the United States in the name of Congress, it is also referred to simply as the Medal of Honor.

The Purple Heart is also a U.S. military decoration. It is awarded in the President’s name to those who have been killed or wounded while serving with or in the United States military. It is the oldest military decoration in the world still in use and the first American award made available to the common soldier.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, in contrast, is one of the highest medals the government awards to civilians—non-military people—who they wish to recognize for “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or nation interests of the United States, or to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Unlike many other awards presented by the United States government, the Presidential Medal of Freedom can also be awarded to citizens of other countries.

Statue of Liberty

 

 Background Information 

Symbolism on Medals Awarded by the United States Government  

Though the three medals shown above are all distinct, they do share certain features symbolic of this country—particularly the use of stars. On the original Congressional Medal of Honor there were 34 stars, one to represent each star on the U.S. flag at that time (1862). According to Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress in 1777, in addition to representing the states, the stars also symbolized the “heavens and the divine goal which man has aspired to since time immemorial.” The woman in the medal’s center is Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war.

George Washington’s image is featured on the Purple Heart. As general of the Continental Army, he established the award in 1782. Above his image is the Washington coat-of-arms, which is believed to have been the source of the stars and stripes on the American flag. The Presidential Medal of Freedom contains the nation’s traditionally patriotic red, white, and blue color. It features a five-pointed star surrounded by a ring of golden American eagles. The larger star also harbors a circle of 13 smaller gold stars symbolizing the country’s original thirteen colonies.

 

 Classroom Activity 

Creating Original Patriotic Medals

1. Display the medals offered at the above links. Solicit from children their thoughts about what is being shown. Explain that these are all medals or awards the United States government gives to people who have done good deeds. Invite children to point out any symbols they recognize on the medals.

2.  Review with the children some of the national symbols they learned about in this unit. (These include the bald eagle, the American flag, the Liberty Bell, the faces of famous presidents, and the Statue of Liberty.) Discuss with the children what makes each of these symbols important in our country.

3. Tell the children to imagine that they could create a new medal to honor people who have done a good deed for the nation. Invite children to suggest what some of these good deeds might be. Then distribute art supplies (crayons, markers, and drawing paper) and have children create their own patriotic awards. Encourage them to use one or more of the national symbols your class learned about in their designs. When they’re done, ask children to share their medals with the class, and to explain why they designed them the way that they did. Then display them on a classroom bulletin board for all to see.