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July 2011 THE NATIONAL '13u77on BULLETIN 145

immigrants who have entered the port. At the base on which
she stands is this very famous quotation by Emma Lazarus:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Stattle of Liberty
The American flag, designed by Betsy Ross, is a symbol of our country that is
recognized worldwide. In June, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the first
Flag Act: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, rep-
resenting a new Constellation." The number of stars have changed many times as
they represent the states. The stripes stay the same to remind us of the original 13
colonies. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well. Red symbolizes hardness and
valor. White symbolizes purity and innocence. Blue represents vigilance and justice.
The bald eagle became the official emblem of the
U.S. in 1782. It appears on many buttons. Many federal
agencies, corporations and groups use liberty symbols
in their names or logos.
Among the buttons that depict symbols of our
freedom is a group of buttons called Jacksonians, made
c. 1825-1840 and so named because Andrew Jackson
served as our 7th president from 1829 to 1837. These
small, one-piece gilt buttons with separate plain rims,
often expressed patriotism. Some had an eagle and/or
anchors, busts of presidents, a sailing ship, symbols of
agriculture, or patriotic mottoes.
Many symbols of our liberty that can be found on Washington
souvenir buttons at tourist sites such as Mt. Rush more in D. C.
South Dakota, the Freedom Trail in Boston, forts, theme parks, museums, and the
monuments in Washington, DC. Perhaps you will visit some sites this summer.

REFERENCES
Hughes, Elizabeth and Marion Lester. The Big Book of Buttons, Haworth NJ: St. Johann
Press, 1991, pp. 214, 215
"Liberty," www.uen.org/themeparklliberty/symbolsofliberty.shtml#places. Utah Educa-
tion Network
www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/symbols (update 2010)
wikipedia.orglwiki/Liberty-Bell (update December 4, 2010)
Statue of Liberty, http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/statueofliberty.htm