South Carolina

We just learned about the US state of Rhode Island.

South Carolina is a state in the southeast part of the US, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

It's nickname is The Palmetto State, and it's mottos are Dum spiro spero which means While I Breathe I Hope, and Animis opibusque parati which means Prepared in Mind and Resources.


(from: wikipedia - south carolina)

The flag of south carolina is blue with a white palmetto tree and a white crescent.
The crescent is for soldiers that fought in the revolutionary war that used that crescent on their uniforms.
The palmetto tree was very strong and when it was stacked on sand it could block canon balls that were fired, so it was an important part of the war.


(from: wikipedia - south carolina)

The first battle of the civil war was in South Carolina, at a place called Fort Sumter.

(from: wikipedia - fort sumter)

One of the oldest buildings in South Carolina, built in the 1700s is called the Pink House, as it was built using Pink Bermuda Stone.

(from: wikipedia - pink house (charleston, south carolina))

The Citadel is one of the largest military colleges in the US.

(from: wikipedia - the citadel, the military college of south carolina)

The 7th President of the US Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina.
He was president from 1829 to 1837.


(from: wikipedia - andrew jackson)


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Rhode Island

We just learned about the US State of Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island is a state on the northeast part of the US, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

It's nickname is The Ocean State and Little Rhody, and it's motto is Hope.
The full name of the state is State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

It is the smallest state in the US, but it has the longest name of any state.
There are over 30 islands in Rhode Island.


(from: wikipedia - rhode island)

The flag of Rhode Island is an anchor with the state motto of Hope above it.
It was based on the sentence from the Bible, "Hope we have as an anchor of the soul.".


(from: wikipedia - flag of rhode island)

The oldest working chain suspended carousel is the Watch Hill carousel.

(from: wikipedia - watch hill carousel)

One of the bridges to an island is called Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge

(from: wikipedia - claiborne pell newport bridge)

A long time ago in Rhode Island they thought there were vampires because they didn't understand the disease known as tuberculosis.


(from: wikipedia - new england vampire panic)


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Pennsylvania

We just learned about the US State of Oregon.

Pennsylvania is a state in the eastern part of the US.
It's state nicknames are Keystone State and Quaker State.
It's motto is Virtue, Liberty and Independence.

(from: wikipedia - pennsylvania)

The flag of Pennsylvania is blue, with the state seal on it.
The state seal has an American bald eagle, horses, ships, a plough, wheat sheaves, an olive branch and a corn stalk.

(from: wikipedia - flag and coat of arms of pennsylvania)

The chocolate capitol of the US is in Hershey Pennsylvania, where Hershey's chocolate is made.
They have a place called Chocolate World where they have information about how the chocolate is made, and a roller coaster park nearby called Hersheypark.

(from: wikipedia - hershey, pennsylvania)

The oldest pretzel bakery in the US was Sturgis Pretzel house

(from: wikipedia - sturgis pretzel house)

Philadelphia was a very important city through American history.
It was the capitol in the Revolutionary war, it was the location where the declaration of independence was signed, and it is where the liberty bell is along with more statues than any other city in the US.

(from: wikipedia - philadelphia)

James Buchanan who was born in Pennsylvania, was the 15th President of the US, in 1857

(from: wikipedia - james buchanan)


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Oregon

We just learned about the state of Oklahoma.

Oregon is a state on the west coast of the US, just north of California.

It's nickname is the Beaver State, and it's motto is Alis volat propriis which means She flies with her own wings.

(from: wikipedia - oregon)

The state flag of Oregon has a blue background and a yellow foreground.
On one side is a picture of a beaver, the state animal.
On the other side is the state seal.
On the state seal is an eagle above a shield that shows mountains, an elk, a covered wagon, the Pacific Ocean, a British ship, an American ship, a sheaf, a plow and a pickaxe.

Oregon is the only state in the US that has two different sides on either side of it's flag.

(from: wikipedia - flag of oregon)

There is a large stratovolcano in Oregon called Mount Mazama.
It erupted a long long time ago, and now where the peak of the mountain was is a lake called Crater Lake.
In the middle of the lake is an island called Wizard Island, made when they volcano erupted.

(from: wikipedia - mount mazama)

The books written by author Beverly Cleary about Henry, Ramona and Beezus were supposed to take place on a street in Portland Oregon. There is a park nearby that has statues of the children to honor the author's writings.

(from: wikipedia - grant park, portland, oregon)


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Oklahoma

We just learned about the US state of Ohio.

Oklahoma is a state in the middle of the US.

It's nickname is the Sooner State. Sooner was the name of the people who came to the land before it was part of the US.
It's motto is Labor omnia vincit which means Hard work conquers all things.


(from: wikipedia - oklahoma)

The flag of Oklahoma is a buffalo skin shield with eagle feathers on a blue background.

(from: wikipedia - flag of oklahoma)

The seal of Oklahoma is a star in a circle.
The pictures in the star are for the five Native American tribes in Oklahoma, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole.
The stars are for the 45 other states when Oklahoma became a state.


(from: wikipedia - seal of oklahoma)

Oklahoma is in an area called Tornado Alley, because they have more tornadoes than many other places.

(from: wikipedia - oklahoma)

One of the first highways to go all the way across the US was called US 66.
That highway started in Oklahoma, the first road going from Tulsa Oklahoma to Texas.

(from: wikipedia - u.s. route 66)


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Ohio

We just learned about the US state of North Dakota.

Ohio is a state in the midwest part of the US.
It's nicknames are The Buckeye State because of the buckeye trees, and The Mother of Presidents because 6 presidents were born in Ohio.
It's motto is the Birthplace of Aviation because the Wright brothers were from Ohio, and The Heart of It All because it is in the middle of the US.

The name Ohio comes from the Iroquois Native American word meaning Great River.


(from: wikipedia - ohio)

The flag of Ohio has a V shaped cut in the side of it, and it is the only state with a flag that is not rectangular shaped.
The circle in the flag is for the O in the state's name.
There are 13 stars for the original 13 colonies, and then 4 more because it was the 17th state in the US.

(from: wikipedia - flag of ohio)

The state seal of Ohio has wheat, arrows, Mount Logan, the rising sun and sun rays, and a river and fields.

(from: wikipedia - seal of ohio)

One of the largest roller coaster theme parks in the world called Cedar Point is in Sandusky Ohio.

(from: wikipedia - cedar point)

During the 1960s, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio became so polluted that the pollution in the river caught on fire. The fact that a river could be on fire from pollution got people so upset that it got many people involved in working to clean up the earth and not pollute things so much.

(from: wikipedia - cuyahoga river)

The wright brothers that were the first to fly airplanes were born in Ohio.

(from: wikipedia - wright brothers)

There were 6 presidents that were born in Ohio.

18th President Ulysses S. Grant, 1869-1877

(from: wikipedia - ulysses s. grant)

19th President Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877-1881.

(from: wikipedia - rutherford b. hayes)

20th President James A. Garfield, 1881-1881.

(from: wikipedia - james a. garfield)

23rd President Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893

(from: wikipedia - benjamin harrison)

25th President William McKinley, 1897-1901

(from: wikipedia - william mckinley)

27th President William Howard Taft, 1909-1913

(from: wikipedia - william howard taft)

29th President Warren G. Harding, 1921-1923

(from: wikipedia - warren g. harding)


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North Dakota

We just learned about the US state of North Carolina.

North Dakota is a state on the north part of the US, bordering Canada to the north.
It's nicknames are the Peace Garden State, Roughrider State, Flickertail State.
It's mottos are Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, and One and Inseparable.

(from: wikipedia - north dakota)

The flag of North Dakota looks a lot like the Great Seal of the US, with the eagle and a banner on it.

(from: wikipedia - flag of north dakota)

The seal of North Dakota has a tree in a field surrounded by wheat, a plow, an anvil a sledge, a bow with arrows, and a Native American on horseback chasing a buffalo.

(from: wikipedia - seal of north dakota)

North Dakota was made a state in 1889, at the same time as South Dakota. When they signed the papers to make them both states, they didn't want to pick one to be first, so they shuffled up the papers so nobody knew which one was signed first.
North Dakota is usually listed as the 39th state and South Dakota as the 40th, but really they both tied for 39.

(from: wikipedia - north dakota)

There are many people from Norway living in North Dakota, so they made a museum that has a big church made to look like an old church in Norway, and a viking ship inside that is a copy of one of the oldest viking ships ever found.

(from: wikipedia - hjemkomst center)


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North Carolina

We just learned about the US State of New York.

North Carolina is a state on the east coast of the US.
It's nicknames are Old North State and Tar Heel State.
It's mottos are: Esse quam videri which means To be, rather than to seem, and First in Flight.

(from: wikipedia - north carolina)

The flag of North Carolina is blue on the left, and then has a red stripe above a white stripe on the right.
In the blue is the letter N, a star, and the letter C for the state's initials.
Above and below the NC are dates for the declaration of independence.


(from: wikipedia - flag of north carolina)

The state seal of North Carolina has lady Liberty and Lady Plenty, and a boat in the background.

(from: wikipedia - seal of north carolina)

The first flight of an airplane by the Wright Brothers was in Kitty Hawk North Carolina.

(from: wikipedia - wright brothers)

Long ago when people were moving from Europe to the US, the first English colony was called Roanoke.
The people that started living on Roanoke had the first baby immigrant from England to be born in the new US, Virginia Dare.
When the people left on ships and then came back later to help the colonists, all of the people had disappeared!
It is a great mystery and many people have written stories about what they think might have happened.

(from: wikipedia - roanoke island)

The 11th president of the US was from North Carolina, James K. Polk in 1845.
(from: wikipedia - james k. polk)

The 17th president of the US was from North Carolina, Andrew Johnson in 1865.

(from: wikipedia - andrew johnson)


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