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Mount Rushmore, South Dakota - This monumental sculpture is one of the country’s most impressive landmarks. Carved out of Mount Rushmore between 1927 and 1941, the four presidents–Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln–gaze impassively over the Black Hills.

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Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - Stretching 554 feet into the sky, this is both the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk. Completed in 1884, it was damaged in the 2011 Virginia earthquake, but remains open to visitors.

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Castle Clinton, New York - Often cited as the place America began, the circular sandstone fort once served as the country’s first immigration station, where over eight million immigrants arrived in the US between 1855 and 1890. It’s located in Battery Park.

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Fort McHenry, Maryland - Baltimore’s historic stronghold played a key defensive role in the War of 1812. Many Americans are familiar with the landmark as the place where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write a poem, which was later set to music. In time, it became known as the 'Star-Spangled Banner.'

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Gateway Arch, Missouri - The world’s tallest arch was inaugurated in 1965 as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. Impressive in its grace and grandeur, this extraordinary feat of engineering has become an international symbol of St. Louis.

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Statue of Liberty, New York City - A colossal symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty stands as one of the world’s most potent motifs. The statue’s dedication in 1886 was marked by New York’s first ever ticker-tape parade.

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National World War I Museum and Memorial , Missouri - Kansas City is probably not where you’d expect to find a memorial of this significance, but the “City of Fountains” has done a commendable job in honoring those who fell in the Great War. Besides the excellent museum, visitors are treated to a fantastic view from the top of the Liberty Tower.

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Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Few visitors fail to be moved by the poignant symbolism this monument invokes. The Memorial Wall is presently etched with the names of 58,318 service personnel, including eight women, and the panels are often festooned with flowers and the Stars and Stripes.

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Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Designed by architect Henry Bacon and dedicated in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial is instantly recognized as one of the nation’s most cherished national monuments. Around six million people visit the building annually.

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Wright Brothers National Memorial, North Carolina - Acknowledging a truly historic event in world history, the original monument was erected on Kill Devil Hill in 1932. It was later complemented in 2003 by a full-scale replica of the flyer the Wright brothers built and flew near Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903.

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Fort Matanzas National Monument, Florida - This squat, weathered stronghold was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet, located on the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. It was a major theater of conflict as European nations battled it out for control in the New World. The fort was designated a National Monument in 1924.

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Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona - One of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America, the 800-year-old “castle” nestles within a limestone cliff 90 feet above Beaver Creek in Campe Verde, and was once home to the indigenous Sinagua people. A visitor center includes an engaging museum.

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Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana - What took place here on June 25-26, 1876 is regarded as one of the most calamitous confrontations in “Wild West” history. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry was defeated by a combined Lakota-Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho force, on land that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Custer himself was buried here before being re-interred in West Point Cemetery.

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Fort Sumter, South Carolina - Named after Revolutionary War hero General Thomas Sumter, this sea fort dates back to 1860. A Union garrison, the first shots of the Civil War were aimed at its sturdy walls, fired from Confederate artillery on April 12, 1861.

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Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania - The final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. At its dedication on November 19,1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” now known as the famous Gettysburg Address.

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Cabrillo National Monument, California - Perched at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula, overlooking San Diego, the monument commemorates the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. It was the first time a European expedition had set foot on what later became known as the west coast of the United States.

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National World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Stand here on a cold, damp evening, and the enormity of what this monument signifies is especially compelling. This is a memorial of national significance dedicated to the many hundreds of thousands of American service personnel and civilians killed during the conflict.

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Cloud Gate, Chicago - Nicknamed “The Bean” because of its shape, this contemporary public sculpture elevates the city’s AT&T Plaza to a fresh, new aesthetic. Made of stainless steel plates, the most rewarding time to view Cloud Gate is early evening, when the Chicago skyline is reflected off its shiny skin.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Looming large in West Potomac Park is The Stone of Hope, a memorial to the Civil Rights leader shaped as a 30-foot relief of MLK Jr. The sculpture features excerpts from many of his speeches and sermons, inscribed on a crescent-shaped granite wall.

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Bunker Hill Monument, Massachusetts - Erected to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought here on June 17, 1775, visitors can huff and puff themselves to the top of the obelisk by treading 294 steep granite steps.

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Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. - The centerpiece of this memorial are the 19 stainless steel statues representing a platoon on patrol. Eerily life-like, they are seen carefully treading though juniper bushes, which represent the rugged and inhospitable terrain of Korea.

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Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Florida - This is the oldest masonry fort in the United States, with foundations dating back to 1672! Located in St. Augustine, this historic garrison today is a popular tourist attraction, and has appeared in several TV shows including ‘Monumental Mysteries’ and ‘Ghost Adventures.’

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The Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania - An enduring symbol of American independence, the Liberty Bell, replete with its distinctive crack, is housed in the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park. Abolitionists, women’s suffrage advocates, and Civil Rights leaders all took inspiration from the bell’s inscription, which reads in part “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout the Land unto all inhabitants thereof.”

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Wupatki National Monument, Arizona - The ruins of this remote settlement are believed to be guarded by the spirits of the ancient Pueblo people, those who once made their home here. As such, visitors are asked to respect the site and to behave accordingly.

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Governors Island National Monument, New York City - Located at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers in New York Harbor, Governors Island anchors both Castle Williams and Fort Jay, two historic forts constructed to defend New York City from naval attack.

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USS Arizona Memorial, Hawaii - Hawaii’s top visitor attraction, the wreck of the USS Arizona, sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is an evocative reminder of that momentous day. The submerged hull can be viewed from the memorial bridge, which straddles the width of the stricken battleship.

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National September 11 Memorial & Museum, New York - Forever seared in the psyche of American citizens and indeed, much of the world’s population, the events of that fateful day are commemorated by this extraordinary and carefully considered memorial, located at the World Trade Center site. More than four million people have visited the facility since it opened in 2014.

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Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C. - Arrive here in early summer and the landscape is flecked with color, the monument framed as it is by fragrant blossom. The neoclassical memorial building ranks high on the “List of America’s Favorite Architecture.”

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The National Arch, Pennsylvania - Solid and imposing, this landmark feature embellishes the Valley Forge National Historic Park, and was built as a Revolutionary War memorial to celebrate the arrival of Gorge Washington and the Continental Army at Valley Forge in December 1777.

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Marine Corps War Memorial, Washington, D.C. -

When Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal snapped a group of US marines hoisting the Stars and Stripes over Iwo Jima in 1945, he had no idea his iconic photograph would become one of the defining images of World War II. The sculpture in Arlington Ridge Park recreates that fleeting–and decisive–moment.

See also: These are the state birds of the USA

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