Now thirteen is generally considered an unlucky number, but these 13 States were not afraid of bad luck.In fact, as the new country had to have a flag, they made a flag with 13 stripes— seven red stripes and six white—and they put a white star for each State in a blue corner of the flag.Other parts of North America thought they'd like to join the club too, and more and more pieces kept on joining until there were forty eight States, and these States that were united stretched from the Atlantic Ocean on one side to the Pacific Ocean on the other—that is, from where the sun rises from the ocean on one side to where it sets over the ocean on the other.Each time a piece joined the U.S., another star was put in the corner of the flag, but the number of stripes was not changed, for there would have been too many; so now there are forty-eight stars —that means forty eight States united into one country.That's why there are on our coins the words “ e pluribus unum,” which means “one from many.'

Not all of America joined the club, however.The country north of the U.S.called Canada and the country south of the U.S.called Mexico did not join.And yet the people in Canada are Americans, and the people in Mexico are Americans, too, but both Canada and Mexico have different rulers from what we have, for they are different countries.