The presidential seal is a stamp placed on all messages from the president to the U.S. Congress. The seal is also on the presidential flag. Its origins go back, in part, to the earliest days of the United States. Young history buffs will learn the background of the presidential seal, its design features, and its usage. A graphic organizer further explains this important American symbol.

A bold expression of a fledgling republic's aspirations and bravado, the American bald eagle has been designed, drawn, illustrated, stamped, engraved, painted, sculpted, carved, photographed, and etched by thousands of artists and artisans since 1782, when it first appeared as the central figure on the Great Seal of the United States. As America's most versatile emblem, the eagle emanates confidence during peace and prosperity, and strength during crisis and war; as a North American native species it exemplifies nature's grandeur and the advance of conservation. In all, the bald eagle is a stirring national symbol made all the more vibrant by its indisputable dominion in the sky. American Eagle: A Visual History of Our National Emblem is a visual survey that explores the eagle in American life. A remarkable book that represents American culture, politics, and history, American Eagle will be the definitive source of this national icon for generations to come.

Every president has had a unique and complicated relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be among the most valuable instruments of policy and power. Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, this relationship has been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president to know that day about global threats and opportunities. This top-secret document is known as the President's Daily Brief, or, within national security circles, simply "the Book." Presidents have spent anywhere from a few moments (Richard Nixon) to a healthy part of their day (George W. Bush) consumed by its contents; some (Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush) consider it far and away the most important document they saw on a regular basis while commander in chief. The details of most PDBs are highly classified, and will remain so for many years. But the process by which the intelligence community develops and presents the Book is a fascinating look into the operation of power at the highest levels. David Priess, a former intelligence officer and daily briefer, has interviewed every living president and vice president as well as more than one hundred others intimately involved with the production and delivery of the president's book of secrets. He offers an unprecedented window into the decision making of every president from Kennedy to Obama, with many character-rich stories revealed here for the first time.

This essential Social Studies volume allows new readers to discover the symbolism of the bald eagle. Full page color photographs accompany the simple text.

This remarkable book tells the painstakingly researched and documented story of the Great Seal of the United States. Beginning with the first committee on the subject in 1776 and carrying through to the latest revisions and controversies concerning the design, this volume chronicles the surprisingly complex history of the Great Seal, illuminating its many little-known intertwinings with great Americans and great events. Incorporating 92 illustrations, The Eagle and the Shield makes a wonderful gift for any historian, folklorist, or collector of Americana.

Discusses the bald eagle and how it came to be the symbol for the United States.

The American bald eagle is the United States' national bird and emblem. You can see eagles on United States currency, official mail, and other important documents. Just how did it receive such an honor? Your curious readers will learn why the United States needed an emblem and how the bald eagle was chosen. A timeline helps readers see how this spectacular bird became so important to the American people.

Language is not simply a tool for communication - symbolic power struggles underlie any speech act, discourse move, or verbal interaction, be it in face-to-face conversations, online tweets or political debates. This book provides a clear and accessible introduction to the topic of language and power from an applied linguistics perspective. It is clearly split into three sections: the power of symbolic representation, the power of symbolic action and the power to create symbolic reality. It draws upon a wide range of existing work by philosophers, sociolinguists, sociologists and applied linguists, and includes current real-world examples, to provide a fresh insight into a topic that is of particular significance and interest in the current political climate and in our increasingly digital age. The book shows the workings of language as symbolic power in educational, social, cultural and political settings and discusses ways to respond to and even resist symbolic violence.