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Coordinates: 40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W / 40; -100 (United States of America)
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{{Short description|Country in North America}}
{{for||US (disambiguation)|USA (disambiguation)|United States (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|America|the landmass comprising North and South America|Americas|5=America (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Redirect-several|US|USA|United States|The United States of America}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2014}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox country
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = United States of America
| conventional_long_name = United States of America
|common_name = the United States
| common_name = United States
|image_flag = Flag of the United States.svg
| image_flag = Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard).svg
| alt_flag = {{nbsp}} <!--Used to denote purely decorative images-->
|image_coat = Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg
| flag_type_article = Flag of the United States
|symbol_type = Great Seal
| image_coat = Greater coat of arms of the United States.svg
|national_motto = <!--Please read the talk page before editing these mottos:--><div style="padding-bottom:0.2em;">"[[In God we trust]]" {{small|(official)}}<ref>{{USC|36|302}} ''National motto''</ref><ref>[[#Simonson|Simonson, 2010]]</ref><ref>[[#God|Dept. of Treasury, 2011]]</ref></div> <div style="line-height:1.15em;">{{native phrase|la|"[[E pluribus unum]]"|italics=off}} {{small|(traditional)}} <br />{{small|"Out of many, one"}} <br /> <div style="line-height:1.15em;">{{native phrase|la|"[[Annuit cœptis]]"|italics=off}} {{small|(traditional)}} <br /> {{small|"She/he/it approves (has approved) of the undertakings"}} <br /> <div style="line-height:1.15em;">{{native phrase|la|"[[Novus ordo seclorum]]"|italics=off}} {{small|(traditional)}} <br /> {{small|"New order of the ages"}}
| coat_alt = {{nbsp}} <!--Used to denote purely decorative images-->
</div>
| symbol_type_article = Great Seal of the United States#Obverse
|national_anthem = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"<br /><center>[[File:Star Spangled Banner instrumental.ogg]]</center>
| national_motto = "[[In God We Trust]]"<ref>{{USC|36|302}}</ref>{{collapsible list
|image_map = USA orthographic.svg
|title={{nowrap|Other traditional mottos:<ref name="de facto Motto">{{cite web|publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]], [[Bureau of Public Affairs]]|year=2003|url= https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/27807.pdf|title=The Great Seal of the United States|access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref>}}
|map_caption = The [[Contiguous United States]] plus [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]] in green.
|titlestyle=background:transparent;color:inherit;text-align:center;line-height:1.15em;
|alt_map = Projection of North America with the United States in green
|liststyle=text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;
|image_map2 = US_insular_areas.png
|{{native phrase|la|"[[E pluribus unum]]"|italics=off}}<br />"Out of many, one"
|alt_map2 = The United States and its [[United States territories|territories]].
|{{native phrase|la|"[[Annuit cœptis]]"|italics=off}}<br />"Providence favors our undertakings"
|map_caption2 = The United States and its [[United States territories|territories]].
|{{native phrase|la|"[[Novus ordo seclorum]]"|italics=off}}<br />"New order of the ages"
|map_width = 220px
}}
|capital = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| national_anthem = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"<ref>{{cite act|date=March 3, 1931|article=14|article-type=H.R.|legislature=[[71st United States Congress]]|title=An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America|url=https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=46&page=1508}}</ref><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:"The Star-Spangled Banner" - Choral with band accompaniment - United States Army Field Band.oga]]</div>
|latd=38 |latm=53 |latNS=N |longd=77 |longm=01 |longEW=W
<!-- Commented out, as not [[WP:DUE]] for lead.
|largest_city = [[New York City]]<br />{{small|{{coord|40|43|N|74|00|W|display=inline}}}}
| march="[[The Stars and Stripes Forever]]"<ref name="urluscode.house.gov">{{cite web|url=https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=112&page=1263|title=uscode.house.gov|date=August 12, 1999|website=Public Law 105-225|publisher=uscode.house.gov|pages=112 Stat. 1263|quote=Section 304. "The composition by John Philip Sousa entitled 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' is the national march."|access-date=September 10, 2017}}</ref><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:"The Star-Spangled Banner" - Choral with band accompaniment - United States Army Field Band.oga]]</div>
|official_languages = {{nowrap|None at [[Federal government of the United States|federal level]]{{ref label|engoffbox|a|}}}}
-->
|languages_type = [[National language]]
<!-- Consensus map, see talk page. -->
|languages = [[English language|English]]{{ref label|engfactobox|b|}}<!---NOTE: Just English, don't add "American English"--->
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:USA orthographic.svg|frameless|alt=Orthographic map of the U.S. in North America]]|Show globe ([[U.S. state|states]] and [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] only)|[[File:US insular areas SVG.svg|upright=1.15|frameless|alt=World map showing the U.S. and its territories]]|Show the U.S. and [[Territories of the United States|its territories]]|[[File:NOAA Map of the US EEZ.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show territories with [[Exclusive economic zone of the United States|their exclusive economic zone]]|default=1}}
|regional_languages =
| map_width = 220px
{{collapsible list
| capital = [[Washington, D.C.]]<br />{{coord|38|53|N|77|1|W|display=inline}}
|[[English language|English]] |[[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] |[[Spanish language|Spanish]] |[[Samoan language|Samoan]] |[[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] |[[Carolinian language|Carolinian]]}}
| largest_city = [[New York City]]<br />{{coord|40|43|N|74|0|W|display=inline}}
|official_religion = none
| official_languages = None at the [[Federal government of the United States|federal level]]{{efn|name=officiallanguage|Twenty-eight of the 50 states recognize only English as an official language. The [[State of Hawaii]] recognizes both [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] and English as official languages, the [[State of Alaska]] officially recognizes 20 [[Alaska Native languages]] alongside English, and the [[State of South Dakota]] recognizes English and [[Sioux language|all Sioux dialects]] as official languages. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have no official language.}}
|demonym = [[Americans|American]]
| languages_type = [[National language]]
|government_type = [[Federalism|Federal]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[constitutional republic]]
| languages = [[American English|English]]{{efn|English is the [[de facto]] language. For more information, see [[Languages of the United States]].}}
|leader_title1 = [[President of the United States|President]]
<!-- NOTE: For English, don't add "American English" -->
|leader_name1 = {{nowrap|[[Barack Obama]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}
| ethnic_groups = {{plainlist|''By race:''
|leader_title2 = [[Vice President (United States)|Vice President]]
* 61.6% [[White Americans|White]]
|leader_name2 = {{nowrap|[[Joe Biden]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}
* 12.4% [[African Americans|Black]]
|leader_title3 = {{nowrap|[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]}}
* 6% [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|leader_name3 = {{nowrap|[[John Boehner]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
|leader_title4 = [[Chief Justice (United States)|Chief Justice]]
* 1.1% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
* 0.2% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|leader_name4 = [[John Roberts]]
* 10.2% [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]
|legislature = [[United States Congress|Congress]]
|upper_house = [[Senate (United States)|Senate]]
* 8.4% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other]]
}}
|lower_house = [[House of Representatives (United States)|House of Representatives]]
{{plainlist|''By origin:''
|sovereignty_type = [[American Revolution|Independence]]
* 81.3% non-[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|sovereignty_note = from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
* 18.7% Hispanic or Latino
|established_event1 = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declared]]
}}
|established_date1 = July 4, 1776
| ethnic_groups_year = 2020
|established_event2 = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Recognized]]
| ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="2020CensusData">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/improved-race-ethnicity-measures-reveal-united-states-population-much-more-multiracial.html|title=2020 Census Illuminates Racial and Ethnic Composition of the Country|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="2020InteractiveCensusData">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html?linkId=100000060666476|title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1014710483/2020-census-data-us-race-ethnicity-diversity|title=A Breakdown of 2020 Census Demographic Data|date=August 13, 2021|publisher=NPR|access-date=}}</ref>
|established_date2 = September 3, 1783
| demonym = [[Americans|American]]{{efn|name=demonym|The historical and informal demonym [[Yankee]] has been applied to Americans, New Englanders, or northeasterners since the 18th century.}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia and Fact-index: Ohio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uV5tvKPO684C&q=%22national+nicknames%22+Yankee|year=1963|page=336}}</ref>
|established_event3 = {{nowrap|[[United States Constitution|Constitution]]}}
| government_type = [[Federalism in the United States|Federal]] presidential republic
|established_date3 = June 21, 1788
<!-- Consensus is to list President, Vice President, Chief Justice, and Speaker of the House -->
|established_event4=
| leader_title1 = [[President of the United States|President]]
Current Statehood
| leader_name1 = [[Joe Biden]]
|established_date4= August 21, 1959
| leader_title2 = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]
|area_magnitude = 1 E12
| leader_name2 = [[Kamala Harris]]
|area_sq_mi = 3717813
| leader_title3 = [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]]
|area_km2 = 9629091
| leader_name3 = [[Mike Johnson]]
|area_rank = 3rd/4th
| leader_title4 = [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]]
|area_footnote = <ref name="WF"/>{{ref label|areabox|c|}}
| leader_name4 = [[John Roberts]]
|percent_water = 2.23
| legislature = [[United States Congress|Congress]]
|population_estimate = {{formatnum:{{data United States | Poptoday }} }}<ref name="POP">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |title=U.S. POPClock Projection}} (figure updated automatically).</ref>
| upper_house = [[United States Senate|Senate]]
|population_estimate_year = 2014
| lower_house = [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
|population_estimate_rank = 3rd
| sovereignty_type = [[History of the United States|Independence]]
|population_density_km2 = 34.2
| sovereignty_note = from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|population_density_sq_mi = 88.6
| established_event1 = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration]]
|population_density_rank = 180th
| established_date1 = {{Start date|1776|7|4}}
|GDP_PPP_year = 2014
| established_event2 = [[Confederation period|Confederation]]
|GDP_PPP = {{nowrap|$17.528 trillion<!--end nowrap:-->}}<ref name=IMF_GDP />
| established_date2 = {{Start date|1781|3|1}}
|GDP_PPP_rank = 1st
| established_event3 = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Recognized]]
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $54,980<ref name=IMF_GDP />
| established_date3 = {{Start date|1783|9|3}}
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 7th
| established_event4 = [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]]
|GDP_nominal = {{nowrap|$17.528 trillion}}<ref name=IMF_GDP />
| established_date4 = {{Start date|1788|6|21}}
|GDP_nominal_rank = 1st
| area_link = Geography of the United States
|GDP_nominal_year = 2014
| area_label = Total area
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $54,980<ref name=IMF_GDP />
| area_footnote = <ref name="CensusGov2010HTML">Areas of the 50 states and the District of Columbia but not Puerto Rico nor other island territories per {{cite web| date = August 2010| title = State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates| work = [[Census.gov]]| url = https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html| access-date = March 31, 2020| quote = reflect base feature updates made in the MAF/TIGER database through August, 2010.}}</ref>{{efn|name=largestcountry}}
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th
| area_rank = 3rd
|Gini_year = 2012
| area_sq_mi = 3,796,742
|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| percent_water = 7.0<ref>{{cite web|title=The Water Area of Each State|access-date=January 29, 2024|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|url=https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/how-wet-your-state-water-area-each-state|year=2018}}</ref> (2010)
|Gini = 36.9 <!--number only-->
| area_label2 = Land area
|Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-norway-2012/gini-coefficients-before-and-after-taxes-and-transfers_eco_surveys-nor-2012-graph1-en#page1 |title=OECD Economic Surveys: Norway - OECD 2012 |work=Newsroom |publisher=[[OECD Report]] |date=September 12, 2012 |accessdate=May 8, 2014}}</ref>
| area_data2 = {{convert|3,531,905|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} (3rd)
|Gini_rank = 39th (2009)
| population_census = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 331,449,281{{efn|name="pop"}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/2020-census-data-release.html|title=U.S. Census Bureau Today Delivers State Population Totals for Congressional Apportionment|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}} The 2020 census is as of April 1, 2020.</ref>
|HDI_year = 2013
| population_census_year = 2020
|HDI_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 334,914,895<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Population Trends Return to Pre-Pandemic Norms as More States Gain Population |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-trends-return-to-pre-pandemic-norms.html |access-date=December 23, 2023 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>
|HDI = 0.937 <!--number only-->
| population_estimate_year = 2023
|HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR2013_EN_Complete.pdf |title=Human Development Report 2013 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |date=March 14, 2013 |accessdate=March 14, 2013}}</ref>
|HDI_rank = 3rd
| population_census_rank = 3rd
| population_density_sq_mi = 87<!-- Figure uses (population/land + water area) as of July 2019. -->
|EF_year = 2007
| population_density_rank = 185th
|EF = {{decrease}} 8.0 gha<ref name="EF">{{cite web |url=http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/uploads/Ecological_Footprint_Atlas_2010.pdf |title=Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010 |publisher=Global Footprint Network |accessdate=July 11, 2011}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $29.168&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.US">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October/weo-report?c=111,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (United States) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=www.imf.org |date=October 22, 2024 |access-date=October 22, 2024}}</ref>
|EF_rank = 6th
| GDP_PPP_year = 2024
|currency = [[{{#property:p38}}]] ($)
| GDP_PPP_rank = 2nd
|currency_code = USD
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $86,601<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
|country_code = USA
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 8th
|utc_offset = −5 to −10
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $29.168&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
|utc_offset_DST = −4 to −10{{ref label|UTCbox|d|}}
| GDP_nominal_year = 2024
|calling_code = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
| GDP_nominal_rank = 1st
|iso3166code = US
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $86,601<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
|drives_on = right{{ref label|driving|e|}}
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 6th
|cctld = {{nowrap|[[.us]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.gov]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.mil]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.edu]]}}
| Gini = 41.7<!-- Number only. -->
|footnote_a = {{note|engoffbox}} English is the [[Official language of the United States|official language]] of at least 28 states; some sources give higher figures, based on differing definitions of "official".{{big|<ref name=ILW/>}} English and [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] are both official languages in the state of [[Hawaii]]. [[French language|French]] is a ''de facto'' language in the states of [[Maine]] and [[Louisiana]], while [[New Mexico]] state law grants [[Spanish language|Spanish]] a special status. <ref>New Mexico Code 1-16-7 (1981).</ref> <ref>New Mexico Code 14-11-13 (2011).</ref> <ref name=C&F>{{cite book | last1 = Cobarrubias | first1 = Juan | last2 = Fishman | first2 = Joshua A. | authorlink2 = Joshua Fishman | year = 1983 | title = Progress in Language Planning: International Perspectives | publisher = Walter de Gruyter | page = 195 | isbn = 90-279-3358-8 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=x9KoAkzfVqIC&pg=PA195 | accessdate = 2011-12-27}}</ref> <ref>{{cite book | last = Garcia | first = Ofelia | year = 2011 | title = Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | page = 167 | isbn = 1-4443-5978-9 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bW6V__K95ckC&pg=PT167 | accessdate = 2011-12-27}}</ref> [[Cherokee language|Cherokee]] is an official language in the [[Cherokee Nation]] tribal jurisdiction area and in the [[United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians]] based in east and northeast [[Oklahoma]].<ref name = official>{{cite web|url=http://keetoowahcherokee.org/documents/GaduwaCherokeeNews/2009-04%20April.pdf|title=Keetoowah Cherokee is the Official Language of the UKB|website=http://keetoowahcherokee.org/|date=April 2009|publisher=Keetoowah Cherokee News: Official Publication of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma|accessdate=1 June 2014}}</ref> <ref name=constitution>{{cite web|url=http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/documents/dikahnawadvsdi_ditsaleg.pdf|website=http://www.keetoowahcherokee.org/|title=UKB Constitution and By-Laws in the Keetoowah Cherokee Language (PDF)|publisher=United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians|accessdate=2 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=CARLA>{{Cite web
| Gini_year = 2022
| title = The Cherokee Nation & its Language
| Gini_change = increase
| work = University of Minnesota: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition
| Gini_ref = {{efn|After adjustment for taxes and transfers}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.html|title=Income in the United States: 2022|newspaper=Census.gov |page=47|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref>
| date = 2008
| HDI = 0.927<!-- Number only. -->
| accessdate = 2014-05-22
| HDI_year = 2022<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| url =http://www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/past/immersion2008/documents/Peter_L_CherokeeNation.pdf
| HDI_change = increase<!-- Increase/decrease/steady. -->
}}</ref> |footnote_b = {{note|engfactobox}} English is the ''[[de facto]]'' language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80 percent of Americans aged five and older. 28 states and five territories have made English an official language. Other official languages include [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], [[Samoan language|Samoan]], [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]], [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]], and [[Puerto Rican Spanish|Spanish]].
| HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|language=en|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=March 13, 2024|access-date=March 13, 2024}}</ref>
|footnote_c = {{note|areabox}} Whether the United States or [[China]] is larger has been [[List of countries by area|disputed]]. The figure given is from the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]'s ''[[The World Factbook]]''. Other sources give smaller figures. All authoritative calculations of the country's size include only the 50 states and the District of Columbia, not the [[Territories of the United States|territories]].
| HDI_rank = 20th
|footnote_d = {{note|UTCbox}} See [[Time in the United States]] for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
|footnote_e = {{note|driving}} Except [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]].
| currency = [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] ([[$]])
| currency_code = USD
| utc_offset = −4 to −12, +10, +11
| utc_offset_DST = −4 to −10{{efn|name="time"}}
| date_format = mm/dd/yyyy{{efn|See [[Date and time notation in the United States]].}}
| drives_on = Right{{efn|name="drive"}}
| calling_code = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
| iso3166code = US
| cctld = [[.us]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cozab.com/the-difference-between-us-vs-com/|title=The Difference Between .us vs .com|date=January 3, 2022|website=Cozab|access-date=August 11, 2023|archive-date=April 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416200528/https://cozab.com/the-difference-between-us-vs-com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| religion = {{ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|{{Tree list}}
* 67% [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]]
** 33% [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
** 22% [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
** 1% [[Mormons|Mormonism]]
** 11% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|22% [[Irreligion in the United States|unaffiliated]]
|2% [[American Jews|Judaism]]
|6% [[Religion in the United States|other religion]]
|3% unanswered
}}
| religion_year = 2023
| religion_ref = <ref name="Staff-2007">{{Cite web |last=Staff |date= June 8, 2007|title=In Depth: Topics A to Z (Religion) |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx |access-date=July 1, 2024 |website=[[Gallup, Inc.]] |language=en}}</ref>
}}
}}
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The '''United States of America''' ('''USA'''), commonly known as the '''United States''' ('''U.S.''') or '''America''', is a country primarily located in [[North America]]. It is a [[federation|federal union]] of 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and a federal capital district, [[Washington, D.C.]] The [[48 contiguous states]] border [[Canada]] to the north and [[Mexico]] to the south, with the states of [[Alaska]] to the northwest and the [[archipelagic]] [[Hawaii]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The United States also asserts sovereignty over five [[Territories of the United States|major island territories]] and [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|various uninhabited islands]].{{efn|The five major territories outside the union of states are [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]]. The seven undisputed island areas without permanent populations are [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]], [[Midway Atoll]], and [[Palmyra Atoll]]. U.S. sovereignty over the unpopulated [[Bajo Nuevo Bank]], [[Navassa Island]], [[Serranilla Bank]], and [[Wake Island]] is disputed.<ref name="HRI-2012">{{multiref2|{{Cite web|publisher=U.S. State Department |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/179780.htm |title=Common Core Document to U.N. Committee on Human Rights|date=December 30, 2011 |at=Item 22, 27, 80 |access-date=April 6, 2016}}|{{Cite web|publisher=U.S. General Accounting Office Report |url=https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf |title=U.S. Insular Areas: application of the U.S. Constitution |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103093032/https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |date=November 1997 |pages=1, 6, 39n |access-date=April 6, 2016}}}}</ref>}} The country has the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest land area]],{{efn|At {{cvt|9,147,590|km2|order=flip}}, the United States is the third-largest country in the world by land area, behind [[Russia]] and [[China]]. By total area (land and water), it is the third-largest, behind Russia and [[Canada]], if its coastal and territorial water areas are included. However, if only its internal waters are included (bays, sounds, rivers, lakes, and the [[Great Lakes]]), the U.S. is the fourth-largest, after Russia, Canada, and China.
The opening paragraphs on this article are a topic of great debate. Please check the discussion page before editing.
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Coastal/territorial waters included: {{cvt|9,833,517|km2|order=flip}}<ref>{{cite web|title=China|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/|access-date=June 10, 2016|website=[[The World Factbook]]}}</ref>
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Only internal waters included: {{cvt|9,572,900|km2|order=flip}}<ref>{{cite web|title=United States|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/616563/United-States-quick-facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219194413/https://www.britannica.com/topic/616563/United-States-quick-facts|archive-date=December 19, 2013|access-date=January 31, 2010|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>|name=largestcountry}} [[Exclusive economic zone#Rankings by area|largest exclusive economic zone]], and [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third-largest population]], exceeding 334 million.{{efn|The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]]'s latest official population estimate of 334,914,895 residents (2023) is for the 50 states and the District of Columbia; it excludes the 3.6 million residents of the five major [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] and outlying islands. The Census Bureau also provides a continuously updated but unofficial population clock: [https://www.census.gov/popclock/ www.census.gov/popclock]|name=pop clock}} Its three [[Metropolitan statistical areas by population|largest metropolitan areas]] are [[New York metropolitan area|New York]], [[Greater Los Angeles|Los Angeles]], and [[Chicago metropolitan area|Chicago]], and its three [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|most populous states]] are [[California]], [[Texas]], and [[Florida]].


[[Paleo-Indians]] migrated across the [[Bering land bridge]] more than 12,000 years ago, and formed [[History of Native Americans in the United States|various civilizations and societies]]. [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] led to the first settlement of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]] in 1607. Clashes with the [[The Crown|British Crown]] over taxation and [[No taxation without representation|political representation]] sparked the [[American Revolution]], with the [[Second Continental Congress]] formally [[United States Declaration of Independence|declaring independence]] on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the 1775–1783 [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], the country continued to [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expand westward across North America]], resulting in the dispossession of [[Native Americans in the United States|native inhabitants]]. As more states [[Admission to the Union|were admitted]], a [[slave states and free states|North–South division]] over slavery led to the secession of the [[Confederate States of America]], which fought states remaining in [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] in the 1861–1865 [[American Civil War]]. With the victory and preservation of the United States, [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|slavery was abolished nationally]]. By 1900, the country had established itself as a [[great power]], a status solidified after its involvement in [[World War I]]. After [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941, the U.S. [[American entry into World War II|entered World War II]]. [[Aftermath of World War II|Its aftermath]] left the U.S. and the [[Soviet Union]] as the world's two [[superpowers]] and led to the [[Cold War]], during which both countries struggled for [[ideological dominance]] and [[Sphere of influence|international influence]]. Following the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's collapse]] and the [[Cold War (1985–1991)|end of the Cold War]] in 1991, the U.S. [[Superpower#After the Cold War|emerged as the world's sole superpower]], wielding [[American Century|significant geopolitical influence globally]].
--->
The '''United States of America''' ('''USA''' or '''U.S.A.'''), commonly referred to as the '''United States''' ('''US''' or '''U.S.'''), '''America''', and sometimes '''the States''', is a [[federal republic]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge, Second Edition: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind |year=2007 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-37659-8 |page=632}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Onuf |first=Peter S. |title=The Origins of the Federal Republic: Jurisdictional Controversies in the United States, 1775–1787 |year=1983 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location= Philadelphia |isbn=978-0-8122-1167-2}}</ref> consisting of 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and a [[Washington, D.C.|federal district]]. The [[Contiguous United States|48 contiguous states]] and [[Washington, D.C.]], are in central [[North America]] between [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]]. The state of [[Alaska]] is the northwestern part of North America and the state of [[Hawaii]] is an [[archipelago]] in the mid-[[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]]. The country also has five populated and nine unpopulated [[Territories of the United States|territories]] in the Pacific and the [[Caribbean]]. At 3.71&nbsp;million square miles (9.62&nbsp;million km<sup>2</sup>) and with around 318 million people, the United States is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third or fourth-largest country by total area]] and [[List of countries by population|third-largest by population]]. It is one of the world's most [[Multinational state|ethnically diverse]] and [[multicultural]] nations, the product of large-scale [[Immigration to the United States|immigration from many countries]].<ref name="DD">Adams, J.Q.; Strother-Adams, Pearlie (2001). ''Dealing with Diversity''. Chicago: Kendall/Hunt. ISBN 0-7872-8145-X.</ref> The [[geography of the United States|geography]] and [[climate of the United States|climate]] of the United States is also extremely diverse, and it is home to a wide variety of wildlife.


The [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. national government]] is a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[Constitution of the United States|constitutional]] [[federal republic]] and [[liberal democracy]] with [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|three separate branches]]: [[United States Congress|legislative]], [[United States federal executive departments|executive]], and [[Federal judiciary of the United States|judicial]]. It has a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] national legislature composed of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], a [[lower house]] based on population; and the [[United States Senate|Senate]], an [[upper house]] based on equal representation for each state. [[Federalism in the United States|Federalism]] provides substantial autonomy to the 50 states, while [[Politics of the United States|the country's political culture]] promotes [[liberty]], [[Equality before the law|equality]], [[individualism]], [[Left-libertarianism|personal autonomy]], and [[limited government]].
[[Paleo-Indians]] [[Settlement of the Americas|migrated]] from [[Eurasia]] to what is now the U.S. mainland around 15,000 years ago,<ref name=earliest/> with [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]] beginning in the 16th century. The United States emerged from [[Thirteen Colonies|13 British colonies]] located along the [[Atlantic seaboard]]. Disputes between [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and these colonies led to the [[American Revolution]]. On July 4, 1776, as the colonies were fighting Great Britain in the [[American Revolutionary War]], delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously issued the [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]]. The war ended in 1783 with the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|recognition of independence of the United States]] from the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], and was the first successful war of independence against a European [[colonial empire]].<ref>Greene, Jack P.; Pole, J.R., eds. (2008). ''A Companion to the American Revolution''. pp. 352–361.</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Bender, Thomas |title=A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=wQHlrIz4gpYC&pg=PA61 |year=2006 |publisher=Hill & Wang |location=New York |page=61 |isbn=978-0-8090-7235-4}}</ref> The current [[Constitution (United States)|Constitution]] was adopted on September 17, 1787. The first ten amendments, collectively named the [[Bill of Rights (United States)|Bill of Rights]], were ratified in 1791 and guarantee many [[Natural and legal rights|fundamental civil rights and freedoms]].


One of the world's [[List of countries by Human Development Index|most developed countries]], the United States has had the [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|largest nominal GDP since about 1890]] and accounted for over 15% of the [[world economy|global economy]] in 2023.{{efn|Based on [[purchasing power parity|purchasing power]]}} It possesses by far the [[List of countries by total wealth|largest amount of wealth of any country]] and has the [[Disposable household and per capita income#Disposable income per capita (OECD)|highest disposable household income per capita]] among [[OECD]] countries. The U.S. [[International rankings of the United States|ranks among the world's highest]] in [[Global Competitiveness Report#2022 rankings|economic competitiveness]], [[List of countries by labour productivity|productivity]], [[Global Innovation Index|innovation]], [[Human rights in the United States|human rights]], and [[Higher education in the United States|higher education]]. Its [[hard power]] and [[Americanization|cultural influence]] have a global reach. The U.S. is a founding member of the [[World Bank]], [[Organization of American States]], [[NATO]], and the [[United Nations]],{{Efn|Including agencies such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Health Organization]]}} as well as a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member of the UN Security Council]].
Driven by the doctrine of [[manifest destiny]], the United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century.<ref name="MD2007" /> This involved [[American Indian Wars|displacing native tribes]], [[United States territorial acquisitions|acquiring new territories]], and gradually admitting new states.<ref name="MD2007">{{cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |first2=J. Geoffrey |last2=Golson |title=Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America |series=Turning Points in History Series |url=http://books.google.com/?id=ka6LxulZaEwC&vq=annexation&dq=territorial+expansion+United+States+%22manifest+destiny%22 |year=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-833-0 |page=238}}</ref> The [[American Civil War]] ended legal [[slavery in the United States|slavery in the country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967.html |title=The Civil War and emancipation 1861–1865 |work=Africans in America |publisher=WGBH |location=Boston, MA |date=No date |accessdate=March 26, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |editor1-first=Jeffrey H. |editor1-last=Wallenfeldt |author=Britannica Educational Publishing |series=America at War |title=The American Civil War and Reconstruction: People, Politics, and Power |url=http://books.google.com/?id=T_0TrXXiDbUC&dq=slavery+%22American+Civil+War%22 |year=2009 |publisher=Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-61530-045-7 |page=264}}</ref> By the end of the 19th century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean,<ref name="AmCentNYT">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/enwiki/w/white-century.html |title=The American Century |author=White, Donald W. |year=1996 |isbn=0-300-05721-0 |publisher=Yale University Press |chapter=1: The Frontiers |accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> and its economy was the world's largest.<ref>{{cite web |author=Maddison, Angus |url=http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/Historical_Statistics/horizontal-file_09-2008.xls |title=Historical Statistics for the World Economy |publisher=The Groningen Growth and Development Centre, Economics Department of the University of Groningen |location =The Netherlands |year=2006 |accessdate=November 6, 2008}}</ref> The [[Spanish–American War]] and {{nowrap|[[World War I]]}} confirmed the country's status as a global military power. The United States emerged from {{nowrap|[[World War II]]}} as a global [[superpower]], the [[Nuclear weapons and the United States|first country with nuclear weapons]], and a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]]. The end of the [[Cold War]] and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution]] of the [[Soviet Union]] left the United States as the sole superpower.


== Etymology ==
The United States is a [[developed country]] and has the world's [[Economy of the United States|largest national economy]], with an estimated [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] in 2013 of $16.8 trillion—23% of global [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|nominal GDP]] and 19% at [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|purchasing-power parity]].<ref name=IMF_GDP>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/index.aspx|publisher=International Monetary Fund |title=World Economic Outlook Database: United States |date=April 2014 |accessdate=April 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>The [[European Union]] has a larger collective nominal GDP, but is not a single nation. According to the IMF the U.S. has a higher GDP (PPP) than the EU.</ref> The economy is fueled by an abundance of natural resources and high worker productivity,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500395_162-3228735.html |title=U.S. Workers World's Most Productive |publisher=CBS News |date=February 11, 2009 |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref> with per capita GDP being the world's [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|sixth-highest]] in 2010.<ref name="IMF_GDP" /> While the U.S. economy is considered [[post-industrial]], it continues to be one of the world's largest manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web |title= Manufacturing, Jobs and the U.S. Economy |year=2013 |url= http://americanmanufacturing.org/category/issues/jobs-and-economy/manufacturing-jobs-and-us-economy |publisher= Alliance for American Manufacturing}}</ref> The U.S. has the highest mean and fourth highest median [[household income]] in the OECD as well as the highest gross average wage,<ref name="OECD Better Life Index">{{cite web|title=OECD Better Life Index|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/|publisher=OECD Publishing|accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Household Income">{{cite web|title=Household Income|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-at-a-glance-2014_soc_glance-2014-en|work=Society at a Glance 2014: OECD Social Indicators|publisher=OECD Publishing|accessdate=May 29, 2014|doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2014-en |date=March 18, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Average annual wages|url=http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=AV_AN_WAGE|publisher=OECD|accessdate=7 June 2014}}</ref> though it has the fourth most [[Income inequality in the United States|unequal income distribution]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Crisis squeezes income and puts pressure on inequality and poverty|url=http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/OECD2013-Inequality-and-Poverty-8p.pdf|publisher=OECD (2013)|accessdate=July 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.oecd-berlin.de/charts/inequality/index.php?cr=oecd&lg=en Income distribution and poverty – OECD]. [[OECD]]</ref> with roughly 15% of the population [[Poverty in the United States|living in poverty]] as defined by the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census]].<ref name="15% of Americans living in poverty">[http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/17/news/economy/poverty-income/ "15% of Americans living in poverty"] ''CNN.'' September 17, 2013</ref> The country accounts for 36.6% of [[List of countries by military expenditures|global military spending]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=476 |title=Trends in world military expenditure, 2013 |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |date=April 2014 |accessdate=April 14, 2014}}</ref> being the world's foremost economic and military power, a prominent political and cultural force, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovation.<ref>[[#Cohen|Cohen, 2004:History and the Hyperpower]]</ref><ref>[[#BBC18may|BBC, April 2008:Country Profile: United States of America]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.researchtrends.com/issue8-november-2008/geographical-trends-of-research-output/|title=Geographical trends of research output|publisher=Research Trends|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openaccessweek.org/profiles/blogs/the-top-20-countries-for-scientific-output|title=The top 20 countries for scientific output|publisher=Open Access Week|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/about-us/annual-reports-statistics/annual-report/2012/statistics-trends/granted-patents.html|title=Granted patents|publisher=European Patent Office|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref>
{{Further|Names of the United States|Demonyms for the United States|United Colonies}}


The first documented use of the phrase "United States of America" is a letter from January 2, 1776. [[Stephen Moylan]], a [[Continental Army]] aide to General [[George Washington]], wrote to [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]], Washington's [[aide-de-camp]], seeking to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] effort.<ref name="DeLear-2013">{{cite news |last=DeLear |first=Byron |date=July 4, 2013 |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0704/Who-coined-United-States-of-America-Mystery-might-have-intriguing-answer |title=Who coined 'United States of America'? Mystery might have intriguing answer |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston, MA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fay |first=John |date=July 15, 2016 |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-forgotten-Irishman-who-named-the-United-States-of-America.html |title=The forgotten Irishman who named the 'United States of America' |quote=According to the NY Historical Society, Stephen Moylan was the man responsible for the earliest documented use of the phrase 'United States of America'. But who was Stephen Moylan? |work=IrishCentral.com}}</ref> The first known public usage is an [[Anonymous work|anonymous]] essay published in the [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] newspaper, ''[[The Virginia Gazette#Historical papers|The Virginia Gazette]]'', on April&nbsp;6, 1776.<ref name="DeLear-2013"/><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Virginia Gazette|title=To the inhabitants of Virginia |author=((A PLANTER)) |date=April 6, 1776 |location=Williamsburg, Virginia |publisher=Dixon and Hunter's |url=https://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|issue=1287|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219053616/https://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|archive-date=December 19, 2014|volume=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Planter' s Address to the Inhabitants of Virginia |url=https://digital.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/niu-amarch%3A87440 |website=American Archives |publisher=Northern Illinois University |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref> By June 1776, the "United States of America" appeared in the [[Articles of Confederation]]{{sfn|Safire|2003|p=199}}{{sfn|Mostert|2005|p=18}} and the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].{{sfn|Safire|2003|p=199}} The [[Second Continental Congress]] adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.<ref name="Davis7">[[#Davis96|Davis 1996]], p. 7.</ref>
==Etymology==
<!--linked-->
{{See also|Names for United States citizens}}


The term "United States" and the initialism "U.S.", used as nouns or as adjectives in English, are common short names for the country. The initialism "USA", a noun, is also common.<ref>{{cite web |title=Is USA A Noun Or Adjective? |url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/is-usa-a-noun/ |website=Dictionary.com |date=9 March 2017}}</ref> "United States" and "U.S." are the established terms throughout the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]], with prescribed rules.{{efn|The official [[U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual]] has prescribed specific usages for "U.S." and "United States" as part of official names. In "formal writing (treaties, Executive orders, proclamations, etc.); congressional bills; legal citations and courtwork; and covers and title pages",<ref name="gpo-stylemanual" /> "United States" is always used. In a sentence containing the name of another country, "United States" must be used. Otherwise, "U.S." is used preceding a government organization or as an adjective, but "United States" is used as an adjective preceding non-governmental organizations (e.g. [[United States Steel Corporation]]).<ref name="gpo-stylemanual">{{cite book |title=U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual |date=January 12, 2017 |pages=222–223 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/ |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>}} In English, the term "America" rarely refers to topics unrelated to the United States, despite the usage of "the [[Americas]]" as the totality of North and South America.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Kenneth G. |title=The Columbia guide to standard American English |date=1993 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-231-06989-2}}</ref> "The States" is an established colloquial shortening of the name, used particularly from abroad;<ref>{{cite web|website=Longman dictionary|title="The States"|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/the-states|accessdate=September 27, 2024}}</ref> "stateside" is the corresponding adjective or adverb.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-27 |title=Definition of STATESIDE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stateside |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 1507, the German [[cartographer]] [[Martin Waldseemüller]] produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere [[Americas|"America"]] after the Italian explorer and cartographer [[Amerigo Vespucci]] ([[Latin]]: ''Americus Vespucius'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-24-america-turns-500_N.htm?csp=34 |title=Cartographer Put 'America' on the Map 500 years Ago |work=USA Today |location =Washington, D.C. |date=April 24, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=November 30, 2008}}</ref> The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" is from a letter dated January 2, 1776, written by [[Stephen Moylan|Stephen Moylan, Esq.]], [[George Washington|George Washington's]] aide-de-camp and Muster-Master General of the [[Continental Army]]. Addressed to [[Joseph Reed (jurist)|Lt. Col. Joseph Reed]], Moylan expressed his wish to carry the "full and ample powers of the United States of America" to Spain to assist in the revolutionary war effort.<ref>DeLear, Byron (July 4, 2013) [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0704/Who-coined-United-States-of-America-Mystery-might-have-intriguing-answer Who coined 'United States of America'? Mystery might have intriguing answer.] "Historians have long tried to pinpoint exactly when the name 'United States of America' was first used and by whom. A new find suggests the man might have been George Washington himself." ''Christian Science Monitor'' (Boston, MA).</ref>


== History ==
The first publicly published evidence of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymously written essay in ''[[The Virginia Gazette]]'' newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776.<ref>''"To the inhabitants of Virginia," by A PLANTER.'' Dixon and Hunter's [http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16 Virginia Gazette #1287]&nbsp;– April 6, 1776, Williamsburg, Virginia. Letter is also included in [[Peter Force]]'s ''American Archives'' Vol. 5</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Rusty |last=Carter |url =http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-usa-first-0818-20120818,0,4983868.story |title =You read it here first |newspaper =The Virginia Gazette |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120822051820/http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-usa-first-0818-20120818,0,4983868.story |archivedate=August 22, 2012 |date =August 18, 2012 |deadurl=yes |quote=He did a search of the archives and found the letter on the front page of the April 6, 1776, edition, published by Hunter & Dixon.}}</ref> In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson included the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].<ref>DeLear, Byron (August 16, 2012). [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2012/0816/Who-coined-the-name-United-States-of-America-Mystery-gets-new-twist#disqus_thread "Who coined the name 'United States of America'? Mystery gets new twist."] ''Christian Science Monitor'' (Boston, MA).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html |title=Jefferson’s "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence |publisher = Princeton University |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040805235246/http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html |archivedate=August 5, 2004 |year =2004 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> In the final [[Fourth of July]] version of the Declaration, the pertinent section of the title was changed to read, "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America".<!--Do not uppercase "united" here: it is unambiguously lowercased in the Declaration--><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters.html |title=The Charters of Freedom |publisher=National Archives |accessdate=June 20, 2007}}</ref> In 1777 the [[Articles of Confederation]] announced, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'".<ref>{{cite book|author=Mary Mostert|title=The Threat of Anarchy Leads to the Constitution of the United States|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jntSQ-yn66AC&pg=PA18|year=2005|publisher=CTR Publishing, Inc|page=18|isbn=978-0-9753851-4-2}}</ref>
{{Main|History of the United States}}
{{For outline|Outline of the history of the United States}}


=== Indigenous peoples ===
The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms include the "U.S.", the "U.S.A.", and "America". Colloquial names include the "U.S. of A." and, internationally, the "States". "[[Columbia (name)|Columbia]]", a name popular in poetry and songs of the late 1700s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Get to Know D.C. |url= http://www.historydc.org/aboutdc.aspx|publisher=Historical Society of Washington, D.C. |accessdate=July 11, 2011}}</ref> derives its origin from [[Christopher Columbus]]; it appears in the name "[[District of Columbia]]". In non-English languages, the name is frequently translated as the translation of either the "United States" or "United States of America", and colloquially as "America". In addition, an abbreviation (e.g. USA) is sometimes used.<ref>For example, the U.S. embassy in Spain calls itself the embassy of the "Estados Unidos", literally the words "states" and "united", and also uses the initials "EE.UU.", the doubled letters implying plural use in Spanish [http://spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov/] Elsewhere on the site "Estados Unidos de América" is used [http://spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov/es/educacion/benjamin_2013.html]</ref>
{{Main|History of Native Americans in the United States}}
{{Further|Native Americans in the United States|Pre-Columbian era}}


[[File:Extreme Makeover, Mesa Verde Edition - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Cliff Palace]], a settlement of [[Ancestral Puebloans|ancestors of]] the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[Pueblo peoples]] in present-day [[Montezuma County, Colorado]], built between {{Circa|1200 and 1275}}<ref>[https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cliff-palace "Cliff Palace"] at Colorado Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 31, 2024</ref>]]
The phrase "United States" was originally treated as plural, a description of a collection of independent states—e.g., "the United States are"—including in the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], ratified in 1865. It became common to treat it as singular, a single unit—e.g., "the United States is"—after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard; the plural form is retained in the idiom "these United States".<ref name=zimmer>{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002663.html |author=Zimmer, Benjamin |date=November 24, 2005 |title=Life in These, Uh, This United States |publisher=University of Pennsylvania—Language Log |accessdate=January 5, 2013}}</ref> The difference has been described as more significant than one of usage, but reflecting the difference between a collection of states and a unit.<ref>G. H. Emerson, ''The Universalist Quarterly and General Review'', Vol. 28 (Jan. 1891), p. 49, quoted in Zimmer paper above.</ref>
The [[Paleo-Indians|first inhabitants of North America]] migrated from [[Siberia]] across the [[Bering land bridge]] about 12,000 years ago;{{sfn|Erlandson|Rick|Vellanoweth|2008|p=19}}{{sfn|Savage|2011|page=55}} the [[Clovis culture]], which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to be the first widespread culture in the Americas.{{sfn|Waters|Stafford|2007|pages=1122–1126}}{{sfn|Flannery|2015|pages=173–185}} Over time, indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the [[Mississippian culture]], developed [[Eastern Agricultural Complex|agriculture]], [[Southeastern Ceremonial Complex|architecture]], and [[complex societies]].{{sfn|Lockard|2010|page=315}} In the [[History of Native Americans in the United States#Post-Archaic stage|post-archaic period]], the Mississippian cultures were located in the [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]], [[Eastern United States|eastern]], and [[Southern United States|southern]] regions, and the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] in the [[Great Lakes region]] and along the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]], while the [[Hohokam culture]] and [[Ancestral Puebloans]] inhabited the [[American Southwest|southwest]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Johansen |first=Bruce |title=The Native Peoples of North America: A History, Volume 1 |year=2006 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-3899-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yiKgBuSUPUIC&dq=native+american+history+archaic+period&pg=PA51}}</ref> [[Population history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native population estimates]] of what is now the United States before the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000{{sfn|Thornton|1998|page=34}}{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}} to nearly 10 million.{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}}{{sfn|Haines|Haines|Steckel|2000|page=12}}


=== European settlement and conflict (1607&ndash;1765) ===
The standard way to refer to a citizen of the United States is as an "[[Americans|American]]". "United States", "American" and "U.S." are used to refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S.&nbsp;forces"). "[[American (word)|American]]" is rarely used in English to refer to subjects not connected with the United States.<ref>Wilson, Kenneth G. (1993). ''The Columbia Guide to Standard American English''. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-231-06989-8.</ref>
{{Main|Colonial history of the United States|Colonial American military history}}
{{See also|European colonization of the Americas}}
[[File:Nouvelle-France map-en.svg|thumb|The [[Colonial history of the United States|1750 colonial possessions]] of [[British colonization of the Americas|Britain]] (in pink and purple), [[New France|France]] (in blue), and [[Kingdom of Spain|Spain]] (in orange) in present-day [[Canada]] and the United States]]


[[Christopher Columbus]] began exploring the [[Caribbean]] for Spain in 1492, leading to [[Spanish Empire|Spanish-speaking settlements and missions]] from Puerto Rico and Florida to [[New Mexico]] and [[California]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Frederick T. |year=1932 |title=The Record of Ponce de Leon's Discovery of Florida, 1513 |url=http://palmm.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/ucf%3A21231 |journal=The QUARTERLY Periodical of THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY |volume=XI |issue=1 |pages=5–6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Florida Center for Instructional Technology |url=https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/menendz/menendz1.htm |title=A Short History of Florida |date=2002 |publisher=University of South Florida |chapter=Pedro Menendez de Aviles Claims Florida for Spain}}<!--Online textbook for Florida public schools.--></ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 28, 2015 |title=Not So Fast, Jamestown: St. Augustine Was Here First |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/02/28/389682893/not-so-fast-jamestown-st-augustine-was-here-first |access-date=March 5, 2021 |publisher=NPR |language=en}}</ref> [[Kingdom of France|France]] established [[New France|its own settlements]] along the [[Great Lakes]], [[Mississippi River]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref name="Petto20072">{{cite book |author=Petto |first=Christine Marie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ZiaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA125 |title=When France Was King of Cartography: The Patronage and Production of Maps in Early Modern France |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7391-6247-7 |page=125}}</ref> [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] of the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] began with the [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia Colony]] (1607) and [[Plymouth Colony]] (1620).<ref name="Jr.Selby20182">{{cite book |last1=Seelye |first1=James E. Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgVnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA344 |title=Shaping North America: From Exploration to the American Revolution &#91;3 volumes&#93; |last2=Selby |first2=Shawn |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4408-3669-5 |page=344}}</ref><ref name="BellahSullivan20062">{{cite book |last1=Bellah |first1=Robert Neelly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DQHmykT6u4C&pg=PA220 |title=Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life |last2=Madsen |first2=Richard |last3=Sullivan |first3=William M. |last4=Swidler |first4=Ann |last5=Tipton |first5=Steven M. |publisher=University of California Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-520-05388-5 |page=220 |ol=7708974M}}</ref> The [[Mayflower Compact]] and the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut]] established precedents for representative [[self-governance]] and [[constitutionalism]] that would develop throughout the American colonies.<ref name="Remini2–32">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Remini|2007|pp=2–3}}</ref><ref name="Johnson26–302">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Johnson|1997|pp=26–30}}</ref> While European settlers in what is now the United States experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 6</ref>{{efn|From the late 15th century, the [[Columbian exchange]] had been catastrophic for native populations throughout the Americas. It is estimated [[Virgin soil epidemic|that up to 95 percent of the indigenous populations]], especially in the Caribbean, [[Native American disease and epidemics|perished from infectious diseases during the years following European colonization]];<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ehrenpreis |first1=Jamie E. |last2=Ehrenpreis |first2=Eli D. |date=April 2022 |title=A Historical Perspective of Healthcare Disparity and Infectious Disease in the Native American Population |journal=The American Journal of the Medical Sciences |volume=363 |issue=4 |pages=288–294 |doi=10.1016/j.amjms.2022.01.005 |issn=0002-9629 |pmc=8785365 |pmid=35085528}}</ref> remaining populations were often displaced by European expansion.{{sfn|Joseph|2016|page=590}}<ref>[[#Stannard|Stannard, 1993]] p. [[iarchive:americanholocaus00stan|xii]]</ref>}} Relations ranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonial authorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref> Along the eastern seaboard, settlers [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|trafficked African slaves]] through the [[Atlantic slave trade]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Hugh |url=https://archive.org/details/slavetradestoryo00thom/page/516 |title=The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440{{ndash}}1870 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1997 |isbn=0-684-83565-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/slavetradestoryo00thom/page/516 516] |url-access=registration}}</ref>
==History==
{{Main|History of the United States|Timeline of United States history}}


The original [[Thirteen Colonies]]{{efn|[[Province of New Hampshire|New Hampshire]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]], [[Connecticut Colony|Connecticut]], [[Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations|Rhode Island]], [[Province of New York|New York]], [[Province of New Jersey|New Jersey]], [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], [[Delaware Colony|Delaware]], [[Province of Maryland|Maryland]], [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]], [[Province of North Carolina|North Carolina]], [[Province of South Carolina|South Carolina]], and [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]]}} that would later found the United States were administered as possessions of [[British Empire|Great Britain]],<ref name="BilhartzElliott20072">{{cite book |author1=Bilhartz, Terry D. |url=https://archive.org/details/currentsinameric0000bilh |title=Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States |author2=Elliott, Alan C. |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7656-1817-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref> and had [[Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies|local governments with elections open to most white male property owners]].<ref name="Wood19982">{{cite book |author=Wood |first=Gordon S. |url=https://archive.org/details/creationofameric0000wood_r7v4 |title=The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 |publisher=UNC Press Books |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8078-4723-7 |page=263}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Ratcliffe |first=Donald |year=2013 |title=The Right to Vote and the Rise of Democracy, 1787–1828 |journal=Journal of the Early Republic |volume=33 |issue=2 |page=220 |doi=10.1353/jer.2013.0033 |s2cid=145135025 | issn=0275-1275}}</ref> The colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations;<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 38–39</ref> by the 1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 35</ref> The colonies' distance from Britain allowed for the development of self-governance,<ref>{{cite book |author=Otis |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_52678 |title=The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved |year=1763 |isbn=978-0-665-52678-7}}</ref> and the [[First Great Awakening]], a series of [[Christian revival]]s, fueled colonial interest in [[Freedom of religion|religious liberty]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Foner |first1=Eric |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone |title=The Story of American Freedom |date=1998 |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=978-0-393-04665-6 |edition=1st |pages=[https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone/page/4 4]–5 |quote=story of American freedom. |url-access=registration}}</ref>
===Native American and European contact===
{{Further|Pre-Columbian era|Colonial history of the United States}}
[[File:Indians giving a talk to Bouquet.jpg|thumb|170px|Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764]]
The first North American settlers [[Models of migration to the New World|migrated]] from [[Siberia]] by way of the [[Beringia|Bering land bridge]] approximately 15,000 or more years ago.<ref name=earliest>{{cite news|title=Who was first? New info on North America's earliest residents|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/12/science/la-sci-sn-paisley-caves-20120712|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 12, 2012|first=Thomas H.|last=Maugh II}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128083459/http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archivedate=November 28, 2007 |ref=HumanOrigins |title=What is the earliest evidence of the peopling of North and South America? |publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History |date=June 2004 |accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Nicolas |last=Kudeba |url=http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/chapter-1-first-big-steppe/ |title=Chapter 1 – The First Big Steppe – Aboriginal Canadian History |website=The History of Canada Podcast |date=February 28, 2014 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140301013552/http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/chapter-1-first-big-steppe/ |archivedate=March 1, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Some, such as the [[pre-Columbian]] [[Mississippian culture]], developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. After European explorers and traders made the first contacts, the [[Population history of indigenous peoples of the Americas|native population declined]] due to various reasons, including diseases such as [[smallpox]] and [[measles]],<ref>"''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qubTdDk1H3IC&pg=PA205 The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology]''". Arthur C. Aufderheide, Conrado Rodríguez-Martín, Odin Langsjoen (1998). [[Cambridge University Press]]. p. 205. ISBN 0-521-55203-6</ref><ref>[[#Bianchine|Bianchine, Russo, 1992]] pp. 225–232</ref> [[Interracial marriage|intermarriage]],<ref>[[#Mann|Mann, 2005]] p. 44</ref> and [[American Indian Wars|violence]].<ref>[[#Thornton|Thornton, 1987]] p. 49</ref><ref>[[#Kessel|Kessel, 2005]] pp. 142–143</ref><ref>[[#Mercer|Mercer Country Historical Society, 2005]]</ref>


For a century, the American colonists [[French and Indian Wars|had been providing their own troops and materiel in conflicts with indigenous peoples allied with Britain's colonial rivals]], especially France, and the Americans had begun to develop a sense of self-defense and self-reliance separate from Britain. The [[French and Indian War]] (1754&ndash;1763) took on new significance for all North American colonists after Parliament under [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]] concluded that major military resources needed to be devoted to North America to win the war against France. For the first time, the continent became one of the main theaters of what could be termed a "[[world war]]". The British colonies' position as an integral part of the [[British Empire]] became more apparent during the war, with British military and civilian officials becoming a more significant presence in American life.
In the early days of colonization many settlers were subject to shortages of food, disease and attacks from Native Americans. Native Americans were also often at war with neighboring tribes and allied with Europeans in their colonial wars.<ref>[[#Juergens|Juergens, 2011]], p. 69</ref> At the same time however many natives and settlers came to depend on each other. Settlers traded for food and animal pelts, natives for guns, ammunition and other European wares.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 6</ref> Natives taught many settlers where, when and how to cultivate corn, beans and squash in the frontier. European missionaries and others felt it was important to "civilize" the Indians and urged them to concentrate on farming and ranching without depending on hunting and gathering.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref>


The war increased a sense of American identity as well. Men who otherwise never left their own colony [[Provincial troops in the French and Indian Wars|now traveled across the continent to fight alongside men from decidedly different backgrounds]] but who were no less "American". British officers trained American officers for battle, most notably [[George Washington in the French and Indian War|George Washington]]; these officers would lend their skills and expertise to the colonists' cause during the American Revolutionary War to come. In addition, [[Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies|colonial legislatures and officials]] found it necessary to cooperate intensively in pursuit of a coordinated, continent-wide military effort.<ref name="anderson">Fred Anderson, ''The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War'' (2006)</ref> Finally, deteriorating relations between the British military establishment and the colonists, relations that were already less than positive, set the stage for further distrust and dislike of British troops.
===Settlements===
{{further|European colonization of the Americas|13 colonies}}
After [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]' [[Columbus's first voyage|first voyage]] to the [[New World]] in 1492 other explorers and settlement followed into the Floridas and the American Southwest.<ref name=Taylor_pp33-34>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 33–34</ref><ref name=Taylor_p72_74>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 72, 74</ref> There were also some [[French colonization of the Americas|French attempts]] to colonize the east coast, and later more successful settlements along the [[Mississippi River]]. Successful English settlement on the eastern coast of North America began with the Virginia Colony in 1607 at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] and the [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims']] [[Plymouth Colony]] in 1620. Early experiments in communal living failed until the introduction of private farm holdings.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 29–31</ref> Many settlers were devoted [[Christianity|Christians]] who came seeking [[freedom of religion|freedom to practice their faith]] in the way they felt led.<ref> Thacher, James, M.D., A.A.S.. History of the Town of Plymouth: From Its First Settlement in 1620, to the year 1832. Boston: Marsh, Capon and Lyon. 1832. pg. 281-.http://books.google.com/books?id=IWWLjiaEs2AC&printsec=frontcover&dq=plymouth+first+settlers+christian&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gRS</ref> The continent's first elected legislative assembly, Virginia's [[House of Burgesses]] created in 1619, and the [[Mayflower Compact]], signed by the Pilgrims before disembarking, established precedents for the pattern of representative self-government and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the American colonies.<ref>[[#Remini|Remini, 2007]], pp. 2–3</ref><ref>[[#Johnson|Johnson, 1997]], pp. 26–30</ref><ref>Baylies, Francis. An historical memoir of the colony of New Plymouth. Vol. 1 from 1620 to 1641. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little and Wilkins. 1830. pg. 29-30. http://books.google.com/books?id=27UNAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=christianity&f=false</ref>


===American Revolution and the early republic (1765&ndash;1800)===
[[File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg|thumb|The signing of the [[Mayflower Compact]], 1620]]
{{Main|American Revolution|American Revolutionary War}}
Most settlers in every colony were small farmers, but other industries developed. Cash crops included tobacco, rice and wheat. Extraction industries grew up in furs, fishing and lumber. Manufacturers produced rum and ships and by the late colonial period Americans were producing one-seventh of the world's iron supply.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], chapter 3</ref> Cities eventually dotted the coast to support local economies and serve as trade hubs. English colonists were supplemented by waves of [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]] and other groups. As coastal land grew more expensive freed [[indentured servant]]s pushed further west.<ref>[[#Lemon|Lemon, 1987]]</ref> Slave cultivation of cash crops began with the Spanish in the 1500s, and was adopted by the English, but life expectancy was much higher in North America because of less disease and better food and treatment, so the numbers of slaves grew rapidly.<ref>Clingan, 2000, p. 13</ref><ref>[[#Tadman|Tadman, 2000]], p. 1534</ref><ref>[[#Schneider|Schneider, 2007]], p. 484</ref> Colonial society was largely divided over the religious and moral implications of slavery and colonies passed acts for and against the practice.<ref name=Lien522>[[#Lien|Lien, 1913]], p. 522</ref><ref name=Davis7>[[#Davis|Davis, 1996]], p. 7</ref> But by the turn of the 18th century, African slaves were replacing indentured servants for cash crop labor, especially in southern regions.<ref name="Quirk2011">[[#Quirk|Quirk, 2011]], p. 195</ref>
{{Further|History of the United States (1776–1789)|History of the United States (1789–1815)}}
[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|alt=See caption|thumb|''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', a portrait by [[John Trumbull]] depicting the [[Committee of Five]] presenting the draft of [[United States Declaration of Independence|the Declaration]] to the [[Second Continental Congress|Continental Congress]] on June 28, 1776, in [[Philadelphia]]]]
Following their victory in the French and Indian War, Britain began to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, resulting in [[American Revolution|colonial political resistance]]; one of the primary colonial grievances was a denial of their [[Rights of Englishmen|rights as Englishmen]], particularly the right to [[No taxation without representation|representation in the British government that taxed them]]. To demonstrate their dissatisfaction and resolve, the [[First Continental Congress]] met in 1774 and passed the [[Continental Association]], a colonial boycott of British goods that proved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted in the 1775 [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], igniting the [[American Revolutionary War]]. At the [[Second Continental Congress]], the colonies appointed [[George Washington]] commander-in-chief of the [[Continental Army]], and created [[Committee of Five|a committee]] that named [[Thomas Jefferson]] to draft the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. Two days after passing the [[Lee Resolution]] to create an independent nation the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.<ref name="YoungNash20112">{{cite book |author1=Fabian Young, Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEzaLJ4u_MEC&pg=PA4 |title=Revolutionary Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation |author2=Nash, Gary B. |author3=Raphael, Ray |publisher=Random House Digital |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-307-27110-5 |pages=4–7}}</ref> The [[American Enlightenment|political values of the American Revolution]] included [[liberty]]'','' [[Natural rights and legal rights|inalienable individual rights]]; and the [[Popular sovereignty|sovereignty of the people]];<ref>Yick Wo vs. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 370</ref> supporting [[Republicanism in the United States|republicanism]] and rejecting [[monarchy]], [[aristocracy]], and all hereditary political power; [[civic virtue]]; and vilification of [[political corruption]].<ref>Richard Buel, ''Securing the Revolution: Ideology in American Politics, 1789–1815'' (1972)</ref> The [[Founding Fathers of the United States]], who included Washington, Jefferson, [[John Adams]], [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jay]], [[James Madison]], [[Thomas Paine]], and many others, were inspired by [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman]], [[Renaissance]], and [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] philosophies and ideas.<ref>Becker et al (2002), ch 1</ref><ref name="SEoP-2006">{{cite web |date=June 19, 2006 |title=Republicanism |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/republicanism/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref>


The [[Articles of Confederation]] were ratified in 1781 and established a decentralized government that operated until 1789.<ref name="YoungNash20112" /> After the British surrender at the [[siege of Yorktown]] in 1781 American sovereignty was internationally recognized by the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] (1783), through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada, and south to [[Spanish Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |editor-last=Miller |editor-first=Hunter |title=British-American Diplomacy: The Paris Peace Treaty of September 30, 1783 |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp |publisher=The Avalon Project at Yale Law School}}</ref> The [[Northwest Ordinance]] (1787) established the precedent by which the country's territory would expand with the [[Admission to the Union|admission of new states]], rather than the expansion of existing states.<ref>Shōsuke Satō, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=PY0VAAAAYAAJ History of the land question in the United States]'', Johns Hopkins University, (1886), p. 352</ref> The [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]] was drafted at the 1787 [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] to overcome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creating a [[federal republic]] governed by [[Separation of powers|three separate branches]] that together ensured a system of [[checks and balances]].{{sfn|Foner|2020|p=524}} George Washington [[1788–89 United States presidential election|was elected]] the country's first president under the Constitution, and the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] was adopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the more centralized government.{{sfn|OpenStax|2014|loc=§ [https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/8-1-competing-visions-federalists-and-democratic-republicans 8.1]}}{{sfn|Foner|2020|pp=538-540}} [[George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief|His resignation as commander-in-chief]] after the Revolutionary War and his later refusal to run for a third term as the country's first president established a precedent for the supremacy of civil authority in the United States and the [[Peaceful transition of power|peaceful transfer of power]], respectively.<ref name="BoyerJr.20072">[[#Boyer|Boyer, 2007]], pp. 192–193</ref>{{sfn|OpenStax|2014|loc=§ [https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/8-1-competing-visions-federalists-and-democratic-republicans 8.3]}}
With the colonization of [[Georgia Colony|Georgia]] in 1732, the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] that would become the United States of America were established.<ref name="BilhartzElliott2007">{{cite book |author1=Bilhartz, Terry D. |author2=Elliott, Alan C. |title=Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=J65Z_Ura2EIC&pg=PA7 |year=2007|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-1817-7}}</ref> All had local governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient [[rights of Englishmen]] and a sense of self-government stimulating support for republicanism.<ref name="Wood1998">{{cite book |author=Wood, Gordon S. |title=The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kdDRJLxBhl4C&pg=PA263 |year=1998|publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-0-8078-4723-7|page=263}}</ref> With extremely high birth rates, low death rates, and steady settlement, the colonial population grew rapidly. Relatively small Native American populations were eclipsed.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 38–39</ref> The [[Christian revival]]ist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the [[First Great Awakening|Great Awakening]] fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty.


===Westward expansion and Civil War (1800&ndash;1865)===
In the [[French and Indian War]], British forces seized Canada from the French, but the [[francophone]] population remained politically isolated from the southern colonies. Excluding the [[Native Americans (United States)|Native Americans]], who were being conquered and displaced, those 13 colonies had a population of over 2.1 million in 1770, about one-third that of Britain. Despite continuing new arrivals, the rate of natural increase was such that by the 1770s only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 35</ref> The colonies' distance from Britain had allowed the development of self-government, but their success motivated monarchs to periodically seek to reassert Royal authority.
{{Further||History of the United States (1815–1849)|History of the United States (1849–1865)}}
[[File:U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png|thumb|Historical [[Territorial evolution of the United States|territorial expansion of the United States]]]]
[[File:US map 1864 Civil War divisions.svg|thumb|Division of the states during the [[American Civil War]]:
{{legend|#204A87|[[Union (American Civil War)|Union states]]}}
{{legend|#729FCF|[[Border states (American Civil War)|Border states]]}}
{{legend|#A40000|[[Confederate States of America|Confederate states]]}}
{{legend|#D3D7CF|[[Territories of the United States|Territories]]}}]]


The [[Louisiana Purchase]] of 1803 from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |url=https://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf |access-date=March 1, 2011 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harriss |first=Joseph A. |title=How the Louisiana Purchase Changed the World |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-louisiana-purchase-changed-the-world-79715124/ |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> [[Origins of the War of 1812|Lingering issues with Britain remained]], leading to the [[War of 1812]], which was fought to a draw.<ref name="Wait19992">{{cite book |last=Wait |first=Eugene M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&pg=PA78 |title=America and the War of 1812 |publisher=Nova Publishers |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-56072-644-9 |page=78}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 10, 2024 |title=War of 1812 |url=http://public2.nhhcaws.local/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/1812.html |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]] |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain ceded Florida]] and its Gulf Coast territory in 1819.<ref name="KloseJones19942">{{cite book |author1=Klose, Nelson |url=https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150 |title=United States History to 1877 |author2=Jones, Robert F. |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-8120-1834-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150 150]}}</ref> In the late 18th century, American settlers began to [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expand westward]], many with a sense of [[manifest destiny]].<ref name="MD20072">{{Cite book |last1=Carlisle |first1=Rodney P. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/659807062 |title=Manifest destiny and the expansion of America |last2=Golson |first2=J. Geoffrey |date=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-834-7 |series=Turning Points in History Series |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |page=238 |oclc=659807062}}</ref>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|p=41–43}} The [[Missouri Compromise]] attempted to balance the desire of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories with that of southern states to extend it, admitting [[Missouri]] as a [[Slave states and free states|slave state]] and [[Maine#Statehood|Maine]] as a free state. It further prohibited slavery in all other lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of the [[parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ parallel]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hammond|first=John Craig|date=March 2019|title=President, Planter, Politician: James Monroe, the Missouri Crisis, and the Politics of Slavery|journal=Journal of American History|volume=105|issue=4|pages=843–867|doi=10.1093/jahist/jaz002}}</ref> As Americans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans, the federal government often applied [[Federal Indian Policy|policies]] of [[Indian removal]] or [[Cultural assimilation of Native Americans|assimilation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frymer |first=Paul |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/981954623 |title=Building an American empire : the era of territorial and political expansion |date=2017 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=978-1-4008-8535-0 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |oclc=981954623}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Calloway |first=Colin G. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1035393060 |title=First peoples : a documentary survey of American Indian history |date=2019 |publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning |isbn=978-1-319-10491-7 |edition=6th |location=Boston |oclc=1035393060}}</ref> The [[Trail of Tears]] (1830–1850) was a U.S. government policy that forcibly removed and displaced most Native Americans living east of the [[Mississippi River]] to lands far to the west. These and earlier organized displacements prompted a long series of [[American Indian Wars]] west of the Mississippi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michno |first=Gregory |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850–1890 |date=2003 |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing |isbn=978-0-87842-468-9}}</ref><ref name="BillingtonRidge2001j2">{{cite book |author1=Billington, Ray Allen |url=https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22 |title=Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier |author2=Ridge, Martin |publisher=UNM Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8263-1981-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22 22] |author-link2=Martin Ridge (historian)}}</ref> The [[Republic of Texas]] was [[Texas annexation|annexed]] in 1845,<ref name="Morrison19992">{{cite book |author=Morrison, Michael A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTaxzMlkVEMC&pg=PA13 |title=Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War |date=April 28, 1997 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-4796-1 |pages=13–21}}</ref> and the 1846 [[Oregon Treaty]] led to U.S. control of the present-day [[Northwestern United States|American Northwest]].<ref name="Kemp20102">{{cite book |author=Kemp, Roger L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA180 |title=Documents of American Democracy: A Collection of Essential Works |publisher=McFarland |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7864-4210-2 |page=180 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> Victory in the [[Mexican–American War]] resulted in the 1848 [[Mexican Cession]] of California, Nevada, Utah, and much of present-day Colorado and the [[Southwestern United States|American Southwest]].<ref name="MD20072" /><ref name="McIlwraithMuller20012">{{cite book |author1=McIlwraith, Thomas F. |url=https://archive.org/details/northamericahist00mcil/page/61 |title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent |author2=Muller, Edward K. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7425-0019-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/northamericahist00mcil/page/61 61] |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> The [[California gold rush]] of 1848–1849 spurred a huge migration of white settlers to the Pacific coast, leading to even more confrontations with Native populations. One of the most violent, the [[California genocide]] of thousands of Native inhabitants, lasted into the early 1870s,<ref>
===Independence and expansion===
* {{harvnb|Meyer|Snow|Snow|Cohen|Meyer|Thornton|Grinde|Dilworth|2001|loc=From 1800 to 1900}}: "The discovery of gold in California in 1848 proved a momentous watershed for native people in the West. Hordes of single men stampeded to find fortune. Unrestrained by family, community, or church, they decimated the native population near the goldfields. California natives suffered the most complete genocide in U.S. history."
[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Trumbull's Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]'': the [[Committee of Five]] presenting their draft to the [[Second Continental Congress]] in 1776]]
* {{cite web|url=https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/revealing-the-history-of-genocide-against-californias-native-americans|title=Revealing the history of genocide against California's Native Americans|last=Wolf|first=Jessica|website=UCLA Newsroom|language=en|access-date=July 8, 2018}}
{{further|American Revolutionary War|United States Declaration of Independence|American Revolution}}
* {{Cite book|last=Madley |first=Benjamin |date=2016 |title=An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873. |publisher=Yale University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/americangenocide0000madl |url-access=registration |isbn= 9780300230697}}
The [[American Revolutionary War]] was the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Americans had developed an ideology of [[Republicanism in the United States|"republicanism"]] that held government rested on the will of the people as expressed in their local legislatures. They demanded their rights as Englishmen, “no taxation without representation”. The British insisted on administering the empire through Parliament, and [[American Revolution|the conflict]] escalated into war.<ref name="Humphrey2003">{{cite book |author=Humphrey, Carol Sue |title=The Revolutionary Era: Primary Documents on Events from 1776 To 1800 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=19NWMZ6Ec_sC&pg=PA8 |year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing |isbn=978-0-313-32083-5|pages=8–10}}</ref> The Congress adopted the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], on July 4, 1776, proclaiming that humanity is created equal in their unalienable rights, asserting those rights were not protected by Great Britain, and declaring that the [[13 colonies]] had no allegiance to the British crown in the United States. That date is now celebrated annually as America's [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]]. In 1777, the [[Articles of Confederation]] established a weak government that operated until 1789.<ref name="YoungNash2011">{{cite book |author1=Fabian Young, Alfred |author2=Nash, Gary B. |author3=Raphael, Ray |title=Revolutionary Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QEzaLJ4u_MEC&pg=PA4 |year=2011|publisher=Random House Digital |isbn=978-0-307-27110-5 |pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{harvnb|Smithers|2012|p=339}}: "The genocidal intent of California settlers and government officials was acted out in numerous battles and massacres (and aided by technological advances in weaponry, especially after the Civil War), in the abduction and sexual abuse of Indian women, and in the economic exploitation of Indian child labourers"
* {{harvnb|Blackhawk|2023|p=38}}: "With these works, a near consensus emerged. By most scholarly definitions and consistent with the UN Convention, these scholars all asserted that genocide against at least some Indigenous peoples had occurred in North America following colonisation, perpetuated first by colonial empires and then by independent nation-states"</ref> just as additional western territories and states were created.<ref name="Rawls1999">{{cite book|author=Rawls, James J.|title=A Golden State: Mining and Economic Development in Gold Rush California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPUsIaHZTm0C&pg=PA20|year=1999|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21771-3|page=20}}</ref>


During the colonial period, [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|slavery had been legal in the American colonies]], though the practice began to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Wright|2y=2022}} States in [[Northern United States|the North]] enacted [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolition laws]],{{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Rodriguez|2y=2015|2p=XXXIV|3a1=Wright|3y=2022}} though support for slavery strengthened in [[Southern United States|Southern states]], as inventions such as the [[cotton gin]] made the institution increasingly profitable for [[Planter class|Southern elites]].<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 43</ref><ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], pp. 27,29</ref>{{sfn|Walker Howe|2007|p=478, 481–482, 587–588}} This [[Slave states and free states|sectional conflict]] regarding slavery [[Origins of the American Civil War|culminated]] in the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865).<ref>{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Stuart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_sy7mmmxQC&pg=PA76 |title=Atlas of American Military History |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-4381-3025-5 |page=76 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Harold T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr-xNru5vZkC&pg=PA53 |title=Christian Social Witness |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-56101-188-9 |page=53}}</ref><ref name="Woods 2012 pp. 415–4392">{{cite journal |last=Woods |first=Michael E. |year=2012 |title=What Twenty-First-Century Historians Have Said about the Causes of Disunion: A Civil War Sesquicentennial Review of the Recent Literature |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44306803 |journal=The Journal of American History |publisher=[Oxford University Press, Organization of American Historians] |volume=99 |issue=2 |pages=415–439 |doi=10.1093/jahist/jas272 |issn=0021-8723 |jstor=44306803 |access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref> Eleven slave states [[seceded]] and formed the [[Confederate States of America]], while the other states remained in [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]].<ref name="Silkenat 2019 p. 252">{{cite book |last=Silkenat |first=D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHWKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |title=Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4696-4973-3 |series=Civil War America |page=25 |access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|p=236}} War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederates [[Battle of Fort Sumter|bombarded Fort Sumter]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Vinovskis |first=Maris |title=Toward A Social History of the American Civil War: Exploratory Essays |date=1990 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-39559-5 |location=Cambridge; New York |page=4}}</ref>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|pp=273–274}} After the January 1863 [[Emancipation Proclamation]], many freed slaves joined the [[Union army]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/ |title=The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War|work=[[National Archives and Records Administration|U.S. National Archives and Records Administration]]|date=August 15, 2016|quote=By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy.}}</ref> The war [[Turning point of the American Civil War|began to turn in the Union's favor]] following the 1863 [[Siege of Vicksburg]] and [[Battle of Gettysburg]], and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the [[Battle of Appomattox Court House]].<ref>Davis, Jefferson. [https://archive.org/stream/ashorthistoryco00davigoog#page/n544/mode/2up/search/surrender+at+Appomattox ''A Short History of the Confederate States of America''], 1890, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-175-82358-8}}. Available free online as an ebook. Chapter LXXXVIII, "Re-establishment of the Union by force", p. 503. Retrieved March 14, 2012.</ref> The [[Reconstruction era]] followed the war. After [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|the assassination]] of President [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Reconstruction Amendments]] were passed to [[Civil rights movement (1865–1896)|protect the rights of African Americans]]. National infrastructure, including [[First transcontinental telegraph|transcontinental telegraph]] and [[First transcontinental railroad|railroads]], spurred growth in the [[American frontier]].<ref name="Black2011kj2">{{cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIst_CSWOqIC&pg=PA275 |title=Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519–1871 |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-253-35660-4 |page=275 |author-link=Jeremy Black (historian)}}</ref>
Britain recognized the independence of the United States following their defeat at [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]].<ref>Greene and Pole, ''A Companion to the American Revolution'' p 357. Jonathan R. Dull, ''A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution'' (1987) p. 161. Lawrence S. Kaplan, "The Treaty of Paris, 1783: A Historiographical Challenge," ''International History Review,'' Sept 1983, Vol. 5 Issue 3, pp 431–442</ref> In the [[Treaty of Paris 1783|peace treaty of 1783]], American sovereignty was recognized from the Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River. Nationalists led the [[Philadelphia Convention]] of 1787 in writing the [[United States Constitution]], and it was [[Ratification of the United States Constitution|ratified]] in state conventions in 1788. The federal government was reorganized into three branches for their checks and balances in 1789. [[George Washington]], who had led the revolutionary army to victory, was the first [[President of the United States|president]] elected under the new constitution. The [[Bill of Rights (United States)|Bill of Rights]], forbidding federal restriction of [[Natural rights|personal freedoms]] and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, was adopted in 1791.<ref name="BoyerJr.2007">[[#Boyer|Boyer, 2007]], pp. 192–193</ref>


=== Post&ndash;Civil War era (1865&ndash;1917) ===
Although the federal government criminalized the international slave trade in 1808, after 1820 cultivation of the highly profitable cotton crop exploded in the [[Deep South]], and along with it the slave population.<ref name="Cogliano2008">{{cite book |author=Cogliano, Francis D. |title=Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1f-wAfE0mpsC&pg=PA219 |year=2008 |publisher=University of Virginia Press|isbn=978-0-8139-2733-6|page=219}}</ref><ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 43</ref><ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], pp. 27,29</ref> The [[Second Great Awakening]], beginning about 1800, converted millions to [[evangelical]] Protestantism. In the North it energized multiple social reform movements, including [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism]],<ref name="Clark2012iu">{{cite book |author=Clark, Mary Ann |title=Then We'll Sing a New Song: African Influences on America's Religious Landscape |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3Tl3vqx-BX0C&pg=PT47 |date=May 2012|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-0881-0|page=47}}</ref> in the South, Methodists and Baptists proselytized among slave populations.<ref>Heinemann, Ronald L., et.al., Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: a history of Virginia 1607-2007, 2007 ISBN 978-0-8139-2609-4, p.197</ref>
{{Main|History of the United States (1865–1917)}}
[[File:Emigrants (i.e. immigrants) landing at Ellis Island -.webm|thumb|An [[Edison Studios]] film showing immigrants arriving at [[Ellis Island]] in [[New York Harbor]], a major point of entry for European [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries<ref name="PriceBenton-Short2008">{{cite book|first1=Marie|last1=Price|first2=Lisa|last2=Benton-Short|title=Migrants to the Metropolis: The Rise of Immigrant Gateway Cities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tb5HMB63xAC&pg=PA51|year=2008|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-3186-6|page=51}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2020 |title=Overview + History {{!}} Ellis Island |url=https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/ |access-date=September 10, 2021 |website=Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island |language=en}}</ref>]]


From 1865 through 1917 an unprecedented stream of immigrants arrived in the United States, including 24.4 million from Europe.<ref>U.S. Bureau of the Census, ''Historical Statistics of the United States'' (1976) series C89-C119, pp&nbsp;105–9</ref> Most came through the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|port of New York City]], and New York City and other large cities on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] became home to large [[History of the Jews in the United States|Jewish]], [[Irish Americans|Irish]], and [[Italian Americans|Italian]] populations, while many [[German Americans|Germans]] and Central Europeans moved to the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]. At the same time, about one million [[French-Canadian Americans|French Canadians]] migrated from [[Quebec]] to [[New England]].<ref>Stephan Thernstrom, ed., ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups'' (1980) covers the history of all the main groups</ref> During the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], millions of African Americans [[Jim Crow economy|left the rural South]] for urban areas in the North.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2021 |title=The Great Migration (1910–1970) |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration |publisher=National Archives}}</ref> [[Alaska Purchase|Alaska was purchased]] from [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1867.<ref>{{cite web |title=Purchase of Alaska, 1867 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/alaska-purchase |access-date=December 23, 2014 |website=Office of the Historian |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>
Americans' eagerness to [[Territorial acquisitions of the United States|expand westward]] prompted a long series of [[Indian Wars]].<ref name="BillingtonRidge2001j">{{cite book|author1=Billington, Ray Allen |author2=Ridge, Martin |title=Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YoV-k7VcyZ0C&pg=PA22 |year=2001 |publisher=UNM Press |isbn=978-0-8263-1981-4 |page=22}}</ref> The [[Louisiana Purchase]] of French-claimed territory in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |publisher=National Park Services |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/lewisclark2/circa1804/heritage/louisianapurchase/louisianapurchase.htm |accessdate=March 1, 2011}}</ref> The [[War of 1812]], declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened U.S. nationalism.<ref name="Wait1999">{{cite book |author=Wait, Eugene M. |title=America and the War of 1812 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&pg=PA78 |year=1999 |publisher=Nova Publishers |isbn=978-1-56072-644-9|page=78}}</ref> A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain to cede]] it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819.<ref name="KloseJones1994">{{cite book |author1= Klose, Nelson |author2=Jones, Robert F. |title=United States History to 1877 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r4pXwnFs2HMC&pg=PA150 |year=1994|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-8120-1834-9|page=150}}</ref> Expansion was aided by [[Steam engine|steam power]], when [[steamboats]] began traveling along America's large water systems, which were connected by new [[canals]], such as the [[Erie Canal|Erie]] and the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal|I&M]]; then, even faster railroads began their stretch across the nation's land.<ref>Winchester, pp. 198, 216, 251, 253</ref>


The [[Compromise of 1877]] effectively ended Reconstruction and [[Redeemers|white supremacists took local control of Southern politics]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Woodward |first=C. Vann |title=Reunion and Reaction: The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction |date=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=United Kingdom}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Drew Gilpin Faust |author-link=Drew Gilpin Faust |author2=Eric Foner |author2-link=Eric Foner |author3=Clarence E. Walker |author3-link=Clarence E. Walker |title=White Southern Responses to Black Emancipation |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reconstruction-white-southern-responses-black-emancipation/ |work=[[American Experience]]}}</ref> African Americans endured a period of heightened, overt racism following Reconstruction, a time often called the [[nadir of American race relations]].<ref name="ReferenceA2">{{cite book |last=Trelease |first=Allen W. |title=White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1979 |isbn=0-313-21168-X |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Shearer Davis Bowman |url=https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm |title=Masters and Lords: Mid-19th-Century U.S. Planters and Prussian Junkers |publisher=Oxford UP |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-19-536394-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm/page/221 221] |url-access=registration}}</ref> A series of Supreme Court decisions, including ''[[Plessy v. Ferguson]]'', emptied the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of their force, allowing [[Jim Crow laws]] in the South to remain unchecked, [[sundown town]]s in the Midwest, and [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregation in communities across the country]], which would be reinforced by the policy of [[redlining]] later adopted by the federal [[Home Owners' Loan Corporation]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Plessy's Legacy: The Government's Role in the Development and Perpetuation of Segregated Neighborhoods |last=Ware |first=Leland |journal=RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences |date=February 2021 |pages=92–109 |volume=7 |issue=1 |doi=10.7758/rsf.2021.7.1.06 |s2cid=231929202 }}</ref>
[[File:U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png|thumb|[[United States territorial acquisitions|U.S. territorial acquisitions]]{{endash}}portions of each territory were granted statehood since the 18th century.]]
From 1820 to 1850, [[Jacksonian democracy]] began a set of reforms which included wider male suffrage, and it led to the rise of the [[Second Party System]] of Democrats and Whigs as the dominant parties from 1828 to 1854. The [[Trail of Tears]] in the 1830s exemplified the Indian removal policy that moved Indians into the west to their own reservations. The U.S. annexed the [[Republic of Texas]] in 1845 during a period of expansionist [[Manifest Destiny]].<ref name="Morrison1999">{{cite book |author=Morrison, Michael A. |title=Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YTaxzMlkVEMC&pg=PA13 |year=1999|publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]] |isbn=978-0-8078-4796-1|pages=13–21}}</ref> The 1846 [[Oregon Treaty]] with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day [[Northwestern United States|American Northwest]].<ref name="Kemp2010">{{cite book |author=Kemp, Roger L. |title=Documents of American Democracy: A Collection of Essential Works |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA180 |year=2010 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|isbn=978-0-7864-4210-2|page=180}}</ref> Victory in the [[Mexican-American War]] resulted in the 1848 [[Mexican Cession]] of California and much of the present-day American Southwest.<ref name="McIlwraithMuller2001">{{cite book |author1=McIlwraith, Thomas F. |author2=Muller, Edward K. |title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8NS0OTXRlTMC&pg=PA61 |year=2001|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-7425-0019-8|page=61}}</ref>


[[Second Industrial Revolution|An explosion of technological advancement]] accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hirschman |first1=Charles |last2=Mogford |first2=Elizabeth |date=December 1, 2009 |title=Immigration and the American Industrial Revolution From 1880 to 1920 |journal=Social Science Research |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=897–920 |doi=10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.04.001 |issn=0049-089X |pmc=2760060 |pmid=20160966}}</ref> led to [[Gilded Age|rapid economic expansion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries]], allowing the United States to outpace the economies of England, France, and Germany combined.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carson |first1=Thomas |last2=Bonk |first2=Mary |title=Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History |date=1999 |publisher=Gale |chapter=Industrial Revolution}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Riggs |first1=Thomas |title=Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History Vol. 3 |date=2015 |publisher=Gale |page=1179 |edition=2}}</ref> This fostered the amassing of power by [[Robber baron (industrialist)|a few prominent industrialists]], largely by their formation of [[Trust (business)|trusts]] and [[Monopoly|monopolies]] to prevent competition.<ref name="Atlantic2">{{Cite journal |last=Dole |first=Charles F. |year=1907 |title=The Ethics of Speculation |journal=[[The Atlantic Monthly]] |volume=C |issue=December 1907 |pages=812–818}}</ref> [[Tycoon]]s led the nation's expansion in the [[History of rail transportation in the United States|railroad]], [[History of the petroleum industry in the United States|petroleum]], and [[History of the steel industry (1850–1970)|steel]] industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of the [[Automotive industry in the United States|automotive industry]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=The Pit Boss |date=February 26, 2021 |title=The Pit Stop: The American Automotive Industry Is Packed With History |url=https://pitstop.rumbleon.com/american-automotive-history |access-date=December 5, 2021 |website=Rumble On}}</ref> These changes were accompanied by significant increases in [[economic inequality]], [[How the Other Half Lives|slum conditions]], and [[List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States|social unrest]], creating the environment for [[Labor history of the United States|labor unions to begin to flourish]].<ref>Tindall, George Brown and Shi, David E. (2012). ''America: A Narrative History (Brief Ninth Edition) (Vol. 2).'' [[W. W. Norton & Company]]. {{ISBN|978-0-393-91267-8}} p. 589</ref><ref>[[#Zinn|Zinn, 2005]], pp. 321–357</ref><ref name="Fraser2">{{cite book |last=Fraser |first=Steve |title=The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-316-18543-1 |page=66}}</ref> This period eventually ended with the advent of the [[Progressive Era]], which was characterized by significant reforms.<ref name="Aldrich2">Aldrich, Mark. ''Safety First: Technology, Labor and Business in the Building of Work Safety, 1870-1939.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-8018-5405-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Progressive Era to New Era, 1900-1929 {{!}} U.S. History Primary Source Timeline {{!}} Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/progressive-era-to-new-era-1900-1929/overview/ |access-date=November 11, 2023 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>
The [[California Gold Rush]] of 1848–49 spurred western migration and the creation of additional western states.<ref name="Smith-Baranzini1999">{{cite book |author=Smith-Baranzini, Marlene |title=A Golden State: Mining and Economic Development in Gold Rush California |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UPUsIaHZTm0C&pg=PA20 |year=1999|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21771-3|page=20}}</ref> After the [[American Civil War]], new transcontinental [[Rail transport in the United States#History|railways]] made relocation easier for settlers, expanded internal trade and increased conflicts with Native Americans.<ref name="Black2011kj">{{cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |authorlink=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519–1871 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EIst_CSWOqIC&pg=PA275 |year=2011|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|isbn=978-0-253-35660-4|page=275}}</ref> Over a half-century, the loss of the buffalo was an existential blow to many [[Plains Indians]] cultures.<ref name="Wishart2004">{{cite book|author=Wishart, David J. |title=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rtRFyFO4hpEC&pg=PA37 |year=2004|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|isbn=978-0-8032-4787-1|page=37}}</ref> In 1869, a new [[Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant#Indian affairs and human rights|Peace Policy]] sought to protect Native-Americans from abuses, avoid further warfare, and secure their eventual U.S. citizenship.<ref name=Smith_pp525-526>Smith (2001), ''Grant'', pp. 523–526</ref>


Pro-American elements in Hawaii [[Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom|overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy]]; the islands [[Newlands Resolution|were annexed]] in 1898. That same year, [[Puerto Rico]], [[the Philippines]], and [[Guam]] were ceded to the U.S. by Spain after the latter's defeat in the [[Spanish–American War]]. (The Philippines was granted full independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946, following World War II. Puerto Rico and Guam have remained U.S. territories.)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Spanish–American War, 1898 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/spanish-american-war |access-date=December 24, 2014 |website=Office of the Historian |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> [[American Samoa]] was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the [[Second Samoan Civil War]].<ref>Ryden, George Herbert. ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''. New York: Octagon Books, 1975.</ref> The [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] were purchased from [[Denmark]] in 1917.<ref>{{cite web |title=Virgin Islands History |url=https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/history/ |access-date=January 5, 2018 |publisher=Vinow.com}}</ref>
===Civil War and Reconstruction Era===
{{further|American Civil War|Reconstruction Era}}
[[File:Battle of Gettysburg, by Currier and Ives.png|thumb|[[Battle of Gettysburg]], [[Pennsylvania]] during the Civil War]]


=== Rise as a superpower (1917&ndash;1945) ===
From the [[Origins of the American Civil War|beginning of the United States]], inherent divisions over slavery between the North and the South in American society ultimately led to the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="Murray2004kjh">{{cite book|author=Stuart Murray|title=Atlas of American Military History|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_sy7mmmxQC&pg=PA76|year=2004|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-3025-5|page=76}}</ref> Initially states entering the Union alternated [[Slave and free states|slave and free]], keeping a sectional balance in the Senate, while free states outstripped slave states in population and in the House of Representatives. But with additional western territory and more free-soil states, tensions between slave and free states mounted with arguments over federalism and disposition of the territories, whether and how to expand or restrict slavery.<ref name="O'Brien2002qs">{{cite book|author=Patrick Karl O'Brien|title=Atlas of World History|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ffZy5tDjaUkC&pg=PA184|year= 2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-521921-0|page=184}}</ref>
{{Main|History of the United States (1917–1945)}}
[[File:TrinityDetonation1945GIF.gif|thumb|The [[Trinity (nuclear test)|Trinity nuclear test]] in 1945, part of the [[Manhattan Project]] and the first detonation of a [[nuclear weapon]]. The World Wars permanently ended [[United States non-interventionism|the country's policy of isolationism]] and left it as a [[superpower]].]]


The United States [[American entry into World War I|entered World War I]] alongside the [[Allies of World War I]], helping to turn the tide against the [[Central Powers]].<ref>McDuffie, Jerome; Piggrem, Gary Wayne; Woodworth, Steven E. (2005). ''U.S. History Super Review''. Piscataway, NJ: Research & Education Association. p. 418. {{ISBN|978-0-7386-0070-3}}.</ref> In 1920, [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|a constitutional amendment]] granted nationwide [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Larson |first1=Elizabeth C. |last2=Meltvedt |first2=Kristi R. |year=2021 |title=Women's suffrage: fact sheet |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45805 |journal=CRS Reports (Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service) |series=Report / Congressional Research Service |access-date=August 9, 2023}}</ref> During the 1920s and '30s, radio for [[mass communication]] and the invention of early television transformed communications nationwide.{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=410–411}} The [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] triggered the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], which President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] responded to with the [[New Deal]], a series of [[Alphabet agencies|sweeping programs]] and [[Works Progress Administration|public works projects]] combined with financial reforms and [[Regulatory economics|regulations]]. All were intended to protect against future economic depressions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Axinn |first1=June |title=Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need |last2=Stern |first2=Mark J. |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-205-52215-6 |edition=7th |location=Boston}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=James Noble Gregory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qNdtGwnXYrIC |title=American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-19-507136-8 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite web |author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. --> |year=2013 |title=Mass Exodus From the Plains |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/dustbowl-mass-exodus-plains/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=American Experience |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation}} {{cite web |last1=Fanslow |first1=Robin A. |date=April 6, 1997 |title=The Migrant Experience |url=https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=American Folklore Center |publisher=Library of Congress}} {{cite book |last=Stein |first=Walter J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGuGAAAAIAAJ |title=California and the Dust Bowl Migration |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-8371-6267-6 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>
Following the 1860 election of [[Abraham Lincoln]], the first president from the largely anti-slavery [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], conventions in thirteen states ultimately declared secession and formed the [[Confederate States of America]], while the U.S. federal government maintained secession was illegal.<ref name="O'Brien2002qs"/> The ensuing war was at first for Union, then after 1863 as casualties mounted and Lincoln delivered his [[Emancipation Proclamation]], a second war aim became abolition of slavery. The war remains the deadliest military conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of approximately 618,000 soldiers as well as many civilians.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vinovskis|first=Maris|date=1990|title=Toward A Social History of the American Civil War: Exploratory Essays|page=4|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=0-521-39559-3}}</ref>


[[United States non-interventionism before entering World War II|Initially neutral]] during [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]], the U.S. began [[Lend-Lease|supplying war materiel]] to the [[Allies of World War II]] in March 1941 and [[American entry into World War II|entered the war]] in December after the [[Empire of Japan]]'s attack on [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]].<ref>The official WRA record from 1946 states that it was 120,000 people. See {{cite book |author=[[War Relocation Authority]] |url=https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-282-5/ |title=The Evacuated People: A Quantitative Study |year=1946 |page=8}} This number does not include people held in other camps such as those run by the DoJ or U.S. Army. Other sources may give numbers slightly more or less than 120,000.</ref><ref name="Pearl Harbor2">{{cite web |last1=Yamasaki |first1=Mitch |title=Pearl Harbor and America's Entry into World War II: A Documentary History |url=https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/enwiki/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213122046/https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/enwiki/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |access-date=January 14, 2015 |publisher=World War II Internment in Hawaii}}</ref> The U.S. [[Manhattan Project|developed the first nuclear weapons]] and [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|used them against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] in August 1945, ending the war.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why did Japan surrender in World War II? |language=en |newspaper=The Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/06/commentary/japan-surrender-world-war-ii/ |access-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-4-7700-2887-7}}.</ref> The United States was one of the "[[Four Policemen]]" who met to plan the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-war world]], alongside the [[United Kingdom]], [[Soviet Union]], and [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]].{{sfn|Hoopes|Brinkley|1997|p=100}}{{sfn|Gaddis|1972|p=25}} The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater [[economic power]] and [[Sphere of influence|international political influence]].<ref>Kennedy, Paul (1989). ''The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers''. New York: Vintage. p. 358. {{ISBN|978-0-679-72019-5}}</ref>
Following the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] victory in 1865, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|prohibited slavery]], made the nearly four million [[African American]]s who had been slaves<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1860a-02.pdf |title=1860 Census |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=June 10, 2007}} Page 7 lists a total slave population of 3,953,760.</ref> [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|U.S. citizens]], and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|promised them voting rights]]. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in [[Federalism in the United States|federal power]]<ref>De Rosa, Marshall L. (1997). ''The Politics of Dissolution: The Quest for a National Identity and the American Civil War''. Edison, NJ: Transaction. p. 266. ISBN 1-56000-349-9.</ref> aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves.<ref name="Tarr2009">{{cite book|author=G. Alan Tarr|title=Judicial Process and Judicial Policymaking|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8Q6Gh5_OQgQC&pg=PA30|year=2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-495-56736-3|page=30}}</ref> But following the [[Reconstruction Era]], throughout the South [[Jim Crow laws]] soon effectively [[Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] most blacks and some poor whites. Over the subsequent decades, in both the north and south blacks and some whites faced systemic discrimination, including [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] and occasional [[Lynching in the United States|vigilante violence]], sparking [[Anti-lynching movement|national movements]] against these abuses.<ref name="Tarr2009"/>


=== Cold War (1945&ndash;1991) ===
===Industrialization===
{{Main|Cold War}}
{{further|Labor history of the United States}}
{{Further|History of the United States (1945&ndash;1964)|History of the United States (1964–1980)|History of the United States (1980–1991)}}
[[Image:Ellis island 1902.jpg|thumb|[[Ellis Island]], in New York City, was a major gateway for the massive influx of immigration during the beginning of industrialization.]]
[[File:Reagan and Gorbachev signing.jpg|thumb|[[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and [[Ronald Reagan]] sign the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]] at the [[White House]] in 1987.]]
In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented [[Immigration to the United States#History|influx of immigrants]] from Southern and Eastern Europe supplied a surplus of labor for the country's industrialization and transformed its culture.<ref name="Powell2009qwet">{{cite book|author=John Powell|title=Encyclopedia of North American Immigration|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VNCX6UsdZYkC&pg=PA74|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1012-7|page=74}}</ref> National infrastructure including [[First Transcontinental Telegraph|telegraph]] and [[First Transcontinental Railroad|transcontinental railroads]] spurred economic growth and greater settlement and development of the [[American Old West]]. The later invention of [[Incandescent light bulb|electric lights]] and [[telephone]]s would also impact communication and urban life.<ref>Winchester, pp. 351, 385</ref> The end of the [[Indian Wars]] further expanded acreage under mechanical cultivation, increasing surpluses for international markets. Mainland expansion was completed by the [[Alaska Purchase]] from [[Russia]] in 1867. In 1898 the U.S. entered the world stage with important sugar production and strategic facilities acquired in [[Hawaii]]. [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], and the [[Philippines]] were ceded by Spain in the same year, following the [[Spanish American War]].
After World War II, the United States entered the Cold War, where geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries to [[Superpower|dominate world affairs]].<ref name="Blakemore-20192">{{cite web |last=Blakemore |first=Erin |date=March 22, 2019 |title=What was the Cold War? |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/cold-war/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401192349/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/cold-war/ |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref><ref>Mark Kramer, "The Soviet Bloc and the Cold War in Europe," in {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EyNcCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT174 |title=A Companion to Europe Since 1945 |publisher=Wiley |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-118-89024-0 |editor-last=Larresm |editor-first=Klaus |page=79}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sempa |first=Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Px4uDwAAQBAJ |title=Geopolitics: From the Cold War to the 21st Century |date=July 12, 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-51768-3}}</ref> The U.S. utilized the policy of [[containment]] to limit the USSR's sphere of influence, and prevailed in the [[Space Race]], which culminated with the [[Apollo 11|first crewed Moon landing]] in 1969.<ref>[[#Blakeley|Blakeley, 2009]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=rft8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 p. 92]</ref><ref name="Proxy2">{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/liftoff00coll |title=Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space |publisher=Grove Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-8021-1011-4 |location=New York |author-link=Michael Collins (astronaut) |url-access=registration}}</ref> Domestically, the U.S. [[Post–World War II economic expansion|experienced economic growth]], [[Urbanization in the United States|urbanization]], and [[Mid-20th century baby boom|population growth following World War II]].{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=305–308}} The [[civil rights movement]] emerged, with [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] becoming a prominent leader in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Civil Rights Movement |url=https://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/4b.html |access-date=January 5, 2019 |publisher=PBS}}</ref> The [[Great Society]] plan of President [[Lyndon Johnson]]'s administration resulted in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract some of the worst effects of lingering [[institutional racism]].<ref>{{cite book|first= Alan|last=Brinkley|chapter= Great Society |title=The Reader's Companion to American History|date=January 24, 1991 |editor1=Eric Foner|editor2=John Arthur Garraty|isbn=0-395-51372-3|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Books|page=472}}</ref> The [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture movement]] in the U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes toward [[recreational drug use]] and [[Sexual revolution|sexuality]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2022 |title=Playboy: American Magazine |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Playboy |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |quote=...the so-called sexual revolution in the United States in the 1960s, marked by greatly more permissive attitudes toward sexual interest and activity than had been prevalent in earlier generations.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Svetlana Ter-Grigoryan |date=February 12, 2022 |title=The Sexual Revolution Origins and Impact |url=https://study.com/learn/lesson/sexual-liberation-movement-origin-timeline-impact-revolution.html |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=study.com}}</ref> It also encouraged [[Draft evasion in the Vietnam War|open defiance of the military draft]] (leading to the [[Conscription in the United States|end of conscription]] in 1973) and [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|wide opposition]] to [[United States in the Vietnam War|U.S. intervention in Vietnam]] (with the U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Daniel |date=January 19, 2018 |title=Behind the Protests Against the Vietnam War in 1968 |url=https://time.com/5106608/protest-1968/?amp=true |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> A [[Women's liberation movement|societal shift in the roles of women]] was significantly responsible for the large increase in female paid labor participation during the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of American women aged 16 and older were employed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Women in the Labor Force: A Databook|url=https://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2012.pdf|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|access-date=March 21, 2014|page=11|year=2013}}</ref> The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the [[Revolutions of 1989|fall of communism]] and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|collapse of the Soviet Union]], which marked the end of the Cold War and [[Superpower#After the Cold War|left the United States as the world's sole superpower]].<ref name="Gaidar2">{{cite book |last=Gaĭdar |first=E.T. |url={{GBUrl|bDSfnxYjVwAC|pg=PA102}} |title=Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia |publisher=[[Brookings Institution#Publications|Brookings Institution Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8157-3114-6 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=190–205}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Howell |first=Buddy Wayne |title=The Rhetoric of Presidential Summit Diplomacy: Ronald Reagan and the U.S.-Soviet Summits, 1985–1988 |publisher=Texas A&M University |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-549-41658-6 |page=352}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kissinger |first=Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IZboamhb5EC&pg=PA731 |title=Diplomacy |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4391-2631-8 |pages=781–784 |author-link=Henry Kissinger |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite book |last=Mann |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgZyXNIrvB4C&pg=PT12 |title=The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War |publisher=Penguin |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4406-8639-9 |page=432}}</ref><ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref>


=== Contemporary (1991&ndash;present) ===
[[Gilded Age|Rapid economic development]] at the end of the 19th century produced many prominent industrialists, and the U.S. economy became the world's largest. Dramatic changes were accompanied by social unrest and the rise of [[People's Party (United States)|populist]], [[History of the socialist movement in the United States|socialist]], and [[Anarchism in the United States|anarchist]] movements.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zinn |first=Howard |authorlink=Howard Zinn |year=2005 |title=[[A People's History of the United States]] |publisher=[[Harper Perennial|Harper Perennial Modern Classics]] |location=New York |chapter=The Socialist Challenge |pages=321–357 |isbn=0-06-083865-5}}</ref> This period eventually ended with the beginning of the [[Progressive Era]], which saw significant reforms in many societal areas, including [[women's suffrage]], [[Prohibition in the United States|alcohol prohibition]], regulation of consumer goods, greater [[United States antitrust law|antitrust measures]] to ensure competition and attention to worker conditions.
{{Main|History of the United States (1991–2008)|History of the United States (2008–present)}}
[[File:Explosion following the plane impact into the South Tower (WTC 2) - B6019~11.jpg|thumb|The [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]] in New York City during the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001]]
[[File:2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol_DSC09254-2_(50820534063)_(retouched).jpg|thumb|The [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]] in 2021]]


The 1990s saw the [[1990s United States boom|longest recorded economic expansion in American history]], a dramatic [[Crime in the United States#Crime over time|decline in U.S. crime rates]], and [[Technological and industrial history of the United States#Computers and information networks|advances in technology]]. Throughout this decade, technological innovations such as the [[World Wide Web]], the evolution of the [[Pentium (original)|Pentium microprocessor]] in accordance with [[Moore's law]], rechargeable [[Lithium-ion battery|lithium-ion batteries]], the first [[gene therapy]] trial, and [[cloning]] either emerged in the U.S. or were improved upon there. The [[Human Genome Project]] was formally launched in 1990, while [[Nasdaq]] became the first stock market in the United States to trade online in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((CFI Team)) |title=NASDAQ |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career-map/sell-side/capital-markets/nasdaq/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211163114/https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career-map/sell-side/capital-markets/nasdaq/ |archive-date=December 11, 2023 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=Corporate Finance Institute |language=en-US}}</ref>
===World War I, Great Depression, and World War II===
{{further|World War I|Great Depression|World War II}}
[[File:Approaching Omaha.jpg|thumb|U.S. troops approaching [[Omaha Beach]] during World War II]]
The United States remained neutral at the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914, though by 1917, it joined the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], helping to turn the tide against the [[Central Powers]]. President [[Woodrow Wilson]] took a leading diplomatic role at the [[Paris Peace Conference of 1919]] and advocated strongly for the U.S. to join the [[League of Nations]]. However, the Senate refused to approve this, and did not ratify the [[Treaty of Versailles]] that established the League of Nations.<ref name="autogenerated418">McDuffie, Jerome; Piggrem, Gary Wayne; Woodworth, Steven E. (2005). ''U.S. History Super Review''. Piscataway, NJ: Research & Education Association. p. 418. ISBN 0-7386-0070-9.</ref>


In the [[Gulf War]] of 1991, an [[Coalition of the Gulf War|American-led international coalition of states]] expelled an [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraqi]] invasion force that had occupied neighboring [[Kuwait]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Holsti|first=Ole R.|author-link=Ole R. Holsti|title=American Public Opinion on the Iraq War|page=20|chapter=The United States and Iraq before the Iraq War|date=November 7, 2011|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]]|isbn=978-0-472-03480-2}}</ref> The [[September 11 attacks]] on the United States in 2001 by the [[Pan-Islamism|pan-Islamist]] militant organization [[al-Qaeda]] led to the [[war on terror]], and subsequent [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|military interventions in Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq War|Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Walsh, Kenneth T. |date=December 9, 2008 |title=The 'War on Terror' Is Critical to President George W. Bush's Legacy |newspaper=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/09/the-war-on-terror-is-critical-to-president-george-w-bushs-legacy |access-date=March 6, 2013}} {{cite book |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PDDIgWRN_HQC&pg=PA210 |title=The 9/11 Encyclopedia: Second Edition |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-59884-921-9 |page=872 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=February 15, 2008 |title=Overview: The Iraq War |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html |access-date=March 7, 2013}} {{cite book |last=Johnson |first=James Turner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SF7U27JsLC4C&q=iraq+invasion+removes+hussein |title=The War to Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7425-4956-2 |page=159 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite news |author=Durando, Jessica |author2=Green, Shannon Rae |date=December 21, 2011 |title=Timeline: Key moments in the Iraq War |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904084312/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |archive-date=September 4, 2020}}</ref> The [[Cultural influence of the September 11 attacks|cultural impact of the attacks]] was profound and long-lasting.
In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|constitutional amendment]] granting [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref name="voris">{{cite book |last1=Voris |first1=Jacqueline Van |title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Public Life |series=Women and Peace Series |year=1996 |publisher=Feminist Press at CUNY |location=New York City |isbn=1-55861-139-8 |page=vii|quote=Carrie Chapmann Catt led an army of voteless women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote and convinced state legislatures to ratify it in 1920.&nbsp;... Catt was one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century and was on all lists of famous American women.}}</ref> The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of [[radio]] for [[mass communication]] and the invention of early [[television]].<ref>Winchester pp. 410–411</ref> The prosperity of the [[Roaring Twenties]] ended with the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] and the onset of the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]. After his election as president in 1932, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] responded with the [[New Deal]], which included the establishment of the [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] system.<ref>{{cite book |title=Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need |first1=June |last1=Axinn |first2=Mark J. |last2=Stern |isbn=978-0-205-52215-6 |edition=7th |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |location=Boston |year=2007}}</ref> The [[Dust Bowl]] of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.


The [[2000s United States housing bubble|U.S. housing bubble]] culminated in 2007 with the [[Great Recession]], the largest economic contraction since the Great Depression.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hilsenrath |first1=Jon |last2=Ng |first2=Serena |last3=Paletta |first3=Damian |date=September 18, 2008 |title=Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End Yet in Sight |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169431617549947 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225040616/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169431617549947 |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |issn=1042-9840 |oclc=781541372}}</ref> Coming to a head in the 2010s, [[Political polarization in the United States|political polarization in the country]] increased between liberal and conservative factions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geiger |first=Abigail |date=June 12, 2014 |title=Political Polarization in the American Public |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/ |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Mark |last2=Marquez |first2=Alexandra |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Here's what's driving America's increasing political polarization|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/s-s-driving-americas-increasing-political-polarization-rcna89559 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamid |first=Shadi |date=January 8, 2022 |title=The Forever Culture War |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/republicans-democrats-forever-culture-war/621184/ |access-date=October 1, 2023 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en}}</ref> This polarization was capitalized upon in the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 2021 Capitol attack]],<ref name="Kleinfeld-2023">{{cite web |last1=Kleinfeld |first1=Rachel |title=Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/09/polarization-democracy-and-political-violence-in-the-united-states-what-the-research-says?lang=en |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |access-date=13 September 2024 |date=September 5, 2023}}</ref> when a mob of insurrectionists<ref name="Pape-2022">{{cite web |last1=Pape|first1=Robert|author1-link=Robert Pape|title=American Face of Insurrection: Analysis of Individuals Charged for Storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021|url=https://cpost.uchicago.edu/publications/american_face_of_insurrection/ |website=cpost.uchicago.edu |publisher=University of Chicago, Chicago Project on Security and Threats|access-date=13 September 2024 |date=January 5, 2022}}</ref> entered the [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]] and sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rutenberg |first1=Jim |last2=Becker |first2=Jo |last3=Lipton |first3=Eric |last4=Haberman |first4=Maggie |last5=Martin |first5=Jonathan |last6=Rosenberg |first6=Matthew |last7=Schmidt |first7=Michael S. |title=77 Days: Trump's Campaign to Subvert the Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/us/trump-election-lie.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 31, 2021 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20220618170015/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/us/trump-election-lie.html |archivedate=June 18, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> in an [[Self-coup#Notable events described as attempted self-coups|attempted self-coup d'état]].<ref name="Multiple Sources">{{multiref2
The United States was at first effectively neutral during [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]]'s early stages but began supplying material to the [[Allies (World War II)|Allies]] in March 1941 through the [[Lend-Lease]] program. On December 7, 1941, the [[Empire of Japan]] launched a surprise [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], prompting the United States to join the Allies against the [[Axis powers]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Burton, Jeffrey F., et al. |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce3.htm |title=A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II |work=Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites |date=July 2000 |accessdate=April 2, 2010 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> Though the nation lost more than 400,000 soldiers,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf |title=American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics |publisher=Congressional Research Service |last=Leland |first=Anne |last2=Oboroceanu |first2=Mari–Jana |date=February 26, 2010 |accessdate=February 18, 2011}} p. 2.</ref> it emerged [[World War II casualties#Human losses by country|relatively undamaged]] from the war with even greater economic and military influence.<ref>Kennedy, Paul (1989). ''The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers''. New York: Vintage. p. 358. ISBN 0-679-72019-7. Indeed, World War II ushered in the zenith of U.S. power in what came to be called the [[American Century]], as {{Harvnb|Leffler|2010|p=67}}, indicates: "Truman presided over the greatest military and economic power the world had ever known. War production had lifted the United States out of the Great Depression and had inaugurated an era of unimagined prosperity. Gross national product increased by 60 percent during the war, total earnings by 50 percent. Despite social unrest, labor agitation, racial conflict, and teenage vandalism, Americans had more discretionary income than ever before. Simultaneously, the U.S. government had built up the greatest war machine in human history. By the end of 1942, the United States was producing more arms than all the Axis states combined, and, in 1943, it made almost three times more armaments than did the Soviet Union. In 1945, the United States had two-thirds of the world's gold reserves, three-fourths of its invested capital, half of its shipping vessels, and half of its manufacturing capacity. Its GNP was three times that of the Soviet Union and more than five times that of Britain. It was also nearing completion of the atomic bomb, a technological and production feat of huge costs and proportions."</ref> Allied conferences at [[United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference|Bretton Woods]] and [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]] outlined a new system of international organizations that placed the [[United States and the United Nations|United States]] and [[Soviet Union and the United Nations|Soviet Union]] at the center of world affairs. As an [[Victory in Europe Day|Allied victory was won in Europe]], a 1945 [[United Nations Conference on International Organization|international conference]] held in [[San Francisco]] produced the [[United Nations Charter]], which became active after the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612221444/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm |archivedate=June 12, 2007 |title=The United States and the Founding of the United Nations, August 1941&nbsp;– October 1945 |date=October 2005 |accessdate=June 11, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Historian}}</ref> The United States developed the [[Manhattan Project|first nuclear weapons]] and [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|used them on Japan]]; the Japanese [[Surrender of Japan|surrendered]] on September 2, ending World War II.<ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 4-7700-2887-3.</ref>
|{{Cite book |last=Harvey |first=Michael |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003110361-1/introduction-michael-harvey |title=Donald Trump in Historical Perspective |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-11036-1 |editor-last=Harvey |editor-first=Michael |chapter=Introduction: History's Rhymes |doi=10.4324/9781003110361-1 |quote = As with the Beer Hall Putsch, a would-be leader tried to take advantage of an already scheduled event (in Hitler's case, Kahr's speech; in Trump's, Congress's tallying of the electoral votes) to create a dramatic moment with himself at the center of attention, calling for bold action to upend the political order. Unlike Hitler's coup attempt, Trump already held top of office, so he was attempting to hold onto power, not seize it (the precise term for Trump's intended action is a 'self-coup' or 'autogolpe'). Thus, Trump was able to plan for the event well in advance, and with much greater control, including developing the legal arguments that could be used to justify rejecting the election's results. (p3)}}
|{{cite journal |last1=Pion-Berlin |first1=David |last2=Bruneau |first2=Thomas |last3=Goetze |first3=Richard B. Jr.|date=2022-04-07 |title=The Trump self-coup attempt: comparisons and civil–military relations |journal=Government and Opposition |volume=FirstView |issue=4 |pages=789–806 |doi=10.1017/gov.2022.13 |s2cid=248033246 |doi-access=free }}
|{{cite journal |author1-last=Castañeda |author1-first=Ernesto |author2-last=Jenks |author2-first=Daniel |date=April 17, 2023 |title=January 6th and De-Democratization in the United States |editor-last1=Costa |editor-first1=Bruno Ferreira |editor-last2=Parton|editor-first2=Nigel|journal=Social Sciences |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=238 |doi=10.3390/socsci12040238 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-0760|quote=What the United States went through on January 6th was an attempt at a self-coup, where Trump would use force to stay as head of state even if abandoning democratic practices in the U.S. Some advised Trump to declare martial law to create a state of emergency and use that as an excuse to stay in power.}}
|{{Cite report |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/trump-on-trial/ |title=Trump on Trial: A Guide to the January 6 Hearings and the Question of Criminality |last1=Eisen |first1=Norman |last2=Ayer |first2=Donald |date=2022-06-06 |publisher=Brookings Institution |language=en-US |quote=[Trump] tried to delegitimize the election results by disseminating a series of far fetched and evidence-free claims of fraud. Meanwhile, with a ring of close confidants, Trump conceived and implemented unprecedented schemes to{{snd}}in his own words{{snd}}"overturn" the election outcome. Among the results of this "Big Lie" campaign were the terrible events of January 6, 2021{{snd}}an inflection point in what we now understand was nothing less than an attempted coup. |last3=Perry |first3=Joshua |last4=Bookbinder |first4=Noah |last5=Perry |first5=E. Danya |access-date=December 16, 2023}}
|{{cite court|litigants=Eastman v Thompson, et al. |opinion= 8:22-cv-00099-DOC-DFM Document 260 |pinpoint=44 |court=S.D. Cal. |date=May 28, 2022 |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840.260.0.pdf |access-date=December 16, 2023 |quote=Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower{{snd}}it was a coup in search of a legal theory. The plan spurred violent attacks on the seat of our nation's government, led to the deaths of several law enforcement officers, and deepened public distrust in our political process... If Dr. Eastman and President Trump's plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself.}}
|{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=David A. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=This Is a Coup |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224049/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/ |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=[[The Atlantic]] }}
|{{Cite web|last=Musgrave|first=Paul|date=January 6, 2021|title=This Is a Coup. Why Were Experts So Reluctant to See It Coming?|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/06/coup-america-capitol-electoral-college-2020-election/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106235812/https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/06/coup-america-capitol-electoral-college-2020-election/|archive-date=January 6, 2021|access-date=December 16, 2023|website=Foreign Policy}}
|{{Cite web|last=Solnit|first=Rebecca|date=January 6, 2021|title=Call it what it was: a coup attempt|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/06/trump-mob-storm-capitol-washington-coup-attempt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107000436/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/06/trump-mob-storm-capitol-washington-coup-attempt|archive-date=January 7, 2021|access-date=December 16, 2023|website=The Guardian}}
|{{Cite web|last=Coleman|first=Justine|date=January 6, 2021|title=GOP lawmaker on violence at Capitol: 'This is a coup attempt'|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/532944-gop-lawmaker-on-violence-at-capitol-this-is-a-coup-attempt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212600/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/532944-gop-lawmaker-on-violence-at-capitol-this-is-a-coup-attempt|archive-date=January 6, 2021|access-date=December 16, 2023|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] }}
|{{Cite web|last=Jacobson|first=Louis|date=January 6, 2021|title=Is this a coup? Here's some history and context to help you decide|url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jan/06/coup-heres-some-history-and-context-help-you-decid/|access-date=January 7, 2021|website=[[PolitiFact]] |quote=A good case can be made that the storming of the Capitol qualifies as a coup. It's especially so because the rioters entered at precisely the moment when the incumbent's loss was to be formally sealed, and they succeeded in stopping the count.}}
|{{Cite news|last1=Barry|first1=Dan|last2=Frenkel|first2=Sheera|date=January 7, 2021|title='Be There. Will Be Wild!': Trump All but Circled the Date|work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-mob-trump-supporters.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-mob-trump-supporters.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2023}}
|{{cite encyclopedia |last=Duignan |first=Brian |date=2021-08-04 |title=January 6 U.S. Capitol attack |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/January-6-U-S-Capitol-attack |url-status=live |access-date=2021-09-22 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |quote=Because its object was to prevent a legitimate president-elect from assuming office, the attack was widely regarded as an insurrection or attempted coup d'état.|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117232629/https://www.britannica.com/event/January-6-U-S-Capitol-attack |archive-date=2023-01-17}} }}</ref>


== Geography ==
===Cold War and Civil Rights era===
{{Main|History of the United States (1945–64)|History of the United States (1964–80)|History of the United States (1980–91)}}
{{Main|Geography of the United States}}
{{See also|Borders of the United States}}
[[File:Reagan and Gorbachev hold discussions.jpg|thumb|US President [[Ronald Reagan]] (left) and [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet General Secretary]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], meeting [[Geneva Summit (1985)|in Geneva]] in 1985]]
[[File:Uspaintedrelief.png|thumb|A [[topographic map]] of the United States]]


The United States is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest country]] by total area behind Russia and Canada.{{efn|name=largestcountry}}<ref name="CIA-2018" /><ref name="CIA Factbook Area">{{cite web|title=Area|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html|website=The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|access-date=January 15, 2015|archive-date=January 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131115000/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html|url-status=dead }}</ref> The 48 [[Contiguous United States|contiguous states and the District of Columbia]] occupy a combined area of {{convert|3,119,885|sqmi|km2|abbr=}}.<ref name="CensusGov2010HTML"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/279.html#as|work=The World Factbook|publisher=cia.gov|title=Field Listing: Area|access-date=April 21, 2020|archive-date=July 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707180005/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/279.html#as|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="urlState Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates—Geography—U.S. Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html|title=State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates—Geography—U.S. Census Bureau|website=State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref> [[Atlantic Plain|The coastal plain]] of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] seaboard gives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] plateau region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geographic Regions of Georgia|url=https://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/geography/article/geographic-regions-of-georgia|website=Georgia Info|publisher=Digital Library of Georgia|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref>
After World War II the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] jockeyed for power during what is known as the [[Cold War]], driven by an ideological divide between [[capitalism]] and [[communism]]. They dominated the military affairs of [[Europe]], with the U.S. and its [[NATO]] allies on one side and the USSR and its [[Warsaw Pact]] allies on the other. The U.S. developed a policy of "[[containment]]" toward Soviet bloc expansion. While they engaged in [[proxy war]]s and developed powerful nuclear arsenals, the two countries avoided direct military conflict. The U.S. often opposed [[Third World]] left-wing movements that it viewed as Soviet-sponsored. American troops fought [[Communist]] [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese]] and [[North Korea]]n forces in the [[Korean War]] of 1950–53. The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the [[Sputnik 1|first artificial satellite]] and its 1961 launch of the [[Vostok 1|first manned spaceflight]] initiated a "[[Space Race]]" in which the United States became the first to [[Apollo 11|land a man on the moon]] in 1969.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Collins (astronaut) |title=Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space |location=New York |publisher=Grove Press |year=1988}}</ref> A proxy war was expanded in Southeast Asia with the [[Vietnam War]].


The [[Appalachian Mountains]] and the [[Adirondack Mountains|Adirondack]] massif separate the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] from the [[Great Lakes]] and the grasslands of [[Midwestern United States|the Midwest]].<ref name="NAU">{{cite web|last=Lew|first=Alan|title=PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE US|url=https://www.geog.nau.edu/courses/alew/gsp220/text/chapters/ch2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409112252/https://www.geog.nau.edu/courses/alew/gsp220/text/chapters/ch2.html|archive-date=April 9, 2016|website=GSP 220—Geography of the United States|publisher=North Arizona University|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The [[Mississippi River System]], the world's [[List of rivers by length|fourth-longest river system]], runs predominantly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat and fertile [[prairie]] of the [[Great Plains]] stretches to the west, interrupted by [[U.S. Interior Highlands|a highland region]] in the southeast.<ref name="NAU" />
At home, the U.S. experienced [[Post–World War II economic expansion|sustained economic expansion]] and a [[Post-World War II baby boom|rapid growth of its population]] and middle class. Construction of an [[interstate highway system]] transformed the nation’s infrastructure over the following decades. Millions moved from farms and [[inner city|inner cities]] to large [[suburb]]an housing developments.<ref>Winchester, pp. 305-308</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/learn/impact_of_interstate_system.html |title=History and cultural impact of the Interstate Highway system |publisher=Uvm.edu |accessdate=2014-02-15}}</ref> A growing [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–68)|Civil Rights movement]] used [[nonviolence]] to confront segregation and discrimination, with [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] becoming a prominent leader and figurehead. A combination of court decisions and legislation, culminating in the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], sought to end racial discrimination.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dallek |first=Robert |year=2004 |title=Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President |page=169 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-515920-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=97 |title=Our Documents&nbsp;– Civil Rights Act (1964) |publisher=United States Department of Justice |accessdate=July 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/Johnson/archives.hom/speeches.hom/651003.asp | title =Remarks at the Signing of the Immigration Bill, Liberty Island, New York |date=October 3, 1965 |accessdate=January 1, 2012}}</ref> Meanwhile, a [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture movement]] grew which was fueled by [[Opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to the Vietnam war]], [[black nationalism]], and the [[sexual revolution]]. The launch of a "[[War on Poverty]]" expanded entitlement and welfare spending.<ref>[http://www.ssa.gov/history/lbjsm.html Social Security History], the United States [[Social Security Administration]]</ref>


[[File:Grand Canyon (52931490880).jpg|thumb|The [[Grand Canyon]] in Arizona]]
The 1970s and early 1980s saw the onset of [[stagflation]]. After his election in 1980, President [[Ronald Reagan]] responded to economic stagnation with [[Reaganomics|free-market oriented reforms]]. Following the collapse of [[détente]], he abandoned "containment" and initiated the more aggressive "[[rollback]]" strategy towards the USSR.<ref>[[#Soss|Soss, 2010]], p. 277</ref><ref>[[#Fraser|Fraser, 1989]]</ref><ref>[[#Ferguson|Ferguson, 1986]], pp. 43–53</ref><ref>[[#Williams|Williams]], pp. 325–331</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Niskanen |first=William A. |title=Reaganomics: an insider's account of the policies and the people |url=http://books.google.com/?id=zq4rsWNrYo4C&q=Reaganomics&dq=Reaganomics |year=1988 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-505394-4 |page=363}}</ref> After a surge in female labor participation over the previous decade, by 1985 a majority of women age 16 and over were employed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Women in the Labor Force: A Databook|url=http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2012.pdf|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|accessdate=21 March 2014|page=11|year=2013}}</ref> The late 1980s brought a "[[Cold War (1985-1991)|thaw]]" in relations with the USSR, and [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|its collapse]] in 1991 finally ended the Cold War.<ref>{{cite book |last=Howell |first=Buddy Wayne |title=The Rhetoric of Presidential Summit Diplomacy: Ronald Reagan and the U.S.-Soviet Summits, 1985—1988 |url=http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Rhetoric_of_Presidential_Summit_Dipl.html?id=LctvjhxJ-bsC |year=2006 |publisher=Texas A&M University |isbn=978-0-549-41658-6 |page=352}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kissinger |first=Henry |authorlink=Henry Kissinger |title=Diplomacy |url=http://books.google.com/?id=0IZboamhb5EC&lpg=PA731 |year=2011 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-2631-8 |pages=781–784}}<br />{{cite book |last=Mann |first=James |title=The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War |url=http://books.google.com/?id=BgZyXNIrvB4C&pg=PT12|year=2009 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4406-8639-9 |page=432}}<br /></ref><ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref><ref>[[#ushistory13|US History.org, 2013]]</ref>


The [[Rocky Mountains]], west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over {{convert|14000|ft}} in [[Colorado]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Harms|first=Nicole|title=Facts About the Rocky Mountain Range|url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/rocky-mountain-range-11967.html|work=USA Today|access-date=December 24, 2014|archive-date=February 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212094150/https://traveltips.usatoday.com/rocky-mountain-range-11967.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Farther west are the rocky [[Great Basin]] and [[Chihuahuan Desert|Chihuahua]], [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]], and [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]] deserts.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tinkham|first=Ernest R.|title=Biological, Taxonomic and Faunistic Studies on the Shield-Back Katydids of the North American Deserts|jstor=2421073|doi=10.2307/2421073|journal=[[The American Midland Naturalist]]|volume=31|number=2|date=March 1944|pages=257–328|publisher=The [[University of Notre Dame]]}}</ref> In the northwest corner of [[Arizona]], carved by the [[Colorado River]] over millions of years, is the [[Grand Canyon]], a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination known for its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape.
===Contemporary history===
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{{Main|History of the United States (1991–present)}}
After the Cold War, the 1990s saw the [[1990s United States boom|longest economic expansion]] in modern U.S. history, ending in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |author=Voyce, Bill |url=http://iwin.iwd.state.ia.us/iowa/ArticleReader?itemid=00003700&print=1 |title=Why the Expansion of the 1990s Lasted So Long|publisher=Iowa Workforce Information Network|date=August 21, 2006|accessdate=August 16, 2007}}<br />{{cite news |title=Did Clinton Do It, or Was He Lucky? |author=Dale, Reginald |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/18/business/worldbusiness/18iht-think.2.t_2.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 18, 2000 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Mankiw |first=N. Gregory |title=Macroeconomics |url=http://books.google.com/?id=58KxPNa0hF4C&lpg=PA463 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-324-58999-3 |page=559}}</ref> [[ARPANET|Originating in U.S. defense networks]], the [[Internet]] spread to international academic networks, and then to the public in the 1990s, greatly impacting the global economy, society, and culture.<ref>Winchester, pp. 420-423</ref> On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], [[al-Qaeda]] terrorists struck the [[World Trade Center]] in New York City and [[the Pentagon]] near Washington, D.C., killing nearly 3,000 people.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=September 9, 2011 |title=Flashback 9/11: As It Happened |url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/1151859712001/flashback-911-as-it-happened/ |accessdate=March 6, 2013 |publisher=Fox News}}<br />{{cite news |title=America remembers Sept. 11 attacks 11 years later |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57510234/america-remembers-sept-11-attacks-11-years-later/ |publisher=CBS News |date=September 11, 2012 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/multimedia.day.html |title=Day of Terror Video Archive |year=2005 |publisher=CNN |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}</ref> In response the United States launched the [[War on Terror]], which includes the ongoing [[war in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]] and the 2003–11 [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The 'War on Terror' Is Critical to President George W. Bush's Legacy |author=Walsh, Kenneth T. |url=http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/09/the-war-on-terror-is-critical-to-president-george-w-bushs-legacy |newspaper=U.S. News & World Report |date=December 9, 2008 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |title=The 9/11 Encyclopedia: Second Edition |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PDDIgWRN_HQC&pg=PA210 |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-921-9 |page=872}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Overview: The Iraq War |last=Wong |first=Edward |url=http://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 15, 2008 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=James Turner |title=The War to Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict |url=http://books.google.com/?id=SF7U27JsLC4C&dq=iraq+invasion+removes+hussein |year=2005 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-4956-2 |page=159}}<br />{{cite news |title=Timeline: Key moments in the Iraq War |author=Durando, Jessica |author2=Rae Green, Shannon |agency=Associated Press |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |newspaper=USA Today |date=December 21, 2011 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}</ref> In 2008, amid the [[Great Recession]], [[Barack Obama]] was elected president, becoming the first [[African-American]] to take the office.<ref>{{cite news |title=African-American Economic Gains Reversed By Great Recession |agency=Associated Press |author=Washington, Jesse |author2=Rugaber, Chris |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/10/black-recession-economy-african-americans_n_894046.html |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=September 9, 2011 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |title=Obama rides economy to White House |author=Hargreaves, Steve |url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/04/news/economy/election_polls/index.htm |publisher=CNN |date=November 5, 2008 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite AV media |year=2010 |title=One Year In, a Closer Look at the Obama Presidency |url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june10/obama_01-19.html |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |publisher=MacNeil/Lehrer Production}}</ref>


The [[Sierra Nevada]] and [[Cascade Range|Cascade]] mountain ranges run close to the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]]. The [[Extreme points of the United States|lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States]] are in the State of California,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Whitney, California|url=https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2829|publisher=Peakbagger|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> about {{convert|84|mi|km}} apart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Find Distance and Azimuths Between 2 Sets of Coordinates (Badwater 36-15-01-N, 116-49-33-W and Mount Whitney 36-34-43-N, 118-17-31-W)|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/distance?dlat=36&mlat=15&slat=01&ns=1&dlon=116&mlon=49&slon=33&ew=1&dlat2=36&mlat2=34&slat2=43&sn=1&dlon2=118&mlon2=17&slon2=31&we=1&iselec=1|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> At an elevation of {{convert|20310|ft|1}}, Alaska's [[Denali]] is the highest peak in the country and continent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Poppick|first=Laura|title=US Tallest Mountain's Surprising Location Explained|date=August 28, 2013|url=https://www.livescience.com/39245-us-tallest-mountain-location-explained.html|publisher=LiveScience|access-date=May 2, 2015}}</ref> Active [[List of volcanoes in the United States|volcanoes]] are common throughout Alaska's [[Alexander Archipelago|Alexander]] and [[Aleutian Islands]], and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The [[supervolcano]] underlying [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the Rocky Mountains, the [[Yellowstone Caldera]], is the continent's largest volcanic feature.<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Hanlon|first=Larry|title=America's Explosive Park|url=https://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html|date=March 14, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314034001/https://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html|archive-date=March 14, 2005|publisher=Discovery Channel|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref> In 2021, the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and pastures and 10% of cropland.<ref name="Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-2023">{{Cite book |title=World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |access-date=December 13, 2023 | date=2023 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc8166en| isbn=978-92-5-138262-2 }}</ref>
==Geography, climate, and environment==
{{Main|Geography of the United States|Climate of the United States|Environment of the United States}}
[[File:USA-satellite.jpg|right|thumb|A composite satellite image of the contiguous United States and surrounding areas]]
The land area of the [[contiguous United States]] is {{convert|2959064|sqmi|km2|0}}. Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at {{convert|663268|sqmi|km2|0}}. Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], southwest of North America, is {{convert|10931|sqmi|km2|0}} in area.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lubowski, Ruben; Vesterby, Marlow; Bucholtz, Shawn |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/arei/eib16/chapter1/1.1/|title=AREI Chapter 1.1: Land Use |publisher=Economic Research Service |date=July 21, 2006|accessdate=March 9, 2009}}</ref>


=== Climate ===
The United States is the world's third or fourth [[List of countries by area|largest nation by total area]] (land and water), ranking behind Russia and Canada and just above or below [[China]]. The ranking varies depending on how two territories disputed by China and [[India]] are counted and how the total size of the United States is measured: calculations range from {{convert|3676486|sqmi|km2|0}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/616563/United-States |title=United States |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |accessdate=March 25, 2008 (area given in square miles)}}</ref> to {{convert|3717813|sqmi|km2|0}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2005/Table03.pdf |title=Population by Sex, Rate of Population Increase, Surface Area and Density |publisher=UN Statistics Division |work=Demographic Yearbook 2005 |accessdate=March 25, 2008 (area given in square kilometers)}}</ref> to {{convert|3794101|sqmi|km2|0}}.<ref name="WF">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html |title=United States |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook |date=September 30, 2009 |accessdate=January 5, 2010 (area given in square kilometers)}}</ref> Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208233209rn_1/education.yahoo.com/reference/factbook/countrycompare/area/3d.html |title=World Factbook: Area Country Comparison Table |publisher=Yahoo Education |accessdate=February 28, 2007}}</ref>
{{Main|Climate of the United States}}
{{See also|Climate change in the United States}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types US 50.png|thumb|The [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of the United States]]


With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. East of the [[100th meridian west|100th meridian]], the climate ranges from [[humid continental climate|humid continental]] in the north to [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] in the south.<ref>{{cite web|last=Boyden|first=Jennifer|title=Climate Regions of the United States|url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-regions-united-states-21570.html|work=USA Today|access-date=December 24, 2014|archive-date=February 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212094152/https://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-regions-united-states-21570.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The western Great Plains are [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]]. Many mountainous areas of the American West have an [[alpine climate]]. The climate is [[Desert climate|arid]] in the Southwest, [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] in [[coastal California]], and [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] in coastal [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and southern [[Alaska]]. Most of Alaska is [[Subarctic climate|subarctic]] or [[Polar climate|polar]]. [[Hawaii]], the [[South Florida|southern tip of Florida]] and U.S. territories in the [[Caribbean]] and [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] are [[Tropical climate|tropical]].<ref>{{cite web|title=World Map of Köppen–Geiger Climate Classification|url=https://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A4.pdf|access-date=August 19, 2015|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126115149/http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The coastal plain of the [[Atlantic]] seaboard gives way further inland to [[deciduous]] forests and the rolling hills of the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]]. The [[Appalachian Mountains]] divide the eastern seaboard from the [[Great Lakes]] and the grasslands of the [[Midwest]]. The [[Mississippi (river)|Mississippi]]–[[Missouri River]], the world's [[List of rivers by length|fourth longest river system]], runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile [[prairie]] of the [[Great Plains]] stretches to the west, interrupted by [[U.S. Interior Highlands|a highland region]] in the southeast.


States bordering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes [[Tornadoes in the United States|occur in the country]], mainly in [[Tornado Alley]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Perkins, Sid|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701131631/https://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archive-date=July 1, 2007|title=Tornado Alley, USA|access-date=September 20, 2006|date=May 11, 2002|work=Science News}}</ref> Overall, the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country.<ref>{{cite web|title=USA has the world's most extreme weather|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/05/16/extreme-weather-north-america/2162501/|last=Rice|first=Doyle|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=May 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Borenstein |first=Seth |date=April 2, 2023 |title=Why the U.S. is leading the world in extreme weather catastrophes |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-the-u-s-is-leading-the-world-in-extreme-weather-catastrophes |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref> Extreme weather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of reported [[heat waves]] as in the 1960s. In the [[Southwestern United States|American Southwest]], droughts became more persistent and more severe.<ref>{{Cite web|last=US EPA|first=OAR|date=June 27, 2016|title=Climate Change Indicators: Weather and Climate|url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate|access-date=June 19, 2022|website=Epa.gov|language=en}}</ref> The regions considered as the most attractive to the population are the most vulnerable.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Waldron |first1=Lucas |last2=Lustgarten |first2=Abrahm |title=Climate Change Will Make Parts of the U.S. Uninhabitable. Americans Are Still Moving There. |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-change-will-make-parts-of-the-u-s-uninhabitable-americans-are-still-moving-there |website=Propublica |publisher=Rhodium Group |access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref>
The [[Rocky Mountains]], at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000&nbsp;feet (4,300&nbsp;m) in [[Colorado]]. Farther west are the rocky [[Great Basin]] and deserts such as the [[Chihuahua (desert)|Chihuahua]] and [[Mojave (desert)|Mojave]]. The [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] and [[Cascade Range|Cascade]] mountain ranges run close to the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]], both ranges reaching altitudes higher than {{convert|14000|ft|m}}. The lowest and highest points in the [[Contiguous United States|continental]] United States are in the state of [[California]], and only about {{convert|80|mi|km}} apart. At 20,320&nbsp;feet (6,194&nbsp;m), Alaska's [[Mount McKinley]] is the tallest peak in the country and in North America. Active [[volcano]]es are common throughout Alaska's [[Alexander Archipelago|Alexander]] and [[Aleutian Islands]], and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The [[supervolcano]] underlying [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html |title=Supervolcano: What's Under Yellowstone? |author=O'Hanlon, Larry |publisher=Discovery Channel |accessdate=June 13, 2007|archiveurl=http://archive.is/vXo7|archivedate=May 25, 2012}}</ref>


=== Biodiversity and conservation ===
The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the [[100th meridian west|100th meridian]], the climate ranges from [[humid continental]] in the north to [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] in the south. The southern tip of [[Florida]] is tropical, as is Hawaii. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains are [[alpine climate|alpine]]. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] in [[coastal California]], and [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] in coastal [[Oregon]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] are prone to [[Tropical cyclone|hurricanes]], and most of the world's [[tornado]]es occur within the country, mainly in the Midwest's [[Tornado Alley]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Perkins, Sid |url=http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701131631/http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp |archivedate=July 1, 2007 |title=Tornado Alley, USA |accessdate=September 20, 2006 |date=May 11, 2002 |work=Science News}}</ref>
{{Main|Fauna of the United States|Flora of the United States}}
{{Anchor|Wildlife and conservation}}
[[File:Bald eagle about to fly in Alaska (2016).jpg|alt=A bald eagle|thumb|The [[bald eagle]], the [[national bird of the United States]] since 1782<ref name="McDougall2004">{{cite book|first=Len|last=McDougall|title=The Encyclopedia of Tracks and Scats: A Comprehensive Guide to the Trackable Animals of the United States and Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XOc2_u7z6cC&pg=PA325|year=2004|publisher=Lyons Press|isbn=978-1-59228-070-4|page=325}}</ref>]]


The U.S. is one of 17 [[megadiverse countries]] containing large numbers of [[List of endangered animals of North America|endemic species]]: about 17,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of [[flowering plant]]s are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morin, Nancy|url=https://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724222726/https://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf|title=Vascular Plants of the United States|website=Plants|publisher=National Biological Service|access-date=October 27, 2008|archive-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref> The United States is home to 428 [[mammal]] species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 [[amphibian]]s,<ref name="Current Results # of native species in the US">{{cite web|last1=Osborn|first1=Liz|title=Number of Native Species in United States|url=https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-of-native-species-in-united-states.php|publisher=Current Results Nexus|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> and around 91,000 insect species.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm|title=Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals)|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=January 20, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Bald Eagle Portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[bald eagle]] has been the national bird of the United States since 1782.]]
The U.S. ecology is considered "[[megadiverse countries|megadiverse]]": about 17,000 species of [[vascular plants]] occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of [[flowering plant]]s are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web |author=Morin, Nancy |url=http://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf |title=Vascular Plants of the United States |publisher=National Biological Service |work=Plants |accessdate=October 27, 2008}}</ref> The United States is home to more than 400 mammal, 750 bird, and 500 reptile and amphibian species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sdi.gov/curtis/TxTab4x1.html |title=Global Significance of Selected U.S. Native Plant and Animal Species |publisher=SDI Group |date=February 9, 2001 |accessdate=January 20, 2009}}</ref> About 91,000 insect species have been described.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm |title=Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals) |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=January 20, 2009}}</ref> The [[bald eagle]] is both the [[national bird]] and [[national animal]] of the United States, and is an enduring symbol of the country itself.<ref name=j23>{{Cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=E.A. |year=1990 |title=Symbol of a Nation: The Bald Eagle in American Culture |journal=The Journal of American Culture |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=63–69|doi=10.1111/j.1542-734X.1990.1301_63.x }}</ref>


There are 58 [[List of areas in the United States National Park System|national parks]] and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and [[wilderness]] areas.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=639 |title=National Park Service Announces Addition of Two New Units |publisher=National Park Service |date=February 28, 2006 |accessdate=June 13, 2006}}</ref> Altogether, the government owns 28.8% of the country's land area.<ref name=FL>{{cite web |url=http://johnshadegg.house.gov/rsc/Federal%20Land%20Ownership--May%202005.pdf |title=Federal Land and Buildings Ownership |publisher=Republican Study Committee |date=May 19, 2005 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090309172818/http://johnshadegg.house.gov/rsc/Federal%20Land%20Ownership--May%202005.pdf |archivedate=March 9, 2009 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> Most of this is [[protected area|protected]], though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; 2.4% is used for military purposes.<ref name=FL/><ref>{{cite web |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) |accessdate=June 23, 2012 |date=June 21, 2012 |title=NOAA: Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone' Predictions Feature Uncertainty |url=http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article_pf.asp?ID=3252}}</ref><ref name="Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium">{{cite web |publisher=Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) |accessdate=May 18, 2013 |title=What is hypoxia? |url=http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/Overview/}}</ref>
There are [[List of national parks of the United States|63 national parks]], and [[Federal lands|hundreds of other federally managed]] parks, forests, and [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness areas]], managed by the [[National Park Service]] and other agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title= National Park FAQ|url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm/|website=nps|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=May 8, 2015}}</ref> About 28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed,<ref name="NYTimes Federal Land">{{cite news|last1=Lipton|first1=Eric|last2=Krauss|first2=Clifford|title=Giving Reins to the States Over Drilling|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/romney-would-give-reins-to-states-on-drilling-on-federal-lands.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0|access-date=January 18, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 23, 2012}}</ref> primarily in the [[Western United States|Western States]].<ref name="AKLeg CRS Federal Land">{{Cite report|url=https://www.akleg.gov/basis/get_documents.asp?session=31&docid=47224|title=Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=June 18, 2020|last1=Vincent|first1=Carol H.|last2=Hanson|first2=Laura A.|last3=Argueta|first3=Carla N.|page=2}}</ref> [[Protected areas of the United States|Most of this land is protected]], though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent is used for military purposes.<ref name="Federal Land Ownership">{{cite web|last1=Gorte|first1=Ross W.|last2=Vincent|first2=Carol Hardy.|last3=Hanson|first3=Laura A.|last4=Marc R.|first4=Rosenblum|title=Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42346.pdf|website=fas.org|publisher=Congressional Research Service|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Fed Land Uses">{{cite web|title=Chapter 6: Federal Programs to Promote Resource Use, Extraction, and Development|url=https://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/wetlands2/v2ch6.cfm|website=doi.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318005744/https://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/wetlands2/v2ch6.cfm|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|access-date=January 19, 2015|archive-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref>


[[Environmental issues in the United States|Environmental issues]] have been on the national agenda since 1970. Environmental controversies include debates on oil and [[nuclear binding energy|nuclear energy]], dealing with air and water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and [[deforestation]],<ref>{{cite web|author=The National Atlas of the United States of America |url=http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html |title=Forest Resources of the United States |publisher=Nationalatlas.gov |date=2013-01-14 |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr587.pdf |title=Land Use Changes Involving Forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, With Projections to 2050 |format=PDF |year=2003 |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> and international responses to global warming.<ref>[[#Daynes|Daynes & Sussman, 2010]], pp. 3, 72, 74–76, 78</ref><ref>Hays, Samuel P. (2000). ''A History of Environmental Politics since 1945''.</ref> Many federal and state agencies are involved. The most prominent is the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA), created by presidential order in 1970.<ref>Rothman, Hal K. (1998).''The Greening of a Nation? Environmentalism in the United States since 1945''</ref> The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.<ref>Turner, James Morton (2012). ''The Promise of Wilderness''</ref> The [[Endangered Species Act]] of 1973 is intended to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].
[[Environmental issues in the United States]] include debates on [[non-renewable resource]]s and [[Nuclear power debate|nuclear energy]], [[Pollution prevention in the US|air and water pollution]], [[biodiversity]], logging and [[Deforestation in the United States|deforestation]],<ref>{{cite web|author=The National Atlas of the United States of America|url=https://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html|title=Forest Resources of the United States|publisher=Nationalatlas.gov|date=January 14, 2013|access-date=January 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507195541/https://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html|archive-date=May 7, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr587.pdf|title=Land Use Changes Involving Forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, With Projections to 2050|year=2003|access-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref> and [[Climate change in the United States|climate change]].<ref>[[#Daynes|Daynes & Sussman, 2010]], pp. 3, 72, 74–76, 78</ref><ref>Hays, Samuel P. (2000). ''A History of Environmental Politics since 1945''.</ref> The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) is the federal agency charged with [[Environmental policy of the United States|addressing most environmental-related issues]].<ref name="Collin2006">{{cite book|last=Collin|first=Robert W.|title=The Environmental Protection Agency: Cleaning Up America's Act|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVPoqXeTYTwC&pg=PA1|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-33341-5|page=1|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> The [[National Wilderness Preservation System|idea of wilderness]] has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the [[Wilderness Act]].<ref>Turner, James Morton (2012). ''The Promise of Wilderness'', pp. 29&ndash;32</ref> The [[Endangered Species Act of 1973]] provides a way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] implements and enforces the Act.<ref name="Office">{{cite book|title=Endangered species Fish and Wildlife Service|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8BEuUPJb58C&pg=PA1|publisher=General Accounting Office, Diane Publishing|isbn=978-1-4289-3997-4|pages=1–3, 42|access-date=October 25, 2015|year=2003 }}</ref> In 2024, the U.S. ranked 34th among 180 countries in the [[Environmental Performance Index]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2024 |title=Environmental Performance Index |url=https://epi.yale.edu/measure/2024/EPI |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=epi.yale.edu}}</ref> The country joined the [[Paris Agreement]] on climate change in 2016 and has many other environmental commitments.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States of America|url=https://climateaction.unfccc.int/views/country.html?country=US|website=Global Climate Action – NAZCA|publisher=United Nations|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref>


== Government and politics ==
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the United States|Americans|List of United States cities by population}}
{{Main|Politics of the United States}}
{{Further|Elections in the United States|Political ideologies in the United States|Americanism (ideology)|American civil religion}}
[[File:US Capitol west side.JPG|thumb|The [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol Building]], the seat of legislative government, is home to both chambers of the [[U.S. Congress]]: the [[United States Senate|Senate]] (in left wing of building) and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (right wing).]]
[[File:White House lawn (long tightly cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[White House]], the residence and workplace of the U.S. president and the offices of [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|the presidential staff]]]]
[[File:Panorama of United States Supreme Court Building at Dusk.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], which houses the [[Supreme Court of the United States|nation's highest court]]]]


The United States is a [[federal republic]] of 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and a separate federal capital district, [[Washington, D.C.]] It also asserts sovereignty over five [[Territories of the United States|unincorporated territories]] and [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|several uninhabited island possessions]].<ref name="HRI-2012"/>{{sfn|Onuf|2010|p=xvii}} The U.S. is the world's oldest surviving federation,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desjardins |first=Jeff |date=August 8, 2019 |title=Mapped: The world's oldest democracies |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/countries-are-the-worlds-oldest-democracies/ |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=[[World Economic Forum]]}}</ref> and its [[Presidential system|presidential system of national government]] has been adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent states worldwide following their [[decolonization]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=David |editor-first1=David |editor-first2=Victor |editor-last1=Ryan |editor-last2=Pungong |title=The United States and Decolonization |year=2000 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1057/9780333977958 |hdl=1887/72726 |isbn=978-1-349-40644-9 |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780333977958}}</ref> It is a liberal [[representative democracy]] "in which [[Tyranny of the majority|majority rule is tempered]] by [[Constitutional right|minority rights]] protected [[Law of the United States|by law]]".<ref name="Scheb">Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. {{ISBN|978-0-7668-2759-2}}.</ref> The [[Constitution of the United States]] serves as [[Supremacy Clause|the country's supreme legal document]], also establishing the structure and responsibilities of the national federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The U.S. Constitution is the world's oldest national constitution still in effect (from March 4, 1789).
===Population===
[[File:Census-2000-Data-Top-US-Ancestries-by-County.svg|thumb|400px|Largest ancestry groups by county, 2000]]
{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width:240px"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5"
!Race/Ethnicity
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|<small>(as given by the 2012 Census Estimate)</small><ref name="Cen2012Summary">{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html|title=USA| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=May 22, 2014}}</ref>
|-
!<small>By race:</small>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || style="text-align:center;"|77.9%
|-
| [[African American]] || style="text-align:center;"|13.1%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || style="text-align:center;"|5.1%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] || style="text-align:center;"|1.2%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]] || style="text-align:center;"|0.2%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Multiracial]] (2 or more) || style="text-align:center;"| 2.4%
|-
!<small>By ethnicity:</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf |title=Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2010 : 2010 Census Briefs |publisher=Census.gov |accessdate=2014-06-14}}</ref>
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic/Latino]] (of any race) || style="text-align:center;"|16.9%
|-
| Non-[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic/Latino]] (of any race) || style="text-align:center;"|83.1%
|}
[[File:Liberty-statue-from-below.jpg|thumb|The [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[New York City]] is a symbol of both the U.S. and the ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity.<ref>{{cite web| title = Statue of Liberty| work=World Heritage| publisher=UNESCO| url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307| accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref>]]
The [[U.S. Census Bureau]] estimates the country's population now to be {{formatnum:{{data United States | Poptoday}}}},<ref name="POP"/> including an approximate 11.2 million [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigrants]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Steven A. |last1=Camarota |first2=Karen |last2=Jensenius |url=http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back808.pdf |title=Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population |publisher =Center for Immigration Studies |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080809030605/http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back808.pdf |archivedate=August 9, 2008 |date =July 2008 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the 20th century, from about 76 million in 1900.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/pop.pdf |title=Statistical Abstract of the United States |year=2005 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The third most populous nation in the world, after China and [[India]], the United States is the only major industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected.<ref name="PRC">{{cite web |url=http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html |title=Executive Summary: A Population Perspective of the United States |publisher=Population Resource Center |date=May 2000 |accessdate=December 20, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604165856/http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html |archivedate=June 4, 2007}}</ref>


=== National government ===
The United States has a very [[multiethnic society|diverse population]]—31 [[maps of American ancestries|ancestry groups]] have more than one million members.<ref name="An2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|title=Ancestry 2000|publisher=U.S.Census Bureau|date=June 2004|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> [[German American]]s are the largest ethnic group (more than 50 million) - followed by [[Irish American]]s (circa 35 million), [[Mexican American]]s (circa 31 million) and [[English American]]s (circa 27 million).<ref>[http://www.kanarenexpress.com/1000003/1000050/0/38701/article_tf.html] Newspaper report about analysis of u.s. census 2009 of [[Internationale Medienhilfe]]</ref><ref>[http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf www.census.gov Population by Selected Ancestry Group and Region: 2009]</ref>
{{Main|Federal government of the United States}}
Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of [[checks and balances]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Killian, Johnny H. Ed|title=Constitution of the United States |url=https://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm |access-date=February 11, 2012 |publisher=The Office of the Secretary of the Senate}}</ref>
* The [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], a [[bicameral legislature]] made up of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], makes [[federal law]], [[declaration of war|declares war]], approves treaties, has the [[power of the purse]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Legislative Branch|publisher=United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany|url=https://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012}}</ref> and has [[Impeachment in the United States|the power of impeachment]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Process for impeachment|publisher=ThinkQuest|url=https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012|archive-date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408102119/https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|url-status=dead }}</ref> The Senate has 100 members (2 from each state), elected for a six-year term. The House of Representatives has 435 members, each elected for a two-year term; all representatives serve one [[List of United States congressional districts|congressional district]] of equivalent population. Congressional districts are drawn by each state legislature and are contiguous within the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Senate and the House of Representatives: lesson overview (article) |url=https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-interactions-among-branches/us-gov-congress-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives/a/lesson-summary-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives |website=Khan Academy |language=en}}</ref> The Congress also organizes a collection of [[United States congressional committee|committees]], each of which handles a specific task or duty. One of Congress's foremost non-legislative functions is the power to [[Congressional investigation|investigate]] and oversee the executive branch.<ref name=tws2010Sep11t11>{{cite news | author= David S. Broder | title= Congress's Oversight Offensive | newspaper= The Washington Post | date= March 18, 2007 | url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031601989.html | access-date= September 11, 2010 | archive-date= May 1, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110501115602/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031601989.html | url-status= live }}</ref> [[Congressional oversight]] is usually delegated to committees and is facilitated by Congress's subpoena power.<ref name=tws2010Sep11t13>{{cite news | author= Thomas Ferraro | title= House committee subpoenas Rice on Iraq | work= Reuters | date= April 25, 2007 | url= https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2518728220070425 | access-date= September 11, 2010 | archive-date= January 14, 2021 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214442/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2518728220070425 | url-status= live }}</ref> Appointment to a committee enables a member to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under its purview. The various committees monitor ongoing governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the U.S. Congress, including but not limited to new legislation. The two major political parties have appointment power in deciding each committee's membership. Committee chairs are assigned to a member of the majority party.
* The U.S. president is the [[head of state]], [[commander-in-chief]] of the military, chief executive of the federal government, and has the ability to veto [[bill (law)|legislative bills]] from the U.S. Congress before they become law. However, [[Veto power in the United States|presidential vetoes]] can be overridden by a two-thirds [[Supermajority#Use in governments around the world|supermajority]] vote in both chambers of Congress. The president appoints the [[Cabinet of the United States|members of the Cabinet]], subject to Senate approval, and names other officials who administer and enforce federal laws through [[List of federal agencies in the United States|their respective agencies]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Executive Branch|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/|website=The White House|access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> The president also has clemency power for federal crimes and [[Federal pardons in the United States|can issue pardons]]. Finally, the president has the right to issue expansive "[[executive orders]]", subject to [[Judicial review in the United States|judicial review]], in a number of policy areas. Candidates for president campaign with a vice-presidential [[running mate]]. Both candidates are elected together, or defeated together, in a presidential election. Unlike other votes in American politics, this is technically an [[indirect election]] in which the winner will be determined by the [[United States Electoral College|U.S. Electoral College]]. There, votes are officially cast by individual electors selected by [[State legislature (United States)|their state legislature]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Interpretation: Article II, Section 1, Clauses 2 and 3 {{!}} Constitution Center |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/350 |website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |language=en}}</ref> In practice, however, each of the 50 states chooses a group of presidential electors who are required to confirm the winner of their state's popular vote. Each state is allocated two electors plus one additional elector for each [[congressional district]], which in effect combines to equal the number of elected officials that state sends to Congress. The District of Columbia, with no representatives or senators, is allocated three electoral votes. Both the president and the vice president serve a four-year term, and the president may be [[Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|reelected to the office only once]], for one additional four-year term.{{efn|Per the [[Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution, Amendment Twenty-three]], proposed by the U.S. Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified by the States on March 29, 1961}}
* The [[Federal judiciary of the United States|U.S. federal judiciary]], whose judges are all appointed for life by the president with Senate approval, consists primarily of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States courts of appeals|U.S. courts of appeals]], and the [[United States district court|U.S. district courts]]. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets laws and [[judicial review|overturn those they find unconstitutional]].<ref name=FedJud>{{multiref2
|{{cite book|first1=Kermit L.|last1=Hall|first2=Kevin T.|last2=McGuire|title=Institutions of American Democracy: The Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rWCaMAdUzgC|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-988374-5}}
|{{cite book|author=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|title=Learn about the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8X1CzvBXHksC&pg=PA4|date=2013|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-091708-0|page=4}}
|{{cite book|first=Bryon|last=Giddens-White|title=The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbZw3bJsWtUC|year=2005|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4034-6608-2}}
|{{cite book|first=Charles L.|last=Zelden|title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics|url=https://archive.org/details/judicialbranchof0000zeld|url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-702-9|access-date=October 25, 2015}}
|{{cite web|url=https://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts.aspx|title=Federal Courts|author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. -->|publisher=United States Courts|access-date=October 19, 2014}} }}</ref> The Supreme Court has nine members led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States]]. The members are appointed by the sitting president when a vacancy becomes available.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beyond politics: Why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life|first=Roger|last=Cossack|url=https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12/|publisher=CNN|date=July 13, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712085825/https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12|archive-date=July 12, 2012 }}</ref> In a number of ways the federal court system operates differently than state courts. For [[civil case]]s that is apparent in the types of cases that can be heard in the federal system. Their [[limited jurisdiction]] restricts them to cases authorized by the United States Constitution or [[federal statute]]s. In criminal cases, states may only bring criminal prosecutions in state courts, and the federal government may only bring criminal prosecutions in federal court. The first level in the federal courts is [[federal district court]] for any case under "[[Original jurisdiction#Federal and state courts|original jurisdiction]]", such as federal statutes, the Constitution, or [[International treaty|treaties]]. There are twelve [[United States Courts of Appeals|federal circuit]]s that divide the country into different regions for federal appeals courts. After a federal district court has decided a case, it can then be [[Appellate court|appealed]] to a United States court of appeal. The next and highest court in the system is the Supreme Court of the United States. It has the power to decide appeals on all cases brought in federal court or those brought in state court but dealing with federal law. Unlike circuit court appeals, however, the Supreme Court is usually not required to hear the appeal. A "[[Certiorari#Federal courts|petition for writ of certiorari]]" may be submitted to the court, asking it to hear the case. If it is granted, the Supreme Court will take [[Legal brief|briefs]] and conduct [[oral argument]]s. If it is not granted, the opinion of the lower court stands. Certiorari is not often granted, and less than 1% of appeals to the Supreme Court are actually heard by it. Usually, the Court only hears cases when there are conflicting decisions across the nation on a particular issue, or when there is an obvious error in a case.


The three-branch system is known as the [[presidential system]], in contrast to the [[parliamentary system]], where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world imitated this aspect of the 1789 [[Constitution of the United States]], especially in the Americas.<ref name="Sundquist">{{Cite book |last=Sundquist |first=James L. |title=Designs for Democratic Stability: Studies in Viable Constitutionalism |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1997 |isbn=0765600528 |editor-last=Baaklini |editor-first=Abdo I. |pages=53–72 |language=en |chapter=The U.S. Presidential System as a Model for the World |editor-last2=Desfosses |editor-first2=Helen}}</ref>
[[White American]]s are the largest [[race (classification of humans)|racial group]]; [[African American|Black Americans]] are the nation's largest [[minority group|racial minority]] and third largest ancestry group.<ref name="An2000"/> [[Asian American]]s are the country's second largest racial minority; the three largest Asian American ethnic groups are [[Chinese American]]s, [[Filipino American]]s, and [[Indian American]]s.<ref name="An2000"/>


=== Political parties ===
With a birth rate of 13 per 1,000, 35% below the world average, its [[population growth]] rate is positive at 0.9%, significantly higher than those of many developed nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr60/nvsr60_02.pdf|title=Births: Preliminary Data for 2010|publisher=National Center for Health Statistics|work=National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 60|year=2011|accessdate=August 17, 2012}}</ref> In fiscal year 2012, over one million [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]] (most of whom entered through [[Chain migration#Legislation and chain migration|family reunification]]) were granted [[United States Permanent Resident Card|legal residence]].<ref name="LPR">[http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_lpr_fr_2012_2.pdf "U.S. Legal Permanent Residents: 2012"]. [[Office of Immigration Statistics]] ''Annual Flow Report.''</ref> [[Mexico]] has been the leading source of new residents since the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965|1965 Immigration Act]]. [[China]], [[India]], and the [[Philippines]] have been in the top four sending countries every year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics-2011-1|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 – Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status by Region and Country of Birth: Fiscal Years 2002 to 2011 (Table 3)|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security|accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR07.shtm|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2007 – Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status by Region and Country of Birth: Fiscal Years 1998 to 2007 (Table 3)|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security|accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref>
{{main|Political parties in the United States|List of political parties in the United States}}
{{See also|Political party strength in U.S. states}}
[[File:US state Legislature and Governor Control.svg|thumb|[[State governments of the United States|U.S. state governments]] (governor and legislature) by party control, {{as of|2024|lc=y}}:
{{legend|#33f|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] control}}
{{legend|#f33|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] control}}
{{legend|#829|Split control}}]]


The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th century with the [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] and [[Anti-Federalist Party|Anti-Federalist]] parties.<ref name="Hofstadter-1969-iv">{{cite book |last1=Hofstadter |first1=Richard |title=The Idea of a Party System : The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840 |date=1969 |publisher=University of California Press |page=iv |isbn=9780520013896 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wG5rCKm8SmAC&q=%E2%80%9Cdid+not+believe+in+parties+as+such,+scorned+those+that+they+were+conscious+of+as+historical+models%22 |access-date=October 5, 2022}}</ref> Since then, the United States has operated as a de facto [[two-party system]], though the parties in that system have been different at different times.<ref name="Blake-2021">{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |title=Why are there only two parties in American politics? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/27/why-are-there-only-two-parties-in-american-politics/ |access-date=May 4, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=November 25, 2021}}</ref> The two main national parties are presently the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. The former is perceived as [[Modern liberalism in the United States|relatively liberal]] in its [[political platform]] while the latter is perceived as [[Conservatism in the United States|relatively conservative]].<ref>[[Matthew Levendusky]], ''The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans'' (U Chicago Press, 2009)</ref>
According to a survey conducted by the Williams Institute, nine million Americans, or roughly 3.5% of the adult population identify themselves as [[homosexual]], [[bisexual]], or [[transgender]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/williams-institute-report-reveals-million-gay-bisexual-transgender/story?id=13320565 |title=Gay Americans Make Up 4 Percent of Population |accessdate=August 26, 2012 |publisher=ABC News |date=April 8, 2011 |author=Donaldson James, Susan}}</ref> A 2012 Gallup poll also concluded that 3.5% of adult Americans identified as [[LGBT]]. The highest percentage coming from the Disctrict of Columbia (10%), while the lowest state was North Dakota at 1.7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/160517/lgbt-percentage-highest-lowest-north-dakota.aspx |title=LGBT Percentage Highest in D.C., Lowest in North Dakota |publisher=Gallup.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-14}}</ref>


=== Subdivisions ===
In 2010, the U.S. population included an estimated 5.2 million people with some [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] or [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] ancestry (2.9 million exclusively of such ancestry) and 1.2 million with some [[Native Hawaiians|native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander|Pacific island]] ancestry (0.5 million exclusively).<ref name="Cen2010Race">{{cite web|author=Humes, Karen R.; Jones, Nicholas A.; Ramirez, Roberto R. |url= http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf |title=Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=March 2011 |accessdate= March 29, 2011}}</ref> The census counted more than 19 million people of "Some Other Race" who were "unable to identify with any" of its five official race categories in 2010.<ref name="Cen2010Race"/>
{{Main|U.S. state|County (United States)}}
{{See also|State governments of the United States| Local government in the United States}}
{{Further|List of states and territories of the United States|Indian reservation|Territories of the United States|Territorial evolution of the United States}}


In the [[Federalism in the United States|American federal system]], sovereign powers are shared between two levels of elected government: national and state. People in the states are also represented by [[Local government in the United States|local elected governments]], which are administrative divisions of the states.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levy |first1=Robert A. |title=Rights, Powers, Dual Sovereignty, and Federalism |url=https://www.cato.org/policy-report/september/october-2011/rights-powers-dual-sovereignty-federalism# |website=Cato Institute |access-date=January 13, 2024 |date=October 2011}}</ref> States are subdivided into [[County (United States)|counties or county equivalents]], and [[Local government in the United States|further divided into municipalities]]. The District of Columbia is a [[federal district]] containing the U.S. capital, [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref>{{usc|8|1101}}(a)(36) and {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> The federal district is an administrative division of the federal government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Feldstein |first=Martin |date=March 2017 |title=Why is Growth Better in the United States Than in Other Industrial Countries? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w23221 |journal=[[National Bureau of Economic Research]] |location=Cambridge, MA|doi=10.3386/w23221 }}</ref> [[List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States|Federally recognized tribes]] govern 326 [[List of Indian reservations in the United States|Indian reservations]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a federal Indian reservation? |url=https://www.bia.gov/faqs/what-federal-indian-reservation#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%20326%20Indian,%2C%20communities%2C%20etc.). |access-date=August 26, 2023 |website=bia.gov | date=August 19, 2017 |publisher=[[Bureau of Indian Affairs]]}}</ref>
The population growth of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] (the terms are officially interchangeable) is a major [[demographic transition|demographic trend]]. The 50.5 million Americans of Hispanic descent<ref name="Cen2010Race"/> are identified as sharing a distinct "[[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|ethnicity]]" by the Census Bureau; 64% of Hispanic Americans are of [[Mexican American|Mexican descent]].<ref name=CB2007>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/07_1YR/B03001 | title = B03001. Hispanic or Latino Origin by Specific Origin | work = 2007 American Community Survey | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = September 26, 2008}}</ref> Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%.<ref name="Cen2010Summary">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/|title=2010 Census Data| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 29, 2011}}</ref> Much of this growth is from immigration; in 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was [[Foreign born|foreign-born]], with 54% of that figure born in [[Latin America]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Tables 41 and 42—Native and Foreign-Born Populations|accessdate= October 11, 2009}}</ref>
{{USA image map}}


=== Foreign relations ===
[[Fertility]] is also a factor; in 2010 the average Hispanic (of any race) woman gave birth to 2.35 children in her lifetime, compared to 1.97 for non-Hispanic black women and 1.79 for non-Hispanic white women (both below the [[replacement rate]] of 2.1).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_01.pdf |title=National Vital Stattistics Reports: Volume 61, Number 1. Births: Final Data for 2012 |date=August 2012 |publisher=Cdc.gov |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> [[Minority group|Minorities]] (as defined by the Census Bureau as all those beside non-Hispanic, non-multiracial whites) constituted 36.3% of the population in 2010,<ref>[http://www.census.gov/2010census/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn123.html U.S. Census Bureau: "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Final State 2010 Census Population Totals for Legislative Redistricting"] see custom table, 2nd worksheet</ref> and over 50% of children under age one,<ref>{{cite news |author=Exner, Rich |url= http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |title= Americans under age one now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |date=July 3, 2012 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |location =Cleveland, OH |accessdate=July 29, 2012}}</ref> and are projected to constitute the majority by 2042.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb08-123.html |accessdate= March 29, 2013 |title=An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=August 14, 2008}}</ref> This contradicts the report by the National Vital Statistics Reports, based on the U.S. census data, which concludes that 54% (2,162,406 out of 3,999,386 in 2010) of births were non-Hispanic white.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
{{Main|Foreign relations of the United States|Foreign policy of the United States}}
[[File:67º Período de Sesiones de la Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas (8020913157).jpg|thumb|The [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]] has been situated along the [[East River]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] since 1952; in 1945, the United States was a [[Founding member of the United Nations|founding member of the UN]].|alt=see caption]]


The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it has the world's [[List of countries by number of diplomatic missions|second-largest diplomatic corps]] {{As of|2024|lc=y}}. It is a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member of the United Nations Security Council]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/current-members|title=Current Members|work=[[United Nations Security Council]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> and home to the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=United Nations Headquarters Agreement|journal=The American Journal of International Law |volume=42|number=2|date=April 1948|pages=445–447|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|doi=10.2307/2193692|jstor=2193692|s2cid=246008694 }}</ref> The United States is a member of the [[G7]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/where-g7-headed|title=Where is the G7 Headed?|work=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|location=New York City|date=June 28, 2022}}</ref> [[G20]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-and-g20-building-a-more-peaceful-stable-and-prosperous-world-together/|title=The United States and G20: Building a More Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous World Together|date=July 6, 2022|work=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> and [[OECD]] intergovernmental organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/about/members-and-partners/|title=Our global reach|work=[[OECD]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Almost all countries have [[List of diplomatic missions in the United States|embassies]] and many have [[consul (representative)|consulates]] (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal [[diplomatic mission]]s with the United States, except [[Iran–United States relations|Iran]],<ref>{{cite report |last1=Fialho |first1=Livia Pontes |last2=Wallin |first2=Matthew |title=Reaching for an Audience: U.S. Public Diplomacy Towards Iran |date=August 1, 2013 |publisher=American Security Project |jstor=resrep06070}}</ref> [[North Korea–United States relations|North Korea]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42351336|title=Which are the countries still talking to North Korea?|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|location=London|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2022|last1=Oliver|first1=Alex|last2=Graham|first2=Euan}}</ref> and [[Foreign relations of Bhutan#Other countries|Bhutan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/12/the-case-for-a-stronger-bhutanese-american-relationship/|title=The Case for Stronger Bhutanese-American Ties|newspaper=[[The Diplomat]]|date=December 22, 2014|last=Ferraro|first=Matthew F.|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Though [[Taiwan–United States relations|Taiwan]] does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close unofficial relations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2022 |title=US will continue to strengthen 'unofficial ties' with Taiwan, says Harris |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194126/us-will-continue-strengthen-unofficial-ties-taiwan-vice |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref> The United States regularly [[Six Assurances|supplies Taiwan with military equipment]] to deter potential Chinese aggression.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/22/915818283/formal-ties-with-u-s-not-for-now-says-taiwan-foreign-minister|title=Formal Ties With U.S.? Not For Now, Says Taiwan Foreign Minister|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=September 22, 2020|last=Ruwitch|first=John|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Its geopolitical attention also turned to the [[Indo-Pacific]] when the United States joined the [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue]] with Australia, India, and Japan.<ref name="kobara">{{cite news |last1=Kobara |first1=Junnosuke |last2=Moriyasu |first2=Ken |date=March 27, 2021 |title=Japan will turn to Quad in 'nealsow Cold War': Defense Ministry think tank |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Japan-will-turn-to-Quad-in-new-Cold-War-Defense-Ministry-think-tank |access-date=April 13, 2021 |work=Nikkei Asia}}</ref>
About 82% of Americans live in [[United States urban area|urban areas]] (including suburbs);<ref name="WF"/> about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en |title =United States -- Urban/Rural and Inside/Outside Metropolitan Area |publisher =United States Census Bureau |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100117053950/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en |archivedate=January 17, 2010 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> In 2008, 273 [[List of United States cities by population|incorporated places]] had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four [[global city|global cities]] had over two million ([[New York City]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Chicago]], and [[Houston]]).<ref name=PopEstBigCities>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/copy_of_2008-subcounty-population-hawaii/SUB_EST2008_01.pdf | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJk99 |archivedate= December 7, 2009 |title =Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2008 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 |work= 2008 Population Estimates |publisher= U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division |date=July 1, 2009}}</ref> There are 52 [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|metropolitan areas]] with populations greater than one million.<ref name=PopEstMSA>{{cite web | url = http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/2008_MSA_Hawaii/CBSA_EST2008_05.pdf |archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJzkG |archivedate= December 7, 2009 |title= Table 5. Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2007 to July 1, 2008 |work= 2008 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau| date =March 19, 2009}}</ref> Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 47 are in the West or South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb09-45.html|title=Raleigh and Austin are Fastest-Growing Metro Areas|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=March 19, 2009|accessdate=October 11, 2009}}</ref> The metro areas of [[Dallas]], Houston, [[Atlanta]], and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008.<ref name=PopEstMSA/>
<div style="margin:0 auto">{{Largest Metropolitan Areas of the United States}}</div>
{{-}}


The United States has a "[[Special Relationship]]" [[United Kingdom–United States relations|with the United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLy-NKnQitIC&q=uk+us+special+relationship&pg=PA45|title=America's 'Special Relationships': Foreign and Domestic Aspects of the Politics of Alliance|page=45|first1=John|first2=Axel|last2=Schäfer|last1=Dumbrell|year=2009|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-87270-3|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> and strong ties [[Canada–United States relations|with Canada]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/96-397.pdf|title=Canada–U.S. Relations|author1=Ek, Carl|first2=Ian F.|last2=Fergusson|name-list-style=amp|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=September 3, 2010|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Australia–United States relations|Australia]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Australia: Background and U.S. Relations|author=Vaughn, Bruce|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=August 8, 2008|oclc = 70208969}}</ref> [[New Zealand–United States relations|New Zealand]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32876.pdf|title=New Zealand: Background and Bilateral Relations with the United States|author=Vaughn, Bruce|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=May 27, 2011|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Philippines–United States relations|the Philippines]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33233.pdf|title=The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Interests|author=Lum, Thomas|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=January 3, 2011|access-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref> [[Japan–United States relations|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33436.pdf|title=Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress|author=Chanlett-Avery, Emma|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=June 8, 2011|access-date=August 28, 2011|display-authors=etal}}</ref> [[South Korea–United States relations|South Korea]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41481.pdf|title=U.S.–South Korea Relations: Issues for Congress|first1=Mark E.|last1=Manyin|first2=Emma|last2=Chanlett-Avery|first3=Mary Beth|last3=Nikitin|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=July 8, 2011|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Israel–United States relations|Israel]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33476.pdf|title=Israel: Background and U.S. Relations|author=Zanotti, Jim|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=July 31, 2014|access-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> and several [[Member state of the European Union|European Union countries]] ([[France–United States relations|France]], [[Italy–United States relations|Italy]], [[Germany–United States relations|Germany]], [[Spain–United States relations|Spain]], and [[Poland–United States relations|Poland]]).<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 20, 2021|url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-poland/|title=U.S. Relations With Poland|website=State.gov|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> The U.S. works closely with its [[NATO]] allies on military and [[national security]] issues, and with countries in the Americas through the [[Organization of American States]] and the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement|United States–Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement]]. In South America, [[Colombia]] is traditionally considered to be the closest ally of the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Untapped Potential of the US-Colombia Partnership|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/untapped-potential-us-colombia-partnership/|date=September 26, 2019|website=Atlantic Council|language=en|access-date=May 30, 2020|last1=Kimer |first1=James }}</ref> The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for [[Federated States of Micronesia|Micronesia]], the [[Marshall Islands]], and [[Palau]] through the [[Compact of Free Association]].<ref name=FedJud/> It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation [[India–United States relations|with India]],<ref>{{cite web |title=INDO- PACIFIC STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf |publisher=White House |access-date=February 3, 2022}}</ref> but [[China–United States relations|its ties with China]] have steadily deteriorated.<ref>{{cite report |last=Meidan |first=Michal |title=US-China: The Great Decoupling |date=July 1, 2019 |publisher=[[Oxford Institute for Energy Studies]] |jstor=resrep33982}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bala |first=Sumathi |title=U.S.-China relations are going downhill with 'no trust' on either side, Stephen Roach says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/28/us-china-ties-on-dangerous-path-with-no-trust-on-both-sides-roach-cohen.html |access-date=May 7, 2023 |publisher=CNBC |date=March 28, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Since 2014, the U.S. has [[Ukraine–United States relations|become a key ally of Ukraine]];<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rumer|first1=Eugene|last2=Sokolsky|first2=Richard|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/06/20/thirty-years-of-u.s.-policy-toward-russia-can-vicious-circle-be-broken-pub-79323|title=Thirty Years of U.S. Policy Toward Russia: Can the Vicious Circle Be Broken?|newspaper=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 20, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> it has also provided the country with significant military equipment and other support in response to [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia's 2022 invasion]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Macias |first=Amanda |title=Here's a look at the $5.6 billion in firepower the U.S. has committed to Ukraine in its fight against Russia |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/17/russia-ukraine-war-summary-of-weapons-us-has-given-to-ukraine.html |access-date=September 28, 2022 |publisher=CNBC |date=June 17, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
===Language===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:right"
|+ '''Languages spoken by more than 1,000,000 in the U.S. <br />as of 2010'''<ref name="MLA Data">{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data |title=United States|publisher=[[Modern Language Association]]|accessdate=September 2, 2013}}</ref>
|-
! Language !! Percent of<br /> population !! Number of <br />speakers
|-
| [[English language|English]] || 80% || 233,780,338
|-
| ''Combined total of all languages<br /> other than English'' || ''20%'' || ''57,048,617''
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]<br /> (excluding [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Spanish-based creole language|Spanish Creole]]) || 12% || 35,437,985
|-
| [[Chinese language|Chinese]]<br /> (including [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] and [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]]) || 0.9% || 2,567,779
|-
| [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] || 0.5% || 1,542,118
|-
| [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] || 0.4% || 1,292,448
|-
| [[French language|French]] || 0.4% || 1,288,833
|-
| [[Korean language|Korean]] || 0.4% || 1,108,408
|-
| [[German language|German]] || 0.4% || 1,107,869
|}
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}
{{See also|Language Spoken at Home|List of endangered languages in the United States}}


=== Military ===
[[English language|English]] ([[American English]]) is the de facto [[national language]]. Although there is no [[official language]] at the federal level, some laws—such as [[Naturalized citizen of the United States|U.S. naturalization requirements]]—standardize English. In 2010, about 230 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]], spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language.<ref name=Lang>"Language Spoken at Home by the U.S. Population, 2010", American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, in ''World Almanac and Book of Facts 2012'', p. 615.</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf| title = Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Learning|date=Fall 2002| publisher = MLA| accessdate = October 16, 2006}}</ref> Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least 28 states.<ref name=ILW>{{cite web |author=Feder, Jody |url= http://www.ilw.com/immigrationdaily/news/2007,0515-crs.pdf |title= English as the Official Language of the United States: Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress |date=January 25, 2007 |publisher= Ilw.com (Congressional Research Service) |accessdate= June 19, 2007}}</ref>
{{Main|United States Armed Forces}}
{{See also|Military history of the United States}}
[[File:Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA (38285035892).jpg|thumb|[[The Pentagon]], the headquarters of the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], is one of the world's largest office buildings with over {{convert|6.5|e6ft2|m2}} of [[floor space]].]]
The president is the [[Commander-in-Chief of the United States|commander-in-chief]] of the United States Armed Forces and appoints its leaders, the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]] and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], which is headquartered at [[the Pentagon]] near Washington, D.C., administers five of the six service branches, which are made up of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gov/about/our-forces|title=Our Forces|publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]]|access-date=July 12, 2024}}</ref> The [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] is administered by the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] in peacetime and can be transferred to the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] in wartime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/happy-231st-birthday-united-states-coast-guard|title=Happy 231st Birthday to the United States Coast Guard!|last=Lindsay|first=James M.|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|location=New York City|date=August 4, 2021|access-date=July 16, 2022|quote=During peacetime it is part of the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, or when the president or Congress so direct, it becomes part of the Department of Defense and is included in the Department of the Navy.}}</ref>


The United States [[Military budget of the United States|spent $916 billion on its military]] in 2023, which is by far the [[List of countries with highest military expenditures|largest amount of any country]], making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% of the country's GDP.'''''<ref name="SIPRI-2020">{{Cite web |date=April 2024 |title=Trends in Military Expenditure 2023 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/2404_fs_milex_2023.pdf#page=2 |access-date=April 22, 2024 |publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref>'''''<ref>{{cite web| url=https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/Data%20for%20all%20countries%20from%201988%E2%80%932020%20in%20constant%20%282019%29%20USD%20%28pdf%29.pdf| title=Data for all countries from 1988–2020 in constant (2019) USD (pdf)| publisher=SIPRI| access-date=April 28, 2021| archive-date=April 28, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428180002/https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/Data%20for%20all%20countries%20from%201988%E2%80%932020%20in%20constant%20(2019)%20USD%20(pdf).pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> The U.S. [[Nuclear weapons of the United States|has 42% of the world's nuclear weapons]]—the second-largest share after Russia.<ref name="Stockholm International Peace Research Institute-2024">{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2024 |title=Role of nuclear weapons grows as geopolitical relations deteriorate—new SIPRI Yearbook out now {{!}} SIPRI |url=https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2024/role-nuclear-weapons-grows-geopolitical-relations-deteriorate-new-sipri-yearbook-out-now |access-date=June 18, 2024 |website=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |language=en}}</ref>
Both [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] and English are official languages in Hawaii, by state law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|title=The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4| publisher=Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau|date=November 7, 1978|accessdate=June 19, 2007}}{{dead link|date=March 2014}}</ref> While neither has an official language, [[New Mexico]] has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as [[Louisiana]] does for English and [[French language in the United States|French]].<ref>{{cite book| author =Dicker, Susan J. | title = Languages in America: A Pluralist View |year=2003|pages=216, 220–25 | location =Clevedon, UK| publisher = Multilingual Matters|isbn=1-85359-651-5}}</ref> Other states, such as [[California]], mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=ccp&group=00001-01000&file=412.10-412.30|title=California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 412.20(6)| publisher=Legislative Counsel, State of California|accessdate=December 17, 2007}} {{cite web|url=http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/allforms.htm|title=California Judicial Council Forms| publisher=Judicial Council, State of California|accessdate=December 17, 2007}}</ref> Many jurisdictions with large numbers of non-English speakers produce government materials, especially voting information, in the most commonly spoken languages in those jurisdictions.


The United States has the [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|third-largest combined armed forces]] in the world, behind the [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese People's Liberation Army]] and [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hackett |first1=James |title=The military balance. 2023 |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1032508955}}</ref> The military operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2015/5/18/8600659/military-bases-united-states|title=Why does the US have 800 military bases around the world?|last=Harris|first=Johnny|date=May 18, 2015|website=Vox|access-date=September 23, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924114313/https://www.vox.com/2015/5/18/8600659/military-bases-united-states}}</ref> and maintains [[United States military deployments|deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel]] in 25 foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724211511/https://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf|title=Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country (309A)|publisher=Department of Defense|date=March 31, 2010|access-date=October 7, 2010|archive-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref>
Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: [[Samoan language|Samoan]] and [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively;{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}} [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands;{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}} Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico and is more widely spoken than English there.<ref name=PuertoRicoTranslation>{{cite web|url=http://www.puertorico.com/translation/|title=Translation in Puerto Rico|work=Puerto Rico Channel|accessdate=29 December 2013}}</ref>


[[State defense forces]] (SDFs) are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. SDFs are authorized by state and federal law but are under the command of the state's [[Governor (United States)|governor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://statedefenseforce.com/|title=StateDefenseForce.com|date=September 17, 2024|website=StateDefenseForce.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sgaus.org/|title=State Guard Association of the United States – Supporting the State Defense Forces of the United States|website=sgaus.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/32/109 | title=32 U.S. Code § 109 - Maintenance of other troops }}</ref>
===Religion===
They are distinct from the state's [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] units in that they cannot become federalized entities. A state's National Guard personnel, however, may be federalized under the [[National Defense Act of 1916#National Defense Act Amendments of 1933|National Defense Act Amendments of 1933]], which created the Guard and provides for the integration of [[Army National Guard]] units and personnel into the U.S. Army and (since 1947) the U.S. Air Force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arng.army.mil/aboutus/history/Pages/ConstitutionalCharteroftheGuard.aspx |title=Legal Basis of the National Guard |publisher=Army National Guard |year=2013 |access-date=17 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521130934/http://www.arng.army.mil/aboutus/history/Pages/ConstitutionalCharteroftheGuard.aspx |archive-date=21 May 2013 }}</ref>
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{See also|History of religion in the United States|Freedom of religion in the United States|Separation of church and state in the United States|List of religious movements that began in the United States}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" font-size:80%;" style="margin-left:1em; float:right"
|+ style="font-size:100%" | Religious affiliation in the U.S. (2012)<ref name=pewforum>
{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx |title=US Religious Landscape Survey | year=2012 | accessdate=2012-12-10}}
</ref>
|-
! Affiliation
! colspan="2"|% of U.S. population
|-
| [[Christianity|Christian]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|73||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Protestant
|align=right| '''{{bartable|48||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Catholic]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|22||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Mormon]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|2||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Eastern Orthodox]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|1||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| Other Faith
|align=right| '''{{bartable|6||2||background:darkgreen}}
|-
| [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|19.6||2||background:purple}}
|-
| Don't know/refused answer
|align=right| '''{{bartable|2||2||background:darkorange}}
|-
| '''Total''' || '''{{bartable|100||2||background:grey}}'''
|}


=== Law enforcement and criminal justice ===
The [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the [[Free Exercise Clause|free exercise]] of religion and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting its [[Establishment Clause|establishment]]. [[Christianity]] is by far the most common religion practiced in the U.S., but other religions are followed, too. In a 2013 survey, 56% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx#1|title=Religion| publisher=Gallup|date=June 2013|accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> In a 2009 Gallup poll 42% of Americans said that they attended church weekly or almost weekly; the figures ranged from a low of 23% in Vermont to a high of 63% in Mississippi.<ref name="gallup.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/125999/mississippians-go-church-most-vermonters-least.aspx |title=Mississippians Go to Church the Most; Vermonters, Least |publisher=Gallup.com |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> As with other Western countries, the U.S. is becoming less religious. [[Irreligion]] is growing rapidly among Americans under 30.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/12/pew-survey-doubt-of-god-growing-quickly-among-millennials/|author=Merica, Dan|title=Pew Survey: Doubt of God Growing Quickly among Millennials| publisher=CNN|date=June 12, 2012|accessdate=June 14, 2012}}</ref> Polls show that overall American confidence in organized religion is declining,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/us-confidence-in-organized-religion-at-low-point_n_1669100.html?utm_hp_ref=religion |title= American Confidence In Organized Religion At All Time Low |accessdate=July 14, 2012 |date=July 12, 2012 |work=Huffington Post |first=Samreen |last=Hooda}}</ref> and that younger Americans in particular are becoming increasingly irreligious.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx |title=Religion Among the Millennials |publisher=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |accessdate=August 29, 2012}}</ref>
{{Main|Law of the United States|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
{{See also|Censorship in the United States|Race and crime in the United States}}
[[File:Washington DC, FBI - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[J. Edgar Hoover Building]], the headquarters of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Banks |first1=Duren |last2=Hendrix |first2=Joshua |last3=Hickman |first3=Mathhew |date=October 4, 2016 |title=National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data |url=https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/nsleed.pdf |journal=[[U.S. Department of Justice]] |pages=1}}</ref> Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff departments]] in their municipal or county jurisdictions. [[State police (United States)|The state police]] departments [[Police power (United States constitutional law)|have authority in their respective state]], and [[Federal law enforcement in the United States|federal agencies]] such as the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Service]] have national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting [[civil rights]], [[National security of the United States|national security]] and enforcing [[U.S. federal courts]]' rulings and federal laws.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Who Governs & What They Do|publisher=Chiff.com|url=https://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|access-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210040432/https://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|archive-date=February 10, 2014|url-status= }}</ref> [[State court (United States)|State courts]] conduct most civil and criminal trials,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Manweller|first1=Mathew|editor1-last=Hogan|editor1-first=Sean O.|title=The Judicial Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics|date=2006|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|isbn=978-1-85109-751-7|pages=37–96|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ong5k8n97P4C&pg=PA55|access-date=October 5, 2020|chapter=Chapter 2, The Roles, Functions, and Powers of State Courts}}</ref> and federal courts handle designated crimes and [[United States courts of appeals|appeals of state court decisions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/federal-courts|title=Introduction To The Federal Court System|work=[[United States Attorney]]|date=November 7, 2014 |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]]|access-date=July 14, 2022|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>


There is no unified "criminal justice system" in the United States. The [[Incarceration in the United States|American prison system]] is largely heterogenous, with thousands of relatively independent systems operating across federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In 2023, "these systems [held] almost 2 million people in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails, 1,323 juvenile correctional facilities, 181 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in [[List of U.S. military prisons|military prisons]], civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. territories."<ref name="Sawyer-2023">{{Cite web |last1=Sawyer |first1=Wendy |last2=Wagner |first2=Peter |title=Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023 |url=https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023.html |date=July 6, 2023 |access-date=August 23, 2024| website=Prison Policy Initiative |language=en}}</ref> Despite disparate systems of confinement, four main institutions dominate: [[List of United States federal prisons|federal prisons]], [[Lists of United States state prisons|state prisons]], local jails, and [[American juvenile justice system|juvenile correctional facilities]].<ref name="National Academies Press-2014">{{Cite book |url=http://www.nap.edu/catalog/18613 |title=The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences |date=April 24, 2014 |publisher=National Academies Press |isbn=978-0-309-29801-8 |location=Washington, D.C.|doi=10.17226/18613 }}</ref> Federal prisons are run by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] and hold people who have been convicted of federal crimes, including pretrial detainees.<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> State prisons, run by the official department of correction of each state, hold sentenced people serving prison time (usually longer than one year) for felony offenses.<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> Local jails are county or municipal facilities that incarcerate defendants prior to trial; they also hold those serving short sentences (typically under a year).<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> Juvenile correctional facilities are operated by local or state governments and serve as longer-term placements for any minor adjudicated as delinquent and ordered by a judge to be confined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=The Annie E. Casey |date=November 14, 2020 |title=Juvenile Detention Explained |url=https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-is-juvenile-detention |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=The Annie E. Casey Foundation |language=en}}</ref>
According to a 2012 survey, 73% of adults identified themselves as [[Christianity in the United States|Christian]],<ref name="Pew">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/|title="Nones" on the Rise| publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|year=2012|accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> down from 86.4% in 1990.<ref name="ARIS">{{cite web|url=http://www.gc.cuny.edu/CUNY_GC/media/CUNY-Graduate-Center/PDF/ARIS/ARIS-PDF-version.pdf?ext=.pdf|title=American Religious Identification Survey 2001|author=Kosmin, Barry A., Egon Mayer, and Ariela Kaysar| publisher=CUNY Graduate Center|date=December 19, 2001|accessdate=September 16, 2011}}</ref>
[[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations accounted for 48%, while [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]], at 22%, was the largest individual denomination.<ref name="Pew"/> The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2012 was 6%, up from 4% in 2007.<ref name="Pew"/> Other religions include [[American Jews|Judaism]] (1.7%), [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]] (0.7%), [[Islam in the United States|Islam]] (0.6%), [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]] (0.4%), and [[Unitarian Universalism]] (0.3%).<ref name="Pew"/> The survey also reported that 19.6% of Americans described themselves as [[agnosticism|agnostic]], [[atheism|atheist]] or simply having [[irreligion|no religion]], up from 8.2% in 1990.<ref name="Pew"/><ref name="ARIS"/><ref name="The Future of the Global Muslim Population">{{cite web|url=http://features.pewforum.org/muslim-population-graphic/#/United%20States|title=United States|accessdate=May 2, 2013}}</ref> There are also [[Baha'i]], [[Sikh]], [[Jain]], [[Shinto]], [[Confucian]], [[Taoist]], [[Neo-Druidism|Druid]], [[Native American religion|Native American]], [[Wicca]]n, [[Religious humanism|humanist]] and [[deist]] communities.<ref>Media, Minorities, and Meaning: A Critical Introduction&nbsp;— Page 88, Debra L. Merskin&nbsp;– 2010</ref>


As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth-highest [[List of countries by incarceration rate|per capita incarceration rate]] in the world&mdash;531 people per 100,000 inhabitants&mdash;and the largest prison and jail population in the world, with [[Incarceration in the United States|almost 2 million people incarcerated]].<ref name="Sawyer-2023" /><ref>[http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/united-states-america United States of America]. [[World Prison Brief]].</ref><ref name="WorldPrisonBrief">[http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest Highest to Lowest]. [[World Prison Brief]] (WPB). Use the dropdown menu to choose lists of countries by region or the whole world. Use the menu to select highest-to-lowest lists of prison population totals, prison population rates, percentage of pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners, percentage of female prisoners, percentage of foreign prisoners, and occupancy rate. Column headings in WPB tables can be clicked to reorder columns lowest to highest, or alphabetically. For detailed information for each country click on any country name in lists. See the [http://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief-data WPB main data page] and click on the map links or the sidebar links to get to the region and country desired.</ref> An analysis of the [[World Health Organization]] Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by [[Gun deaths in the United States|a gun homicide rate]] that was 25 times higher".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Grinshteyn|first1=Erin|last2=Hemenway|first2=David|date=March 2016|title=Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010|url=https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/fulltext|journal=[[The American Journal of Medicine]]|volume=129|issue=3|pages=226–273|doi=10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025|pmid=26551975|access-date=June 18, 2017|doi-access=free}}</ref>
[[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]] is the largest group of religions in the United States, with Baptists being the largest Protestant sect, and the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] being the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. About 19 percent of Protestants are Evangelical, while 15 percent are mainline and 8 percent belong to a traditionally Black church. [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]] in the U.S. has its origin in the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish]] and [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] colonization of the Americas, and later grew due to Irish, Italian, Polish, German and Hispanic immigration. Rhode Island is the only state where the majority of the population is Catholic. [[Lutheranism]] in the U.S. has its origin in immigration from [[Northern Europe]]. [[North Dakota|North]] and [[South Dakota]] are the only states in which a plurality of the population is Lutheran. [[Utah]] is the only state where [[Mormonism]] is the religion of the majority of the population. [[Mormon Corridor|Mormonism is also relatively common]] in parts of [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]] and [[Wyoming]].


== Economy ==
The [[Bible Belt]] is an informal term for a region in the Southern United States in which socially conservative [[evangelical Protestant]]ism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average. By contrast, religion plays the least important role in [[New England]] and in the Western United States.<ref name="gallup.com"/>
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}
{{further|Economic history of the United States|Tourism in the United States}}
[[File:US one dollar bill, obverse, series 2009.jpg|thumb|alt=see caption|The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]], the most-used currency [[International use of the U.S. dollar|in international transactions]] and the world's foremost [[reserve currency]]<ref name="federalreserve.gov">{{cite web |title=The Implementation of Monetary Policy – The Federal Reserve in the International Sphere |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_4.pdf |access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref>]]


The U.S. has been the world's [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|largest economy nominally since about 1890]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fordham |first=Benjamin |date=October 2017 |title=Protectionist Empire: Trade, Tariffs, and United States Foreign Policy, 1890–1914 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0898588x17000116 |journal=Studies in American Political Development |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=170–192 |doi=10.1017/s0898588x17000116 |s2cid=148917255 |issn=0898-588X}}</ref> The 2023 nominal U.S. [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of more than $27&nbsp;trillion was the highest in the world, constituting over 25% of the global economy or 15% at [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP).<ref name="IMFWEO.US" /><ref name="IMF-2023">{{cite web |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=111,&s=NGDP_R,NGDP_RPCH,NGDP,NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDP_D,NGDPRPC,NGDPRPPPPC,NGDPPC,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,NGAP_NPGDP,PPPSH,PPPEX,NID_NGDP,NGSD_NGDP,PCPI,PCPIPCH,PCPIE,PCPIEPCH,FLIBOR6,TM_RPCH,TMG_RPCH,TX_RPCH,TXG_RPCH,LUR,LE,LP,GGR,GGR_NGDP,GGX,GGX_NGDP,GGXCNL,GGXCNL_NGDP,GGSB,GGSB_NPGDP,GGXONLB,GGXONLB_NGDP,GGXWDN,GGXWDN_NGDP,GGXWDG,GGXWDG_NGDP,NGDP_FY,BCA,BCA_NGDPD,&sy=2021&ey=2023&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |website=Imf.org}}</ref> From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the [[G7]].<ref name="Hagopian">{{cite journal |author=Hagopian |first1=Kip |last2=Ohanian |first2=Lee |date=August 1, 2012 |title=The Mismeasure of Inequality |url=https://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |url-status=dead |journal=Policy Review |issue=174 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012353/https://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=January 23, 2020 }}</ref> The country ranks [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|first in the world by nominal GDP]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/gross-domestic-product-fourth-quarter-and-year-2022-third-estimate-gdp-industry-and|title=Gross Domestic Product, Fourth Quarter and Year 2022 (Third Estimate), GDP by Industry, and Corporate Profits|publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce|U.S. Department of Commerce]]}}</ref> [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|second when adjusted for purchasing power parities]] (PPP),<ref name="IMFWEO.US" /> and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|ninth by PPP-adjusted GDP per capita]].<ref name="IMFWEO.US" /> It possesses the [[Disposable household and per capita income#Disposable income per capita (OECD)|highest disposable household income per capita]] among [[OECD]] countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Household disposable income |url=https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-disposable-income.htm |website=OECD Data |language=en}}</ref> As of February 2024, the total [[National debt of the United States|federal government debt]] was $34.4 trillion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fox|first=Michelle|date=March 1, 2024|title=The U.S. national debt is rising by $1 trillion about every 100 days|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/01/the-us-national-debt-is-rising-by-1-trillion-about-every-100-days.html}}</ref>
===Family structure===
[[File:Aerial_Microsoft_West_Campus_August_2009.jpg|thumb|[[Microsoft]], the world's [[List of public corporations by market capitalization|biggest company by market capitalization]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 21, 2024 |title=Microsoft back as most valuable listed company as Nvidia slips |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8884389l35o |access-date=August 6, 2024 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> has its global headquarters in [[Redmond, Washington]], north of Seattle.]]
{{Main|Family structure in the United States}}
Of the world's [[Fortune Global 500|500 largest companies by revenue]], [[List of largest companies in the United States by revenue|136 are headquartered in the U.S.]] as of 2023,<ref name="Fortune-2022">{{Cite web |title=Global 500 |url=https://fortune.com/ranking/global500/ |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=[[Fortune Global 500]] |language=en}}</ref> which is the highest number of any country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hyam |first=Benji |date=November 29, 2023 |title=Most Profitable Companies: U.S. vs. Rest of the World, 2023 |url=https://www.growandconvert.com/research/most-profitable-fortune-500-companies-in-2023/ |access-date=July 16, 2024 |website=www.growandconvert.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the currency most used [[International use of the U.S. dollar|in international transactions]] and is the world's foremost [[reserve currency]], backed by the country's dominant economy, [[United States Armed Forces|its military]], the [[petrodollar]] system, and its linked [[eurodollar]] and large [[U.S. Treasury|U.S. treasuries market]].<ref name="federalreserve.gov" /> [[United States dollar#Countries that use US dollar|Several countries use it as their official currency]], and in others it is the [[de facto currency|''de facto'' currency]].<ref name="Benjamin J. Cohen 2006, p. 17">Benjamin J. Cohen, ''The Future of Money'', Princeton University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0691116660}}; ''cf''. "the dollar is the de facto currency in Cambodia", Charles Agar, ''[[Frommer's]] Vietnam'', 2006, {{ISBN|0471798169}}, p. 17</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=March 31, 2014 |title=US GDP Growth Rate by Year |url=http://www.multpl.com/us-gdp-growth-rate/table/by-year |access-date=June 18, 2014 |website=multpl.com |publisher=US Bureau of Economic Analysis}}</ref> It has [[free trade agreements]] with [[Free trade agreements of the United States|several countries]], including the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement|USMCA]].<ref>{{cite web |title=United States free trade agreements |url=https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements |access-date=May 31, 2019 |work=[[Office of the United States Trade Representative]]}}</ref> The U.S. ranked second in the [[Global Competitiveness Report]] in 2019, after Singapore.<ref name="World Economic Forum">{{cite web |title=Rankings: Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_Rankings_2013-14.pdf |access-date=June 1, 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum}}</ref> Although the United States has reached a [[Post-industrial economy|post-industrial level of development]]<ref name="Collins-2023">{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Michael |date=August 11, 2023 |title=The Post-Industrial Service Economy Isn't Working for the Middle Class |url=https://www.industryweek.com/the-economy/data-and-statistics/article/21271497/the-post-industrial-service-economy-isnt-working |access-date=August 10, 2024 |website=[[IndustryWeek]] |language=en}}</ref> and is often described as having a [[service economy]],<ref name="Collins-2023" /><ref name="Econ">{{cite web |title=USA Economy in Brief |url=https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archive-date=March 12, 2008 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs}}</ref> it [[Manufacturing in the United States|remains a major industrial power]].<ref>{{cite web |date=July 2010 |title=The State of Manufacturing in the United States |url=http://trade.gov/manufactureamerica/facts/tg_mana_003019.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226011512/http://trade.gov/manufactureamerica/facts/tg_mana_003019.asp |archive-date=February 26, 2013 |access-date=March 10, 2013 |publisher=International Trade Administration }}</ref> {{As of|2021}}, the U.S. is the [[List of countries by manufacturing output|second-largest manufacturing country]] after China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manufacturing, Value Added (Current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107135049/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |archive-date=January 7, 2020 |access-date=July 14, 2021 |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}</ref>
[[File:Gaming-Wall-Street BTS Prodigium-266.jpg|thumb|The [[New York Stock Exchange]] on [[Wall Street]], the world's [[List of stock exchanges#Major stock exchanges|largest stock exchange by market capitalization]]<ref name=NYSEhighestcap>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/nyse-new-york-stock-exchange/|title=NYSE: What Is The New York Stock Exchange|author= Kat Tretina and Benjamin Curry|work=Forbes|date=April 9, 2021|access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref>]]
[[New York City]] is the world's principal [[financial center]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Huw |date=March 24, 2022 |title=New York widens lead over London in top finance centres index |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/new-york-widens-lead-over-london-top-finance-centres-index-2022-03-24/ |access-date=July 29, 2022 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name=NYCFintechAndFinancialCapitalWorld>{{cite web |url = https://www.longfinance.net/publications/long-finance-reports/the-global-financial-centres-index-35/|title = The Global Financial Centres Index 35|date = March 21, 2024|publisher = Long Finance|access-date = May 1, 2024}}</ref> and the epicenter of the world's [[list of cities by GDP|largest metropolitan economy]].<ref name="NYCEpicenterUSMetroEconomy">{{cite web |author=Iman Ghosh |date=September 24, 2020 |title=This 3D map shows the U.S. cities with the highest economic output |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/united-states-america-economic-output-new-york-la/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |publisher=World Economic Forum |quote=The New York metro area dwarfs all other cities for economic output by a large margin.}}</ref> The [[New York Stock Exchange]] and [[Nasdaq]], both located in New York City, are the world's two [[List of stock exchanges|largest stock exchanges]] by [[market capitalization]] and [[trade volume]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Monthly Reports – World Federation of Exchanges |url=https://www.world-exchanges.org/our-work/statistics |publisher=WFE}}</ref><ref name="sfc.hk">[http://www.sfc.hk/web/doc/EN/research/stat/a01.pdf Table A – Market Capitalization of the World's Top Stock Exchanges (As at end of June 2012)]. Securities and Exchange Commission (China).</ref> The United States is at or near the forefront of [[Science and technology in the United States|technological advancement]] and [[innovation]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2022/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2022, 15th Edition |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2022 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |access-date=February 25, 2023}}</ref> in many economic fields, especially in [[artificial intelligence]]; [[electronics]] and [[computer]]s; [[pharmaceuticals]]; and medical, [[aerospace]] and [[military equipment]].<ref name="CIA-2018" /> The country's economy is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s, a well-developed [[Infrastructure policy of the United States|infrastructure]], and [[List of countries by labour productivity|high productivity]].<ref name="Wright, Gavin 2007 p. 185">Wright, Gavin, and Jesse Czelusta, "Resource-Based Growth Past and Present", in ''Natural Resources: Neither Curse Nor Destiny'', ed. Daniel Lederman and William Maloney (World Bank, 2007), p. 185. {{ISBN|0821365452}}.</ref> The [[List of the largest trading partners of the United States|largest trading partners of the United States]] are the [[European Union]], Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 2022 |title=Top Trading Partners – October 2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1612yr.html |access-date=May 12, 2023 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The United States is the world's [[List of countries by imports|largest importer]] and the [[List of countries by exports|second-largest exporter]].{{efn|A country's total exports are usually understood to be goods and services. Based on this, the U.S. is the world's second-largest exporter, after China.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Trade Statistical Review 2019 |url=https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts2019_e.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2019 |work=[[World Trade Organization]] |page=100}}</ref> However, if primary income is included, the U.S. is the world's largest exporter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exports of goods, services and primary income (BoP, current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.TOTL.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |access-date=May 24, 2024 |website=data.worldbank.org}}</ref>}} It is by far the world's [[List of countries by service exports|largest exporter of services]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Service exports (BoP, current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.NFSV.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true&year_high_desc=false |access-date=August 4, 2023 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref>


Americans have the highest average [[Household income|household]] and [[List of countries by average wage|employee income]] among [[OECD]] member states,<ref>{{cite web |title=Income |url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/ |access-date=September 28, 2019 |work=Better Life Index |publisher=OECD |quote=In the United States, the average household net adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 45 284 a year, much higher than the OECD average of USD 33 604 and the highest figure in the OECD.}}</ref> and the fourth-highest [[Median income|median household income]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Median Income by Country 2023 |url=https://wisevoter.com/country-rankings/median-income-by-country/ |access-date=July 28, 2023 |website=Wisevoter |language=en-US}}</ref> up from sixth-highest in 2013.<ref name="Household Income">{{cite journal |date=March 18, 2014 |url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-at-a-glance-2014_soc_glance-2014-en |journal=Society at a Glance 2014: OECD Social Indicators |publisher=OECD Publishing |doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2014-en |isbn=9789264200722 |access-date=May 29, 2014 |doi-access=free |title=Society at a Glance 2014 }}</ref> With personal [[Consumer spending|consumption expenditures]] of over $18.5 trillion in 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Personal Consumption Expenditures |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCECA |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=fred.stlouisfed.org |language=en}}</ref> the U.S. has a heavily [[Consumer economy|consumer-driven economy]] and is by far the world's [[List of largest consumer markets|largest consumer market]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rocha |first=Laura |date=August 18, 2023 |title=Playing To Win In The U.S. Market |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeseq/2023/08/18/playing-to-win-in-the-us-market/ |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Wealth in the United States]] is [[Wealth inequality in the United States|highly concentrated]]; the richest 10% of the adult population own 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 2%.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Piketty|first1=Thomas|title=Capital in the Twenty-First Century|title-link=Capital in the Twenty-First Century|date=2014|publisher=Belknap Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780674430006/page/257 257]|author-link1=Thomas Piketty}} {{ISBN|978-0-674-43000-6}}</ref> [[Income inequality in the United States|Income inequality in the U.S.]] remains at record highs,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/26/income-inequality-america-highest-its-been-since-census-started-tracking-it-data-show/ |title=Income inequality in America is the highest it's been since Census Bureau started tracking it, data shows |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref> with the top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all income<ref>{{Cite news|last=Long|first=Heather|date=September 12, 2017|title=U.S. middle-class incomes reached highest-ever level in 2016, Census Bureau says|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-middle-class-incomes-reached-highest-ever-level-in-2016-census-bureau-says/2017/09/12/7226905e-97de-11e7-b569-3360011663b4_story.html|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref> and giving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among OECD members.<ref name="Sme">{{cite journal|last1=Smeeding|first1=T.M.|year=2005|title=Public Policy: Economic Inequality and Poverty: The United States in Comparative Perspective|journal=Social Science Quarterly| volume=86|pages=955–983|doi= 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00331.x| s2cid=154642286}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hopkin|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Hopkin|date=2020 |title=Anti-System Politics: The Crisis of Market Liberalism in Rich Democracies|chapter=American Nightmare: How Neoliberalism Broke US Democracy|url=|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IyXTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87|location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=87–88 |isbn=978-0190699765|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190699765.003.0004}}</ref> The U.S. [[List of countries by number of billionaires|ranks first in the number of dollar billionaires]] and [[List of countries by number of millionaires|millionaires]], with 735 billionaires and nearly 22 million millionaires as of 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here's How Many Billionaires And Millionaires Live In The U.S. – Forbes Advisor |url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/retirement/how-many-billionaires-and-millionaires-live-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=As%20of%202023,%20there%20are,your%20own%20definition%20of%20wealth. |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=Forbes}}</ref> There were about 582,500 sheltered and unsheltered [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in 2022, with 60% staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress|date= December 2022|website= |publisher=The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development|access-date=June 16, 2023 }}</ref> In 2022, 6.4 million children experienced food insecurity.<ref name="ers.usda.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx|title=USDA ERS – Key Statistics & Graphics|website= ers.usda.gov|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> [[Feeding America]] estimates that around one in five, or approximately 13 million, [[Hunger in the United States#Children|children experience hunger in the U.S.]] and do not know where they will get their next meal or when.<ref name="FactsAbout">{{Cite web|title= Facts About Child Hunger in America {{!}} Feeding America|url= https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/child-hunger-facts| access-date=December 4, 2019|website= feedingamerica.org}}</ref> {{as of|2022|post=,}} 37.9&nbsp;million people, or 11.5% of the U.S. population, were [[Poverty in the United States|living in poverty]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html |website=Census.gov}}</ref>
In 2007, 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Table 55—Marital Status of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 2007|accessdate = October 11, 2009}}</ref> Women now work mostly outside the home and receive a majority of [[Educational attainment in the United States|bachelor's degrees]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609151527/http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archivedate=June 9, 2007 |title=Women's Advances in Education |publisher=Columbia University, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy |year=2006 |accessdate=June 6, 2007}}</ref>


The United States has a smaller [[welfare state]] and redistributes less income through government action than most other [[World Bank high-income economy|high-income countries]].<ref>{{cite web|first1=Isabelle|last1=Joumard|first2=Mauro|last2=Pisu|first3=Debbie|last3=Bloch|title=Tackling income inequality The role of taxes and transfers|url=https://www.oecd.org/eco/public-finance/TacklingincomeinequalityTheroleoftaxesandtransfers.pdf|publisher=OECD|access-date=May 21, 2015|year=2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rank|first=Mark Robert |author-link=Mark Robert Rank|date=2023|title=The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGewEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA116|location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=116–117 |isbn= 978-0190212636}}</ref> It is the only [[advanced economy]] that does not [[List of statutory minimum employment leave by country|guarantee its workers paid vacation]] nationally<ref>{{cite news |last=Min |first=Sarah |date=May 24, 2019 |title=1 in 4 workers in U.S. don't get any paid vacation time or holidays|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/one-in-four-workers-in-us-dont-get-any-paid-vacation-time-or-holidays/|publisher=CBS News |access-date=July 15, 2022|quote=The United States is the only advanced economy that does not federally mandate any paid vacation days or holidays. }}</ref> and is one of a few countries in the world without federal [[Parental leave in the United States|paid family leave]] as a legal right.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernard |first=Tara Siegel |date=February 22, 2013 |title=In Paid Family Leave, U.S. Trails Most of the Globe |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/your-money/us-trails-much-of-the-world-in-providing-paid-family-leave.html |access-date=August 27, 2013}}</ref> The United States has a higher percentage of low-income [[Working class in the United States|workers]] than almost any other developed country, largely because of a weak [[collective bargaining]] system and lack of government support for at-risk workers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Van Dam|first=Andrew|date=July 4, 2018|title=Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/07/04/is-it-great-to-be-a-worker-in-the-u-s-not-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-developed-world/?noredirect=on|access-date=July 12, 2018}}</ref>
The U.S. [[teenage pregnancy]] rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is the highest among OECD nations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_tee_bir_rat-people-teenage-birth-rate |title=Teenage birth rate statistics&nbsp;– countries compared&nbsp;– NationMaster People |publisher=Nationmaster.com |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> Between 2007 and 2010, the highest teenage birth rate was in [[Mississippi]], and the lowest in [[New Hampshire]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57411738/u.s-teen-birth-rates-fall-to-historic-lows/ |title=U.S. teen birth rates fall to historic lows |publisher=CBS News |date=April 10, 2012 |accessdate=July 4, 2013}}</ref> [[Abortion in the United States|Abortion]] is legal throughout the U.S., owing to ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', a 1973 [[landmark decision]] by the [[United States Supreme Court]]. While the abortion rate is falling, the abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and abortion rate of 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 remain higher than those of most Western nations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm|author=Strauss, Lilo T., et al.|title=Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2003|accessdate = June 17, 2007 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health|work=MMWR|date=November 24, 2006}}</ref> In 2011, the average age at first birth was 25.6 and 40.7% of births were to unmarried women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm |title=FASTSTATS – Births and Natality |publisher=Cdc.gov |date=2013-11-21 |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> The total fertility rate (TFR) was estimated for 2013 at 2.06 births per woman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> [[Adoption in the United States]] is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries).<ref>{{cite news |last=Jardine |first=Cassandra |title= Why adoption is so easy in America |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3354960/Why-adoption-is-so-easy-in-America.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=October 31, 2007}}</ref> In 2001, with over 127,000 adoptions, the U.S. accounted for nearly half of the total number of adoptions worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/policy/child-adoption.pdf |title= Child Adoption: Trends and policies |publisher= United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs |year=2009}}</ref> The legal status of [[LGBT adoption in the United States|same-sex couples adopting]] varies by jurisdiction.


=== Science, technology, spaceflight and energy ===
[[Same-sex marriage in the United States|Same-sex marriage]] is legally permitted in 19 U.S. states, [[Same-sex marriage under United States tribal jurisdictions|8 Native American Tribal Jurisdictions]], and the [[Same-sex marriage in District of Columbia|District of Columbia]]. Limited recognition has been granted to out-of-state same-sex marriages in [[LGBT rights in Alaska|Alaska]], [[LGBT rights in Colorado|Colorado]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/02/colo-governor-signs-bill-allowing-joint-tax-filing-for-married-gay-couples/ |title=Colo. governor signs bill allowing joint tax-filing for married same-sex couples – LGBTQ Nation |publisher=Lgbtqnation.com |date=2013-01-01 |accessdate=2014-06-14}}</ref> [[LGBT rights in Missouri|Missouri]], [[same-sex marriage in Utah|Utah]], and [[LGBT rights in Ohio|Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Palmer |first=Kim |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/04/us-usa-ohio-gayrights-idUSBRE98301Q20130904 |title=Ohio must recognize marriage of same-sex couple, federal court rules |publisher=Reuters |date= |accessdate=2014-06-14}}</ref> [[Polygamy]] is illegal throughout the U.S.<ref name=quietly>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90857818|title=Some Muslims in U.S. Quietly Engage in Polygamy|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]: ''[[All Things Considered]]''|accessdate=July 23, 2009|date=May 27, 2008|author=Barbara Bradley Hagerty}}</ref> Although [[Cousin marriage#United States 2|Cousin marriages]] are illegal in most states, they are legal in many states, the [[District of Columbia]] and some territories. Some states have some restrictions or exceptions for cousin marriages and/or recognize such marriages performed out-of-state.
{{Main|Science and technology in the United States|Space policy of the United States|Energy in the United States}}
{{See also|Communications in the United States}}
The United States [[Technological and industrial history of the United States|has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th century]] and scientific research since the mid-20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mowery |first=David |title=Technological Change and the Evolution of the U.S. "National Innovation System", 1880-1990 |url=https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/technological-change-and-the-evolution-of-the-u-s-national-innovation-system-1880-1990/ |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=OpenMind |language=en-US}}</ref> Methods for producing [[interchangeable parts]] and the establishment of a [[machine tool]] industry enabled [[American system of manufacturing|the large-scale manufacturing]] of U.S. consumer products in the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Goodfriend |first1=Marvin |last2=McDermott |first2=John |date=February 24, 2021 |title=The American System of economic growth |url= |journal=Journal of Economic Growth |language=en |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages= 31–75|doi=10.1007/s10887-021-09186-x |issn=1573-7020 |pmc=7902180 |pmid=33642936}}</ref> By the early 20th century, factory [[electrification]], the introduction of the [[assembly line]], and other [[automation|labor-saving techniques]] created the system of [[mass production]].<ref>{{Hounshell1984}}</ref> The United States is widely considered to be the leading country in the development of [[artificial intelligence]] technology.<ref>{{cite web |year=2021 |title=Measuring trends in AI |url=https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report |website=Artificial Intelligence Index |publisher=Stanford University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Espinel |first=Victoria |title=America leads the world in AI–but we could fall behind on AI regulation by the end of 2023 |url=https://fortune.com/europe/2023/09/11/america-leads-world-artificial-intelligence-fall-behind-ai-regulation-2023-tech-victoria-espinel/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Fortune Europe |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Radu |first=Sintia |date=August 19, 2019 |title=Despite Chinese Efforts, the U.S. Still Leads in AI |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2019-08-19/the-us-is-still-the-global-leader-in-artificial-intelligence |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref> In 2022, the United States was (after China) the country with the [[List of countries by number of scientific and technical journal articles|second-highest number of published scientific papers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=SJR – International Science Ranking |url=https://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php?order=itp&ord=desc&year=2020 |access-date=February 5, 2022 |website=Scimagojr.com |language=en-uk}}</ref> In 2021, the U.S. ranked second (also after China) by the number of patent applications, and third by trademark and industrial design applications (after China and Germany), according to [[World Intellectual Property Indicators]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=World Intellectual Property Organization. |url=https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4571&plang=EN |title=World Intellectual Property Indicators 2021 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) |year=2021 |isbn=9789280533293 |series=World IP Indicators (WIPI) |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.44461 |access-date=April 27, 2022}}</ref> In 2023 and 2024, the United States ranked third (after Switzerland and Sweden) in the [[Global Innovation Index]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/assets/67729/2000%20Global%20Innovation%20Index%202024_WEB2.pdf| title=Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |access-date=2024-10-01 |author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|year=2024 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2|doi= 10.34667/tind.50062|website=www.wipo.int|location=Geneva|page=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition |date=December 28, 2023 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |access-date=October 17, 2023}}</ref> The U.S. has the [[List of sovereign states by research and development spending|highest total research and development expenditure of any country]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desjardins |first=Jeff |date=December 18, 2018 |title=Innovators wanted: these countries spend the most on R&D |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/12/how-much-countries-spend-on-r-d/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=www.weforum.org}}</ref> and ranks ninth as a percentage of GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Sean |date=November 16, 2020 |title=These countries spend the most on research and development |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/countries-spending-research-development-gdp/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=www.weforum.org}}</ref> In 2023, the United States was ranked the second most technologically advanced country in the world (after South Korea) by [[Global Finance (magazine)|Global Finance]] magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Getzoff |first=Marc |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Most Technologically Advanced Countries In The World 2023 |url=https://gfmag.com/data/non-economic-data/most-advanced-countries-in-the-world/ |access-date=July 29, 2024 |website=Global Finance Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Buzz salutes the U.S. Flag-crop.jpg|thumb|U.S. astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]] saluting the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] on the [[Moon]] during the 1969 [[Apollo 11]] mission; the United States is the only country that has [[Moon landing|landed crews on the lunar surface]].]]
The United States has maintained a space program since the late 1950s, beginning with the establishment of the [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-26 |title=65 Years Ago: The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 Creates NASA - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/65-years-ago-the-national-aeronautics-and-space-act-of-1958-creates-nasa/#:~:text=President%20Eisenhower%20signed%20the%20National,of%20the%20International%20Geophysical%20Year. |access-date=2024-09-06 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-04 |title=National Aeronautics and Space Administration {{!}} US Space Agency & Exploration Achievements {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/NASA |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> NASA's [[Apollo program]] (1961&ndash;1972) achieved the first crewed [[Moon landing]] with the 1969 [[Apollo 11]] mission; it remains one of the agency's most significant milestones.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-29 |title=Apollo {{!}} History, Missions, Significance, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Apollo-space-program |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-04 |title=The Apollo Missions |url=https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/the-apollo-missions/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=The Apollo Missions |language=en-US}}</ref> Other major endeavors by NASA include the [[Space Shuttle program]] (1981–2011),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Space Shuttle - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/space-shuttle/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[Voyager program]] (1972&ndash;present), the [[Hubble Space Telescope|Hubble]] and [[James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb]] [[space telescope]]s (launched in 1990 and 2021, respectively),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts |url=https://hubblesite.org/quick-facts |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=HubbleSite |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts |url=https://webbtelescope.org/quick-facts |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Webb |language=en}}</ref> and the multi-mission [[Mars Exploration Program]] ([[Mars Exploration Rover|Spirit and Opportunity]], [[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity]], and [[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mars Exploration - NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=science.nasa.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> NASA is one of five agencies collaborating on the [[International Space Station]] (ISS);<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Space Station Facts and Figures - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-facts-and-figures/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> U.S. contributions to the ISS include several modules, including [[Destiny (ISS module)|Destiny]] (2001), [[Harmony (ISS module)|Harmony]] (2007), and [[Tranquility (ISS module)|Tranquility]] (2010), as well as ongoing logistical and operational support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=updated |first=Elizabeth Howell last |date=2022-08-24 |title=International Space Station: Facts, History & Tracking |url=https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref> The United States [[private sector]] dominates the global [[Private spaceflight|commercial spaceflight industry]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-01-11 |title=Analysis {{!}} Companies are commercializing outer space. Do government programs still matter? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/11/companies-are-commercializing-outer-space-do-government-programs-still-matter/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Prominent American spaceflight contractors include [[Blue Origin]], [[Boeing]], [[Lockheed Martin]], [[Northrop Grumman]], and [[SpaceX]]. NASA programs such as the [[Commercial Crew Program]], [[Commercial Resupply Services]], [[Commercial Lunar Payload Services]], and [[Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships|NextSTEP]] have facilitated growing private-sector involvement in American spaceflight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commercial Space - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Info needed about the Artemis program as it is a major component of contemporary American space policy -->


{{as of|2023}}, the United States receives approximately 84% of its energy from fossil fuel, and the largest source of the country's energy came from [[Petroleum in the United States|petroleum]] (38%), followed by [[Natural gas in the United States|natural gas]] (36%), [[Renewable energy in the United States|renewable sources]] (9%), [[Coal in the United States|coal]] (9%), and [[Nuclear power in the United States|nuclear power]] (9%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. energy facts explained - consumption and production - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/ |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=eia.gov}}</ref><ref name="visu">{{cite web |date= March 2022|title=Energy Flow Charts: Charting the Complex Relationships among Energy, Water, and Carbon |url=https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |publisher=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory}}</ref><!--Numbers do not add up to 100 due to rounding errors. --> The United States constitutes less than 4% of the [[world population|world's population]], but consumes around 16% of the world's energy.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 5, 2021 |title=What is the United States' share of world energy consumption? |work=[[Energy Information Administration|U.S. Energy Information Administration]] |url=https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=87&t=1}}</ref> The U.S. ranks as the [[List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases]].<ref>{{cite web |last=US EPA |first=OAR |date=February 8, 2017 |title=Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks |url= https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks |access-date=December 3, 2020 |website=US EPA |language=en}}</ref>
==Government and politics==
{{Main|Federal government of the United States|state governments of the United States|elections in the United States}}
{{triple image|right|Capitol Building Full View.jpg|195|WhiteHouseSouthFacade.JPG|115|USSupremeCourtWestFacade.JPG|120|<center>[[U.S. Capitol]],<br /> where [[United States Congress|Congress]] meets:<br />the [[U.S. Senate|Senate]], left; the [[U.S. House|House]], right|<center>The [[White House]], home of the [[President of the United States|U.S. President]]|<center>[[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], where the [[Supreme Court of the United States|nation's highest court]] sits</center>}}
The United States is the world's oldest surviving [[federation]]. It is a [[constitutional republic]] and [[representative democracy]], "in which [[majority rule]] is tempered by [[minority rights]] protected by [[Law of the United States|law]]".<ref>Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. ISBN 0-7668-2759-3.</ref> The government is regulated by a system of [[separation of powers|checks and balances]] defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm |title=Constitution of the United States |publisher=The Office of the Secretary of the Senate |accessdate=February 11, 2012 |author=Killian, Johnny H.}}</ref> For 2012, the U.S. ranked 21st on the [[Democracy Index]]<ref>Davidson, Kavitha A. (March 21, 2013). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/democracy-index-2013-economist-intelligence-unit_n_2909619.html "Democracy Index 2013: Global Democracy At A Standstill, The Economist Intelligence Unit's Annual Report Shows"]. ''[[The Huffington Post]].'' Retrieved August 23, 2013.</ref> and 19th on the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 |url= http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |publisher=Transparency International |accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref>


=== Transportation ===
In the [[Federalism#United States|American federalist system]], citizens are usually subject to [[Political divisions of the United States|three levels of government]]: federal, state, and local. The [[Local government in the United States|local government]]'s duties are commonly split between [[County (United States)|county]] and [[municipal government]]s. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a [[plurality voting system|plurality vote]] of citizens by district. There is no [[proportional representation]] at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.
{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}
[[File:Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], serving the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], is the world's [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|busiest airport by passenger traffic]] with over 75 million passengers in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-busiest-airports-2021/index.html|title=This US airport has reclaimed its title as the world's busiest|publisher=CNN|first=Marnie|last=Hunter|date=April 11, 2022}}</ref>]]


The [[United States Department of Transportation|U.S. Department of Transportation]] and its divisions provide regulation, supervision, and funding for all aspects of transportation except for customs, immigration, and security. (The latter remain the responsibility of the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|U.S. Department of Homeland Security]].) Each U.S. state has [[List of U.S. state and insular area departments of transportation|its own department of transportation]], which builds and maintains state highways. Depending upon the state, this department might also directly operate or supervise other modes of transportation.
[[File:Political System of the United States.svg|thumb|350px|Political system of the United States]]
The federal government is composed of three branches:
* [[Legislature|Legislative]]: The [[bicameralism|bicameral]] [[United States Congress|Congress]], made up of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], makes [[federal law]], [[declaration of war|declares war]], approves treaties, has the [[power of the purse]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Legislative Branch|publisher=United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany|url=http://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm|accessdate=August 20, 2012}}</ref> and has the power of [[impeachment]], by which it can remove sitting members of the government.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Process for impeachment|publisher=ThinkQuest|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|accessdate=August 20, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Executive (government)|Executive]]: The [[President of the United States|president]] is the [[commander-in-chief]] of the military, can veto [[bill (proposed law)|legislative bills]] before they become law (subject to Congressional override), and appoints the [[United States Cabinet|members of the Cabinet]] (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Executive Branch|publisher=The White House|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/executive-branch|accessdate=August 20, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Judiciary|Judicial]]: The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] and lower [[United States federal courts|federal courts]], whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find [[constitutionality|unconstitutional]].


[[Aviation law]] is almost entirely the jurisdiction of the federal government; the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] regulates all aspects of [[civil aviation]], [[air traffic management]], certification and compliance, and [[aviation safety]]. Vehicle traffic laws, however, are enacted and enforced by state and local authorities, with the exception of roads located on federal property (national parks, military bases) or in the [[Territories of the United States|unorganized U.S. territories]]. The [[United States Coast Guard]] is the primary enforcer of law and security on U.S. waterways, inland as well as coastal, but economic jurisdiction over coastal [[tidelands]] is shared between state and federal governments. The [[Inland waterways of the United States|country's inland waterways]] are the world's [[List of countries by waterways length|fifth-longest]], totaling {{convert|41009|km|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/waterways/country-comparison |title=Waterways – The World Factbook |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref>
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a [[congressional district]] for a two-year term. House seats are [[United States congressional apportionment|apportioned]] among the states by population every tenth year. At the [[United States Census, 2000|2010 census]], seven states had the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, had 53.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/21/us/census-districts.html |title =Census 2010: Gains and Losses in Congress |author =Bloch, Matt; Ericson, Matthew; Quealy, Kevin |work=The New York Times |date=May 30, 2013}}</ref>


Passenger and freight rail systems, bus systems, water ferries, and dams may be under either public or private ownership and operation. U.S. civilian airlines are all privately owned. Most U.S. airports are owned and operated by local government authorities, and there are also some private airports. The [[Transportation Security Administration]] has provided security at most major airports since 2001.
The Senate has 100 members with each state having two senators, elected [[at-large]] to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office [[Term limits in the United States|no more than twice]]. The president is [[United States presidential election|not elected by direct vote]], but by an indirect [[United States Electoral College|electoral college]] system in which the determining votes are apportioned to the states and the [[District of Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Electoral College|publisher=National Archives|url=http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref> The Supreme Court, led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States]], has nine members, who serve for life.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beyond politics: Why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life|first=Roger|last=Cossack|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12/|publisher=CNN|date=July 13, 2000 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120712085825/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12 |archivedate=July 12, 2012 |deadurl=yes}}</ref>


[[File:45intoI-10_2.jpg|thumb|right|Interchange between [[Interstate 10]] and [[Interstate 45]] in [[Houston, Texas]]]]
The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; [[Nebraska]] uniquely has a [[unicameral]] legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407533/Nebraska/78826/Agriculture#toc78830 |title=Nebraska (state, United States) : Agriculture|work=Britannica Online Encyclopedia|accessdate=November 11, 2012}}</ref> The [[Governor (United States)|governor]] (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.
Commercial railroads and trains were the dominant [[mode of transportation]] in the U.S. until the mid-twentieth century. The introduction of jet airplanes and airports serving the same major routes accelerated a decline in demand for interstate and intercity rail passenger service by the 1960s. The completion of the [[Interstate Highway System]] also hastened the sharp curtailment of passenger service by the railroads. These significant developments led to the creation of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, now called [[Amtrak]], by the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] in 1971. Amtrak helps to maintain limited intercity rail passenger service in most parts of the country. It serves most major U.S. cities, but outside the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], [[California]], and [[Illinois]] it typically runs only a few trains per day. More frequent Amtrak service is available in regional corridors between certain major cities, particularly the [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Philadelphia]], [[New York City]] and [[Boston]]; between New York City and [[Albany, New York|Albany]]; in metropolitan [[Chicago]]; and in parts of California and the [[Pacific Northwest]]. Amtrak does not serve several major U.S. destinations, including [[Las Vegas]] and [[Phoenix, Arizona]].


The [[List of airlines of the United States|American civil airline industry]] is entirely owned by corporations and has been largely [[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulated since 1978]], while [[List of airports in the United States|most major airports]] are publicly owned.<ref>{{cite web|last=Edwards|first=Chris|date=July 12, 2020|title=Privatization|url=https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/privatization|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=Downsizing the Federal Government|publisher=Cato Institute|language=en}}</ref> The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; [[American Airlines]] is number one after its 2013 acquisition by [[US Airways]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iata.org/publications/pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx|title=Scheduled Passengers Carried|publisher=International Air Transport Association (IATA)|year=2011|access-date=February 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102034843/https://www.iata.org/publications/pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx|archive-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> Of the world's [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|50 busiest passenger airports]], 16 are in the United States, including the top five and the busiest, [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].<ref name="PANYNJ 2021 report">{{cite web|url=https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/airports/statistics/statistics-general-info/annual-atr/ATR_2021.pdf|title=2021 Airport Traffic Report|work=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|date=April 2022|page=32}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport-|title=Preliminary World Airport Traffic and Rankings 2013—High Growth Dubai Moves Up to 7th Busiest Airport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401052319/https://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport-|archive-date=April 1, 2014|date=March 31, 2014|access-date=May 17, 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, there are 19,969 airports in the U.S., of which 5,193 are designated as "public use", including for [[general aviation]] and other activities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of U.S. Airports |url=https://www.bts.gov/content/number-us-airportsa |publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics |access-date=December 15, 2023}}</ref>
The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. [[Article One of the United States Constitution|Article One]] protects the right to the "great writ" of [[Habeas corpus in the United States|habeas corpus]], The Constitution has been amended 27 times;<ref>[[#Feldstein|Feldstein, Fabozzi, 2011]], p. 9</ref> the first ten amendments, which make up the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]], and the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] form the central basis of Americans' individual rights. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to [[judicial review]] and any law ruled by the courts to be in violation of the Constitution is voided. The principle of judicial review, not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, was established by the Supreme Court in ''[[Marbury v. Madison]]'' (1803)<ref>[[#Schultz|Schultz, 2009]], pp. 164, 453, 503</ref> in a decision handed down by [[John Marshall|Chief Justice John Marshall]].<ref>[[#Schultz|Schultz, 2009]], p. 38</ref>


The overwhelming majority of roads in the United States are owned and maintained by state and local governments. Roads maintained only by the U.S. federal government are generally only found on [[federal lands]] (such as [[List of National Parks of the United States|national parks]]) or at federal facilities (like military bases). The [[Interstate Highway System]], with its large, open [[freeways]] linking the states, is partly funded by the federal government but owned and maintained by the state government hosting its section of the interstate. Some states fund and build their own large expressways&mdash;often called "[[parkways]]" or "[[toll road|turnpikes]]"&mdash;that generally use tolls to pay for construction and maintenance. Likewise, some privately owned roads may use tolls for this purpose.
===Political divisions===
{{Main|Political divisions of the United States|U.S. state|Territories of the United States|List of states and territories of the United States}}
{{Further|Territorial evolution of the United States|United States territorial acquisitions}}
The United States is a federal union of 50 states. The original 13 states were the successors of the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] that rebelled against British rule. Early in the country's history, three new states were organized on territory separated from the claims of the existing states: [[Kentucky]] from [[Virginia]]; [[Tennessee]] from [[North Carolina]]; and [[Maine]] from [[Massachusetts]]. Most of the other states have been carved from territories obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. One set of exceptions includes [[Vermont]], [[Texas]], and [[Hawaii]]: each was an independent republic before joining the union. During the [[American Civil War]], [[West Virginia]] broke away from Virginia. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/10/18/special/story4.html |title='The Goal Was Democracy for All |work= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |author=Borreca, Richard |date=October 18, 1999 |accessdate=February 11, 2012}}</ref> The states [[Texas v. White|do not have the right]] to unilaterally [[secession|secede]] from the union.


[[Public transportation in the United States]] includes [[bus]], [[Commuter rail in North America|commuter rail]], [[ferry]], and sometimes [[Regional airline|airline]] service. Public transit systems serve areas of higher population density where demand is greatest. Many U.S. cities, towns, and suburbs are car-dependent, however, and subrurban public transit is less common and service far less frequent. Most U.S. urban areas have some form of public transit, notably city buses, while the largest (e.g. New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon) operate extensive systems that also include [[Rapid transit|subways]] or [[light rail]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Urban mass transportation planning|author=Black, Alan|date=1995|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0070055575|location=New York|oclc=31045097}}</ref> Most public transit service in the United States is run by local governments, but national and regional commuter lines serve major U.S. urban corridors.
The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass. The [[District of Columbia]] is a [[federal district]] which contains the capital of the United States, [[Washington D.C]]. The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: [[Puerto Rico]] and the [[United States Virgin Islands]] in the Caribbean; and [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] in the Pacific.<ref>See {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(36) and {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> Those born in the major territories are [[Birthright citizenship in the United States|birthright U.S. citizens]] except Samoans. Samoans born in American Samoa are born [[United States nationality law#Nationals|U.S. nationals]], and may become naturalized citizens.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=William O. |title=American Samoa: Issues Associated with Potential Changes to the Current System for Adjudicating Matters of Federal Law |url=http://books.google.com/?id=Ho_RmgOnwgwC&lpg=PA8 |year=2009 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-1-4379-0704-9 |page=8 }}</ref> American citizens residing in the territories have fundamental constitutional protections and elective self-government, with a territorial [[Delegate (United States Congress)|Member of Congress]], but they do not vote for president as states. Territories have personal and business tax regimes different from that of states.<ref>US General Accounting Office, U.S. Insular Areas. [http://www.gao.gov/assets/230/224900.pdf Application of the U.S. Constitution]. November 1997. p. 9. Appendix I, pp. 23–38. Retrieved April 29, 2013.</ref>


Personal transportation in the United States is [[Car dependency|dominated by automobiles]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Cars still dominate the American commute |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/commute-america-sustainability-cars/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Humes |first=Edward |date=April 12, 2016 |title=The Absurd Primacy of the Automobile in American Life |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/absurd-primacy-of-the-car-in-american-life/476346/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> which operate on a network of {{convert|4|e6mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of public roads, making it the [[List of countries by road network size|longest]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roadways – The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/roadways/country-comparison |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712201909/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/roadways/country-comparison |archive-date=July 12, 2021 |access-date=July 15, 2021 |website=Cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Public Road and Street Mileage in the United States by Type of Surface|url=https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_04.html|website=United States Department of Transportation|access-date=January 13, 2015|archive-date=January 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102141414/https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_04.html|url-status =dead }}</ref> The [[Rail transport in the United States|country's rail transport network]], also the [[List of countries by rail transport network size|longest]] in the world at {{cvt|293564.2|km|order=flip}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/railways/country-comparison|title=Railways – The World Factbook|work=[[The World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> handles mostly [[Freight transport|freight]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transtats.bts.gov/osea/seasonaladjustment/?PageVar=RAIL_PM|title=Seasonally Adjusted Transportation Data|publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2021|access-date=February 16, 2021|archive-date=April 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422132507/https://www.transtats.bts.gov/osea/seasonaladjustment/?PageVar=RAIL_PM|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=April 24, 2017 |title=Amtrak at a Junction: Invest in Improvements, or Risk Worsening Problems |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/nyregion/amtrak-infrastructure-crisis.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> Of the [[List of busiest container ports|world's 50 busiest container ports]], four are located in the United States. The busiest in the U.S. is the [[Port of Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldshipping.org/top-50-ports|title=The Top 50 Container Ports|work=[[World Shipping Council]]|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref>
The United States also observes [[Tribal sovereignty in the United States|tribal sovereignty]] of the Native Nations. Though reservations are within state borders, the reservation is a sovereign entity. While the United States recognizes this sovereignty, other countries may not.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fonseca |first=Felicia |agency=Associated Press |title=Native American nations debate sovereignty after Iroquois passport dispute |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700049039/Native-American-nations-debate-sovereignty-after-Iroquois-passport-dispute.html?pg=all |accessdate=July 28, 2012 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |date=July 17, 2010}}</ref>
{{USA midsize imagemap with state names}}<br>
{{US statehood dates}}


The [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash]] and the [[Ford Model T]], both American cars, are considered the first mass-produced<ref>{{Cite news |date= January 26, 1986 |title=SOME MILESTONES OF THE AUTO AGE |language= en-US |work=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/26/automobiles/some-milestones-of-the-auto-age.html |access-date=June 1, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and mass-affordable<ref>{{Cite news |date =September 1, 2002|title=1926 Ford Model T Sports Touring Car |language= en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/09/01/1926-ford-model-t-sports-touring-car/810e313f-4370-44b7-bb76-3282f9de945e/ |access-date=June 1, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> cars, respectively. As of 2023, the United States is the [[List of countries by motor vehicle production|second-largest manufacturer of motor vehicles]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 production statistics |url=https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2023-statistics/ |access-date=July 1, 2024 |website=International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers}}</ref> and is home to [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]], the world's most valuable car company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klebnikov | first=Sergei |title=Tesla Is Now The World's Most Valuable Car Company With A $208 Billion Valuation |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/07/01/tesla-is-now-the-worlds-most-valuable-car-company-with-a-valuation-of-208-billion/ |access-date=April 14, 2023 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> American automotive company [[General Motors]] held the title of the world's best-selling automaker from 1931 to 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bunkley |first=Nick |date=January 21, 2009 |title=Toyota Ahead of G.M. in 2008 Sales |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/business/22auto.html |access-date=April 14, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[American automotive industry]] is the world's second-largest automobile market by sales, having been overtaken by China in 2010,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/jan/08/china-us-car-sales-overtakes|title=China overtakes US in car sales|newspaper=The Guardian|date=January 8, 2010|access-date=July 10, 2011|location=London}}</ref> and the U.S. has the [[List of countries by vehicles per capita|highest vehicle ownership per capita]] in the world,<ref>{{cite web|date=January 30, 2017|title=Fact #962: Vehicles per Capita: Other Regions/Countries Compared to the United States|url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-962-january-30-2017-vehicles-capita-other-regionscountries-compared-united-states|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=Energy.gov|language=en}}</ref> with 910 vehicles per 1000 people.<ref name="USBTS">{{cite web|url=https://capitol-tires.com/how-many-cars-per-capita-in-the-us.html|title=Vehicle Statistics: Cars Per Capita|date=August 2017 |publisher=Capitol Tires}}</ref> By value, the U.S. was the world's largest importer and third-largest exporter of cars in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cars |url=https://oec.world/en/profile/hs/cars |access-date=July 27, 2024 |website=[[The Observatory of Economic Complexity]]}}</ref>
===Parties and elections===
{{Main|Politics of the United States|Political ideologies in the United States}}
[[File:Obama meets with Congressional Leadership July 2011.jpg|thumb|(from left to right) [[United States House of Representatives|House]] [[Leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Leader]] [[Eric Cantor]], House Minority Leader [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[John Boehner]], [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]], [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Majority Leader]] [[Harry Reid]], Senate Minority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] at the [[White House]] in 2011]]
The United States has operated under a [[two-party system]] for most of its history.<ref name=twsNovGe>{{cite news
|author= Etheridge, Eric; Deleith, Asger
|title= A Republic or a Democracy?
|newspaper= New York Times blogs
|quote= The US system seems essentially a two-party system.&nbsp;...
|date= August 19, 2009
|url= http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-republic-or-a-democracy/
|accessdate= November 7, 2010
}}</ref> For elective offices at most levels, state-administered [[primary election]]s choose the major party [[nomination|nominees]] for subsequent [[general election]]s. Since the [[United States presidential election, 1856|general election of 1856]], the major parties have been the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|founded in 1824]], and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], [[History of the United States Republican Party|founded in 1854]]. Since the Civil War, only one [[Third party (United States)|third-party]] presidential candidate—former president [[Theodore Roosevelt]], running as a [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive]] in [[United States presidential election, 1912|1912]]—has won as much as 20% of the popular vote. The third-largest political party is the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]].


== Demographics ==
Within American [[political culture]], the Republican Party is considered center-right or [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] and the Democratic Party is considered center-left or [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Grigsby |first=Ellen|title=Analyzing Politics: An Introduction to Political Science |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2008 |isbn=0-495-50112-3 | pages = 106–7}}</ref> The states of the [[Politics of the Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and [[Western United States#Politics|West Coast]] and some of the Great Lakes states, known as "[[Red states and blue states|blue states]]", are relatively liberal. The "[[Political party strength in U.S. states|red states]]" of the [[Politics of the Southern United States|South]] and parts of the [[Midwestern United States#Political trends|Great Plains]] and [[Western United States#Politics|Rocky Mountains]] are relatively conservative.
{{Main|Demographics of the United States}}


=== Population ===
The winner of the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] and [[United States presidential election, 2012|2012 presidential elections]], Democrat [[Barack Obama]], is the [[List of Presidents of the United States|44th U.S. president]].
<!--As prose text is preferred, overly detailed statistical charts and diagrams such as economic trends, weather boxes, historical population charts, past elections results, etc. should be reserved for main sub articles on the topic as per WP:DETAIL as outlined at WP:NOTSTATS.-->
{{Main|Americans|Race and ethnicity in the United States}}
{{See also|List of U.S. states by population}}
{{Bar chart
| float = right
| title = The 10 most populous U.S. states <br> (2020 U.S. census)<ref>{{cite web |title=US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 2023|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/geo/chart/ID/PST045222 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426202412/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/population-change-data-table.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=December 22, 2022 |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2020 Undercount and Overcount Rates by State and the District of Columbia |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/pes-2020-undercount-overcount-by-state.html |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>
| label_type = State
| data_type = Population (millions)
| bar_width = 10
| width_units = em
| data_max = 40
| label1 = [[California]]
| data1 = 39.0
| label2 = [[Texas]]
| data2 = 30.5
| label3 = [[Florida]]
| data3 = 22.6
| label4 = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| data4 = 19.6
| label5 = [[Pennsylvania]]
| data5 = 13.0
| label6 = [[Illinois]]
| data6 = 12.5
| label7 = [[Ohio]]
| data7 = 11.7
| label8 = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| data8 = 11.0
| label9 = [[North Carolina]]
| data9 = 10.8
| label10 = [[Michigan]]
| data10 = 10.0
}}


The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] reported 331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020,{{efn|This figure, like most official data for the United States as a whole, excludes the five unincorporated territories ([[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], [[American Samoa]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]]) and minor island possessions.}}<ref name=2020CENSUS>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2020-census-apportionment-results.htmlpid=2020CENSUS&src=pt|title=Census Bureau's 2020 Population Count|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}}</ref> making the United States the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third-most-populous country]] in the world, after China and India.<ref name="CIA-2018">{{cite web|title=The World Factbook: United States|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/|access-date=November 10, 2018|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> According to the Bureau's [[U.S. and World Population Clock|U.S. Population Clock]], on July 1, 2024, the U.S. population had a net gain of one person every 16 seconds, or about 5400 people per day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Population Clock|url=https://www.census.gov/popclock/|website=Census.gov}}</ref> In 2023, 51% of Americans age 15 and over were married, 6% were [[widowed]], 10% were divorced, and 34% had never been married.<ref>{{cite web|title=Table MS-1. Marital Status of the Population 15 Years Old and Over, by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: 1950 to Present|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html|access-date=September 11, 2019|website=Historical Marital Status Tables|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> In 2023, the [[total fertility rate]] for the U.S. stood at 1.6 children per woman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saric |first=Ivana |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Births dropped in 2023, ending pandemic baby boom |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/us-births-drop-2023 |access-date=July 1, 2024 |publisher=Axios |language=en}}</ref> and, at 23%, it had the world's highest rate of children living in [[Single parents in the United States|single-parent]] households in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. has world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/|access-date=March 17, 2020|website=Pew Research Center|date=December 12, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
In the [[113th United States Congress]], the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] is controlled by the Republican Party, while the Democratic Party has control of the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. The Senate currently consists of 52 Democrats, two [[independent (politician)|independents]] who caucus with the Democrats, and 46 Republicans; the House consists of 234 Republicans and 201 Democrats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/cong.aspx | title =Congressional Profile Resources |publisher= [[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives|Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref> There are 30 Republican and 20 Democratic [[List of current United States governors|state governors]].<ref>{{cite web |title=50 State Governors |publisher=netstate.com |url= http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/st_governors.htm |accessdate=February 27, 2013}}</ref>


The United States has a diverse population; 37 [[American ancestries|ancestry groups]] have more than one million members.<ref name="An2000">{{cite web|title=Ancestry 2000|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|date=June 2004|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url-status=live|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041204015245/https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|archive-date=December 4, 2004|access-date=December 2, 2016}}</ref> [[Non-Hispanic whites|White Americans]] with ancestry from Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa form the largest [[race (human classification)|racial]] and [[ethnic group]] at 57.8% of the United States population.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/2020-united-states-population-more-racially-ethnically-diverse-than-2010.html | title=The Chance That Two People Chosen at Random Are of Different Race or Ethnicity Groups Has Increased Since 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Table 52. Population by Selected Ancestry Group and Region: 2009|url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf|year=2009|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225031832/https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf|archive-date=December 25, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] form the second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population. [[African Americans]] constitute the country's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total U.S. population.<ref name="An2000" /> Asian Americans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of the United States population. The country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about 1%,<ref name="An2000" /> and some 574 native tribes are recognized by the federal government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities {{!}} USAGov |url=https://www.usa.gov/indian-tribes-alaska-native |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=www.usa.gov |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, the [[median age]] of the United States population was 38.9 years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2023 |title=America Is Getting Older |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-estimates-characteristics.html |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>
Since the founding of the United States until the 2000s, the country's [[governance]] has been primarily dominated by [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestants]] (WASPs). However, the situation has changed recently and of the top 17 positions (four national candidates of the two major party in the [[2012 U.S. presidential election]], four leaders in [[112th United States Congress]], and nine [[Supreme Court Justices]]) there is only one WASP.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/09/04/chart-no-more-wasps-in-presidential-races |title=CHART: No more WASPs in Presidential Races |publisher=US News and World Reports |accessdate=August 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= Knickerbocker, Brad |url= http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/0819/US-government-and-politics-no-longer-run-by-WASPs.-Does-it-matter |title=US government and politics no longer run by WASPs. Does it matter? |work=DC Decoder (blog) |publisher=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston MA |date=August 19, 2012 |accessdate=December 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.npr.org/2012/08/19/159194196/for-the-first-time-no-wasps-this-election |title=For the first time, no WASPs in election |publisher=NPR |date=August 19, 2012 |accessdate= August 3, 2013}}</ref>


=== Language ===
[[File:The United Nations Building.jpg|thumb|The [[United Nations Headquarters]] has been situated in [[Midtown Manhattan]] since 1952.]]
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}
[[File:Languages cp-02.svg|thumb|Most spoken languages in the U.S.]]
While many languages are spoken in the United States, [[American English|English]] is by far the most commonly spoken and written.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaur |first=Harmeet |date=May 20, 2018 |title=FYI: English isn't the official language of the United States |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/20/us/english-us-official-language-trnd/index.html |access-date=May 11, 2023 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Although there is no [[official language]] at the federal level, some laws, such as [[Naturalized citizen of the United States|U.S. naturalization requirements]], standardize English, and most states have declared it the official language.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 12, 2014|title=States Where English Is the Official Language|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/12/states-where-english-is-the-official-language/|access-date=September 12, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii ([[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]),<ref>{{cite web|date=November 7, 1978|title=The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4|url=https://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724231656/https://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|archive-date=July 24, 2013|access-date=June 19, 2007|publisher=Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau}}</ref> Alaska ([[Alaska Native languages|twenty Native languages]]),{{efn|[[Inupiaq language|Inupiaq]], [[Central Siberian Yupik language|Siberian Yupik]], [[Central Alaskan Yup'ik language|Central Alaskan Yup'ik]], [[Alutiiq language|Alutiiq]], [[Aleut language|Unanga]] (Aleut), [[Denaʼina language|Denaʼina]], [[Deg Xinag language|Deg Xinag]], [[Holikachuk language|Holikachuk]], [[Koyukon language|Koyukon]], [[Upper Kuskokwim language|Upper Kuskokwim]], [[Gwichʼin language|Gwichʼin]], [[Lower Tanana language|Tanana]], [[Upper Tanana language|Upper Tanana]], [[Tanacross language|Tanacross]], [[Hän language|Hän]], [[Ahtna language|Ahtna]], [[Eyak language|Eyak]], [[Tlingit language|Tlingit]], [[Haida language|Haida]], and [[Coast Tsimshian dialect|Tsimshian]]}}<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chapel|first1=Bill|date=April 21, 2014|title=Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/21/305688602/alaska-oks-bill-making-native-languages-official|publisher=NPR}}</ref> South Dakota ([[Sioux language|Sioux]]),<ref name="LakotaCommon">{{cite web|title=South Dakota recognizes official indigenous language|url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/22/south-dakota-recognizes-official-indigenous-language-governor-noem/3245113002/|access-date=March 26, 2019|publisher=[[Argus Leader]]}}</ref> American Samoa ([[Samoan language|Samoan]]), Puerto Rico ([[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]]), Guam ([[Chamorro language|Chamorro]]), and the Northern Mariana Islands ([[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro). In total, 169 Native American languages are spoken in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Siebens |first1=Julie |last2=Julian |first2=Tiffany |date=December 2011 |title=Native North American Languages Spoken at Home in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2006–2010 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2011/acs/acsbr10-10.pdf |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English.<ref name="PuertoRicoTranslation">{{cite web|title=Translation in Puerto Rico|url=https://www.puertorico.com/translation/|access-date=December 29, 2013|website=Puerto Rico Channel|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233259/http://www.puertorico.com/translation/|url-status=dead}}</ref>


According to the [[American Community Survey]] (2020),<ref name="ACS2021">{{cite web |title=ACS B16001 |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B16001:+LANGUAGE+SPOKEN+AT+HOME+BY+ABILITY+TO+SPEAK+ENGLISH+FOR+THE+POPULATION+5+YEARS+AND+OVER&g=0100000US&tid=ACSDT1Y2021.B16001&moe=true |website=ACS B16001 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> some 245.4 million people out of the total U.S. population of 334 million spoke only English at home. About 41.2 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include [[Chinese language in the United States|Chinese]] (3.40 million), [[Tagalog language in the United States|Tagalog]] (1.71 million), [[Vietnamese language in the United States|Vietnamese]] (1.52 million), [[Arabic language in the United States|Arabic]] (1.39 million), [[French language in the United States|French]] (1.18 million), [[Korean language in the United States|Korean]] (1.07 million), and [[Russian language in the United States|Russian]] (1.04 million). [[German language in the United States|German]], spoken by 1 million people at home in 2010, fell to 857,000 total speakers in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=American FactFinder—Results |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213140/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref>
===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the United States|Foreign policy of the United States}}
{{see also|Covert United States foreign regime change actions}}


=== Immigration ===
The United States has an established structure of foreign relations. It is a permanent member of the [[United Nations Security Council]], and New York City is home to the [[United Nations Headquarters]]. It is a member of the [[G8]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/what_is_g8.html |title=What is the G8? |publisher=University of Toronto |accessdate=February 11, 2012}}</ref> [[G-20 major economies|G20]], and [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]]. Almost all countries have [[List of diplomatic missions in the United States|embassies]] in Washington, D.C., and many have [[consul (representative)|consulates]] around the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|American diplomatic missions]]. However, [[Cuba&nbsp;– United States relations|Cuba]], [[United States-Iran relations|Iran]], [[North Korea&nbsp;– United States relations|North Korea]], [[Foreign relations of Bhutan#Other countries|Bhutan]], and the [[Taiwan–United States relations|Republic of China]] (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States (although the U.S. still supplies Taiwan with [[Six Assurances|military equipment]]).
{{Main|Immigration to the United States}}
{{See also|United States Border Patrol}}
[[File:Border USA Mexico.jpg|thumb|The [[Mexico–United States border wall]] between [[San Diego]] (left) and [[Tijuana]] (right)]]
America's immigrant population of nearly 51 million is by far the world's [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|largest in absolute terms]].<ref name="UNdef">{{Cite web |author=((United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division)) |title=International Migrant Stock 2019 Documentation |url= https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/docs/MigrationStockDocumentation_2019.pdf |date=August 2019 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/data/UN_MigrantStockTotal_2019.xlsx|title=UN Migrant Stock Total 2019|publisher=United Nations|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> In 2022, there were 87.7 million immigrants and [[Second-generation immigrants in the United States|U.S.-born children of immigrants]] in the United States, accounting for nearly 27% of the overall U.S. population.<ref>{{cite news|date=March 14, 2019|title=Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States|work=[[Migration Policy Institute]]|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states}}</ref> In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7&nbsp;million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3&nbsp;million) were lawful permanent residents, 6% (2.2&nbsp;million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5&nbsp;million) were unauthorized immigrants.<ref name="KeyFindings">{{cite web|date=June 17, 2019|title= Key findings about U.S. immigrants| url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/17/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref> In 2019, the top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (24% of immigrants), India (6%), China (5%), the Philippines (4.5%), and El Salvador (3%).<ref>{{Cite web |date= September 21, 2021|title=Immigrants in the United States |url= https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_the_united_states_0.pdf |access-date=August 18, 2023 |website =americanimmigrationcouncil.org}}</ref> In fiscal year 2022, over one million immigrants (most of whom entered through [[Chain migration#Legislation|family reunification]]) were granted [[Permanent residence (United States)|legal residence]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Who Are America's Immigrants? |url=https://www.prb.org/articles/who-are-americas-immigrants/ |work=[[Population Reference Bureau]] |date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> The United States led the world in [[refugee resettlement]] for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.<ref name="PewRefugees">{{cite web|title= Key facts about refugees to the U.S.|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/07/key-facts-about-refugees-to-the-u-s/|author=Jens Manuel Krogstad|date=October 7, 2019|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref>


=== Religion ===
The United States has a "[[Special Relationship|special relationship]]" with the [[United Kingdom&nbsp;– United States relations|United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.google.com/?id=jLy-NKnQitIC&pg=PA45&dq=uk+us+special+relationship#v=onepage&q=uk%20us%20special%20relationship&f=false|title=America's 'Special Relationships': Foreign and Domestic Aspects of the Politics of Alliance|page=45|first1=John|first2= Axel |last2=Schäfer|last1=Dumbrell|year=2009 |isbn= 9780203872703}}</ref> and strong ties with [[Canada&nbsp;– United States relations|Canada]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/96-397.pdf|title=Canada–U.S. Relations|author=Ek, Carl, and Ian F. Fergusson|publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=September 3, 2010 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[United States-Australia relations|Australia]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.worldcat.org/title/australia-background-and-us-relations/oclc/70208969?title=&detail=&page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fas.org%2Fsgp%2Fcrs%2Frow%2FRL33010.pdf%26checksum%3Df2a13dd063242d8cf4b00dfda18441af&linktype=digitalObject|title=Australia: Background and U.S. Relations|author=Vaughn, Bruce|publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=August 8, 2008 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[New Zealand&nbsp;– United States relations|New Zealand]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32876.pdf|title=New Zealand: Background and Bilateral Relations with the United States|author=Vaughn, Bruce |publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=May 27, 2011 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Philippines&nbsp;- United States relations|the Philippines]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33233.pdf|title=The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Interests|author=Lum, Thomas|publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=January 3, 2011|accessdate=August 3, 2011}}</ref> [[Japan&nbsp;– United States relations|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33436.pdf |format=PDF |title=Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress |author=Chanlett-Avery, Emma, et al. |publisher=Congressional Research Service | date=June 8, 2011 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[South Korea&nbsp;– United States relations|South Korea]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41481.pdf|title=U.S.–South Korea Relations: Issues for Congress|author=Manyin, Mark E., Emma Chanlett-Avery, and Mary Beth Nikitin|publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=July 8, 2011|accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Israel&nbsp;– United States relations|Israel]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33476.pdf |title=Israel: Background and U.S. Relations |author=Addis, Casey L.|publisher=Congressional Research Service | date=February 14, 2011 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> and several [[EU]] countries, including [[France–United States relations|France]], [[Italy-United States relations|Italy]], [[Germany–United States relations|Germany]] and [[Spain-United States relations|Spain]]. It works closely with fellow [[NATO]] members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the [[Organization of American States]] and [[United States free trade agreements|free trade agreements]] such as the trilateral [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] with Canada and [[United States–Mexico relations|Mexico]]. In 2008, the United States spent a net $25.4 billion on [[official development assistance]], the most in the world. As a share of America's large [[gross national income]] (GNI), however, the U.S. contribution of 0.18% ranked last among 22 donor states. By contrast, private overseas giving by Americans is relatively generous.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shah |first=Anup|title=U.S. and Foreign Aid Assistance |date=April 13, 2009 |publisher=GlobalIssues.org |url= http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/us-and-foreign-aid-assistance|accessdate=October 11, 2009}}</ref>
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{See also|List of religious movements that began in the United States}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious affiliation in the U.S., according to a 2023 [[Gallup, Inc.|Gallup]] poll:<ref name="Staff-2007"/>
| label1 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 33
| color1 = DarkBlue
| label2 = [[Catholicism in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 22
| color2 = Blue
| label3 = [[Christianity in the United States|Non-specific Christian]]
| value3 = 11
| color3 = SkyBlue
| label4 = [[Judaism in the United States|Judaism]]
| value4 = 2
| color4 = Pink
| label5 = [[Mormonism in the United States|Mormonism]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = #468fEA
| label6 = Other religion
| value6 = 6
| color6 = Green
| label7 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value7 = 22
| color7 = White
| label8 = Unanswered
| value8 = 3
| color8 = Black
}}
The [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] guarantees the [[Free Exercise Clause|free exercise of religion in the country]] and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting [[Establishment Clause|its establishment]].<ref name="Donadio-2021">{{Cite web |last=Donadio |first=Rachel |date=November 22, 2021 |title=Why Is France So Afraid of God? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/france-god-religion-secularism/620528/ |access-date=March 25, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/#:~:text=Congress%20shall%20make%20no%20law,for%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances. |work=Constitution Annotated |publisher=[[United States Congress]]}}</ref> Religious practice is widespread, among the [[List of countries by ethnic and cultural diversity level|most diverse]] in the world,<ref name="alesina1">{{cite journal |last=Alesina |first=Alberto |display-authors=etal |year=2003 |title=Fractionalization |url=http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/alesina/files/fractionalization.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of Economic Growth |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=155–194 |doi=10.1023/a:1024471506938 |s2cid=260685524 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831221230/http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/alesina/files/fractionalization.pdf |archive-date=August 31, 2012 |access-date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> and profoundly vibrant.<ref name="pewreligion">{{cite web |last=Fahmy |first=Dalia |date=July 31, 2018 |title=Americans are far more religious than adults in other wealthy nations |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/31/americans-are-far-more-religious-than-adults-in-other-wealthy-nations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109160911/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/31/americans-are-far-more-religious-than-adults-in-other-wealthy-nations/ |archive-date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2020 |work=Pew Research Center }}</ref> The country has the world's [[Christianity by country|largest Christian population]].<ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS|url=https://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx|title=Global Christianity|publisher=Pewforum.org|date=December 19, 2011|access-date=August 17, 2012|archive-date=July 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730062627/http://www.pewforum.org/christian/global-christianity-exec.aspx|url-status=dead }}</ref> Other notable faiths include [[Judaism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], many [[New Age]] movements, and [[Native American religions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sewell |first=Elizabeth |title=The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States |publisher=[[University of Oxford]] |year=2010 |isbn=9780199892228 |editor-last=Davis |editor-first=Derek |pages=249–275 |chapter=Religious Liberty and Religious Minorities in the United States}}</ref> Religious practice varies significantly by region.<ref name="Williams-2023">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Daniel |date=March 1, 2023 |title='Christian America' Isn't Dying. It's Dividing. |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/february-web-only/christianity-america-pew-research-statistics-minority.html |access-date=March 25, 2023 |website=[[Christianity Today]] |language=en}}</ref> "[[Ceremonial deism]]" is common in American culture.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Merriam |first1=Jesse |last2=Lupu |first2=Ira |last3=Elwood |first3=F |last4=Davis |first4=Eleanor |date=August 28, 2008 |title=On Ceremonial Occasions, May the Government Invoke a Deity? |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/08/28/on-ceremonial-occasions-may-the-government-invoke-a-deity/ |access-date=March 31, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US}}</ref>


The overwhelming majority of [[Americans]] believe in a [[Higher Power|higher power]] or spiritual force, engage in [[spiritual practice]]s such as prayer, and consider themselves religious or [[Spirituality|spiritual]].<ref name="Kallo-2023">{{Cite web |last=Kallo |display-authors=etal |first=Becka|date=December 7, 2023 |title=Spirituality Among Americans |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/12/07/spirituality-among-americans/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Froese |first1=Paul |last2=Uecker |first2=Jeremy E. |date=September 2022 |title=Prayer in America: A Detailed Analysis of the Various Dimensions of Prayer |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jssr.12810 |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |language=en |volume=61 |issue=3–4 |pages=663–689 |doi=10.1111/jssr.12810 |s2cid=253439298 |issn=0021-8294}}</ref> In the "[[Bible Belt]]", located within the Southern United States, [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Protestantism]] plays a significant role culturally, whereas [[New England]] and the Western United States [[Unchurched Belt|tend to be more secular]].<ref name="Williams-2023" /> [[Mormonism]]—a [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] movement, whose members migrated westward from Missouri and Illinois under the leadership of [[Brigham Young]] in 1847 after the assassination of [[Joseph Smith]]{{sfn|Howe|2008|pp=727–728}}—remains the predominant religion in Utah to this day.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Population Review|title=Mormon Population by State|date=June 2023|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/mormon-population-by-state}}</ref>
The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for three sovereign nations through [[Compact of Free Association]] with [[Federated States of Micronesia|Micronesia]], the [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Palau]], all of which are Pacific island nations which were part of the U.S.-administered [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]] beginning after [[World War II]], and gained independence in subsequent years.


===Government finance===
=== Urbanization ===
{{See also|Taxation in the United States|United States federal budget}}
{{Main|Urbanization in the United States|List of United States cities by population}}
About 82% of Americans live in [[United States urban area|urban areas]], including suburbs;<ref name="CIA-2018" /> about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en|title=United States—Urban/Rural and Inside/Outside Metropolitan Area|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090403024532/https://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en|archive-date=April 3, 2009|access-date=September 23, 2008|url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2022, 333 [[List of United States cities by population|incorporated municipalities]] had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four cities—[[New York City]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Chicago]], and [[Houston]]—had populations exceeding two million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |access-date=November 26, 2023 |website=Census.gov}}</ref> Many U.S. metropolitan populations are growing rapidly, particularly in the South and West.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 18, 2019|title=Counties in South and West Lead Nation in Population Growth|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/estimates-county-metro.html|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=en}}</ref>
{{Largest metropolitan areas of the United States}}


=== Health ===
[[Taxation in the United States|Taxes are levied in the United States]] at the federal, state and local government level. These include taxes on income, payroll, property, sales, imports, estates and gifts, as well as various fees. In 2010 taxes collected by federal, state and municipal governments amounted to 24.8% of [[GDP]].<ref>{{cite news |author= Porter, Eduardo |title= America's Aversion to Taxes |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/business/economy/slipping-behind-because-of-an-aversion-to-taxes.html?_r=1&src=recg |quote=In 1965, taxes collected by federal, state and municipal governments amounted to 24.7 percent of the nation's output. In 2010, they amounted to 24.8 percent. Excluding Chile and Mexico, the United States raises less tax revenue, as a share of the economy, than every other industrial country. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 14, 2012 |accessdate=August 15, 2012}}</ref> During FY2012, the federal government collected approximately $2.45 trillion in tax revenue, up $147 billion or 6% versus FY2011 revenues of $2.30 trillion. Primary receipt categories included individual income taxes ($1,132B or 47%), Social Security/Social Insurance taxes ($845B or 35%), and corporate taxes ($242B or 10%).<ref name="CBO Historical Tables 2012FY"/>
{{See also|Healthcare in the United States|Healthcare reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
[[File:Texas medical center.jpg|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center]] in [[Houston]] is the largest medical complex in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/|title=About Us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newsweek.com/texas-medical-center-largest-medical-complex-world-reaches-98-percent-icu-capacity-1526180 | title=Texas Medical Center, largest medical complex in the world, reaches 98 percent ICU capacity | website=[[Newsweek]] | date=August 19, 2020 }}</ref> {{As of|2018}}, it employed 120,000 people and treated 10 million patients annually.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMC_FactsFiguresOnePager_07052018-1.pdf|title=TMC Facts & Figures}}</ref> |alt=The Texas Medical Center, a cluster of contemporary skyscrapers, at night]]


According to the [[Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC), average American life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years in 2022 (74.8 years for men and 80.2 years for women). This was a gain of 1.1 years from 76.4 years in 2021, but the CDC noted that the new average "didn't fully offset the loss of 2.4 years between 2019 and 2021". Higher overall mortality due especially to the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other health issues|health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic]] as well as [[Opioid epidemic in the United States|opioid overdoses]] and [[Suicide in the United States|suicides]] were held mostly responsible for the previous drop in life expectancy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McPhillips |first=Deidre |date=November 29, 2023 |title=US life expectancy rebounded in 2022 but not back to pre-pandemic levels |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/29/health/life-expectancy-us-2022-cdc-report/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2024 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The same report stated that the 2022 gains in average U.S. life expectancy were especially significant for men, Hispanics, and American Indian–Alaskan Native people (AIAN). Starting in 1998, the life expectancy in the U.S. fell [[List of countries by life expectancy|behind that of other wealthy industrialized countries]], and Americans' "health disadvantage" gap has been increasing ever since.<ref>{{cite news|last=Achenbach|first=Joel|date=November 26, 2019|title='There's something terribly wrong': Americans are dying young at alarming rates|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/theres-something-terribly-wrong-americans-are-dying-young-at-alarming-rates/2019/11/25/d88b28ec-0d6a-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> The U.S. has one of the [[List of countries by suicide rate|highest suicide rates]] among [[high-income countries]].<ref>{{cite web|date=January 30, 2020|title=New International Report on Health Care: U.S. Suicide Rate Highest Among Wealthy Nations {{!}} Commonwealth Fund|url=https://www.commonwealthfund.org/press-release/2020/new-international-report-health-care-us-suicide-rate-highest-among-wealthy|access-date=March 17, 2020|website=Commonwealthfund.org|language=en}}</ref> [[Obesity in the United States|Approximately one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese]] and another third is overweight.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003–2004|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm|access-date=June 5, 2007|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> The U.S. healthcare system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends that of any other country]], measured both in per capita spending and as a percentage of GDP, but attains worse healthcare outcomes when compared to peer countries for reasons that are debated.<ref>{{cite web|year=2001|title=The U.S. Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive?|url=https://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.+HCweb.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/20070309142240/https://dll.umaine.edu:80/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf|archive-date=March 9, 2007|access-date=November 29, 2006|publisher=University of Maine}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The United States is the only developed country [[Healthcare reform in the United States|without a system of universal healthcare]], and [[Health insurance coverage in the United States|a significant proportion of the population that does not carry health insurance]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Vladeck|first=Bruce|title=Universal Health Insurance in the United States: Reflections on the Past, the Present, and the Future|date=January 2003|volume=93|number=1|pages=16–19|pmid=12511377|doi=10.2105/ajph.93.1.16|journal=[[American Journal of Public Health]]|pmc=1447684 }}</ref> Government-funded healthcare coverage for the poor ([[Medicaid]]) and for those age 65 and older ([[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]]) is available to Americans who meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, former President Obama passed the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]].{{efn|Also known less formally as Obamacare}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Oberlander|first=Jonathan|date=June 1, 2010| title=Long Time Coming: Why Health Reform Finally Passed|journal=Health Affairs|language=en|volume=29|issue=6|pages=1112–1116|doi=10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0447| pmid=20530339|issn=0278-2715|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Abortion in the United States]] is not federally protected, and is illegal or restricted in 17 states.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Glenza |first1=Jessica |last2=Noor |first2=Poppy |title=Tracking abortion laws across the United States |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/jul/29/abortion-laws-bans-by-state |access-date=August 14, 2024 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
U.S. taxation is generally [[Progressive tax|progressive]], especially the federal income taxes, and is among the most progressive in the developed world,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Prasad |first=M. |last2=Deng|first2= Y. |title=Taxation and the worlds of welfare |journal= Socio-Economic Review |date=April 2, 2009 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=431–457 |doi= 10.1093/ser/mwp005 |url= http://ser.oxfordjournals.org/content/7/3/431.abstract?keytype=ref&ijkey=65cyoW8oR1QgGoI |accessdate=May 5, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Dylan47>{{cite news |last=Matthews |first=Dylan |title=Other countries don't have a "47%" |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/09/19/other-countries-dont-have-a-47/ |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=October 29, 2013 |date=September 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How Much Do People Pay in Federal Taxes?|url= http://www.pgpf.org/Issues/Taxes/2012/04/041612-tax-rate-explainer.aspx |publisher=Peter G. Peterson Foundation |accessdate=April 3, 2013}}</ref><ref name="CBO, Distribution" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Table T12-0178 Baseline Distribution of Cash Income and Federal Taxes Under Current Law |url= http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/Content/PDF/T12-0178.pdf |publisher=The Tax Policy Center |accessdate=October 29, 2013}}</ref> but the [[tax incidence|incidence]] of [[corporate tax in the United States|corporate income tax]] has been a matter of considerable ongoing controversy for decades.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Benjamin H. |date= November 2009 |title=Corporate Tax Incidence and Its Implications for Progressivity |url= http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001349_corporate_tax_incidence.pdf |publisher=Tax Policy Center |accessdate=October 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gentry |first=William M. |date=December 2007 |title=A Review of the Evidence on the Incidence of the Corporate Income Tax |url= http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/tax-analysis/Documents/ota101.pdf |work=OTA Paper 101 |publisher=Office of Tax Analysis, U.S. Department of the Treasury |accessdate=October 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Fullerton |first=Don |title=Handbook of Public Economics |year=2002 |publisher=Elsevier Science B.V. |location=Amsterdam |pages=1788–1839 |url= http://works.bepress.com/don_fullerton/15/ |last2= Metcalf|first2= Gilbert E. |editor=A.J. Auerbach and M. Feldstein|accessdate=October 9, 2013|chapter=Tax Incidence}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Musgrave |first=R.A. |last2=Carroll|first2=J.J.|last3=Cook|first3= L.D.|last4=Frane|first4= L. |title= Distribution of Tax Payments by Income Groups: A Case Study for 1948 |journal= National Tax Journal |date=March 1951 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=1–53 |url= http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/docs/historical/eccles/026_13_0001.pdf |accessdate=October 9, 2013}}</ref> In 2009 the top 10% of earners, with 36% of the nation's income, paid 78.2% of the federal personal income tax burden, while the bottom 40% had a negative liability.<ref name="CBO, Distribution">{{cite web |title=The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009 |url= http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/43373-06-11-HouseholdIncomeandFedTaxes.pdf |accessdate=April 3, 2013 |publisher= Congressional Budget Office |date=July 2012}}</ref> However, payroll taxes for Social Security are a flat [[regressive tax]], with no tax charged on income above $113,700 and no tax at all paid on [[unearned income]] from things such as stocks and capital gains.<ref>{{cite web |last=Agadoni |first=Laura |title= Characteristics of a Regressive Tax |url= http://smallbusiness.chron.com/characteristics-regressive-tax-17562.html |publisher =Houston Chronicle Small Business blog}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/Payroll-Taxes.cfm |title=TPC Tax Topics &#124; Payroll Taxes |publisher=Taxpolicycenter.org |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> The historic reasoning for the regressive nature of the payroll tax is that entitlement programs have not been viewed as welfare transfers.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Design of the Original Social Security Act |url= http://www.socialsecurity.gov/history/genrev.html |work=Social Security Online |publisher=U.S. Social Security Administration |accessdate=April 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Blahous |first=Charles |title=The Dark Side of the Payroll Tax Cut |url= http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/109216 |work=Defining Ideas |publisher= Hoover Institution |accessdate=April 3, 2013 |date=February 24, 2012}}</ref> The top 10% paid 51.8% of total federal taxes in 2009, and the top 1%, with 13.4% of pre-tax national income, paid 22.3% of federal taxes.<ref name="CBO, Distribution" /> In 2013 the Tax Policy Center projected total federal effective tax rates of 35.5% for the top 1%, 27.2% for the top quintile, 13.8% for the middle quintile, and −2.7% for the bottom quintile.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stephen |first=Ohlemacher |title=Tax bills for rich families approach 30-year high |url= http://seattletimes.com/html/politics/2020475301_apustaxingtherich.html|accessdate=April 3, 2013|newspaper=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |date=March 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Who will pay what in 2013 taxes? |url= http://seattletimes.com/html/politics/2020475325_apustaxeswhopayswhat.html |accessdate=April 3, 2013 |newspaper=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> State and local taxes vary widely, but are generally less progressive than federal taxes as they rely heavily on broadly borne [[Regressive tax|regressive]] sales and property taxes that yield less volatile revenue streams, though their consideration does not eliminate the progressive nature of overall taxation.<ref name="Dylan47" /><ref name="TaxF">{{cite web |last=Malm |first=Elizabeth |title=Comments on Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States |url= http://taxfoundation.org/article/comments-who-pays-distributional-analysis-tax-systems-all-50-states |publisher=Tax Foundation|accessdate=April 3, 2013|date=February 20, 2013}}</ref>


=== Education ===
During FY 2012, the federal government spent $3.54 trillion on a budget or cash basis, down $60 billion or 1.7% vs. FY 2011 spending of $3.60 trillion. Major categories of FY 2012 spending included: Medicare & Medicaid ($802B or 23% of spending), Social Security ($768B or 22%), Defense Department ($670B or 19%), non-defense discretionary ($615B or 17%), other mandatory ($461B or 13%) and interest ($223B or 6%).<ref name="CBO Historical Tables 2012FY">{{cite web |url= http://cbo.gov/publication/43904 |title=CBO Historical Tables-February 2013 |publisher=Congressional Budget Office |date=February 5, 2013 |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref>
{{Main|Education in the United States}}
[[File:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|thumb|77% of American college students attend public institutions<ref>[[National Center for Education Statistics]]. "[https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha U.S. Undergraduate Enrollment]". Accessed July 29, 2024.</ref> such as the [[University of Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819.|alt=Photograph of the University of Virginia]]
American primary and secondary education (known in the U.S. as [[K–12 education in the United States|K-12]], "kindergarten through 12th grade") is decentralized. School systems are operated by state, territorial, and sometimes municipal governments and regulated by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]]. In general, children are required to attend school or [[Homeschooling in the United States|an approved homeschool]] from the age of five or six ([[kindergarten]] or [[first grade]]) until they are 18 years old. This often brings students through the [[twelfth grade|12th grade]], the final year of a U.S. high school, but some states and territories allow them to leave school earlier, at age 16 or 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp|title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance ...|access-date=June 10, 2007|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any country in the world,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rushe|first=Dominic|date=September 7, 2018|title=The US spends more on education than other countries. Why is it falling behind?|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/us-education-spending-finland-south-korea|access-date=August 29, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> an average of $18,614 per year per public elementary and secondary school student in 2020–2021.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2020|title=Fast Facts: Expenditures|url=https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=nces.ed.gov|language=EN}}</ref> Among Americans age 25 and older, 92.2% graduated from high school, 62.7% attended some college, 37.7% earned a [[bachelor's degree]], and 14.2% earned a graduate degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html |access-date=July 20, 2024 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[Literacy in the United States|U.S. literacy rate]] is near-universal.<ref name="CIA-2018" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see [https://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/2006470.PDF A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st century], U.S. Department of Education (2003).</ref> The country has the [[List of Nobel laureates by country|most Nobel Prize winners of any country]], with [[List of American Nobel laureates|411]] (having won 413 awards).<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Nobel Prizes |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes |publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2022–2023 Best Global Universities Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref>


[[Higher education in the United States|U.S. tertiary or higher education]] has earned a global reputation. Many of the world's top universities, as listed by various ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of the top 25.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fink |first=Jenni |date=October 22, 2019 |title=U.S. Schools Take 8 of 10 Top Spots on U.S. News' Best Global Universities |url=https://www.newsweek.com/us-news-best-global-universities-american-schools-dominate-top-10-1466768 |access-date=April 18, 2023 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Best Countries for Education: North American and European countries are seen as offering the best opportunities for education. |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-education |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> American higher education is dominated by [[state university system]]s, although [[Private universities in the United States|the country's many private universities and colleges]] enroll about 20% of all American students. Local [[community college]]s generally offer coursework and degree programs covering the first two years of college study. They often have more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pannoni|first1=Alexandra|last2=Kerr|first2=Emma|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/02/06/frequently-asked-questions-community-college|title=Everything You Need to Know About Community Colleges: FAQ|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=July 14, 2020|access-date=July 9, 2022}}</ref>
====National debt====
{{Main|National debt of the United States}}
[[File:Federal Debt Held by the Public 1790-2013.png|thumb|425px|US federal debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP, from 1790 to 2013]]


As for [[public expenditure]]s on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the [[OECD]] average, and Americans spend more than all nations in combined public and private spending.<ref name="education spending">{{cite news|date=June 25, 2013|title=U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows|publisher=CBS|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/|access-date=October 5, 2013|archive-date=July 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726002619/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows|url-status=live}}</ref> Colleges and universities directly funded by the federal government do not charge tuition and are limited to military personnel and government employees, including: the [[United States service academies|U.S. service academies]], the [[Naval Postgraduate School]], and [[US military staff colleges|military staff colleges]]. Despite some student [[loan forgiveness]] programs in place,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Biden administration cancelled $9.5B in student loan debt. Here's who it affects. |url=https://usafacts.org/articles/the-biden-administration-cancelled-95b-in-student-loan-debt-heres-who-it-affects/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=USAFacts |language=en}}</ref> [[Student debt|student loan debt]] increased by 102% between 2010 and 2020,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hess|first=Abigail Johnson|date=December 22, 2020|title=U.S. student debt has increased by more than 100% over the past 10 years|publisher=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/us-student-debt-has-increased-by-more-than-100percent-over-past-10-years.html|access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref> and exceeded $1.7&nbsp;trillion as of 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dickler|first1=Jessica|last2=Nova|first2=Annie|date=May 6, 2022|title=This is how student loan debt became a $1.7 trillion crisis|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/06/this-is-how-student-loan-debt-became-a-1point7-trillion-crisis.html|publisher=CNBC|access-date=July 8, 2022}}</ref>
As of April 2014, the total [[List of countries by public debt|national debt]] in the United States was $18.527 trillion (106% of the GDP).<ref>[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2012&ey=2014&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=61&pr1.y=12&c=111&s=GGXWDG%2CGGXWDG_NGDP&grp=0&a=#cs1 IMF, United States General government gross debt]</ref> In May 2014, U.S. federal government debt held by the public was approximately $12.495 trillion, or about 75% of U.S. GDP. Intra-governmental holdings stood at $5 trillion, giving a combined total debt of $17.494 trillion.<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web |url= http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np |title=Debt to the Penny (Daily History Search Application) |publisher=TreasuryDirect |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite news |url= http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2012/09/us-national-debt.html |title=US national debt surpasses $16 trillion |work= Boston Business Journal blog |date=September 5, 2012 |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref> By 2012, total federal debt had surpassed 100% of U.S. GDP.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thornton |first=Daniel L. |title=The U.S. Deficit/Debt Problem: A Longer–Run Perspective |url= http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/12/11/Thornton.pdf |work=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review |accessdate=May 7, 2013 |date=Nov–Dec 2012}}</ref> The U.S. has a [[credit rating]] of AA+ from [[Standard & Poor's]], AAA from [[Fitch Group|Fitch]], and Aaa from [[Moody's Investors Service|Moody's]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lopez |first=Luciana |title=Fitch backs away from downgrade of U.S. credit rating |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/28/us-usa-rating-fitch-idUSBRE90R0WS20130128 |accessdate=March 26, 2013 |newspaper=Reuters |date=January 28, 2013}}</ref>


== Culture and society ==
Historically, the U.S. public debt as a share of GDP increased during wars and recessions, and subsequently declined. For example, debt held by the public as a share of [[GDP]] peaked just after World War II (113% of GDP in 1945), but then fell over the following 30 years. In recent decades, large budget deficits and the resulting increases in debt have led to concern about the long-term sustainability of the federal government's fiscal policies.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/longterm/debt/index.html |title=Federal Debt: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=[[Government Accountability Office]] |accessdate=April 16, 2012}}</ref> However, these concerns are not universally shared.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lynch |first=David J. |title=Economists See No Crisis With U.S. Debt as Economy Gains |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/economists-see-no-crisis-with-u-s-debt-as-economy-gains.html |accessdate=March 25, 2013 |newspaper=Bloomberg |location=New York |date=March 21, 2013}}</ref>
{{Main|Culture of the United States|Society of the United States}}
[[File:Liberty02.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Statue of Liberty]] (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') on [[Liberty Island]] in [[New York Harbor]] was an 1866 gift from France that has become an iconic symbol of the [[American Dream]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Statue of Liberty| website=World Heritage| publisher=UNESCO| url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307| access-date = January 4, 2022}}</ref>|alt=The Statue of Liberty, a large teal bronze sculpture on a stone pedestal]]


Americans have traditionally [[Stereotypes of Americans|been characterized]] by a unifying political belief in an "[[American Creed]]" emphasizing [[consent of the governed]], [[liberty]], [[equality under the law]], [[democracy]], [[social equality]], [[property rights]], and a preference for [[limited government]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Huntington |first=Samuel P. |url=https://archive.org/details/whoarewechalleng00hunt |title=Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-684-87053-3 |chapter=Chapters 2–4 |author-link=Samuel P. Huntington |access-date=October 25, 2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&q=core}}: see [[American Creed]], written by [[William Tyler Page]] and adopted by Congress in 1918.</ref><ref>Hoeveler, J. David, ''Creating the American Mind: Intellect and Politics in the Colonial Colleges'', Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|978-0742548398}}, 2007, p. xi</ref> Culturally, the country has been described as having the values of [[individualism]] and [[Left-libertarianism|personal autonomy]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grabb |first1=Edward |last2=Baer |first2=Douglas |last3=Curtis |first3=James |year=1999 |title=The Origins of American Individualism: Reconsidering the Historical Evidence |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Sociology]] |publisher=[[University of Alberta]] |volume=24 |pages=511–533 |doi=10.2307/3341789 |issn=0318-6431 |jstor=3341789 |number=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Marsh |first=Abigail |date=May 26, 2021 |title=Everyone Thinks Americans Are Selfish. They're Wrong. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/opinion/individualism-united-states-altruism.html |access-date=July 16, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> as well as having a strong [[work ethic]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Porter |first=Gayle |date=November 2010 |title=Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream |journal=[[Journal of Business Ethics]] |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=96 |pages=535–550 |doi=10.1007/s10551-010-0481-6 |jstor=29789736 |s2cid=143991044 |number=4}}</ref> [[Competition|competitiveness]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stephens |first=R.H. |date=September 1952 |title=The Role Of Competition In American Life |journal=[[The Australian Quarterly]] |publisher=[[Australian Institute of Policy and Science]] |volume=24 |pages=9–14 |jstor=41317686 |number=3}}</ref> and voluntary [[altruism]] towards others.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 9, 2022|url=https://good2give.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-CAF-World-Giving-Index.pdf |title=World Giving Index 2022 |website=[[Charities Aid Foundation]] |access-date=April 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Country-level estimates of altruism |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cross-country-variation-in-altruism |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Our World in Data}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Abigail |date=February 5, 2018 |title=Could A More Individualistic World Also Be A More Altruistic One? |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2018/02/05/581873428/could-a-more-individualistic-world-also-be-a-more-altruistic-one |access-date=March 14, 2023 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref> According to a 2016 study by the [[Charities Aid Foundation]], Americans donated 1.44% of total GDP to charity—the [[List of countries by charitable donation|highest rate]] in the world by a large margin.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2016 |title=GROSS DOMESTIC PHILANTHROPY: An international analysis of GDP, tax and giving |url=https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-policy-and-campaigns/gross-domestic-philanthropy-feb-2016.pdf |access-date=July 18, 2022 |publisher=[[Charities Aid Foundation]]}}</ref> The United States is home to a [[Multiculturalism|wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Volokh |first=Eugene |date=January 17, 2015 |title=The American tradition of multiculturalism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/01/27/the-american-tradition-of-multiculturalism/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Lucas |date=August 22, 2014 |title=America's Tipping Point: Most Of U.S. Now Multicultural, Says Group |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/americas-tipping-point-most-u-s-now-multicultural-says-group-n186206 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref> It has acquired [[Americanization|significant cultural]] and economic [[soft power]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berghahn |first=Volker R. |date=February 1, 2010 |title=The debate on 'Americanization' among economic and cultural historians |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14682740903388566 |journal=Cold War History |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=107–130 |doi=10.1080/14682740903388566 |s2cid=144459911 |issn=1468-2745}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Fergie |first1=Dexter |date=March 24, 2022 |title=How American Culture Ate the World |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/165836/american-culture-ate-world-righteous-smokescreen-globalization-review |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583 |access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref>
==Military==
{{main|United States Armed Forces}}


Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from [[Afro-Eurasia|Europe, Africa, or Asia]] (the "[[Old World]]") within the past five centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fiorina|first1=Morris P.|author-link1=Morris P. Fiorina|last2=Peterson|first2=Paul E.|title=The New American democracy|date=2010|publisher=Longman|location=London|isbn=978-0-205-78016-7|page=97|edition=7th}}</ref> [[wikt:mainstream|Mainstream]] American culture is a [[Western culture]] largely derived from the [[European American#Culture|traditions of European immigrants]] with influences from many other sources, such as [[African-American culture|traditions brought by slaves from Africa]].<ref>{{multiref2
The president holds the title of [[commander-in-chief]] of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. The [[United States Department of Defense]] administers the armed forces, including the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]]. The [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] is run by the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] in peacetime and by the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] during times of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel on active duty. The [[Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States|Reserves]] and [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] brought the total number of troops to 2.3 million. The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including contractors.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2009/May%202009/0509facts_fig.pdf |title=The Air Force in Facts and Figures (Armed Forces Manpower Trends, End Strength in Thousands) |work=Air Force Magazine|date=May 2009|accessdate=October 9, 2009}}</ref>
|{{cite book|last1=Holloway|first1=Joseph E.|title=Africanisms in American culture|date=2005|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|isbn=978-0-253-21749-3|pages=18–38|edition=2nd}}
|{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=Fern L.|title=Speaking culturally : language diversity in the United States|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-0-8039-5912-5|page=116|year=2000 }} }}</ref> More recent immigration from [[Asian American|Asia]] and especially [[Latin American culture|Latin America]] has added to a cultural mix that has been described as a homogenizing [[melting pot]], and a heterogeneous [[salad bowl (cultural idea)|salad bowl]], with immigrants contributing to, and often [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilating]] into, mainstream American culture. The [[American Dream]], or the perception that Americans enjoy high [[Socio-economic mobility in the United States|social mobility]], plays a key role in attracting immigrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx|title=More Than 100 Million Worldwide Dream of a Life in the U.S. More than 25% in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic want to move to the U.S.|last=Clifton|first=Jon|date=March 21, 2013|publisher=Gallup|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulkarni |first=Jay |date=January 12, 2022 |title=Attracting Immigrant Talent With A New American Dream |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/12/attracting-immigrant-talent-with-a-new-american-dream/ |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</ref> Whether this perception is accurate has been a topic of debate.<ref name="socialmobility">{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/tax/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf|title=A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries|website=Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth|publisher=OECD|year=2010|access-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref><ref name="CAP">{{cite web|title=Understanding Mobility in America|url=https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2006/04/26/1917/understanding-mobility-in-america/|website=Center for American Progress|date=April 26, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Gould|first1=Elise|title=U.S. lags behind peer countries in mobility|url=https://www.epi.org/publication/usa-lags-peer-countries-mobility/|website=[[Economic Policy Institute]]|access-date=July 15, 2013|date=October 10, 2012}}</ref> While mainstream culture holds that the United States is a [[classless society]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Gutfeld|first=Amon|year=2002|title=American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|location=Brighton and Portland|page=65|isbn=978-1-903900-08-6}}</ref> scholars identify significant differences between [[Social class in the United States|the country's social classes]], affecting [[socialization]], language, and values.<ref>{{cite book|last=Zweig|first=Michael|year=2004|title=What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca, NY|isbn=978-0-8014-8899-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite report | last=Hoff-Ginsberg | first=Erika | date=April 1989 | title=Effects of Social Class and Interactive Setting on Maternal Speech | publication-place=Bethesda, MD | publisher=National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH) | via=Education Resource Information Center | url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED309843}} Republished with revisions as {{cite journal | last=Hoff-Ginsberg | first=Erika | title=Mother-Child Conversation in Different Social Classes and Communicative Settings | journal=Child Development | volume=62 | issue=4 | date=1991 | issn=0009-3920 | doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01569.x | pages=782–796| pmid=1935343 }}</ref> Americans tend to greatly value [[socioeconomics|socioeconomic]] achievement, but [[Average Joe|being ordinary or average]] is promoted by some as a noble condition as well.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Keefe|first=Kevin|year=2005|title=The Average American|publisher=PublicAffairs|location=New York|isbn=978-1-58648-270-1|url=https://archive.org/details/averageamericant00okee }}</ref>


The [[National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities]] is an agency of the United States federal government that was established in 1965 with the purpose to "develop and promote a broadly conceived national policy of support for the humanities and the arts in the United States, and for institutions which preserve the cultural heritage of the United States."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-foundation-on-the-arts-and-the-humanities|title=National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities|work=Federal Register|access-date=October 1, 2022}}</ref> It is composed of four sub-agencies:
[[File:US Navy 060618-N-8492C-212 An Air Force B-2 bomber along with other aircrafts from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fly over the Kitty Hawk, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike groups.jpg|thumb|The [[carrier strike group]]s of the ''[[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|Kitty Hawk]]'', ''[[USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)|Ronald Reagan]]'', and ''[[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' with aircraft from the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]].]]
*[[National Endowment for the Arts]]
Military service is voluntary, though [[Conscription in the United States|conscription]] may occur in wartime through the [[Selective Service System]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sss.gov/what.htm | title=What does Selective Service provide for America? |publisher= Selective Service System |accessdate=February 11, 2012}}</ref> American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's 10 active aircraft carriers, and [[Marine Expeditionary Unit]]s at sea with the Navy's [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic and]] [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific fleets]]. The military operates 865 bases and facilities abroad,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/BSR_2008_Baseline.pdf|title=Base Structure Report, Fiscal Year 2008 Baseline|publisher=Department of Defense|accessdate=October 9, 2009}}</ref> and maintains [[Deployments of the United States Military|deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel]] in 25 foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf|title=Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country (309A)|publisher=Department of Defense|date=March 31, 2010|accessdate=October 7, 2010}}</ref> The extent of this global military presence has prompted some scholars to describe the United States as maintaining an "empire of bases".<ref>{{cite web|author=Ikenberry, G. John|url=http://people.cas.sc.edu/rosati/ttp.ikenberry.empirereviews.fa.march04.htm|title=Illusions of Empire: Defining the New American Order|work=Foreign Affairs|date=March–April 2004|archiveurl=http://archive.is/eBPR|archivedate=May 25, 2012}} {{cite web|author=Kreisler, Harry, and Chalmers Johnson|url=http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/CJohnson/cjohnson-con3.html|title=Conversations with History|publisher=University of California at Berkeley|date=January 29, 2004|accessdate=June 21, 2007}}</ref>
*[[National Endowment for the Humanities]]
*[[Institute of Museum and Library Services]]
*Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities


The United States is considered to have the [[Freedom of speech in the United States|strongest protections of free speech of any country]] under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]],<ref name="Coleman-2013">{{Cite book |last=Coleman |first=Gabriella |title=Coding Freedom |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-691-14461-0 |pages=10, 201 |author-link=Gabriella Coleman}}</ref> which protects [[Flag desecration in the United States|flag desecration]], [[Hate speech in the United States|hate speech]], [[Blasphemy law in the United States|blasphemy]], and [[Lèse-majesté|lese-majesty]] as forms of protected expression.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2012 |title=Held Dear In U.S., Free Speech Perplexing Abroad |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/09/19/161439562/held-dear-in-u-s-free-speech-perplexing-abroad |access-date=March 4, 2023 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Adam |date=June 11, 2008 |title=Hate speech or free speech? What much of West bans is protected in U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/world/americas/11iht-hate.4.13645369.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 21, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Durkee |first=Alison |date=April 25, 2018 |title=What if we didn't... have the First Amendment? |url=https://www.mic.com/articles/188402/what-if-we-didnt-have-the-first-amendment |access-date=February 6, 2023 |website=Mic |language=en}}</ref> A 2016 [[Pew Research Center]] poll found that Americans were the most supportive of free expression of any polity measured.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wike |first=Richard |title=Americans more tolerant of offensive speech than others in the world |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/12/americans-more-tolerant-of-offensive-speech-than-others-in-the-world/ |access-date=February 6, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center |date=October 12, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> They are the "most supportive of [[Freedom of the press in the United States|freedom of the press]] and the [[Right to Internet access|right to use the Internet]] without government censorship."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Alex |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Freedom of speech: which country has the most? |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/freedom-of-speech-country-comparison/ |access-date=February 6, 2023 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. is a [[Cultural liberalism|socially progressive]] country<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Pippa |author-link=Pippa Norris |date=February 2023 |title=Cancel Culture: Myth or Reality? |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00323217211037023 |journal=Political Studies |language=en |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=145–174 |doi=10.1177/00323217211037023 |s2cid=238647612 |issn=0032-3217 |quote=As predicted, in post-industrial societies, characterized by predominately liberal social cultures, like the US, Sweden, and UK...}}</ref> with [[Permissive society|permissive]] attitudes surrounding [[human sexuality]].<ref name="Derks-2020">{{Cite book |last1=Derks |first1=Marco |title=Public Discourses About Homosexuality and Religion in Europe and Beyond |last2=van den Berg |first2=Mariecke |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-56326-4 |pages=338 |quote=...(the United States and [Western] Europe) as "already in crisis" for their permissive attitudes toward nonnormative sexualities...}}</ref> [[LGBT rights in the United States]] are advanced by global standards.<ref name="Derks-2020" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leveille |first=Dan |date=December 4, 2009 |title=LGBT Equality Index: The most LGBT-friendly countries in the world |url=https://www.equaldex.com/equality-index |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=[[Equaldex]] |quote=13.) United States}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Garretson |first=Jeremiah |title=The Path to Gay Rights: How Activism and Coming Out Changed Public Opinion |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4798-5007-5 |page= |chapter=A Transformed Society: LGBT Rights in the United States |quote=In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a dramatic wave began to form in the waters of public opinion: American attitudes involving homosexuality began to change... The transformation of America's response to homosexuality has been — and continues to be — one of the most rapid and sustained shifts in mass attitudes since the start of public polling.}}</ref>
The [[Military budget of the United States]] in 2011, was more than $700 billion, 41% of global military spending and equal to the next 14 largest national military expenditures combined. At 4.7% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the top 15 military spenders, after [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/resultoutput/15majorspenders|title=The 15 Countries with the Highest Military Expenditure in 2011|publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref> U.S. defense spending as a percentage of GDP ranked 23rd globally in 2012 according to the CIA.<ref>{{cite web |title=Compare |url=http://cia-world-factbook.realclearworld.com/ |work=CIA World Factbook |publisher=RealClearWorld |accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref> Defense's share of U.S. spending has generally declined in recent decades, from Cold War peaks of 14.2% of GDP in 1953 and 69.5% of federal outlays in 1954 to 4.7% of GDP and 18.8% of federal outlays in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiscal Year 2013 Historical Tables|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/hist.pdf|work=Budget of the U.S. Government|publisher=White House OMB|accessdate=November 24, 2012}}</ref>


=== Literature ===
The proposed base [[military budget of the United States|Department of Defense budget]] for 2012, $553 billion, was a 4.2% increase over 2011; an additional $118 billion was proposed for the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/FY2012_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf|title=Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request Overview |publisher=Department of Defense |date=February 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110725214533/http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/FY2012_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf |archivedate=July 25, 2011 |deadurl= yes }}</ref> The last American troops serving in Iraq departed in December 2011;<ref>{{cite news|author=Basu, Moni|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/17/world/meast/iraq-troops-leave/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |title=Deadly Iraq War Ends with Exit of Last U.S. Troops|publisher=CNN |date=December 18, 2011 |accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> 4,484 servicemen were killed during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx|title=Operation Iraqi Freedom|publisher=Iraq Coalition Casualty Count|date=February 5, 2012|accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> Approximately 90,000 U.S. troops were serving in Afghanistan in April 2012;<ref name='Frontline Turning Point'>{{cite news | first = John | last = Cherian | title = Turning Point | date = April 7, 2012 | publisher = [[The Hindu Group]] | url = http://www.frontline.in/fl2907/stories/20120420290705200.htm | work = [[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] | accessdate = December 2, 2012 | archiveurl = http://liveweb.archive.org/http://www.frontline.in/fl2907/stories/20120420290705200.htm | archivedate = December 2, 2012 | quote = There are currently 90,000 U.S. troops deployed in the country.}}</ref> by November 8, 2013 2,285 had been killed during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/report_oef_type.xhtml|title=Department of Defence Defence Casualty Analysis System |publisher=Department of Defense|date=November 2013|accessdate=November 11, 2013}}</ref>
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy}}
{{see also|List of American novelists|List of playwrights from the United States}}
[[File:Mark Twain by AF Bradley.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mark Twain]], whom [[William Faulkner]] called "the father of American literature"<ref name="faulkner">{{cite book |last=Jelliffe |first=Robert A. |title=Faulkner at Nagano |year=1956 |publisher=Kenkyusha, Ltd |location=Tokyo}}</ref>|alt=Photograph of Mark Twain]]


Colonial American authors were influenced by [[John Locke]] and various other [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] philosophers.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=157-159}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994a|pp=503-509}} [[American Revolution|The American Revolutionary Period]] (1765–1783) is notable for the political writings of [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[Thomas Paine]], and [[Thomas Jefferson]]. Shortly before and after the [[American Revolution War|Revolutionary War]], the newspaper rose to prominence, filling a demand for anti-British national literature.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|p=163}}<ref>Mulford, Carla. [https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof00v1unse_e3d7/page/705/mode/1up "Enlightenment Voices, Revolutionary Visions."] In {{harvnb|Lauter|1994a|pp=705–707}}.</ref> An early novel is [[William Hill Brown]]'s ''[[The Power of Sympathy]]'', published in 1791. Writer and critic [[John Neal (writer)|John Neal]] in the early- to mid-nineteenth century helped advance America toward a unique literature and culture by criticizing predecessors such as [[Washington Irving]] for imitating their British counterparts, and by influencing writers such as [[Edgar Allan Poe]],<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = University of Chicago Press | isbn = 0-226-46969-7 | last = Lease | first = Benjamin | title = That Wild Fellow John Neal and the American Literary Revolution | location = Chicago, Illinois | year = 1972 | page = 80}}</ref> who took American poetry and short fiction in new directions. [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] and [[Margaret Fuller]] pioneered the influential [[Transcendentalism]] movement;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Finseth|first1=Ian Frederick|title=The Emergence of Transcendentalism|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma95/finseth/trans.html|website= American Studies @ The University of Virginia|publisher=[[The University of Virginia]]|access-date=November 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718205554/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/finseth/trans.html |archive-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref><ref name=Coviello>{{cite book |last=Coviello |first=Peter |chapter=Transcendentalism |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |via=Oxford Reference Online |access-date=October 23, 2011 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195156539.001.0001/acref-9780195156539-e-0294?rskey=lw57LH&result=1 |isbn=9780195307726}}</ref> [[Henry David Thoreau]], author of ''[[Walden]]'', was influenced by this movement. The conflict surrounding [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism]] inspired writers, like [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]], and authors of slave narratives, such as [[Frederick Douglass]]. [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'' (1850) explored the dark side of American history, as did [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (1851). Major American poets of the nineteenth century [[American Renaissance (literature)|American Renaissance]] include [[Walt Whitman]], Melville, and [[Emily Dickinson]].{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=444-447}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994a|pp=1228, 1233, 1260}} [[Mark Twain]] was the first major American writer to be born in the West. [[Henry James]] achieved international recognition with novels like ''[[The Portrait of a Lady]]'' (1881). As literacy rates rose, periodicals published more stories centered around industrial workers, women, and the rural poor.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1269-1270}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994b|pp=8-10}} [[Naturalism (literature)|Naturalism]], [[American literary regionalism|regionalism]], and [[Literary realism#UnitedStates|realism]] were the major literary movements of the period.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1271-1273}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994b|p=12}}
==Crime and law enforcement==
{{Main|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
{{See also|Law of the United States|Incarceration in the United States|Capital punishment in the United States|Second Amendment to the United States Constitution}}
[[File:NYPD impala.JPG|thumb|Law enforcement in the U.S. is maintained primarily by local police departments. The [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) is the largest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/lpd03.pdf|title=Local Police Departments, 2003 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics|date = May 2006|accessdate=December 7, 2011}}</ref>]]
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police and [[sheriff]]'s departments, with [[state police]] providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Service]] have specialized duties.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Federal LAw Enforcement Agencies, Who Governs & What They Do|publisher=chiff.com|url=http://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref> At the federal level and in almost every state, jurisprudence operates on a [[common law]] system. State courts conduct most criminal trials; [[United States federal courts|federal courts]] handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state criminal courts. [[Plea bargaining in the United States]] is very common; the vast majority of criminal cases in the country are settled by [[plea bargain]] rather than [[jury trial]].<ref>[http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/criminal_stages/criminal_plea_bargain.html Plea Bargains] Findlaw.com</ref><ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/interviews/mcspadden.html Interview with Judge Michael McSpadden] PBS interview, December 16, 2003</ref>


While [[Literary modernism|modernism]] generally took on an international character, modernist authors working within the United States more often rooted their work in specific regions, peoples, and cultures.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1850-1851}} Following the Great Migration to northern cities, African-American and black [[West Indian Americans|West Indian]] authors of the [[Harlem Renaissance]] developed an independent tradition of literature that rebuked a history of inequality and celebrated black culture. An important cultural export during the [[Jazz Age]], these writings were a key influence on ''[[Négritude]]'', a philosophy emerging in the 1930s among francophone writers of the [[African diaspora]].<ref>[[Hortense Spillers|Spillers, Hortense]]. [https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof02laut/page/1579 "The New Negro Renaissance."] In {{harvnb|Lauter|1994b|pp=1579–1585}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Philipson |first=Robert |title=The Harlem Renaissance as Postcolonial Phenomenon |journal=African American Review |volume=40 |issue=1 |year=2006 |pages=145–160 |jstor=40027037}}</ref> In the 1950s, an ideal of homogeneity led many authors to attempt to write the [[Great American Novel]],{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=2260-2261}} while the [[Beat Generation]] rejected this conformity, using styles that elevated the impact of the [[spoken word]] over mechanics to describe drug use, sexuality, and the failings of society.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|p=2262}}<ref>{{harvnb|Lauter|1994b|pp=1975–1977}}. "[https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof02laut/page/1972 Literature of the Cold War]".</ref> Contemporary literature is more pluralistic than in previous eras, with the closest thing to a unifying feature being a trend toward self-conscious [[Experimental literature|experiments with language]].{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=2266-2267}} As of 2024 there have been 12 American laureates for the Nobel Prize in literature.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes-in-literature/all/ |title=All Nobel Prizes in Literature |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=The Nobel Prize |publisher= Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024 |access-date=August 6, 2024 |quote=}}</ref>
In 2012 there were 4.7 murders per 100,000 persons in the United States, a 54% decline from the modern peak of 10.2 in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics|url=http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/|publisher=U.S Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation|accessdate=November 16, 2013}}</ref><ref name="FBI2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/violent-crime/murder |title=Crime in the United States, 2011 |publisher=FBI '(Uniform Crime Statistics—Murder)' |accessdate=January 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name="UN1995-2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html |title=UNODC Homicide Statistics |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |accessdate=January 23, 2013}}</ref> <!--<ref name='Crime US Murder 2010-09'>{{cite news | title = Murder | date = September 2010 | publisher = [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] | url = http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/violent_crime/murder_homicide.html | work = Crime in the United States, 2009 | accessdate = December 3, 2012 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100920225909/http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/violent_crime/murder_homicide.html | archivedate = September 20, 2010 | quote = There were 5.0 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009&nbsp;... compared with the 2000 rate, a 10.4 percent decrease was recorded.}}</ref> -->Among developed nations, the United States has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of [[Gun violence in the United States|gun violence]] and homicide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/eighthsurvey/8sv.pdf|title=Eighth United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2001–2002) |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |date = March 31, 2005|accessdate=May 18, 2008}}</ref> A cross-sectional analysis of the [[World Health Organization]] Mortality Database from 2003 showed that United States "homicide rates were 6.9 times higher than rates in the other high-income countries, driven by firearm homicide rates that were 19.5 times higher."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2011&issue=01000&article=00035&type=abstract |title=Homicide, Suicide, and Unintentional Firearm Fatality: Compa ... : Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery |doi=10.1097/TA.0b013e3181dbaddf |publisher=Journals.lww.com |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Gun ownership rights]] continue to be the subject of [[Gun politics in the United States|contentious political debate]].


=== Mass media ===
[[Capital punishment]] is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and used in 32 states.<ref>{{cite news|last=Simpson|first=Ian|title=Maryland becomes latest U.S. state to abolish death penalty|url=http://news.yahoo.com/maryland-governor-signs-bill-abolishing-death-penalty-153909799.html|newspaper=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=May 2, 2013|accessdate=July 4, 2013|agency=[[Reuters]]|archiveurl=http://archive.is/20130624185425/http://news.yahoo.com/maryland-governor-signs-bill-abolishing-death-penalty-153909799.html|archivedate=June 24, 2013}}</ref> No executions took place from 1967 to 1977, owing in part to a [[Furman v. Georgia|U.S. Supreme Court ruling]] striking down arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. In 1976, that Court ruled that, under appropriate circumstances, capital punishment may constitutionally be imposed. Since the decision there have been more than 1,300 executions, a majority of these taking place in three states: Texas, Virginia, and [[Oklahoma]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/views-executions|title=Searchable Execution Database
{{Main|Mass media in the United States}}
|accessdate=October 10, 2012|publisher=[[Death Penalty Information Center]]}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Capital punishment in the United States#States without capital punishment|several states]] have either abolished or struck down death penalty laws. In 2010, the country had the fifth highest number of executions in the world, following China, [[Iran]], [[North Korea]], and [[Yemen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-international-perspective#interexec |title=Executions Around the World|accessdate = July 23, 2011|year=2010 |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center}}</ref>
{{See also|Newspapers in the United States|Television in the United States|Broadcasting in the United States|Public broadcasting in the United States|Internet in the United States|Radio in the United States|Video games in the United States}}
[[File:Comcastcenter vertical.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Comcast Center]] in [[Philadelphia]], headquarters of [[Comcast]], one of the world's [[List of telecommunications companies|largest telecommunications companies]] and media conglomerates]]


Media is [[Censorship in the United States|broadly uncensored]], with the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] providing significant protections, as reiterated in ''[[New York Times Co. v. United States]]''.<ref name="Coleman-2013" /> The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are the [[National Broadcasting Company]] (NBC), [[Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS), [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC), and [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] (FOX). The four major broadcast television networks are all commercial entities. [[Cable television in the United States|Cable television]] offers hundreds of channels catering to a variety of niches.<ref>{{cite news|title=Streaming TV Services: What They Cost, What You Get|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/12/business/ap-us-streaming-tv-options.html|access-date=October 12, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=Associated Press|date=October 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015023520/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/12/business/ap-us-streaming-tv-options.html|archive-date=October 15, 2015}}</ref> {{as of|2021}}, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listen to [[radio broadcasting|broadcast radio]], while about 40% listen to [[podcast]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/audio-and-podcasting/|title=Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 29, 2021|access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref> {{As of|2020}}, there were 15,460 licensed full-power radio stations in the U.S. according to the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-367270A1.pdf|title=BROADCAST STATION TOTALS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020}}</ref> Much of the public radio broadcasting is supplied by [[NPR]], incorporated in February 1970 under the [[Public Broadcasting Act of 1967]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 20, 2013|title=History: NPR|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/about-npr/192827079/overview-and-history|access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref>
The United States [[United States incarceration rate|has the highest documented incarceration rate]] and total prison population in the world.<ref name="SchmidtShelley2008">{{cite book |author1=Schmidt, Steffen W. |author2=Shelley, Mack C. |author3=Bardes, Barbara A. |title=American Government & Politics Today |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=IV1sxbRqhGIC&pg=PA591 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-495-50228-9 |page=591}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Walmsley, Roy |url= http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070628215935/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |archivedate=June 28, 2007|title=World Prison Population List |year=2005 |publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}} For the latest data, see {{cite web |url= http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070804061423/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190 |archivedate=August 4, 2007 |title=Prison Brief for United States of America |date=June 21, 2006 |publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}} For other estimates of the incarceration rate in China and North Korea see {{cite web |author=Adams, Cecil |url= http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2494/does-the-united-states-lead-the-world-in-prison-population |title=Does the United States Lead the World in Prison Population? |date=February 6, 2004 |accessdate= October 11, 2007 |publisher=The Straight Dope}}</ref><ref>[[United States National Research Council|National Research Council]]. ''[http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18613 The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences].'' Washington, DC: [[National Academies Press|The National Academies Press]], 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/2014_US_Nation_Behind_Bars_0.pdf Nation Behind Bars: A Human Rights Solution]. ''[[Human Rights Watch]],'' May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref> At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 100 adults.<ref name="BarkanBryjak2011">{{cite book |author1=Barkan, Steven E. |author2=Bryjak, George J. |title=Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=bNGaYvTAeLMC&pg=PT23 |year=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn=978-1-4496-5439-9 |page=23}}</ref> The prison population has quadrupled since 1980.<ref name="IadicolaShupe2012">{{cite book |author1=Iadicola, Peter |author2=Shupe, Anson |title= Violence, Inequality, and Human Freedom |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=KSp0Ulmx44kC&pg=PA456 |date=October 26, 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-0949-7 |page=456}}</ref> African-American males are jailed at about six times the rate of white males and three times the rate of Hispanic males.<ref name="DeLisiConis2011">{{cite book |author1=DeLisi, Matt |author2=Conis, Peter John |title= American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=ffWdrqbqpIEC&pg=PA21 |year=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn=978-1-4496-4540-3 |page=21}}</ref> The country's high rate of incarceration is largely due to changes in [[United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines|sentencing guidelines]] and [[Drug policy of the United States|drug policies]].<ref name="ClearCole2008b">{{cite book |author1=Clear, Todd R. |author2=Cole, George F. |author3=Reisig, Michael Dean |title=American Corrections |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=cYVdYfUGxvoC&pg=PA485 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-495-55323-6 |page=485}}</ref> In 2008, Louisiana [[List of U.S. states by incarceration rate#Incarceration rate by state|had the highest incarceration rate]], and Maine the lowest.<ref name="Mears2010">{{cite book |author=Mears, Daniel P. |title= American Criminal Justice Policy: An Evaluation Approach to Increasing Accountability and Effectiveness |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=CO0_SAED7q0C&pg=PA72 |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-76246-5 |page=72}}</ref> In 2012, Louisiana had the highest rate of murder and non negligent manslaughter in the U.S., and New Hampshire the lowest.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fuchs |first=Erin |title=Why Louisiana Is The Murder Capital Of America |url= http://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-the-murder-rate-high-in-louisiana-2013-9 |work=Business Insider |date=October 1, 2013}}</ref>


U.S. newspapers with a global reach and reputation include ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and ''[[USA Today]]''.<ref name="Shaffer2006">{{cite book|first=Brenda|last=Shaffer|title=The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEOd-cDWVwQC&pg=PA116|year=2006|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-19529-4|page=116}}</ref> [[List of Spanish-language newspapers published in the United States|About 800 publications]] are produced in Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish Newspapers in United States|url=https://www.w3newspapers.com/usa/spanish|access-date=August 5, 2014|publisher=W3newspapers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish Language Newspapers in the USA : Hispanic Newspapers : Periódiscos en Español en los EE.UU|url=https://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626114455/https://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm|archive-date=June 26, 2014|access-date=August 5, 2014|publisher=Onlinenewspapers.com}}</ref> With few exceptions, newspapers are privately owned, either by large chains such as [[Gannett Company|Gannett]] or [[The McClatchy Company|McClatchy]], which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by small chains that own a handful of papers; or, in an increasingly rare situation, by individuals or families. Major cities often have [[alternative newspaper]]s to complement the mainstream daily papers, such as ''[[The Village Voice]]'' in New York City and ''[[LA Weekly]]'' in Los Angeles. The five most popular websites used in the U.S. are [[Google Search|Google]], [[YouTube]], [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]], [[Yahoo]], and [[Facebook]]&mdash;all of them American-owned.<ref name="alexa-topsitesus">{{cite web|year=2021|title=Top Sites in United States|url=https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US|access-date=October 6, 2021|publisher=Alexa|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621221154/https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}


{{As of|2022}}, the video game market of the United States is the world's [[List of video games markets by country|largest by revenue]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Top countries and markets by video game revenues|url=https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326135814/https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |archive-date=March 26, 2023|access-date=October 6, 2023|website=Newzoo}}</ref> There are 444 publishers, developers, and hardware companies in California alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California (CA) |url=https://www.theesa.com/video-game-impact-map/state/california/ |access-date=December 14, 2022 |website=ESA Impact Map |date=July 20, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>
{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width:325px"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5"
! colspan="3" | Economic Indicators
|-
| Nominal [[gross domestic product|GDP]] || $17.02 trillion <small>(Q1 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;"|<ref name="FRED GDP">{{cite web |url=http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/GDP |title=Gross Domestic Product, 1 Decimal (GDP) |publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]] |accessdate=June 25, 2014 |date=June 25, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| Real GDP growth || -2.9% <small>(Q1 2014, annualized)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm |title=National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, First Quarter 2014 (third estimate) |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |date=June 25, 2014 |accessdate=June 25, 2014}} Change is based on [[chained dollars|chained 2005 dollars]]. Quarterly growth is expressed as an annualized rate.</ref>
|-
| [[Consumer price index|CPI]] inflation || 2.1% <small>(May 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf |title=CONSUMER PRICE INDEX – APRIL 2014 |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=April 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Employment-to-population ratio]] || 58.9% <small>(May 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000 |title=Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=May 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Unemployment in the United States|Unemployment]] || 6.1% <small>(June 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx|title = NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT MONTHLY UPDATE|date = July 3, 2014|accessdate = July 3, 2014|website = National Conference of State Legislatures|publisher = National Conference of State Legislatures|last = |first = }}</ref>
|-
| [[Labor force#Labor force in the United States|Labor force]] participation rate || 62.8% <small>(April 2014)</small> ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000 |title=Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 2, 2014 |work=Bureau of Labor Statistics |publisher=United States Department of Labor |accessdate=May 2, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[United States public debt|Total public debt]] || $17.5 trillion <small>(Q2 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/search?startMonth=12&startDay=31&startYear=2013&endMonth=06&endDay=14&endYear=2014 |title=Treasury Direct |publisher=Treasury Direct |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Wealth in the United States|Household net worth]] || $81.8 trillion <small>(Q1 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/current/z1.pdf|title = Federal Reserve Statistical Release|date = 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = Federal Reserve|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
|}
[[File:United States Export Treemap (2011).png|thumb|275px|United States export treemap (2011): The U.S. is the world's second-largest exporter.]]
The United States has a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[mixed economy]] which is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s and high productivity.<ref>Wright, Gavin; Czelusta, Jesse (2007). "Resource-Based Growth Past and Present", in ''Natural Resources: Neither Curse Nor Destiny'', ed. Daniel Lederman and William Maloney. World Bank. p. 185. ISBN 0-8213-6545-2.</ref> According to the [[International Monetary Fund]], the U.S. GDP of $16.8 trillion constitutes 24% of the [[gross world product]] at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP).<ref name="IMF_GDP"/> Its national GDP was about 5% larger at PPP in 2014 than the [[European Union]]'s, whose population is around 62% higher.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/p/largest_economy.htm|title = World's Largest Economy|date = May 2, 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = About|publisher = |last = Amadeo|first = Kimberly}}</ref> However, the US's nominal GDP is estimated to be $17.528 trillion as of 2014, which is about 5% smaller than that of the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=17&pr.y=20&sy=2012&ey=2019&scsm=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=110%2C998&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP&grp=1&a=1|title = European Union GDP|date = April 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = International Monetary Fund|publisher = International Monetary Fund|last = |first = }}</ref> From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the [[G7]].<ref name=Hagopian>{{cite journal |author=Hagopian, Kip |last2=Ohanian|first2= Lee |title= The Mismeasure of Inequality |journal=Policy Review|date=August 1, 2012 |url= http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |accessdate=August 22, 2013 |publisher=Hoover Institution Stanford University}}</ref> The country ranks ninth in the world in [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]] and sixth in [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at PPP]].<ref name="IMF_GDP"/> The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the world's primary [[reserve currency]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.imf.org/external/np/sta/cofer/eng/cofer.pdf |title=Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=April 9, 2012}}</ref>


=== Theater ===
The United States is the [[List of countries by imports|largest importer]] of goods and [[List of countries by exports|second largest exporter]], though [[List of countries by exports per capita|exports per capita]] are relatively low. In 2010, the total [[U.S. trade deficit]] was $635 billion.<ref name=Trade>{{cite web |title=Trade Statistics |url= http://greyhill.com/trade-statistics |publisher= Greyhill Advisors |accessdate=October 6, 2011}}</ref> Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/top/dst/current/balance.html |title=Top Ten Countries with which the U.S. Trades|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=August 2009 |accessdate= October 12, 2009}}</ref> In 2010, oil was the largest import commodity, while transportation equipment was the country's largest export.<ref name=Trade/> China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. public debt.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/DC-Decoder/2011/0204/National-debt-Whom-does-the-US-owe |title= National debt: Whom does the US owe? |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location =Boston MA |date=February 4, 2011 |accessdate=July 14, 2011}}</ref>
{{Main|Theater in the United States}}
[[File:Broadway Theaters 45th Street Night.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Broadway theater]]s in [[Theater District, Manhattan]]]]


The United States is well known for its theater. Mainstream theater in the United States derives from the old European theatrical tradition and has been heavily influenced by the [[Theatre of the United Kingdom|British theater]].<ref name="Saxon2011">{{cite book| first = Theresa| last = Saxon| date = October 11, 2011| title = American Theatre: History, Context, Form| publisher = Edinburgh University Press| pages = 7–| isbn = 978-0-7486-3127-8| oclc = 1162047055| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2-AkDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA7}}</ref> By the middle of the 19th century America had created new distinct dramatic forms in the [[Tom Shows]], the [[showboat|showboat theater]] and the [[minstrel show]].<ref>Meserve, Walter J. An Outline History of American Drama, New York: Feedback/Prospero, 1994.</ref> The central hub of the American theater scene is the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District in Manhattan]], with its divisions of [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], [[off-Broadway]], and [[off-off-Broadway]].<ref name="LondréWatermeier1998">{{cite book| first1 = Felicia Hardison | last1 = Londré| first2 = Daniel J.| last2 = Watermeier| date = 1998| title = The History of North American Theater: From Pre-Columbian Times to the Present| publisher = Continuum| pages =| isbn = 978-0-8264-1079-5| oclc = 1024855967}}</ref>
In 2009, the private sector was estimated to constitute 86.4% of the economy, with federal government activity accounting for 4.3% and state and local government activity (including federal transfers) the remaining 9.3%.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://greyhill.com/gdp-by-industry/ |title=GDP by Industry |publisher=Greyhill Advisors|accessdate=October 13, 2011}}</ref> While its economy has reached a [[post-industrial society|postindustrial]] level of development and its [[Tertiary sector of economic activity|service sector]] constitutes 67.8% of GDP, the United States remains an industrial power.<ref name=Econ>{{cite web |url= http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archivedate=March 12, 2008 |title=USA Economy in Brief |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs}}</ref> The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0724.xls |title=Table 724—Number of Tax Returns, Receipts, and Net Income by Type of Business and Industry: 2005 |format=XLS |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=October 12, 2009}}</ref>


Many movie and television [[Celebrity|celebrities]] have gotten their big break working in New York productions. Outside New York City, many cities have professional [[Regional theater in the United States|regional or resident theater companies]] that produce their own seasons. The biggest-budget theatrical productions are musicals. U.S. theater has an active [[community theater]] culture.<ref>Stephen Watt, and Gary A. Richardson, ''American Drama: Colonial to Contemporary'' (1994).</ref>
Chemical products are the leading manufacturing field.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0964.xls|title=Table 964—Gross Domestic Product in Current and Real (2000) Dollars by Industry: 2006|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=May 2008|accessdate=October 12, 2009}}</ref> The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its largest importer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2173rank.html|title=Rank Order—Oil (Production)|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|accessdate=October 12, 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html|title=Rank Order—Oil (Consumption)|publisher=CIA|work=The World Factbook|accessdate=October 12, 2009}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html|title=Crude Oil and Total Petroleum Imports Top 15 Countries|publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration|date=September 29, 2009|accessdate=October 12, 2009}}</ref> It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as [[Liquefied natural gas|liquid natural gas]], sulfur, phosphates, and [[salt]]. While [[Agriculture in the United States|agriculture]] accounts for just under 1% of GDP,<ref name=Econ/> the United States is the world's top producer of corn<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112182404/http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archivedate=January 12, 2008|title=Corn|publisher=U.S. Grains Council|accessdate=March 13, 2008}}</ref> and soybeans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5442|title=Soybean Demand Continues to Drive Production|publisher=Worldwatch Institute|date=November 6, 2007|accessdate=March 13, 2008}}</ref> The [[National Agricultural Statistics Service]] maintains [http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/pnpr3713.txt agricultural statistics] for products that include [[peanuts]], [[oats]], [[rye]], [[wheat]], [[rice]], [[cotton]], [[maize|corn]], [[barley]], [[hay]], [[sunflower]]s, and [[oilseed]]s. In addition, the [[United States Department of Agriculture|United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)]] provides [http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ANIMAL_PRODUCTION livestock statistics] regarding [[beef]], [[poultry]], [[pork]], and [[Milk|dairy products]]. The [[National Mining Association]] provides data pertaining to [[coal]] and [[minerals]] that include [[beryllium]], [[copper]], [[lead]], [[magnesium]], [[zinc]], [[titanium]] and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nma.org/index.php/coal-statistics |title=Coal Statistics |publisher=Nma.org |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nma.org/index.php/minerals-statistics/minerals-production |title=Minerals Production |publisher=Nma.org |accessdate=2014-01-13}}</ref> In the [[franchising]] business model, [[McDonald's]] and [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] are the two most recognized brands in the world. [[Coca-Cola]] is the most recognized [[soft drink]] company in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cheskin.com/view_news.php?id=2|title=Sony, LG, Wal-Mart among Most Extendible Brands|publisher=Cheskin|date=June 6, 2005|accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref>


The [[Tony Awards]] recognizes excellence in live Broadway theater and are presented at an annual ceremony in [[Manhattan]]. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for [[Regional theatre in the United States|regional theater]]. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a [[Special Tony Award]], the [[Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre]], and the [[Isabelle Stevenson Award]].<ref>Staff (undated). [http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/index.html "Who's Who"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223002914/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/index.html|date=December 23, 2016}}. tonyawards.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.</ref>
[[Consumer spending]] comprises 71% of the U.S. economy in 2013.<ref>[http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=hh3 "Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE)/Gross Domestic Product (GDP)"] ''FRED Graph'', Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis</ref> In August 2010, the American labor force consisted of 154.1 million people. With 21.2 million people, government is the leading field of employment. The largest private employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 16.4 million people. About 12% of workers are [[Labor unions in the United States|unionized]], compared to 30% in Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |first=Thomas |last=Fuller |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php |title =In the East, many EU work rules don't apply |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050616015106/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php |archivedate=June 16, 2005 |date =June 15, 2005 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.<ref name="EDBI">{{cite web |url= http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreEconomies/?economyid=197 |accessdate=June 28, 2007 |title= Doing Business in the United States |year=2006 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The United States is the only advanced economy that does not [[List of statutory minimum employment leave by country|guarantee its workers paid vacation]]<ref>Ray, Rebecca; Sanes, Milla; Schmitt, John (May 2013). [http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/no-vacation-update-2013-05.pdf No-Vacation Nation Revisited]. ''[[Center for Economic and Policy Research]].'' Retrieved September 8, 2013.</ref> and is one of just a few countries in the world without [[paid family leave]] as a [[legal right]], with the others being [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Suriname]] and [[Liberia]].<ref>Bernard. Tara Siegel (February 22, 2013). [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/your-money/us-trails-much-of-the-world-in-providing-paid-family-leave.html "In Paid Family Leave, U.S. Trails Most of the Globe"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved August 27, 2013.</ref> In 2009, the United States had the third highest [[labor productivity]] per person in the world, behind [[Luxembourg]] and [[Norway]]. It was fourth in productivity per hour, behind those two countries and the [[Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabase/ |title=Total Economy Database, Summary Statistics, 1995–2010 |publisher=The Conference Board|work=Total Economy Database |date=September 2010 |accessdate=September 20, 2009}}</ref>


=== Visual arts ===
The [[2008-2012 global recession]] had a significant impact on the United States, with output still below potential according to the [[Congressional Budget Office]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3252 |title=Chart Book: The Legacy of the Great Recession — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities |publisher=Cbpp.org |date=March 12, 2013 |accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref> It brought high [[unemployment]] (which has been decreasing but remains above pre-recession levels), along with low [[Consumer Confidence Index|consumer confidence]], the [[United States housing bubble|continuing decline in home values and increase in foreclosures and personal bankruptcies]], an escalating [[United States public debt|federal debt crisis]], [[inflation]], and [[2000s energy crisis|rising petroleum and food prices]]. There remains a record proportion of [[long-term unemployment|long-term unemployed]], continued decreasing [[Household income in the United States|household income]], and tax and [[Sequester (2013)|federal budget increases]].<ref name=SchwartzJobless>{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Nelson |title=Recovery in U.S. Is Lifting Profits, but Not Adding Jobs |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/business/economy/corporate-profits-soar-as-worker-income-limps.html?pagewanted=all |accessdate=March 18, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McKinnon |first=John D. |title=Analysis: 77% of Households to See Tax Increase |url= http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/01/01/tax-bill-analysis-77-of-households-to-see-tax-increase/ |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal (blog) |date=January 1, 2013 |location =New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Gongloff, Mark |date=September 17, 2013 |title= Median Income Falls For 5th Year, Inequality At Record High |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/median-income-falls-inequality_n_3941514.html |newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]] |accessdate=October 4, 2013}}</ref> A 2011 poll found that more than half of all Americans think the U.S. is still in recession or even [[Economic depression|depression]], despite official data that shows a historically modest recovery.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/28/us-usa-economy-gallup-idUSTRE73R3WW20110428?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews |work=Reuters |title=Most Americans say U.S. in recession despite data: poll |date=April 28, 2011}}</ref> In 2011 the [[United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] defined poverty rate increased to roughly 16% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|title=Census: U.S. Poverty Rate Spikes, Nearly 50 Million Americans Affected|url=http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/11/15/census-u-s-poverty-rate-spikes-nearly-50-million-americans-affected|publisher=CBS|accessdate=30 May 2014|date=November 15, 2012}}</ref>
{{Main|Visual art of the United States|Architecture of the United States}}
[[File:Grant Wood - American Gothic - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[American Gothic]]'' (1930) by [[Grant Wood]] is one of the most famous [[Visual art of the United States|American paintings]] and is widely [[parody|parodied]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170208-how-american-gothic-became-an-icon|title=How American Gothic became an icon|first=Fisun|last=Güner|date=February 8, 2017|publisher=BBC|access-date=March 2, 2017}}</ref>]]


[[Folk art of the United States|Folk art]] in [[Colonial america|colonial America]] grew out of artisanal craftsmanship in communities that allowed commonly trained people to individually express themselves. It was distinct from Europe's tradition of [[High culture|high art]], which was less accessible and generally less relevant to early American settlers.<ref>American folk art the art of the common man in America, 1750-1900. New York, N.Y.: The Museum of Modern Art. 1932.</ref> Cultural movements in art and craftsmanship in colonial America generally lagged behind those of Western Europe. For example, the prevailing medieval style of [[woodworking]] and primitive [[Sculpture of the United States|sculpture]] became integral to early American folk art, despite the emergence of [[Renaissance art|Renaissance styles]] in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The new English styles would have been early enough to make a considerable impact on American folk art, but American styles and forms had already been firmly adopted. Not only did styles change slowly in early America, but there was a tendency for rural artisans there to continue their traditional forms longer than their urban counterparts did&mdash;and far longer than those in Western Europe.<ref name="Coleman-2013" />
===Income, poverty and wealth===
[[File:Productivity and Real Median Family Income Growth 1947-2009.png|thumb|[[Productivity]] and Real Median [[Household income in the United States|Family Income]] Growth 1947–2009]]
[[File:South San Jose (crop).jpg|thumb|A [[tract housing]] development in [[San Jose, California]]]]
{{Further|Income in the United States|Poverty in the United States|Affluence in the United States}}
Americans have the highest average [[Household income|household]] and [[List of countries by average wage|employee]] income among OECD nations, and in 2007 had the second highest [[median household income]].<ref name="Household Income" /><ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web |title=OECD Better Life Index |url= http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111 |publisher=OECD |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> According to the Census Bureau real median household income was $50,502 in 2011, down from $51,144 in 2010.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-02.pdf "Household Income for States: 2010 and 2011"] ''United States Census, American Community Survey Briefs'', September 2012, Appendix Table 1, p. 5</ref> The Global Food Security Index ranked the U.S. number one for food affordability and overall food security in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Food Security Index |url= http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Country/Details#United%20States |publisher=The Economist Intelligence Unit |location= London |accessdate=April 8, 2013|date=March 5, 2013}}</ref> Americans on average have over twice as much living space per dwelling and per person as [[European Union]] residents, and more than every EU nation.<ref name="Heritage Poor">{{cite web |title= Understanding Poverty in the United States: Surprising Facts About America's Poor |url= http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/09/understanding-poverty-in-the-united-states-surprising-facts-about-americas-poor |publisher=Heritage Foundation|accessdate=April 8, 2013 |author=Rector, Robert |last2=Sheffield|first2=Rachel |date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>


The [[Hudson River School]] was a mid-19th-century movement in the visual arts tradition of European [[Realism (arts)|naturalism]]. The 1913 [[Armory Show]] in New York City, an exhibition of European [[modern art|modernist art]], shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Milton W.|title=The Story of the Armory Show|date=1963|publisher=Abbeville Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-89659-795-2|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/storyofarmorysho00brow }}</ref>
[[Wealth in the United States|Wealth]], like income and taxes, is [[Wealth inequality in the United States|highly concentrated]]; the richest 10% of the adult population possess 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom half claim only 2%.<ref>[[Thomas Piketty|Piketty, Thomas]] (2014). ''[[Capital in the Twenty-First Century]]''. [[Belknap Press]]. ISBN 067443000X p. 257</ref> This is the second-highest share among developed nations.<ref>{{cite web|author=Domhoff, G. William|url=http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html|title=Table 4: Percentage of Wealth Held by the Top 10% of the Adult Population in Various Western Countries|publisher=University of California at Santa Cruz, Sociology Dept.|work=Power in America|date=December 2006|accessdate=August 21, 2006}}</ref> In 2013 the [[United Nations Development Programme]] ranked the United States 16th among 132 countries on its [[List of countries by inequality-adjusted HDI|inequality-adjusted human development index]] (IHDI), 13 places lower than in the standard [[Human Development Index|HDI]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2013_EN_complete.pdf |title=2013 Human Development Report |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |accessdate=July 28, 2013}}</ref> There has been a widening gap between productivity and median incomes since the 1970s.<ref>Mishel, Lawrence (April 26, 2012). [http://www.epi.org/publication/ib330-productivity-vs-compensation/ The wedges between productivity and median compensation growth]. ''[[Economic Policy Institute]].'' Retrieved October 18, 2013.</ref> While [[inflation]]-adjusted ("real") [[Household income in the United States|household income]] had been increasing almost every year from 1947 to 1999, it has since been flat and even decreased recently.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://swampland.time.com/2013/02/04/the-most-important-chart-in-american-politics/ |title= The Most Important Chart in American Politics |newspaper=Time |location =New York |date=February 4, 2013}}</ref>


[[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Marsden Hartley]], and others experimented with new and individualistic styles, which would become known as [[American modernism]]. Major artistic movements such as the [[abstract expressionism]] of [[Jackson Pollock]] and [[Willem de Kooning]] and the [[pop art]] of [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Roy Lichtenstein]] developed largely in the United States. Major photographers include [[Alfred Stieglitz]], [[Edward Steichen]], [[Dorothea Lange]], [[Edward Weston]], [[James Van Der Zee]], [[Ansel Adams]], and [[Gordon Parks]].<ref name="Davenport1991">{{cite book|last=Davenport|first=Alma|title=The History of Photography: An Overview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hca5H_rJZnUC&pg=PA67|year=1991|publisher=UNM Press|isbn=978-0-8263-2076-6|page=67}}</ref>
The rise in the share of total annual income received by the top 1 percent, which has more than doubled from 9 percent in 1976 to 20 percent in 2011, has had a significant impact on [[Income inequality in the United States|income inequality]],<ref name="PikettySaez">Alvaredo, Facundo; [[Anthony B. Atkinson|Atkinson, Anthony B.]]; [[Thomas Piketty|Piketty, Thomas]]; [[Emmanuel Saez|Saez, Emmanuel]] (2013). [http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.27.3.3 "The Top 1 Percent in International and Historical Perspective"]. ''Journal of Economic Perspectives.'' Retrieved August 16, 2013.</ref> leaving the United States with one of the widest income distributions among OECD nations.<ref name="Sme">{{cite journal |last1= Smeeding |first1= T.M. |year=2005 |title= Public Policy: Economic Inequality and Poverty: The United States in Comparative Perspective| journal= Social Science Quarterly |volume=86 |pages=955–983 |doi= 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00331.x}}</ref><ref name="Saez">{{cite web |url= http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/TabFig2005prel.xls |author=Saez, E. |title=Table A1: Top Fractiles Income Shares (Excluding Capital Gains) in the U.S., 1913–2005 |publisher=UC Berkeley |date=October 2007 |accessdate=July 24, 2008}}{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html |title=Field Listing—Distribution of Family Income—Gini Index |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook |date=June 14, 2007 |accessdate=June 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>[http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/OECD2014-FocusOnTopIncomes.pdf Focus on Top Incomes and Taxation in OECD Countries: Was the crisis a game changer?] ''[[OECD]],'' May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.</ref> The post-recession income gains have been very uneven, with the top 1 percent capturing 95 percent of the income gains from 2009 to 2012.<ref>[[Emmanuel Saez|Saez, Emmanuel]] (September 3, 2013). [http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2012.pdf "Striking it Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States"]. ''[[UC Berkeley]].'' Retrieved September 11, 2013.</ref> Between June 2007 and November 2008 the [[Great Recession|global recession]] led to falling asset prices around the world. Assets owned by Americans lost about a quarter of their value.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Altman, Roger C. |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20090101faessay88101/roger-c-altman/the-great-crash-2008.html |title=The Great Crash, 2008 |work=Foreign Affairs |accessdate=February 27, 2009}}</ref> Since peaking in the second quarter of 2007, household wealth is down $14&nbsp;trillion.<ref>"[http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/11/news/economy/Americans_wealth_drops/?postversion=2009061113 Americans' wealth drops $1.3&nbsp;trillion]". CNN Money. June 11, 2009.</ref> At the end of 2008, household debt amounted to $13.8&nbsp;trillion.<ref>"[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE52B58720090312 U.S. household wealth falls $11.2&nbsp;trillion in 2008]". Reuters. March 12, 2009.</ref>


The tide of [[modernism]] and then [[postmodernism]] has brought global fame to American architects, including [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], [[Philip Johnson]], and [[Frank Gehry]].<ref name="JansonJanson2003">{{cite book|last1=Janson|first1=Horst Woldemar|last2=Janson|first2=Anthony F.|title=History of Art: The Western Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMYHuvhWBH4C&pg=PT955|year=2003|publisher=Prentice Hall Professional|isbn=978-0-13-182895-7|page=955}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[Manhattan]] is the largest [[art museum]] in the United States<ref name=METLargestArtMuseum>{{cite news|author=Alfred Lester|date=December 6, 1993|title=Letter: The Louvre: tourism on the grand scale|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letter-the-louvre-tourism-on-the-grand-scale-1465736.html|access-date=December 2, 2023}}</ref> and the [[List of largest art museums|fourth-largest]] in the world.
There were about 643,000 sheltered and unsheltered [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in January 2009, with almost two-thirds staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. In 2011 16.7 million children lived in [[Famine scales#Combined intensity and magnitude scales|food-insecure]] households, about 35% more than 2007 levels, though only 1.1% of U.S. children, or 845,000, saw reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns at some point during the year, and most cases were not chronic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Household Food Security in the United States in 2011 |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/884525/err141.pdf |publisher=USDA |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |date=September 2012}}</ref>
{{clear}}


==Infrastructure==
=== Music ===
<!---Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini biographies.-->
{{Main|Music of the United States}}


[[American folk music]] encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional [[folk music]], contemporary folk music, or roots music. Many traditional songs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back to such origins as the [[British Isles]], [[mainland Europe]], or [[African-American music|Africa]].<ref name=afc>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/folklife/guide/folkmusicandsong.html|title=Folk Music and Song: American Folklife Center: An Illustrated Guide (Library of Congress)|website=Loc.gov}}</ref> The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music in particular have influenced American music.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Musical Crossroads: African American Influence on American Music |url=https://music.si.edu/story/musical-crossroads |access-date=April 14, 2023 |website=Smithsonian}}</ref> [[Banjo]]s were brought to America through the slave trade. [[Minstrel show]]s incorporating the instrument into their acts led to its increased popularity and widespread production in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Folk, the Stage, and the Five-String Banjo in the Nineteenth Century |first=Robert B. |last=Winans |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |year=1976 |volume=89 |issue=354 | pages=407–437 |publisher=American Folklore Society |doi=10.2307/539294 |jstor=539294 }}</ref>{{sfn|Shi|2016|p=378}} The [[electric guitar]], first invented in the 1930s, and mass-produced by the 1940s, had an enormous influence on popular music, in particular due to the development of [[rock and roll]].<ref name="axe">{{cite web|title=The Invention of the Electric Guitar |date=April 18, 2014 |url=https://invention.si.edu/invention-electric-guitar |website=Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>
===Transportation===
[[File:Country music hall of fame2.jpg|thumb|The [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]]]
{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}
[[File:Map of current Interstates.svg|thumb|250px|The [[Interstate Highway System]], which extends {{convert|46876|mi|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Interstate FAQ (Question #3) |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |year=2006 |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/faq.htm#question3 |accessdate=March 4, 2009}}</ref>]]
Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network of 13 million roads, including one of the world's [[National Highway System (United States)|longest highway systems]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.newgeography.com/content/002003-china-expressway-system-exceed-us-interstates |title=China Expressway System to Exceed US Interstates |work=New Geography |location =Grand Forks, ND |date=January 22, 2011 |accessdate=September 16, 2011}}</ref> The world's second largest automobile market,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/08/china-us-car-sales-overtakes |title=China overtakes US in car sales |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 8, 2010 |accessdate=July 10, 2011 |location=London}}</ref> the United States has the highest rate of per-capita vehicle ownership in the world, with 765 vehicles per 1,000 Americans.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tra_mot_veh-transportation-motor-vehicles |title=Motor vehicles statistics&nbsp;– countries compared worldwide |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> About 40% of [[Passenger vehicles in the United States|personal vehicles]] are vans, [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]], or light trucks.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_01.html| title =Household, Individual, and Vehicle Characteristics |publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics |work =2001 National Household Travel Survey |accessdate= August 15, 2007}}</ref> The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling {{convert|29|mi|km|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_02.html |title =Daily Passenger Travel |publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics|work =2001 National Household Travel Survey|accessdate = August 15, 2007}}</ref>


Elements from folk idioms such as the [[blues]] and [[old-time music]] were adopted and transformed into [[popular music|popular genres]] with global audiences. [[Jazz]] grew from blues and [[ragtime]] in the early 20th century, developing from the innovations and recordings of composers such as [[W.C. Handy]] and [[Jelly Roll Morton]]. [[Louis Armstrong]] and [[Duke Ellington]] increased its popularity early in the 20th century.<ref name="Biddle-2001">{{cite book|last1=Biddle|first1=Julian|title=What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America|date=2001|publisher=Citadel|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8065-2311-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/whatwashotroller00bidd/page/ ix]|url=https://archive.org/details/whatwashotroller00bidd/page/ }}</ref> [[Country music]] developed in the 1920s,<ref>{{Cite web|website=OUP blog |title=Early blues and country music |last=Stoia |first=Nicholas |date=October 21, 2014 |url=https://blog.oup.com/2014/10/early-blues-country-music/ |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> rock and roll in the 1930s,<ref name="axe" /> and [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Bluegrass music |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/bluegrass-music |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=June 19, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> and [[rhythm and blues]] in the 1940s.{{sfn|OpenStax|2014|loc=§ [https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/28-4-popular-culture-and-mass-media 28.4]}} In the 1960s, [[Bob Dylan]] emerged from the [[American folk music revival|folk revival]] to become one of the country's most celebrated songwriters.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 10, 2020 |title=No. 1 Bob Dylan |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/#bob-dylan |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 29, 2021}}</ref> The musical forms of [[Punk rock|punk]] and [[hip hop]] both originated in the United States in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/artandmusicbiographies/chapter/reading-9-neo-expressionism-and-music-reaching-into-the-1980s/|title=A Quick and Dirty Guide to Art, Music, and Culture|author=Clayton Funk|chapter=9. Neo-Expressionism, Punk, and Hip Hop Emerge|publisher=The Ohio State University|date=August 16, 2016}}</ref>
[[Mass transit in the United States|Mass transit]] accounts for 9% of total U.S. work trips.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/documents/TOD.Euro-Style_Planning-Renne-Wells.pdf |author=Renne, John L.; Wells, Jan S. |title= Emerging European-Style Planning in the United States: Transit-Oriented Development |page=2 |year=2003 |publisher = Rutgers University |accessdate= June 11, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/natgeo_surveys_countriestrans.html |title=NatGeo surveys countries' transit use: guess who comes in last|publisher=Switchboard.nrdc.org |date=May 18, 2009 |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> While [[Rail transportation in the United States|transport of goods by rail]] is extensive, relatively few people use rail to travel,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-15 |title= Intercity Passenger Rail: National Policy and Strategies Needed to Maximize Public Benefits from Federal Expenditures |date=November 13, 2006 |publisher=U.S. Government Accountability Office |accessdate= June 20, 2007}}</ref> though ridership on [[Amtrak]], the national intercity passenger rail system, grew by almost 37% between 2000 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amtrak Ridership Records |url= http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249227805921&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobhead |publisher=Amtrak |date=June 8, 2011|accessdate=February 29, 2012}}</ref> Also, [[Light rail in the United States|light rail development]] has increased in recent years.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.metaefficient.com/trains/master-2.html |title=3 Reasons Light Rail Is an Efficient Transportation Option for U.S. Cities |author=McGill, Tracy |work= MetaEfficient |date=January 1, 2011 |accessdate=June 14, 2013}}</ref> Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal.<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=McKenzie |url =http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/acs-25.pdf |title =Modes Less Traveled—Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008–2012 |publisher =United States Census Bureau |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140517011216/http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/acs-25.pdf |archivedate=May 17, 2014 |date =May 2014 |deadurl= no}}</ref>


The United States has the world's [[List of largest recorded music markets|largest music market]] with a total retail value of $15.9 billion in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report |url=https://www.riaa.com/reports/2022-year-end-music-industry-revenue-report-riaa/ |access-date=November 26, 2023 |publisher=Record Industry Association of America |language=en-US}}</ref> Most of the world's [[Record label#Major labels|major record companies]] are based in the U.S.; they are represented by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref>{{cite web |author=Eoin Hennessy |date=March 27, 2014 |title=How American Music Took Over the World |url=https://universitytimes.ie/2014/03/how-american-music-took-over-the-world/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=[[The University Times]]}}</ref> Mid-20th-century American pop stars, such as [[Frank Sinatra]]<ref>{{cite web|date=December 8, 2015|title=10 ways that Frank Sinatra changed the world|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/12/08/10-ways-frank-sinatra-changed-world/76381754/|access-date=June 24, 2021|website=USA Today}}</ref> and [[Elvis Presley]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-universal-music-elvis-idCAKCN2M40UH|title=Universal Music can't help falling for Elvis Presley, to manage song catalog|date=April 12, 2022|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=April 12, 2022}}</ref> became [[Superstar|global celebrities]] and [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists]],<ref name="Biddle-2001" /> as have artists of the late 20th century, such as [[Michael Jackson]],<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|title= Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' First Ever 30X Multi-Platinum RIAA Certification |date= December 16, 2015 |access-date= December 17, 2021 |publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |url= https://www.riaa.com/michael-jacksons-thriller-first-ever-30x-multi-platinum-riaa-certification/}}</ref> [[Madonna]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-17/madonna-has-been-scandalizing-people-for-40-years-and-nobodys-going-to-stop-her.html|title=Madonna has been scandalizing people for 40 years, and nobody's going to stop her|date=August 17, 2022|first=Carlos|last=Marcos|work=[[El País]]|access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[Whitney Houston]],<ref name="Rolling Stone-2023">{{cite magazine |date=January 1, 2023 |title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/whitney-houston-11-1234643211/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 2, 2023}}</ref> and [[Prince (musician)|Prince]],<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite magazine |date=April 28, 2016 |title=Prince Tribute: The Greatest Musical Talent of His Generation |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7348527/prince-tribute-greatest-musical-talent-of-his-generation |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> and the early 21st century, such as [[Taylor Swift]] and [[Beyoncé]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/taylor-swift-and-beyonce-reporters-wanted-by-biggest-newspaper-chain-in-us-12960828|title=Taylor Swift and Beyoncé reporters wanted by biggest newspaper chain in US|publisher=[[Sky News]]|date=September 14, 2023|access-date=November 8, 2023|archive-date=November 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109015600/https://news.sky.com/story/taylor-swift-and-beyonce-reporters-wanted-by-biggest-newspaper-chain-in-us-12960828|url-status=live}}</ref>
The [[List of airlines of the United States|civil airline industry]] is entirely privately owned and has been largely [[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulated since 1978]], while most major airports are publicly owned. The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; [[American Airlines]] is number one after its 2013 acquisition of [[US Airways]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/Pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx| title =Scheduled Passengers Carried |publisher= International Air Transport Association (IATA) |year=2011 |accessdate=February 17, 2012}}</ref> Of the world's 30 busiest passenger airports, 12 are in the United States, including the busiest, [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport- |title =Preliminary World Airport Traffic and Rankings 2013 - High Growth Dubai Moves Up to 7th Busiest Airport - Mar 31, 2014 |publisher =Airports Council International |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140401052319/http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport- |archivedate=April 1, 2014 |date =March 31, 2014 |accessdate=May 17, 2014 |deadurl= no}}</ref>


===Energy===
=== Fashion ===
{{main|Fashion in the United States}}
[[File:Hoovernewbridge.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Hoover Dam]] when completed in 1936 was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest [[concrete]] structure.]]
[[File:Carolina Herrera AW14 12.jpg|thumb|[[Haute couture]] [[fashion model]]s on the [[catwalk]] during [[New York Fashion Week]]]]
{{See also|Energy policy of the United States}}
The United States is the world's largest [[apparel]] market by revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-19 |title=Global Apparel Industry Statistics (2024) |url=https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/global-apparel-industry-statistics |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=uniformmarket.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Apart from professional [[business attire]], American fashion is eclectic and predominantly informal. Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing; however, [[sneaker]]s, [[jeans]], T-shirts, and [[baseball cap]]s are emblematic of American styles.<ref name=AmericanClassicFashion>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/style/american-style-classics/|title= American Classics How seven everyday clothing items became American style staples.|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=December 4, 2023}}</ref> New York, with [[New York Fashion Week|its fashion week]], is considered to be one of the "Big Four" global [[fashion capital]]s, along with [[Paris Fashion Week|Paris]], [[Milan Fashion Week|Milan]], and [[London Fashion Week|London]]. A study demonstrated that general proximity to [[Garment District, Manhattan|Manhattan's Garment District]] has been synonymous with American fashion since its inception in the early 20th century.<ref name=GarmentDistrictNYCFashionSymbolUS>{{cite web|title=Made In New York: The Future Of New York City's Historic Garment District|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johncaplan/2021/09/01/made-in-new-york-the-future-of-new-york-citys-historic-garment-district/amp/|author=John Caplin|work=[[Forbes]]|date=September 1, 2021|access-date=December 5, 2023|quote=Spanning just about 20 square blocks between [[Times Square]] and [[Penn Station (New York)|Penn Station]] along [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]] (also known as "Fashion Avenue"), the vibrant and always-busy neighborhood has a long and rich history that has become synonymous with American fashion since its inception more than a century ago.}}</ref>
The [[Energy in the United States|United States energy]] market is 29,000 [[Watt-hour|terawatt hours]] per year. [[List of countries by energy consumption per capita|Energy consumption per capita]] is 7.8&nbsp;tons of oil equivalent per year, the 10th highest rate in the world. In 2005, 40% of this energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 22% from natural gas. The remainder was supplied by nuclear power and [[renewable energy]] sources.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf |title= Diagram 1: Energy Flow, 2007 |work=EIA Annual Energy Review |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration |accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref> The United States is the world's largest consumer of petroleum.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2246rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Refined Petroleum Products - Consumption |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |work=The World Factbook |accessdate=May 18, 2014}}</ref>


The headquarters of many [[designer label]]s reside in [[Manhattan]]. Labels cater to [[niche market]]s, such as preteens. New York Fashion Week is one of the most influential fashion weeks in the world, and occurs twice a year;<ref name=USNYCFashionWeekGlobalIndustryTonesetter>{{cite news|title=The Economic Impact of New York Fashion Week|url=https://thefordhamram.com/93053/news/fashion-week/|author=Diana Juarez|newspaper=The Fordham Ram|date=October 4, 2023|access-date=December 5, 2023}}</ref> while the annual [[Met Gala]] in Manhattan is commonly known as the fashion world's "biggest night".<ref name="MetGalaFashion'sBiggestNight1">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/news/met-gala-2023-red-carpet/|title=Met Gala 2023: Fashion's biggest night honors Karl Lagerfeld|author=Ali Bauman|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=May 1, 2023|access-date=April 30, 2024}}</ref><ref name="MetGalaFashion'sBiggestNight2">{{cite web|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/met-gala-2024-how-to-watch|title=Met Gala 2024: How to Watch Fashion's Biggest Night|publisher=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]|date=April 29, 2024|access-date=April 30, 2024}}</ref>
For decades, [[Nuclear power in the United States|nuclear power]] has played a limited role relative to many other developed countries, in part because of public perception in the wake of a [[Three Mile Island accident|1979 accident]]. In 2007, several applications for new nuclear plants were filed.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9762843 |title= Atomic Renaissance |work=The Economist |location =London |accessdate=September 6, 2007 |date=September 6, 2007}}</ref> The United States has 27% of global coal reserves.<ref name="BPReview">{{cite web |url= http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2007/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/spreadsheets/statistical_review_full_report_workbook_2007.xls |title=BP Statistical Review of World Energy |publisher= British Petroleum |format= XLS |date=June 2007 |accessdate= February 22, 2010}}</ref> It is the world's largest producer of natural gas and crude oil.<ref>{{Cite news |author= Ames, Paul |date=May 30, 2013 |title=Could fracking make the Persian Gulf irrelevant? |url= http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/could_fracking_make_the_persian_gulf_irrelevant_partner/ |work= Salon |accessdate=May 30, 2012 |quote=Since November, the United States has replaced Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer of crude oil. It had already overtaken Russia as the leading producer of natural gas.}}</ref>


==Science and technology==
=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Science and technology in the United States}}
{{See also|Technological and industrial history of the United States}}
[[File:Apollo 15 flag, rover, LM, Irwin cropped.jpg|thumb| Astronaut [[James Irwin]] walking on the [[Moon]] next to [[Apollo 15]]'s [[Apollo Lunar Module|landing module]] and [[lunar rover]] in 1971. The effort to reach the Moon was triggered by the [[Space Race]].]]
The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, [[Alexander Graham Bell]] was awarded the first U.S. [[Invention of the telephone|patent for the telephone]]. [[Thomas Edison]]'s laboratory developed the [[phonograph]], the first [[Incandescent light bulb|long-lasting light bulb]], and the first viable [[Kinetoscope|movie camera]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Edison's Story|publisher=Lemelson Center|url=http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/000_story_02.asp|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref> In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of [[Ransom E. Olds]] and [[Henry Ford]] popularized the [[assembly line]]. The [[Wright brothers]], in 1903, made the [[Wright Flyer|first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Benedetti, François| url =http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20070912065254/http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archivedate =September 12, 2007| title =100 Years Ago, the Dream of Icarus Became Reality| publisher =Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)|date=December 17, 2003|accessdate=August 15, 2007}}</ref>

The rise of [[Nazism]] in the 1930s led many European scientists, including [[Albert Einstein]], [[Enrico Fermi]], and [[John von Neumann]], to immigrate to the United States.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} During World War II, the [[Manhattan Project]] developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the [[Atomic Age]]. The [[Space Race]] produced rapid advances in rocketry, [[materials science]], and computers.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} Advancements by American [[microprocessor]] companies such as [[Advanced Micro Devices]] (AMD), and [[Intel]] along with both computer [[software]] and [[Computer hardware|hardware]] companies that include [[Sun Microsystems]], [[IBM]], [[Linux|GNU-Linux]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]], and [[Microsoft]] refined and popularized the [[personal computer]].{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

The [[ARPANET]] was developed in the 1960s to meet [[United States Department of Defense|Defense Department]] requirements, and became the first of a [[history of the internet|series of networks which evolved]] into the [[Internet]]. Today, 64% of research and development funding comes from the private sector.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0775.xls | title = Research and Development (R&D) Expenditures by Source and Objective: 1970 to 2004 | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | accessdate = June 19, 2007}}</ref> The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and [[impact factor]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/21/highereducation.uk4 |author=MacLeod, Donald |title= Britain Second in World Research Rankings |date=March 21, 2006 |work= The Guardian |accessdate=May 14, 2006 |location=London}}</ref> As of April 2010, 77% of American households owned at least one [[computer]], and 68% had broadband Internet service.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.esa.doc.gov/Reports/exploring-digital-nation-computer-and-internet-use-home| title =Exploring the Digital Nation—Computer and Internet Use at Home | publisher =U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration|date=November 8, 2011| accessdate = April 11, 2012}}</ref> 85% of Americans also own a mobile phone as of 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-03/tech/texting.photos.gahran_1_cell-phone-landline-tech-gadget?_s=PM:TECH |title=Report: 90% of Americans own a computerized gadget |publisher=CNN |date=February 3, 2011 |accessdate=December 27, 2012}}</ref> The country is the primary developer and grower of [[genetically modified food]], representing half of the world's biotech crops.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/39/download/isaaa-brief-39-2008.pdf |title = ISAAA Brief 39-2008: Executive Summary—Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008 |publisher= International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications |page=15 |accessdate=July 16, 2010}}</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in the United States}}
{{See also|Educational attainment in the United States|Higher education in the United States}}
[[File:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819, is one of the many public universities in the United States.]]
American [[public education]] is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the [[United States Department of Education]] through restrictions on federal grants. In most states, children are required to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, [[kindergarten]] or [[first grade]]) until they turn 18 (generally bringing them through [[twelfth grade]], the end of [[high school]]); some states allow students to leave school at 16 or 17.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp |title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance&nbsp;... |accessdate = June 10, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> About 12% of children are enrolled in [[parochial school|parochial]] or [[nonsectarian]] [[private school]]s. Just over 2% of children are [[homeschooling|homeschooled]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/statistics.html |title=Statistics About Non-Public Education in the United States |accessdate = June 5, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Non-Public Education}}</ref> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any nation in the world, spending more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high school student.<ref name="education spending">{{cite news|last=AP|title=U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/|publisher=CBS|accessdate=October 5, 2013|date=June 25, 2013}}</ref> Some 80% of U.S. college students attend [[public university|public universities]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Education for the Common Good |author=Rosenstone, Steven J. |publisher=University of Minnesota |url=http://cla.umn.edu/news/clatoday/summer2002/dean.php |date=December 17, 2009 |accessdate=March 6, 2009}}</ref>

The United States has many competitive private and public [[List of American institutions of higher education|institutions of higher education]]. According to prominent international rankings, 13 or 15 American colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010 |title=QS World University Rankings |publisher=Topuniversities |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html |title=Top 200&nbsp;– The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010–2011 |publisher=Timeshighereducation.co.uk |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> There are also local [[community college]]s with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition. Of Americans 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a [[bachelor's degree]], and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate = August 1, 2006}}</ref> The basic [[literacy|literacy rate]] is approximately 99%.<ref name="WF" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see [http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/2006470.PDF A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st century], U.S. Department of Education (2003).</ref> The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Development Indicators|year=2005|publisher=United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports|accessdate = January 14, 2008|url=http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620235428/http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archivedate=June 20, 2007}}</ref>

As for public expenditures on higher education, the U.S. trails some other OECD nations but spends more per student than the OECD average, and more than all nations in combined public and private spending.<ref name="education spending"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Education at a Glance 2013|url=http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20%28eng%29--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf|publisher=OECD|accessdate=October 5, 2013}}</ref> As of 2012, [[Student debt|student loan debt]] exceeded one trillion dollars, more than Americans owe on credit cards.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/2012/04/24/151305380/student-loan-debt-exceeds-one-trillion-dollars Student Loan Debt Exceeds One Trillion Dollars]. ''[[NPR]],'' April 4, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.</ref>

==Health==
{{See also|Health care in the United States|Health care reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
[[File:Aerial of Texas Medical Center with Downtown Houston in the background.jpg|thumb|The [[Texas Medical Center]] in Houston is the world's largest medical center.]]

The United States has a life expectancy of 78.4 years at birth, up from 75.2 years in 1990, ranking it 50th among 221 nations, and 27th out of the 34 industrialized [[OECD]] countries, down from 20th in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Life Expectancy at Birth |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook|accessdate=October 25, 2011}}</ref><ref name=Murray2013>{{cite journal |first= Christopher J.L. |last= Murray |title= The State of US Health, 1990–2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors |journal= Journal of the American Medical Association |url= http://jama.jamanetwork.com/data/Journals/JAMA/0/joi130037.pdf |doi= 10.1001/jama.2013.13805 |date= July 10, 2013 |volume= 310 |issue= 6 |pages= 591–608 |pmid= 23842577 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6IN1kHmaR |archivedate=July 25, 2013 |deadurl=yes}}</ref> Increasing obesity in the United States and health improvements elsewhere have contributed to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy from 1987, when it was 11th in the world.<ref>{{cite news |author= MacAskill, Ewen |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/13/usa.ewenmacaskill |title=US Tumbles Down the World Ratings List for Life Expectancy |date=August 13, 2007 |work= The Guardian |accessdate = August 15, 2007 |location=London}}</ref> Obesity rates in the United States are among the [[Obesity in the United States|highest in the world]].<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTXT3DK#a=1 "Slideshow: Most obese countries".] ''Reuters''. Retrieved November 22, 2012.</ref> Approximately [[Obesity in the United States|one-third of the adult population is obese]] and an additional third is overweight;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm |title= Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003–2004 |accessdate= June 5, 2007 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> the obesity rate, the highest in the industrialized world, has more than doubled in the last quarter-century.<ref>{{cite book |author= Schlosser, Eric |year= 2002 |title= Fast Food Nation |publisher= Perennial |location=New York |isbn= 0-06-093845-5 |page= 240}}</ref> Obesity-related [[diabetes mellitus type 2|type 2 diabetes]] is considered epidemic by health care professionals.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity |year=2005 |accessdate= June 17, 2007 |work= [[Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology]] |publisher=American Heart Association}}</ref> The infant mortality rate of 6.17 per thousand places the United States 169th highest out of 224 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url =https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |title =Country Comparison: Infant Mortality Rate |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |work=The World Factbook |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140411044300/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |archivedate=April 11, 2014 |accessdate=May 17, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

In 2010, [[coronary artery disease]], [[lung cancer]], [[stroke]], [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]s, and traffic accidents caused the most years of life lost in the U.S. Low back pain, [[major depressive disorder|depression]], [[musculoskeletal disorder]]s, neck pain, and [[anxiety]] caused the most years lost to disability. The most deleterious [[risk factor]]s were poor diet, tobacco smoking, obesity, [[high blood pressure]], [[high blood sugar]], physical inactivity, and alcohol use. [[Alzheimer's disease]], drug abuse, kidney disease and cancer, and falls caused the most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 1990 per-capita rates.<ref name=Murray2013/> U.S. teenage pregnancy and abortion rates are substantially higher than in other Western nations.

The U.S. is a global leader in medical innovation. America solely developed or contributed significantly to 9 of the top 10 most important medical innovations since 1975 as ranked by a 2001 poll of physicians, while the EU and Switzerland together contributed to five. Since 1966, Americans have received more [[List of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prizes in Medicine]] than the rest of the world. From 1989 to 2002, four times more money was invested in private biotechnology companies in America than in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |last= Cowen |first=Tyler |title=Poor U.S. Scores in Health Care Don't Measure Nobels and Innovation |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/business/05scene.html?_r=1& |accessdate=October 9, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 5, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Whitman, Glen |author2=Raad, Raymond |title=Bending the Productivity Curve: Why America Leads the World in Medical Innovation |url= http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/bending-productivity-curve-why-america-leads-world-medical-innovation |publisher=The Cato Institute |accessdate=October 9, 2012}}</ref> The U.S. health-care system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends]] any other nation, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP.<ref>''OECD Health Data 2000: A Comparative Analysis of 29 Countries'' [CD-ROM] (OECD: Paris, 2000). See also {{cite web |url=http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20061118234952/http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.+HCweb.pdf |title=The U.S. Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive? |year=2001|accessdate= November 29, 2006 |publisher=University of Maine}}</ref> Health-care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts and is not [[universal health care|universal]]. In 2010, 49.9 million residents or 16.3% of the population did not carry [[health insurance]]. The subject of uninsured and underinsured Americans is a major political issue.<ref>{{cite news |author=Abelson, Reed |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/policy/10health.html |title=Ranks of Underinsured Are Rising, Study Finds |date= June 10, 2008 |work=The New York Times |accessdate= October 25, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Blewett, Lynn A. et al. |title=How Much Health Insurance Is Enough? Revisiting the Concept of Underinsurance |date=December 2006 |volume=63|issue=6|pages=663–700 |doi=10.1177/1077558706293634 |pmid=17099121 |issn=1077-5587 |journal=Medical Care Research and Review}}</ref> In 2006, [[Massachusetts]] became the first state to mandate universal health insurance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Fahrenthold, David A. |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401937.html |title= Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage |date= April 5, 2006 |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref> [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Federal legislation]] passed in early 2010 would ostensibly create a near-universal health insurance system around the country by 2014, though the bill and its ultimate impact are issues of controversy.<ref>{{cite web |title= Health Care Law 54% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law |url= http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/health_care_law |publisher=Rasmussen Reports |accessdate=October 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Debate on ObamaCare to intensify in the wake of landmark Supreme Court ruling |url= http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/29/debate-on-obamacare-to-intensify-in-wake-landmark-supreme-court-ruling/ |work=Fox News |date=June 29, 2012 |accessdate=October 14, 2012}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of the United States}}
{{See also|Social class in the United States|Public holidays in the United States|Tourism in the United States}}

The United States is home to [[Multiculturalism|many cultures]] and a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.<ref name="DD"/><ref name="Society in Focus">Thompson, William; Hickey, Joseph (2005). ''Society in Focus''. Boston: Pearson. ISBN 0-205-41365-X.</ref> Aside from the relatively small [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors settled or immigrated within the past five centuries.<ref>Fiorina, Morris P.; Peterson, Paul E. (2000). ''The New American Democracy''. London: Longman, p. 97. ISBN 0-321-07058-5.</ref> Mainstream American culture is a [[Western culture]] largely derived from the [[European American|traditions of European immigrants]] with influences from many other sources, such as [[African-American culture|traditions brought by slaves from Africa]].<ref name="DD"/><ref>Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). ''Africanisms in American Culture'', 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 18–38. ISBN 0-253-34479-4. Johnson, Fern L. (1999). ''Speaking Culturally: Language Diversity in the United States''. Thousand Oaks, Calif., London, and New Delhi: Sage, p. 116. ISBN 0-8039-5912-5.</ref> More recent immigration from [[Asian American|Asia]] and especially [[Latin American culture|Latin America]] has added to a cultural mix that has been described as both a homogenizing [[melting pot]], and a heterogeneous [[salad bowl (cultural idea)|salad bowl]] in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.<ref name="DD"/>

Core American culture was established by [[Protestant]] British colonists and shaped by the [[frontier]] settlement process, with the traits derived passed down to descendants and transmitted to immigrants through assimilation. Americans have traditionally been characterized by a strong [[work ethic]], competitiveness, and individualism, as well as a unifying belief in an "American [[creed]]" emphasizing liberty, equality, private property, democracy, rule of law, and a preference for limited government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Huntington|first=Samuel P.|authorlink= Samuel P. Huntington| title=Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity|year=2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|url=http://books.google.com/?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&vq=core|chapter=Chapters 2–4|isbn=0684870533}}: also see [[American's Creed]], written by [[William Tyler Page]] and adopted by Congress in 1918.</ref> Americans are extremely charitable by global standards. According to a 2006 British study, Americans gave 1.67% of GDP to charity, more than any other nation studied, more than twice the second place British figure of 0.73%, and around twelve times the French figure of 0.14%.<ref>{{cite news|last=AP|title=Americans give record $295B to charity|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-25-charitable_N.htm?POE=click-refer|accessdate=October 4, 2013|newspaper=USA Today|date=June 25, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=International comparisons of charitable giving|url=http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/International%20Comparisons%20of%20Charitable%20Giving.pdf|publisher=Charities Aid Foundation|accessdate=October 4, 2013|date=November 2006}}</ref>

The [[American Dream]], or the perception that Americans enjoy high [[Social mobility#Country comparison|social mobility]], plays a key role in attracting immigrants.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clifton|first=John|title=More Than 100 Million Worldwide Dream of a Life in the U.S. More than 25% in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic want to move to the U.S.|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx|publisher=Gallup|accessdate=10 January 2014|date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> Whether this perception is realistic has been a topic of debate.<ref name="socialmobility">{{cite web |url= http://www.oecd.org/tax/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf |title=A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries |publisher=OECD| work = Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth|year=2010 |accessdate=September 20, 2010}} {{cite web |url= http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |title=Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America|author=Blanden, Jo; Gregg, Paul; Malchin, Stephen |publisher= Centre for Economic Performance |date=April 2005 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |archivedate= June 23, 2006}}</ref><ref>Gould, Elise (October 10, 2012). [http://www.epi.org/publication/usa-lags-peer-countries-mobility/ "U.S. lags behind peer countries in mobility."] ''[[Economic Policy Institute]].'' Retrieved July 15, 2013.</ref><ref name=CAP>CAP: ''[http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/04/b1579981.html Understanding Mobility in America]''. April 26, 2006</ref><ref name=Schneider>{{cite web |last=Schneider |first=Donald |title=A Guide to Understanding International Comparisons of Economic Mobility |url= http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/07/a-guide-to-understanding-international-comparisons-of-economic-mobility |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |accessdate=August 22, 2013 |date=July 29, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Hagopian /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Winship|first=Scott|title=Overstating the Costs of Inequality|journal=National Affairs|date=Spring 2013|url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Articles/2013/03/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship.pdf|accessdate=10 January 2014}}</ref> While mainstream culture holds that the United States is a [[classless society]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Gutfield |first=Amon |year=2002 |title=American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |location=Brighton and Portland |page=65 |isbn=1-903900-08-5}}</ref> scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting [[socialization]], language, and values.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zweig |first=Michael |year=2004 |title=What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, NY |isbn=0-8014-8899-0}} {{cite web |url= http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED309843&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b800472a5 |title=Effects of Social Class and Interactive Setting on Maternal Speech |publisher=Education Resource Information Center |accessdate=January 27, 2007}}</ref> Americans' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree.<ref>{{cite book |last=Eichar |first=Douglas |year=1989 |title=Occupation and Class Consciousness in America |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, CT |isbn=0-313-26111-3}}</ref> While Americans tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being [[Average Joe|ordinary or average]] is generally seen as a positive attribute.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Keefe |first=Kevin |year=2005 |title=The Average American |publisher=PublicAffairs |location=New York |isbn=1-58648-270-X}}</ref>

===Mass media===
{{Main|Media of the United States|Television in the United States}}

The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and Fox.
Americans are the heaviest television viewers in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_vie-media-television-viewing |title=Media Statistics > Television Viewing by Country |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=June 3, 2007}}</ref> and the average viewing time continues to rise, reaching five hours a day in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005003 |title=Broadband and Media Consumption |date=June 7, 2007|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate=June 10, 2007}}</ref> The four major broadcast [[television network]]s are all commercial entities. Americans listen to radio programming, also largely commercial, on average just over two-and-a-half hours a day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1004830 |title=TV Fans Spill into Web Sites |date=June 7, 2007|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate = June 10, 2007}}</ref>

In 1998, the number of U.S. commercial radio stations had grown to 4,793 AM stations and 5,662 FM stations. In addition, there are 1,460 public radio stations. Most of these stations are run by universities and public authorities for educational purposes and are financed by public and/or private funds, subscriptions and corporate underwriting. Much public-radio broadcasting is supplied by NPR (formerly National Public Radio). NPR was incorporated in February 1970 under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967; its television counterpart, PBS, was also created by the same legislation. (NPR and PBS are operated separately from each other.)

Aside from [[web portal]]s and [[web search engine|search engines]], the most popular websites are [[Facebook]], [[YouTube]], [[Wikipedia]], [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]], [[eBay]], and [[Craigslist]].<ref name="alexa-topsitesus">{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US |title=Top Sites in United States |year=2010 |publisher=Alexa |accessdate=March 27, 2010}}</ref>

Well-known newspapers are [[The New York Times]], [[USA Today]] and [[The Wall Street Journal]]. Although the cost of publishing has increased over the years, the price of newspapers has generally remained low, forcing newspapers to rely more on advertising revenue and on articles provided by a major wire service, such as the Associated Press or Reuters, for their national and world coverage. With very few exceptions, all the newspapers in the U.S. are privately owned, either by large chains such as Gannett or McClatchy, which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by small chains that own a handful of papers; or in a situation that is increasingly rare, by individuals or families. Major cities often have "alternative weeklies" to complement the mainstream daily paper(s), for example, New York City's [[Village Voice]] or Los Angeles' [[L.A. Weekly]], to name two of the best-known. Major cities may also support a local business journal, trade papers relating to local industries, and papers for local ethnic and social groups.

In Spanish, the second most widely spoken mother tongue behind English, more than 800 publications are published.<ref>[http://www.w3newspapers.com/usa/spanish]</ref><ref>[http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm]</ref> According to [[Internationale Medienhilfe]] more than 100 newspapers and magazines are produced in German, the language of the largest ethnic group in the USA. German-language weeklies like "[[New Yorker Staats-Zeitung]]" or "Nordamerikanische Wochen-Post" belong to the oldest still existing newspapers in North America.<ref>[http://www.deutschsprachig.de www.deutschsprachig.de]</ref><ref>[http://www.imh-deutschland.de/service/index.php?rubrik=0023&id=0072 Handbuch der deutschsprachigen Presse im Ausland/Handbook of German-language Press abroad. IMH-Verlag. Berlin 2013.]</ref>

===Cinema===
{{Main|Cinema of the United States}}
{{Main|Cinema of the United States}}
[[File:Hollywood Sign (Zuschnitt).jpg|thumb|The iconic [[Hollywood Sign]], in the [[Hollywood Hills]], often regarded as the symbol of the [[American film industry]]]]


The U.S. film industry has [[Global Hollywood|a worldwide influence]] and following. [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], a district in northern Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city, is also metonymous for the American filmmaking industry.<ref>{{cite book|title=Annual Report of the Controller of the City of Los Angeles, California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VbOAAAAMAAJ&q=Hollywood+merged+with+City+of+Los+Angeles+in+1910&pg=PA193|publisher=By[[Office controller|Office of Controller]] Los Angeles, CA (1914)|access-date=February 22, 2014|year = 1914}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Auditor of the City of Los Angeles California of the Financial Affairs of the Corporation in Its Capacity as a City for the Fiscal Year|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cPo2AQAAMAAJ&q=Hollywood+merged+with+City+of+Los+Angeles+in+1910&pg=PA173|publisher=By [[State auditor|Auditor's Office]] of Los Angeles, CA (1913)|access-date=February 22, 2014|year = 1913}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30707|title=Nigeria surpasses Hollywood as world's second-largest film producer|publisher=United Nations|date=May 5, 2009|access-date=February 17, 2013}}</ref> The [[major film studios]] of the United States are the primary source of the [[List of highest-grossing films|most commercially successful]] and most ticket-selling movies in the world.<ref name="Kerrigan_Page_18">{{cite book |last1=Kerrigan |first1=Finola |title=Film Marketing |date=2010 |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-7506-8683-9 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufMdvuuTQ7MC&pg=PA18 |access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Davis">{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Glyn |last2=Dickinson |first2=Kay |last3=Patti |first3=Lisa |last4=Villarejo |first4=Amy |title=Film Studies: A Global Introduction |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon |isbn=978-1-317-62338-0 |page=299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnXABgAAQBAJ&pg=PA299 |access-date=August 24, 2020}}</ref> Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, although in the 21st century an increasing number of films are not made there, and film companies have been subject to the forces of globalization.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-landis-rails-studios-theyre-659222|title=John Landis Rails Against Studios: 'They're Not in the Movie Business Anymore'|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref> The [[Academy Awards]], popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] since 1929,<ref name="DrowneHuber2004">{{cite book |last1=Drowne |first1=Kathleen Morgan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CecCHiI95dYC&pg=PA236 |title=The 1920s |last2=Huber |first2=Patrick |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-313-32013-2 |page=236}}</ref> and the [[Golden Globe Award]]s have been held annually since January 1944.<ref name="Kroon2014">{{cite book |last=Kroon |first=Richard W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjmNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA338 |title=A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms |publisher=McFarland |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-5740-3 |page=338}}</ref>
[[File:PB050006.JPG|thumb|The [[Hollywood Sign]] in [[Los Angeles, California]]]]


The industry peaked in what is commonly referred to as the "[[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age of Hollywood]]", from the early sound period until the early 1960s,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Matthews|first1=Charles|title=Book explores Hollywood 'Golden Age' of the 1960s-'70s|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-explores-hollywood-golden-age-of-the-1960s-70s/2011/02/10/AGh5xJIH_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> with screen actors such as [[John Wayne]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] becoming iconic figures.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Banner|first1=Lois|title=Marilyn Monroe, the eternal shape shifter|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2012-aug-05-la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=August 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Rick|first1=Jewell|title=John Wayne, an American Icon|url=https://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/15465.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822102812/https://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/15465.html|archive-date=August 22, 2008|publisher=University of Southern California|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=August 8, 2008}}</ref> In the 1970s, "[[New Hollywood]]", or the "Hollywood Renaissance",<ref name="Greven2013">{{cite book|last=Greven|first=David|title=Psycho-Sexual: Male Desire in Hitchcock, De Palma, Scorsese, and Friedkin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIyNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|year=2013|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-74204-8|page=23}}</ref> was defined by grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist pictures of the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-war period]].<ref name="Morrison1998">{{cite book|last=Morrison|first=James|title=Passport to Hollywood: Hollywood Films, European Directors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dWRif68I3igC&pg=PA11|year=1998|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-3938-8|page=11}}</ref> The 21st century has been marked by the rise of American streaming platforms, which came to rival traditional cinema.<ref name="RE">{{cite news |last=Seitz|first=Matt Zoller|author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz|title=What's Next: Avengers, MCU, Game of Thrones, and the Content Endgame|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/avengers-mcu-and-the-content-endgame|access-date=July 21, 2021|work=[[RogerEbert.com]]|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|date=April 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Hannah Avery |title=US streaming market growth continues, despite changes in the industry |url=https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/technology/us-streaming-market-growth-continues-despite-changes-in-the-industry |date=January 18, 2023 |website=[[Kantar Group]] |access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref>
The world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City in 1894, using [[Thomas Edison]]'s [[Kinetoscope]]. The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the United States was in the forefront of [[sound film]]'s development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around [[Hollywood]], California.


=== Cuisine ===
Director [[D. W. Griffith]] was central to the development of [[film grammar]] and [[Orson Welles]]'s ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941) is frequently cited as the greatest film of all time.<ref>[http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html ''Village Voice'': 100 Best Films of the 20th century (2001)]. Filmsite.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html |title =Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 |publisher =British Film Institute |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20021105130210/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html|archivedate=November 5, 2002 |year =2002 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> American screen actors like [[John Wayne]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] have become iconic figures, while producer/entrepreneur [[Walt Disney]] was a leader in both [[animation|animated film]] and movie [[merchandising]]. Hollywood is also one of the leaders in motion picture production.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30707 |title=Nigeria surpasses Hollywood as world's second largest film producer |publisher=United Nations |date=May 5, 2009 |accessdate=February 17, 2013}}</ref>
{{Main|American cuisine}}
{{further|List of American regional and fusion cuisines}}
[[File:2019-11-28 14 46 15 A single serving of Thanksgiving Dinner in the Parkway Village section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|A [[Thanksgiving dinner]] with [[roast turkey]], [[mashed potatoes]], [[pickled cucumber|pickles]], [[corn]], [[candied yams]], [[cranberry jelly]], [[Shrimp and prawn as food|shrimps]], [[stuffing]], [[green peas]], [[deviled eggs]], [[green salad]], and [[apple sauce]]]]


Early settlers were introduced by Native Americans to foods such as [[Turkey as food|turkey]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[maize|corn]], [[Cucurbita|squash]], and [[maple syrup]]. Of the most enduring and pervasive examples are variations of the native dish called [[succotash]]. Early settlers and later immigrants combined these with foods they were familiar with, such as [[wheat flour]],<ref name="Wheat">{{cite web|title=Wheat Info|url=https://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-info/fast-facts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011012758/https://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-info/fast-facts/|archive-date=October 11, 2009|website=Wheatworld.org|access-date=January 15, 2015 }}</ref> beef, and milk, to create a distinctive American cuisine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Traditional Indigenous Recipes|url=https://aihd.ku.edu/recipes/index.html|publisher=American Indian Health and Diet Project|access-date=September 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Akenuwa|first=Ambrose|title=Is the United States Still the Land of the Free and Home to the Brave?|url=https://books.apple.com/us/book/is-the-united-states-still-the-land-of-the/id1017814038|date=July 1, 2015|pages=92–94|publisher=Lulu Press|isbn=978-1-329-26112-9|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> [[New World crops]], especially [[pumpkin]], corn, [[potatoes]], and turkey as the main course are part of a shared national menu on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]], when many Americans prepare or purchase traditional dishes to celebrate the occasion.<ref name="Mintz1996">{{cite book|author=Sidney Wilfred Mintz|title=Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions Into Eating, Culture, and the Past|url=https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-4629-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0/page/134 134]–|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>
===Comics===
Early versions of the American newspaper [[comic strip]] and the [[American comic book]] began appearing in the 19th century. In 1938, [[Superman]], the quintessential comic book [[superhero]] of [[DC Comics]], developed into an American icon.<ref>{{cite book | last=Daniels | first=Les | authorlink=Les Daniels | year=1998 | title=Superman: The Complete History | page=11 | edition=1st | publisher=[[Titan Books]] | isbn=1-85286-988-7}}</ref> Additional comic book publishers include; [[Marvel Comics]], created in 1939, [[Image Comics]], created in 1992, [[Dark Horse Comics]], created in 1986, and numerous small press comic book companies. In celebration of the industry's success, annual comic conventions take place at The [[San Diego Comic-Con International]], which has an attendance of over 130,000 visitors.


Characteristic American dishes such as [[apple pie]], [[fried chicken]], [[doughnut]]s, [[french fries]], [[macaroni and cheese]], [[ice cream]], [[hamburger]]s, [[hot dog]]s, and [[Pizza in the United States|American pizza]] derive from the recipes of various immigrant groups.<ref>{{cite book|first=Hasia|last=Diner|title=Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration|publisher= Harvard University Press|place=Cmabridge|date=2001|page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Tracy N.|last=Poe|title=The Origins of Soul Food in Black Urban Identity: Chicago, 1915-1947|journal=American Studies International|volume=37|issue=1|date=February 1999|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2020/12/31/consumer-spending-data-kfc-is-the-most-popular.html|title=KFC is America's favorite fried chicken, data suggests|last=Cawthon|first=Haley|date=December 31, 2020|website=The Business Journals|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/food/america/the-history-of-the-pizza/|title=How Pizza Became America's Favorite Food|last=Russell|first=Joan|date=May 23, 2016|website=Paste|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> [[Mexican-American cuisine|Mexican dishes]] such as [[burritos]] and [[tacos]] preexisted the United States in areas later annexed from Mexico, and [[American Chinese cuisine|adaptations of Chinese cuisine]] as well as [[Italian-American cuisine|pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources]] are all widely consumed.<ref name="IFT">{{cite web|url=https://www.newswise.com/articles/what-when-and-where-americans-eat-in-2003|author=Klapthor, James N.|title=What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003|publisher=Newswise/Institute of Food Technologists|date=August 23, 2003|access-date=June 19, 2007}}</ref> American [[chef]]s have had a significant impact on society both domestically and internationally. In 1946, the [[Culinary Institute of America]] was founded by [[Katharine Cramer Angell|Katharine Angell]] and [[Frances Roth]]. This would become the United States' most prestigious culinary school, where many of the most talented American chefs would study prior to successful careers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story: CIA History {{!}} Culinary Institute of America |url=https://www.ciachef.edu/our-story/ |access-date=October 11, 2022 |website=ciachef.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref name="FTfbs">{{cite news|last=Averbuch|first=Bonnie|title=Attention Food Entrepreneurs: School's Back in Business|publisher=[[Food Tank]]|url=https://foodtank.com/news/2015/09/attention-food-entrepreneurs-its-time-to-head-back-to-school/|date=September 2015|access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>
===Music===
The rhythmic and lyrical styles of [[African-American music]] have deeply influenced [[Music of the United States|American music]] at large, distinguishing it from European traditions. Elements from [[folk music|folk]] idioms such as the [[blues]] and what is now known as [[old-time music]] were adopted and transformed into [[popular music|popular genres]] with global audiences. [[Jazz]] was developed by innovators such as [[Louis Armstrong]] and [[Duke Ellington]] early in the 20th century. [[Country music]] developed in the 1920s, and [[rhythm and blues]] in the 1940s.<ref name="autogenerated2001">Biddle, Julian (2001). ''What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America''. New York: Citadel, p. ix. ISBN 0-8065-2311-5.</ref>


The [[United States restaurant industry]] was projected at $899 billion in sales for 2020,<ref name=":p">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/03/20/cincinnati-restaurants-ask-feds-for-coronavirus.html|title=Cincinnati restaurants ask feds for coronavirus bailout|last=Brownfield|first=Andy|date=March 20, 2020|website=login.research.cincinnatilibrary.org|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Ramirez">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2020/03/19/the-restaurant-industry-needs-a-coronavirus-bailout-will-they-get-it/|title=The Restaurant Industry Needs A Coronavirus Bailout. Will They Get It?|last=Ramirez|first=Elva|website=[[Forbes]]|language=en|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> and employed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the nation's workforce directly.<ref name=":p" /> It is the country's second-largest private employer and the third-largest employer overall.<ref name="Noguchi-2020">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/22/819189939/closed-all-at-once-restaurant-industry-faces-collapse|title=Closed All At Once: Restaurant Industry Faces Collapse|last=Noguchi|first=Yuki|date=March 22, 2020|publisher=[[NPR]]|language=en|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/restaurant-industry-reeling-from-coronavirus-80967237571|title=Restaurant industry reeling from coronavirus|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|language=en|access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> The United States is home to over 220 [[Michelin Star]]-rated restaurants, 70 of which are in New York City alone.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Restaurants|url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/us/new-york-state/new-york/restaurants/1-star-michelin/2-stars-michelin/3-stars-michelin|access-date=August 30, 2023|website=Michelin Guide|language=en}}</ref> [[American wine|Wine]] has been produced in what is now the United States since the 1500s, with the [[New Mexico wine|first widespread production beginning in what is now New Mexico]] in 1628.<ref>United States Department of Agriculture "[http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf Global Wine Report August 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408235146/http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf |date=April 8, 2008 }}", pp. 7-9.</ref><ref name="Birchell Steel 2013 p.">{{cite book |last1=Birchell |first1=D.B. |last2=Steel |first2=G. |title=New Mexico Wine: An Enchanting History |publisher=American Palate |series=American Palate Series |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-60949-643-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5f0kvgAACAAJ | language=it |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs 1995 p.">{{cite book | author=New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs | title=Enchanted Lifeways: The History, Museums, Arts & Festivals of New Mexico | publisher=New Mexico Magazine | year=1995 | isbn=978-0-937206-39-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvoRAQAAIAAJ | access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> In the modern U.S., wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with [[California wine|California producing 84 percent of all U.S. wine]]. With more than {{convert|1100000|acre|km2}} under vine, the United States is the [[List of countries by wine production|fourth-largest wine-producing country]] in the world, after [[Italian wine|Italy]], [[Spanish wine|Spain]], and [[French wine|France]].<ref name="Sotheby, p. 462">T. Stevenson, ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' Fourth Edition, p. 462, Dorling Kindersly, 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}.</ref><ref name="Oxford, p. 719">J. Robinson, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 719; Oxford University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref>
[[Elvis Presley]] and [[Chuck Berry]] were among the mid-1950s pioneers of [[rock and roll]]. In the 1960s, [[Bob Dylan]] emerged from the [[American folk music revival|folk revival]] to become one of America's most celebrated songwriters and [[James Brown]] led the development of [[funk]]. More recent American creations include [[hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[house music]]. American pop stars such as Presley, [[Michael Jackson]], and [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] have become global celebrities.<ref name="autogenerated2001"/>


The American [[fast-food]] industry developed alongside the nation's [[car culture]].<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Love Of Drive-thrus |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1198909271/1a-draft-12-11-2023 |website=NPR |access-date=May 4, 2024 |date=December 11, 2023}}</ref> American restaurants developed the [[drive-in]] format in the 1920s, which they began to replace with the [[drive-through]] format by the 1940s.<ref name="drivethru">{{cite web|title=When Was the First Drive-Thru Restaurant Created?|url=https://www.wisegeek.org/when-was-the-first-drive-thru-restaurant-created.htm|website=Wisegeek.org|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheldon |first1=Andrew |title=The History of the Drive-Thru in America |url=https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/auto-history/history-of-the-drive-thru/ |website=Your AAA Network |date=July 23, 2020}}</ref> American [[fast-food restaurant]] chains, such as [[McDonald's]], [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]], [[Dunkin' Donuts]] and [[List of fast food restaurant chains#United States|many others]], have numerous outlets around the world.<ref name="Pavlova-2019">{{cite magazine |last=Pavlova |first=Rada |title=Globalization of American Fast-Food Chains: the Pinnacle of Effective Management and Adaptability – The Yale Globalist |url=https://globalist.yale.edu/in-the-magazine/globalization-of-american-fast-food-chains-the-pinnacle-of-effective-management-and-adaptability/ |access-date=May 4, 2024 |date=April 8, 2019 |magazine=The Yale Globalist}}</ref>
===Literature, philosophy, and the arts===
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy|Visual art of the United States|American classical music}}
[[File:Mark Twain, Brady-Handy photo portrait, Feb 7, 1871, cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mark Twain]], American author and [[humorist]]]]
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues from Europe. Writers such as [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]], [[Edgar Allan Poe]], and [[Henry David Thoreau]] established a distinctive American literary voice by the middle of the 19th century. [[Mark Twain]] and poet [[Walt Whitman]] were major figures in the century's second half; [[Emily Dickinson]], virtually unknown during her lifetime, is now recognized as an essential American poet.<ref>[[Harold Bloom|Bloom, Harold]]. 1999. ''Emily Dickinson''. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House. p. 9. ISBN 0-7910-5106-4.</ref> A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—such as [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (1851), Twain's ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1885), and [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' (1925)—may be dubbed the "[[Great American Novel]]".<ref>{{cite journal|author=Buell, Lawrence|title=The Unkillable Dream of the Great American Novel: ''Moby-Dick'' as Test Case |date=Spring–Summer 2008|volume=20|issue=1–2|pages=132–155|doi=10.1093/alh/ajn005|journal=American Literary History |issn=0896-7148}}</ref>


=== Sports ===
Eleven U.S. citizens have won the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]], most recently [[Toni Morrison]] in 1993. [[William Faulkner]] and [[Ernest Hemingway]] are often named among the most influential writers of the 20th century.<ref>Quinn, Edward (2006). ''A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms''. Infobase, p. 361. ISBN 0-8160-6243-9. Seed, David (2009). ''A Companion to Twentieth-Century United States Fiction''. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, p. 76. ISBN 1-4051-4691-5. Meyers, Jeffrey (1999). ''Hemingway: A Biography''. New York: Da Capo, p. 139. ISBN 0-306-80890-0.</ref> Popular literary genres such as the [[Western fiction|Western]] and [[hardboiled|hardboiled crime fiction]] developed in the United States. The [[Beat Generation]] writers opened up new literary approaches, as have [[postmodern literature|postmodernist]] authors such as [[John Barth]], [[Thomas Pynchon]], and [[Don DeLillo]].
{{Main|Sports in the United States}}
{{See also|Professional sports leagues in the United States|National Collegiate Athletic Association|United States at the Olympics}}
[[File:Commanders vs. Jaguars (52379056543).jpg|thumb|[[American football]] is the most popular sport in the United States; in this September 2022 [[National Football League]] game, the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] play the [[Washington Commanders]] at [[FedExField]].]]


The most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are [[American football in the United States|American football]], [[Basketball in the United States|basketball]], [[Baseball in the United States|baseball]], [[Soccer in the United States|soccer]], and [[Ice hockey in the United States|ice hockey]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sports |date=September 25, 2007 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/4735/sports.aspx |publisher=Gallup, Inc. |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved out of European practices, basketball, [[Volleyball in the United States|volleyball]], [[skateboarding]], and [[snowboarding]] are American inventions, many of which have become popular worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krasnoff |first=Lindsay Sarah |date=December 26, 2017 |title=How the NBA went global |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/26/how-the-nba-went-global/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226153302/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/26/how-the-nba-went-global/ |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=2269358}}</ref> [[Lacrosse in the United States|Lacrosse]] and [[Surfing in the United States|surfing]] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate European contact.<ref name="liss">Liss, Howard. ''Lacrosse'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 13.</ref> The [[Professional sports market in the United States|market for professional sports in the United States]] was approximately $69&nbsp;billion in July 2013, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 18, 2008|title=Global sports market to hit $141 billion in 2012|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pwcstudy-idUSN1738075220080618|access-date=July 24, 2013|work=Reuters}}</ref>
The [[transcendentalism|transcendentalists]], led by Thoreau and [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], established the first major [[American philosophy|American philosophical movement]]. After the Civil War, [[Charles Sanders Peirce]] and then [[William James]] and [[John Dewey]] were leaders in the development of [[pragmatism]]. In the 20th century, the work of [[Willard Van Orman Quine|W. V. O. Quine]] and [[Richard Rorty]], and later [[Noam Chomsky]], brought [[analytic philosophy]] to the fore of American philosophical academia. [[John Rawls]] and [[Robert Nozick]] led a revival of [[political philosophy]]. [[Cornel West]] and [[Judith Butler]] have led a continental tradition in American philosophical academia. Globally influential [[Chicago school of economics|Chicago school economists]] like [[Milton Friedman]], [[James M. Buchanan]], and [[Thomas Sowell]] have transcended discipline to impact various fields in social and political philosophy.<ref>{{cite news|last=Summers|first=Lawrence H.|title=The Great Liberator|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/opinion/19summers.html?_r=0|accessdate=May 17, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 19, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|title=James M. Buchanan, Economic Scholar and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 93|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/business/economy/james-m-buchanan-economic-scholar-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=May 17, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 9, 2013}}</ref>


American football is by several measures the most popular spectator sport in the United States;<ref>{{cite web|author=Krane, David K.|title=Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport|url=https://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337|publisher=Harris Interactive|date=October 30, 2002|access-date=September 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709111448/https://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337|archive-date=July 9, 2010}} MacCambridge, Michael (2004). ''America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation''. New York: Random House. {{ISBN|978-0-375-50454-9}}.</ref> the [[National Football League]] has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world, and the [[Super Bowl]] is watched by tens of millions globally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27321898/how-nfl-took-america-100-years|title=How the NFL took over America in 100 years|last=Guliza|first=Anthony|date=August 14, 2019|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> However, baseball has been regarded as the U.S. "[[national sport]]" since the late 19th century. After American football, the next four most popular professional team sports are basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey. Their premier leagues are, respectively, the [[National Basketball Association]], [[Major League Baseball]], [[Major League Soccer]], and the [[National Hockey League]]. The most-watched [[individual sport]]s in the U.S. are [[Golf in the United States|golf]] and [[auto racing]], particularly [[NASCAR]] and [[IndyCar]].<ref>{{cite web|date=January 16, 2014|title=As American as Mom, Apple Pie and Football? Football continues to trump baseball as America's Favorite Sport|url=https://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309053431/https://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|archive-date=March 9, 2014|access-date=July 2, 2014|website=Harris Interactive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Cowen, Tyler|author2=Grier, Kevin|date=February 9, 2012|title=What Would the End of Football Look Like?|url=https://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football|access-date=February 12, 2012|publisher=Grantland/ESPN}}</ref>
In the visual arts, the [[Hudson River School]] was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European [[naturalism (arts)|naturalism]]. The [[Realist visual arts|realist]] paintings of [[Thomas Eakins]] are now widely celebrated. The 1913 [[Armory Show]] in New York City, an exhibition of European [[modern art|modernist art]], shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.<ref>Brown, Milton W. (1988 1963). ''The Story of the Armory Show''. New York: Abbeville. ISBN 0-89659-795-4.</ref> [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Marsden Hartley]], and others experimented with new, individualistic styles. Major artistic movements such as the [[abstract expressionism]] of [[Jackson Pollock]] and [[Willem de Kooning]] and the [[pop art]] of [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Roy Lichtenstein]] developed largely in the United States. The tide of modernism and then [[postmodernism]] has brought fame to American architects such as [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], [[Philip Johnson]], and [[Frank Gehry]].


On the [[College athletics in the United States|collegiate level]], earnings for the member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,<ref name="si">{{Cite news|url=https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/07/ncaa-1-billion-revenue|title=Sports Illustrated: NCAA Reports $1.1 Billion in Revenues|newspaper=Sports Illustrated |date=March 7, 2018 }}</ref> and [[college football]] and [[College basketball|basketball]] attract large audiences, as the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA March Madness tournament]] and the [[College Football Playoff]] are some of the most watched national sporting events.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 19, 2013|title=Passion for College Football Remains Robust|url=https://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075223/https://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|archive-date=April 7, 2014|access-date=April 1, 2014|publisher=National Football Foundation}}</ref> In the U.S., the intercollegiate sports level serves as a feeder system for professional sports. This differs greatly from practices in nearly all other countries, where publicly and privately funded sports organizations serve this function.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rosandich|first= Thomas|title=Collegiate Sports Programs: A Comparative Analysis|page= 471|journal= Education|year=2002|volume=122|issue=3|publisher=Project Innovation Austin LLC.}}</ref>
[[File:Times Square 1-2.JPG|thumb|[[Times Square]] in [[New York City]], the hub of the Broadway [[Theater District]].]]
One of the first major promoters of [[Theater of the United States|American theater]] was impresario [[P. T. Barnum]], who began operating a lower [[Manhattan]] entertainment complex in 1841. The team of [[Edward Harrigan|Harrigan and Hart]] produced a series of popular [[musical theatre|musical]] comedies in New York starting in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the modern musical form emerged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]; the songs of musical theater composers such as [[Irving Berlin]], [[Cole Porter]], and [[Stephen Sondheim]] have become [[Traditional pop music|pop standards]]. Playwright [[Eugene O'Neill]] won the Nobel literature prize in 1936; other acclaimed U.S. dramatists include multiple [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama|Pulitzer Prize]] winners [[Tennessee Williams]], [[Edward Albee]], and [[August Wilson]].


Eight [[Olympic Games]] have taken place in the United States. The [[1904 Summer Olympics]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], were the first-ever Olympic Games held outside of Europe.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schaus|first1=Gerald P.|last2=Wenn|first2=Stephen R.|title=Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games|date=February 9, 2007|publisher=[[Wilfrid Laurier University Press]]|page=224|isbn=978-0-88920-505-5}}</ref> The Olympic Games will be held in the U.S. for a ninth time when Los Angeles hosts the [[2028 Summer Olympics]]. [[United States at the Olympics|U.S. athletes]] have won a total of 2,968 medals (1,179 gold) at the Olympic Games, the most of any country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greatestsportingnation.com/|title=Greatest Sporting Nation|website=greatestsportingnation.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/olympics/the-1000-medals-of-the-united-states/| title = 1,000 times gold – The thousand medals of Team USA – Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The 10 most fascinating facts about the all-time Winter Olympics medal standings|first=Chris|last=Chase|date=February 7, 2014|work=USA Today|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/winter-olympics-medal-count-sochi-all-time-facts/|access-date=February 28, 2014}} {{cite news|title=With Sochi Olympics approaching, a history of Winter Olympic medals|date=February 6, 2014|first=Dan|last=Loumena|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/la-sp-a-history-of-the-winter-olympic-medals-20140206-story.html|access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>
Though little known at the time, [[Charles Ives]]'s work of the 1910s established him as the first major U.S. composer in the classical tradition, while experimentalists such as [[Henry Cowell]] and [[John Cage]] created a distinctive American approach to classical composition. [[Aaron Copland]] and [[George Gershwin]] developed a new synthesis of popular and classical music. [[Choreography|Choreographers]] [[Isadora Duncan]] and [[Martha Graham]] helped create [[modern dance]], while [[George Balanchine]] and [[Jerome Robbins]] were leaders in 20th-century ballet. Americans have long been important in the modern artistic medium of [[photography]], with major photographers including [[Alfred Stieglitz]], [[Edward Steichen]], and [[Ansel Adams]].


In international professional competition, the [[United States men's national soccer team|U.S. men's national soccer team]] has qualified for [[United States at the FIFA World Cup|eleven World Cups]], while the [[United States women's national soccer team|women's national team]] has [[United States at the FIFA Women's World Cup|won]] the [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] and [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic soccer tournament]] four times each.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carlisle|first=Jeff|date=April 6, 2020|title=MLS Year One, 25 seasons ago: The Wild West of training, travel, hockey shootouts and American soccer|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/4082408/mls-year-one25-seasons-ago-the-wild-west-of-trainingtravelhockey-shootouts-and-american-soccer|access-date=May 5, 2021|publisher=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> The United States hosted the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] and will co-host, along with Canada and Mexico, the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Wamsley |first=Laurel |date=June 16, 2022 |title=The U.S. cities hosting the 2026 World Cup are announced |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105562734/us-cities-hosting-2026-world-cup-announcement |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> The [[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was also hosted by the United States. [[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final|Its final match]] was watched by 90,185, setting the world record for most-attended women's sporting event at the time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gerson |first=Aria |date=July 10, 2020 |title=Impact of 1999 Women's World Cup went far beyond Brandi Chastain's iconic goal |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2020/07/10/1999-womens-world-cup-uswnt-iconic-moments-brandi-chastain/5405459002/ |work=USA Today |access-date=February 14, 2024}}</ref>
===Food===
{{Main|Cuisine of the United States}}
[[File:Motherhood and apple pie.jpg|thumb|[[Apple pie]] is a food synonymous with American culture.]]
Mainstream [[American cuisine]] is similar to that in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup, which were consumed by Native Americans and early European settlers.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}


== See also ==
Slow-cooked pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American foods. [[Soul food]], developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. [[Syncretism|Syncretic]] cuisines such as [[Louisiana Creole cuisine|Louisiana Creole]], [[Cajun cuisine|Cajun]], and [[Tex-Mex]] are regionally important. The [[Confectionery|confectionery industry]] in the United States includes [[The Hershey Company]], the largest [[chocolate]] manufacturer in North America. In addition, [[Frito-Lay]], a subsidiary of [[PepsiCo]], is the largest globally distributed snack food company in the world. The United States has a vast [[breakfast cereal]] industry that includes brands such as [[Kellogg Company|Kellogg's]] and [[General Mills]].
* [[Lists of U.S. state topics]]
* [[Outline of the United States]]


== Notes ==
Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] sources are widely consumed.<ref name="IFT">{{cite web |url=http://www.newswise.com/articles/what-when-and-where-americans-eat-in-2003|author=Klapthor, James N. |title=What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003 |publisher=Newswise/Institute of Food Technologists |date=August 23, 2003|accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref> Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous breakfast beverages.<ref>[[#Smith2004|Smith, 2004]], pp. 131–132</ref><ref>[[#Levenstein|Levenstein, 2003]], pp. 154–55</ref>
{{notelist
| colwidth =
| notes =
{{efn
| name = pop
| Excludes [[Puerto Rico]] and the other [[Unincorporated territories of the United States|unincorporated islands]] because they are counted separately in [[U.S. census]] statistics
}}
{{efn
| name = time
| See [[Time in the United States]] for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
}}
{{efn
| name = drive
| The [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] use left-hand traffic.
}}
}}


== References ==
The American [[fast food]] industry, the world's largest, pioneered the [[drive-through]] format in the 1930s. Fast food consumption has sparked health concerns. During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%;<ref name="IFT" /> frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what public health officials call the American "[[Obesity in the United States|obesity epidemic]]".<ref>Boslaugh, Sarah (2010). "Obesity Epidemic", in ''Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices'', ed. Roger Chapman. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, pp. 413–14. ISBN 978-0-7656-1761-3.</ref> Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular, and sugared beverages account for nine percent of American caloric intake.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity |publisher=American Heart Association |year=2005 |work=[[Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology]] |url=http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |accessdate=June 9, 2007}} {{cite web |title=Let's Eat Out: Americans Weigh Taste, Convenience, and Nutrition |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib19/eib19_reportsummary.pdf|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref>
{{reflist}}


===Sports===
=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
{{Main|Sports in the United States}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Baym |editor1-first=Nina |editor2-last=Levine |editor2-first=Robert S. |date=2013 |title=The Norton Anthology of American Literature |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-393-91885-4 |edition=Shorter eighth.}}
[[File:Phelpsbeijing.jpg|upright|thumb|150px|Swimmer [[Michael Phelps]] is the most decorated [[Olympic Games|Olympic athlete]] of all time.]]
* {{cite journal |last1=Bianchine |first1=Peter J. |last2=Russo |first2=Thomas A. |year=1992 |title=The Role of Epidemic Infectious Diseases in the Discovery of America |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=225–232 |ref=Bianchine |doi=10.2500/108854192778817040 |pmid=1483570 |journal=Allergy and Asthma Proceedings}}
The market for professional sports in the United States is roughly $69 billion, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/18/us-pwcstudy-idUSN1738075220080618 Global sports market to hit ,1 billion in 2012]. Reuters. Retrieved on July 24, 2013.</ref> [[Baseball]] has been regarded as the [[national sport]] since the late 19th century, while [[American football]] is now by several measures the most popular spectator sport.<ref>{{cite web |author=Krane, David K. |title=Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport |url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337 |publisher=Harris Interactive |date=October 30, 2002|accessdate=September 14, 2007}} Maccambridge, Michael (2004). ''America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation''. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.</ref> [[Basketball]] and [[ice hockey]] are the country's next two leading professional team sports. These four major sports, when played professionally, each occupy a season at different, but overlapping, times of the year. [[College football]] and [[College basketball|basketball]] attract large audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|title=Passion for College Football Remains Robust|publisher=National Football Foundation|date=March 19, 2013|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref> [[Boxing]] and [[horse racing]] were once the most watched [[individual sport]]s,<ref>{{cite web |author=Cowen, Tyler; Grier, Kevin |title=What Would the End of Football Look Like?|url= http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football |publisher=Grantland/ESPN |date=February 9, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2012}}</ref> but they have been eclipsed by [[golf]] and [[auto racing]], particularly [[NASCAR]].<ref>{{cite web|title=As American as Mom, Apple Pie and Football? Football continues to trump baseball as America’s Favorite Sport|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|website=Harris Interactive|accessdate=2 July 2014|date=16 January 2014}}</ref> In the 21st century, televised [[mixed martial arts]] has also gained a strong following of regular viewers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mccauley |first=Adam |url= http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/mixed_martial_arts/index.html |title=Mixed Martial Arts News |publisher=Topics.nytimes.com |accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Oakes|first=Kalle|title=Mixed Martial Arts: Its popularity is no contest|url=http://www.sunjournal.com/news/local-sports/2013/04/28/mixed-martial-arts-its-popularity-no-contest/1352423|accessdate=October 1, 2013|newspaper=Sun Journal|date=April 28, 2013|quote=Pay-per-view cards play out to captive audiences in millions of American homes, attracting more consumers than professional wrestling and boxing at the same price. An adrenaline-sports television network, Fuel, devotes more than half its 24-hour broadcast day to a single sport. Other, more popular cable or satellite stops furnish daily or weekly shows devoted to it.}}</ref> While [[soccer]] is less popular in the United States than in many other nations, the [[United States men's national soccer team|men's national soccer team]] has been to the past six [[FIFA World Cup|World Cups]] and the [[United States women's national soccer team|women]] are first in the [[FIFA Women's World Rankings|women's world rankings]].
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* {{cite book |title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00 |year=2007 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-37659-8}}
* {{cite book |first=Russell |last=Thornton |title=Studying Native America: Problems and Prospects |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_EA-UwvN_HUC&pg=PA34 |year=1998 |publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press |isbn=978-0-299-16064-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Walker Howe |first=Daniel |title=[[What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-972657-8 |author-link=Daniel Walker Howe}}
* {{cite book |last1=Walton |first1=Gary M. |last2=Rockoff |first2=Hugh |title=History of the American Economy |year=2009 |ref=Walton |publisher=Cengage Learning |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lyhI1q_E4G0C |isbn=978-0-324-78662-0}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Waters |first1=M.R. |last2=Stafford |first2=T W. |title=Redefining the Age of Clovis: Implications for the Peopling of the Americas |journal=Science |volume=315 |issue=5815 |year=2007 |pages=1122–1126 |issn=0036-8075 |doi=10.1126/science.1137166 |pmid=17322060 |bibcode=2007Sci...315.1122W |s2cid=23205379}}
* {{cite book |last=Winchester |first=Simon |title=The men who United the States |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780062079602 |url-access=registration |year=2013 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=978-0-06-207960-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780062079602/page/198 198], 216, 251, 253}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Wright |first=Gavin |year=2022 |title=Slavery and the Rise of the Nineteenth-Century American Economy |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.36.2.123 |journal=[[Journal of Economic Perspectives]] |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=123–148 |doi=10.1257/jep.36.2.123 |s2cid=248716718}}
* {{cite book |last=Zinn |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Zinn |title=A People's History of the United States |ref=Zinn |year=2005 |publisher=[[Harper Perennial]] Modern Classics |isbn=978-0-06-083865-2 |title-link=A People's History of the United States}}
*{{Cite book |last=McPherson |first=James M. |author-link=James M. McPherson |title=Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era |title-link=Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-19-503863-7 |location=Oxford, New York}}
*{{Free-content attribution
| title = World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023
| author = FAO
| publisher = FAO
| documentURL = https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en
| license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/whttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Food_and_Agriculture_-_Statistical_Yearbook_2023.pdf
| license = CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
}}{{refend}}


== External links ==
While most major U.S. sports have evolved out of European practices, [[basketball]], [[volleyball]], [[skateboarding]], [[snowboarding]], and [[cheerleading]] are American inventions, some of which have become popular in other countries. [[Lacrosse]] and [[surfing]] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact.<ref name=liss>Liss, Howard. ''Lacrosse'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 13.</ref> Eight [[Olympic Games]] have [[United States at the Olympics|taken place in the United States.]] The United States has won 2,400 medals at the [[Summer Olympic Games]], more than any other country, and 281 in the [[Winter Olympic Games]], the second most behind [[Norway]].<ref>{{cite news |title= The 10 most fascinating facts about the all-time Winter Olympics medal standings |first= Chris |last= Chase |date= February 7, 2014 |work= [[USA Today]] |url= http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/winter-olympics-medal-count-sochi-all-time-facts/ |accessdate= February 28, 2014}} {{cite news |title= With Sochi Olympics approaching, a history of Winter Olympic medals |date= February 6, 2014 |first= Dan |last= Loumena |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |url= http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/06/sports/la-sp-a-history-of-the-winter-olympic-medals-20140206 |accessdate= February 28, 2014}}</ref>
{{Library resources box}}
<!-- Please:
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2) Do not turn these bullets into headers! They expand the TOC too much. -->
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=US Key Development Forecasts for the United States] from [[International Futures]]


==See also==
=== Government ===
* [https://www.usa.gov/ Official U.S. Government web portal] – gateway to government sites
{{Portal|United States}}
* [https://www.house.gov/ House] – official website of the United States House of Representatives
* [[Index of United States-related articles]]
* [[Outline of the United States]]
* [https://www.senate.gov/ Senate] – official website of the United States Senate
* [[List of states and territories of the United States]]
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ White House] official website of the president of the United States
* [[List of metropolitan areas of the United States]]
* [{{SCOTUS URL}} Supreme Court] – official website of the Supreme Court of the United States
* [[List of United States cities by population]]
* [[List of official United States national symbols]]
* [[Immigration to the United States]]
* {{Wikipedia books link}}


==References==
=== History ===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080314143240/https://www.nationalcenter.org/HistoricalDocuments.html "Historical Documents"] – website from the [[National Center for Public Policy Research]]
<!--Please DO ''not'' use a scroll template or form/table for the reflink, please read warning on the scroll template page [[Template:Scroll box#Warning]].-->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20221119213422/http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm "U.S. National Mottos: History and Constitutionality"]. Religious Tolerance. Analysis by the [[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]].
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
* [https://www.historicalstatistics.org/index2.html "Historical Statistics"] – links to U.S. historical data


==Bibliography==
=== Maps ===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091021182322/https://www.nationalatlas.gov/ "National Atlas of the United States"] – official maps from the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]]
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
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* {{cite book |last=Lemon |first=James T. |editor=Robert D. Mitchell |editor2=Paul A. Groves |title=North America: the historical geography of a changing continent |chapter=Colonial America in the 18th Century |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=1987 |ref=Lemon}}, [http://cascourses.uoregon.edu/geog471/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Lemon.pdf PDF]
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* {{cite book |last=Russell |first=John Henderson |title=The Free Negro in Virginia, 1619–1865 |ref=Russell1913 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University |year=1913 |page=196}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=G7AJAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s E'Book]
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* {{cite book |last=Smith |first= Andrew F. |year=2004 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America'' |ref=Smith2004 |publisher=New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 131–32. ISBN 0-19-515437-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Soss |first=Joe |editor-last=Hacker |editor-first=Jacob S. |editor2-last=Mettler |editor2-first=Suzanne |ref=Soss |title=Remaking America: Democracy and Public Policy in an Age of Inequality |year=2010 |publisher=Russell Sage Foundation |isbn=978-1-61044-694-5 |pages=}}, [http://books.google.com/?id=JttyjBoyb3AC&lpg=PA12 Book]
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* {{cite book |last=Thornton |first=Russell |title=American Indian Holocaust and Survival: A Population History Since 1492 |series=Volume 186 of Civilization of the American Indian Series |year=1987 |ref=Thornton |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-2220-5 |page=49}}, [http://books.google.com/?id=9iQYSQ9y60MC&lpg=PA49 Book]
* {{cite book|last=Tooze|first=Adam|authorlink=Adam Tooze|year=2006|title=[[The Wages of Destruction|The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy]]|location=London|publisher=Allen Lane|isbn=978-0-7139-9566-4|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Alden T. |ref=Vaughan |title=New England Encounters: Indians and Euroamericans Ca. 1600–1850 |publisher=North Eastern University Press |page= |year=1999}}
* {{cite book |last=Walton |first=Gary M. |last2=Rockoff |first2=Hugh |title=History of the American Economy |year=2009 |ref=Walton |publisher=Cengage Learning}}, [http://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_American_Economy_With_Acc.html?id=lyhI1q_E4G0C Book]
* {{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Daniel K. |year=2012 |ref=Williams |title=Questioning Conservatism's Ascendancy: A Reexamination of the Rightward Shift in Modern American Politics; {Reviews in American History} |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=325–331 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |doi=10.1353/rah.2012.0043 |url=http://courses.ttu.edu/secunnin/40.2.williams.pdf |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}
* {{cite book | author=Winchester, Simon |title=The men who United the States |url= | year=2013|publisher=Harper Collins | isbn=978-0-06-207960-2 |pages=198, 216, 251, 253 }}
{{refend}}

===Website sources===
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* {{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm |title=''Country Profile: United States of America'' |ref=BBC18may |work=BBC News |location =London |date=April 22, 2008 |accessdate=May 18, 2008}}
* {{cite web |author=Cohen, Eliot A. |ref=Cohen |location=Washington D.C. |url= http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59919/eliot-a-cohen/history-and-the-hyperpower |title=''History and the Hyperpower'' |work=Foreign Affairs |date=July–August 2004 |accessdate=July 14, 2006}}
* {{cite web |title=Slavery and the Slave Trade in Rhode Island |ref=Brown |url=http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/John_Carter_Brown_Library/jcbexhibit/Pages/exhibSlavery.html}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx |title=History of "In God We Trust" |ref=God |publisher=U.S. Department of the Treasury |date=March 8, 2011 |accessdate=February 23, 2013}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.mchspa.org/body.htm |title=''Early History, Native Americans, and Early Settlers in Mercer County'' |year=427 |ref=Mercer |publisher=Mercer County Historical Society|archiveurl=http://archive.is/GkED4|archivedate=April 15, 2013}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=2MjxPJ9W4gwC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]
* {{cite news |title=Looking back 20 years: Who deserves credit for ending the Cold War? |author=Nick Hayes |ref=Hayes |url=http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2009/11/looking-back-20-years-who-deserves-credit-ending-cold-war |newspaper=MinnPost |date=November 6, 2009 |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/59e.asp |title=59e. The End of the Cold War |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=U.S. History.org |ref=ushistory13|publisher=Independence Hall Association |accessdate=March 10, 2013}}
* {{cite book |last=Levy |first=Peter B. |ref=Levy1996 |title=Encyclopedia of the Reagan-Bush Years |url=http://books.google.com/?id=7veohk0fkLYC&lpg=PA88 |year=1996 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn= 978-0-313-29018-3 |page=442}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Wallander |first1=Celeste A. |year=2003 |ref=Wallander2003 |title=Western Policy and the Demise of the Soviet Union |journal=[[Journal of Cold War Studies]] |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=137–177 |publisher=[[President and Fellows of Harvard College]] and the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] |doi=10.1162/152039703322483774 |url=http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/152039703322483774?journalCode=jcws |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=United States}}
<!--Please:
1)Follow the [[WP:EL]] guideline where possible and consider discussing on the talk page;
2)Do not turn these bullets into headers! They expand the TOC too much-->
* {{CIA World Factbook link|us|United States}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16761057 United States], from the [[BBC News]]
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=US Key Development Forecasts for the United States] from [[International Futures]]
;Government
* [http://www.usa.gov/ Official U.S. Government Web Portal] Gateway to government sites
* [http://www.house.gov/ House] Official site of the United States House of Representatives
* [http://www.senate.gov/ Senate] Official site of the United States Senate
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ White House] Official site of the President of the United States
* [{{SCOTUS URL}} Supreme Court] Official site of the Supreme Court of the United States
;History
* [http://www.nationalcenter.org/HistoricalDocuments.html Historical Documents] Collected by the National Center for Public Policy Research
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm U.S. National Mottos: History and Constitutionality] Analysis by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
* [http://www.historicalstatistics.org/index2.html USA] Collected links to historical data
;Maps
* [http://nationalatlas.gov/ National Atlas of the United States] Official maps from the U.S. Department of the Interior
* {{wikiatlas|the United States}}
* {{wikiatlas|the United States}}
* {{osmrelation-inline|148838}}
* [http://www.measureofamerica.org/maps/ Measure of America] A variety of mapped information relating to health, education, income, and demographics for the U.S.
* [https://www.measureofamerica.org/maps/ "Measure of America"] – a variety of mapped information relating to health, education, income, safety and demographics in the United States


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Latest revision as of 03:07, 26 November 2024

United States of America
Motto: "In God We Trust"[1]
Other traditional mottos:[2]
Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"[3]
Orthographic map of the U.S. in North America
World map showing the U.S. and its territories
CapitalWashington, D.C.
38°53′N 77°1′W / 38.883°N 77.017°W / 38.883; -77.017
Largest cityNew York City
40°43′N 74°0′W / 40.717°N 74.000°W / 40.717; -74.000
Official languagesNone at the federal level[a]
National languageEnglish[b]
Ethnic groups
(2020)[4][5][6]
By race:
By origin:
Religion
(2023)[7]
  • 22% unaffiliated
  • 2% Judaism
  • 6% other religion
  • 3% unanswered
Demonym(s)American[c][8]
GovernmentFederal presidential republic
• President
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris
Mike Johnson
John Roberts
LegislatureCongress
Senate
House of Representatives
Independence 
July 4, 1776 (1776-07-04)
March 1, 1781 (1781-03-01)
September 3, 1783 (1783-09-03)
June 21, 1788 (1788-06-21)
Area
• Total area
3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[10][d] (3rd)
• Water (%)
7.0[9] (2010)
• Land area
3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2) (3rd)
Population
• 2023 estimate
Neutral increase 334,914,895[11]
• 2020 census
Neutral increase 331,449,281[e][12] (3rd)
• Density
87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (185th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $29.168 trillion[13] (2nd)
• Per capita
Increase $86,601[13] (8th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $29.168 trillion[13] (1st)
• Per capita
Increase $86,601[13] (6th)
Gini (2022)Negative increase 41.7[f][14]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.927[15]
very high (20th)
CurrencyU.S. dollar ($) (USD)
Time zoneUTC−4 to −12, +10, +11
• Summer (DST)
UTC−4 to −10[g]
Date formatmm/dd/yyyy[h]
Drives onright[i]
Calling code+1
ISO 3166 codeUS
Internet TLD.us[16]

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal union of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the states of Alaska to the northwest and the archipelagic Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also asserts sovereignty over five major island territories and various uninhabited islands.[j] The country has the world's third-largest land area,[d] largest exclusive economic zone, and third-largest population, exceeding 334 million.[k] Its three largest metropolitan areas are New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and its three most populous states are California, Texas, and Florida.

Paleo-Indians migrated across the Bering land bridge more than 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations and societies. British colonization led to the first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies in Virginia in 1607. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political representation sparked the American Revolution, with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War, the country continued to expand westward across North America, resulting in the dispossession of native inhabitants. As more states were admitted, a North–South division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America, which fought states remaining in the Union in the 1861–1865 American Civil War. With the victory and preservation of the United States, slavery was abolished nationally. By 1900, the country had established itself as a great power, a status solidified after its involvement in World War I. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. entered World War II. Its aftermath left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War, during which both countries struggled for ideological dominance and international influence. Following the Soviet Union's collapse and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower, wielding significant geopolitical influence globally.

The U.S. national government is a presidential constitutional federal republic and liberal democracy with three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It has a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives, a lower house based on population; and the Senate, an upper house based on equal representation for each state. Federalism provides substantial autonomy to the 50 states, while the country's political culture promotes liberty, equality, individualism, personal autonomy, and limited government.

One of the world's most developed countries, the United States has had the largest nominal GDP since about 1890 and accounted for over 15% of the global economy in 2023.[l] It possesses by far the largest amount of wealth of any country and has the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD countries. The U.S. ranks among the world's highest in economic competitiveness, productivity, innovation, human rights, and higher education. Its hard power and cultural influence have a global reach. The U.S. is a founding member of the World Bank, Organization of American States, NATO, and the United Nations,[m] as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Etymology

The first documented use of the phrase "United States of America" is a letter from January 2, 1776. Stephen Moylan, a Continental Army aide to General George Washington, wrote to Joseph Reed, Washington's aide-de-camp, seeking to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the Revolutionary War effort.[20][21] The first known public usage is an anonymous essay published in the Williamsburg newspaper, The Virginia Gazette, on April 6, 1776.[20][22][23] By June 1776, the "United States of America" appeared in the Articles of Confederation[24][25] and the Declaration of Independence.[24] The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.[26]

The term "United States" and the initialism "U.S.", used as nouns or as adjectives in English, are common short names for the country. The initialism "USA", a noun, is also common.[27] "United States" and "U.S." are the established terms throughout the U.S. federal government, with prescribed rules.[n] In English, the term "America" rarely refers to topics unrelated to the United States, despite the usage of "the Americas" as the totality of North and South America.[29] "The States" is an established colloquial shortening of the name, used particularly from abroad;[30] "stateside" is the corresponding adjective or adverb.[31]

History

Indigenous peoples

Cliff Palace, a settlement of ancestors of the Native American Pueblo peoples in present-day Montezuma County, Colorado, built between c. 1200 and 1275[32]

The first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge about 12,000 years ago;[33][34] the Clovis culture, which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to be the first widespread culture in the Americas.[35][36] Over time, indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the Mississippian culture, developed agriculture, architecture, and complex societies.[37] In the post-archaic period, the Mississippian cultures were located in the midwestern, eastern, and southern regions, and the Algonquian in the Great Lakes region and along the Eastern Seaboard, while the Hohokam culture and Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the southwest.[38] Native population estimates of what is now the United States before the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000[39][40] to nearly 10 million.[40][41]

European settlement and conflict (1607–1765)

The 1750 colonial possessions of Britain (in pink and purple), France (in blue), and Spain (in orange) in present-day Canada and the United States

Christopher Columbus began exploring the Caribbean for Spain in 1492, leading to Spanish-speaking settlements and missions from Puerto Rico and Florida to New Mexico and California.[42][43][44] France established its own settlements along the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.[45] British colonization of the East Coast began with the Virginia Colony (1607) and Plymouth Colony (1620).[46][47] The Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established precedents for representative self-governance and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the American colonies.[48][49] While European settlers in what is now the United States experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts.[50][o] Relations ranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonial authorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity.[54][55] Along the eastern seaboard, settlers trafficked African slaves through the Atlantic slave trade.[56]

The original Thirteen Colonies[p] that would later found the United States were administered as possessions of Great Britain,[57] and had local governments with elections open to most white male property owners.[58][59] The colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations;[60] by the 1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas.[61] The colonies' distance from Britain allowed for the development of self-governance,[62] and the First Great Awakening, a series of Christian revivals, fueled colonial interest in religious liberty.[63]

For a century, the American colonists had been providing their own troops and materiel in conflicts with indigenous peoples allied with Britain's colonial rivals, especially France, and the Americans had begun to develop a sense of self-defense and self-reliance separate from Britain. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) took on new significance for all North American colonists after Parliament under William Pitt the Elder concluded that major military resources needed to be devoted to North America to win the war against France. For the first time, the continent became one of the main theaters of what could be termed a "world war". The British colonies' position as an integral part of the British Empire became more apparent during the war, with British military and civilian officials becoming a more significant presence in American life.

The war increased a sense of American identity as well. Men who otherwise never left their own colony now traveled across the continent to fight alongside men from decidedly different backgrounds but who were no less "American". British officers trained American officers for battle, most notably George Washington; these officers would lend their skills and expertise to the colonists' cause during the American Revolutionary War to come. In addition, colonial legislatures and officials found it necessary to cooperate intensively in pursuit of a coordinated, continent-wide military effort.[64] Finally, deteriorating relations between the British military establishment and the colonists, relations that were already less than positive, set the stage for further distrust and dislike of British troops.

American Revolution and the early republic (1765–1800)

See caption
Declaration of Independence, a portrait by John Trumbull depicting the Committee of Five presenting the draft of the Declaration to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776, in Philadelphia

Following their victory in the French and Indian War, Britain began to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, resulting in colonial political resistance; one of the primary colonial grievances was a denial of their rights as Englishmen, particularly the right to representation in the British government that taxed them. To demonstrate their dissatisfaction and resolve, the First Continental Congress met in 1774 and passed the Continental Association, a colonial boycott of British goods that proved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted in the 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord, igniting the American Revolutionary War. At the Second Continental Congress, the colonies appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and created a committee that named Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence. Two days after passing the Lee Resolution to create an independent nation the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.[65] The political values of the American Revolution included liberty, inalienable individual rights; and the sovereignty of the people;[66] supporting republicanism and rejecting monarchy, aristocracy, and all hereditary political power; civic virtue; and vilification of political corruption.[67] The Founding Fathers of the United States, who included Washington, Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, Thomas Paine, and many others, were inspired by Greco-Roman, Renaissance, and Enlightenment philosophies and ideas.[68][69]

The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and established a decentralized government that operated until 1789.[65] After the British surrender at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 American sovereignty was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Paris (1783), through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada, and south to Spanish Florida.[70] The Northwest Ordinance (1787) established the precedent by which the country's territory would expand with the admission of new states, rather than the expansion of existing states.[71] The U.S. Constitution was drafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention to overcome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creating a federal republic governed by three separate branches that together ensured a system of checks and balances.[72] George Washington was elected the country's first president under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the more centralized government.[73][74] His resignation as commander-in-chief after the Revolutionary War and his later refusal to run for a third term as the country's first president established a precedent for the supremacy of civil authority in the United States and the peaceful transfer of power, respectively.[75][76]

Westward expansion and Civil War (1800–1865)

Historical territorial expansion of the United States
Division of the states during the American Civil War:

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States.[77][78] Lingering issues with Britain remained, leading to the War of 1812, which was fought to a draw.[79][80] Spain ceded Florida and its Gulf Coast territory in 1819.[81] In the late 18th century, American settlers began to expand westward, many with a sense of manifest destiny.[82][83] The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance the desire of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories with that of southern states to extend it, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It further prohibited slavery in all other lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36°30′ parallel.[84] As Americans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans, the federal government often applied policies of Indian removal or assimilation.[85][86] The Trail of Tears (1830–1850) was a U.S. government policy that forcibly removed and displaced most Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River to lands far to the west. These and earlier organized displacements prompted a long series of American Indian Wars west of the Mississippi.[87][88] The Republic of Texas was annexed in 1845,[89] and the 1846 Oregon Treaty led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest.[90] Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican Cession of California, Nevada, Utah, and much of present-day Colorado and the American Southwest.[82][91] The California gold rush of 1848–1849 spurred a huge migration of white settlers to the Pacific coast, leading to even more confrontations with Native populations. One of the most violent, the California genocide of thousands of Native inhabitants, lasted into the early 1870s,[92] just as additional western territories and states were created.[93]

During the colonial period, slavery had been legal in the American colonies, though the practice began to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution.[94] States in the North enacted abolition laws,[95] though support for slavery strengthened in Southern states, as inventions such as the cotton gin made the institution increasingly profitable for Southern elites.[96][97][98] This sectional conflict regarding slavery culminated in the American Civil War (1861–1865).[99][100] Eleven slave states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America, while the other states remained in the Union.[101][102] War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter.[103][104] After the January 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, many freed slaves joined the Union army.[105] The war began to turn in the Union's favor following the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg, and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the Battle of Appomattox Court House.[106] The Reconstruction era followed the war. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Reconstruction Amendments were passed to protect the rights of African Americans. National infrastructure, including transcontinental telegraph and railroads, spurred growth in the American frontier.[107]

Post–Civil War era (1865–1917)

An Edison Studios film showing immigrants arriving at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, a major point of entry for European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries[108][109]

From 1865 through 1917 an unprecedented stream of immigrants arrived in the United States, including 24.4 million from Europe.[110] Most came through the port of New York City, and New York City and other large cities on the East Coast became home to large Jewish, Irish, and Italian populations, while many Germans and Central Europeans moved to the Midwest. At the same time, about one million French Canadians migrated from Quebec to New England.[111] During the Great Migration, millions of African Americans left the rural South for urban areas in the North.[112] Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867.[113]

The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction and white supremacists took local control of Southern politics.[114][115] African Americans endured a period of heightened, overt racism following Reconstruction, a time often called the nadir of American race relations.[116][117] A series of Supreme Court decisions, including Plessy v. Ferguson, emptied the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of their force, allowing Jim Crow laws in the South to remain unchecked, sundown towns in the Midwest, and segregation in communities across the country, which would be reinforced by the policy of redlining later adopted by the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation.[118]

An explosion of technological advancement accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor[119] led to rapid economic expansion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, allowing the United States to outpace the economies of England, France, and Germany combined.[120][121] This fostered the amassing of power by a few prominent industrialists, largely by their formation of trusts and monopolies to prevent competition.[122] Tycoons led the nation's expansion in the railroad, petroleum, and steel industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of the automotive industry.[123] These changes were accompanied by significant increases in economic inequality, slum conditions, and social unrest, creating the environment for labor unions to begin to flourish.[124][125][126] This period eventually ended with the advent of the Progressive Era, which was characterized by significant reforms.[127][128]

Pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy; the islands were annexed in 1898. That same year, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam were ceded to the U.S. by Spain after the latter's defeat in the Spanish–American War. (The Philippines was granted full independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946, following World War II. Puerto Rico and Guam have remained U.S. territories.)[129] American Samoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the Second Samoan Civil War.[130] The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917.[131]

Rise as a superpower (1917–1945)

The Trinity nuclear test in 1945, part of the Manhattan Project and the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. The World Wars permanently ended the country's policy of isolationism and left it as a superpower.

The United States entered World War I alongside the Allies of World War I, helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers.[132] In 1920, a constitutional amendment granted nationwide women's suffrage.[133] During the 1920s and '30s, radio for mass communication and the invention of early television transformed communications nationwide.[134] The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to with the New Deal, a series of sweeping programs and public works projects combined with financial reforms and regulations. All were intended to protect against future economic depressions.[135][136]

Initially neutral during World War II, the U.S. began supplying war materiel to the Allies of World War II in March 1941 and entered the war in December after the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.[137][138] The U.S. developed the first nuclear weapons and used them against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war.[139][140] The United States was one of the "Four Policemen" who met to plan the post-war world, alongside the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China.[141][142] The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater economic power and international political influence.[143]

Cold War (1945–1991)

Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House in 1987.

After World War II, the United States entered the Cold War, where geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries to dominate world affairs.[144][145][146] The U.S. utilized the policy of containment to limit the USSR's sphere of influence, and prevailed in the Space Race, which culminated with the first crewed Moon landing in 1969.[147][148] Domestically, the U.S. experienced economic growth, urbanization, and population growth following World War II.[149] The civil rights movement emerged, with Martin Luther King Jr. becoming a prominent leader in the early 1960s.[150] The Great Society plan of President Lyndon Johnson's administration resulted in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract some of the worst effects of lingering institutional racism.[151] The counterculture movement in the U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes toward recreational drug use and sexuality.[152][153] It also encouraged open defiance of the military draft (leading to the end of conscription in 1973) and wide opposition to U.S. intervention in Vietnam (with the U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975).[154] A societal shift in the roles of women was significantly responsible for the large increase in female paid labor participation during the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of American women aged 16 and older were employed.[155] The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which marked the end of the Cold War and left the United States as the world's sole superpower.[156][157][158][159]

Contemporary (1991–present)

The Twin Towers in New York City during the September 11 attacks in 2001
The January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021

The 1990s saw the longest recorded economic expansion in American history, a dramatic decline in U.S. crime rates, and advances in technology. Throughout this decade, technological innovations such as the World Wide Web, the evolution of the Pentium microprocessor in accordance with Moore's law, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the first gene therapy trial, and cloning either emerged in the U.S. or were improved upon there. The Human Genome Project was formally launched in 1990, while Nasdaq became the first stock market in the United States to trade online in 1998.[160]

In the Gulf War of 1991, an American-led international coalition of states expelled an Iraqi invasion force that had occupied neighboring Kuwait.[161] The September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 by the pan-Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda led to the war on terror, and subsequent military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.[162][163] The cultural impact of the attacks was profound and long-lasting.

The U.S. housing bubble culminated in 2007 with the Great Recession, the largest economic contraction since the Great Depression.[164] Coming to a head in the 2010s, political polarization in the country increased between liberal and conservative factions.[165][166][167] This polarization was capitalized upon in the January 2021 Capitol attack,[168] when a mob of insurrectionists[169] entered the U.S. Capitol and sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power[170] in an attempted self-coup d'état.[171]

Geography

A topographic map of the United States

The United States is the world's third-largest country by total area behind Russia and Canada.[d][172][173] The 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia occupy a combined area of 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,470 km2).[10][174][175] The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the Piedmont plateau region.[176]

The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif separate the East Coast from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest.[177] The Mississippi River System, the world's fourth-longest river system, runs predominantly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat and fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast.[177]

The Grand Canyon in Arizona

The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado.[178] Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Mojave deserts.[179] In the northwest corner of Arizona, carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, is the Grand Canyon, a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination known for its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape.

The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast. The lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States are in the State of California,[180] about 84 miles (135 km) apart.[181] At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and continent.[182] Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rocky Mountains, the Yellowstone Caldera, is the continent's largest volcanic feature.[183] In 2021, the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and pastures and 10% of cropland.[184]

Climate

The Köppen climate types of the United States

With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. East of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.[185] The western Great Plains are semi-arid. Many mountainous areas of the American West have an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon, Washington, and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii, the southern tip of Florida and U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Pacific are tropical.[186]

States bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur in the country, mainly in Tornado Alley.[187] Overall, the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country.[188][189] Extreme weather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of reported heat waves as in the 1960s. In the American Southwest, droughts became more persistent and more severe.[190] The regions considered as the most attractive to the population are the most vulnerable.[191]

Biodiversity and conservation

A bald eagle
The bald eagle, the national bird of the United States since 1782[192]

The U.S. is one of 17 megadiverse countries containing large numbers of endemic species: about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[193] The United States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 amphibians,[194] and around 91,000 insect species.[195]

There are 63 national parks, and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas, managed by the National Park Service and other agencies.[196] About 28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed,[197] primarily in the Western States.[198] Most of this land is protected, though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent is used for military purposes.[199][200]

Environmental issues in the United States include debates on non-renewable resources and nuclear energy, air and water pollution, biodiversity, logging and deforestation,[201][202] and climate change.[203][204] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal agency charged with addressing most environmental-related issues.[205] The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.[206] The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service implements and enforces the Act.[207] In 2024, the U.S. ranked 34th among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index.[208] The country joined the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2016 and has many other environmental commitments.[209]

Government and politics

The U.S. Capitol Building, the seat of legislative government, is home to both chambers of the U.S. Congress: the Senate (in left wing of building) and the House of Representatives (right wing).
The White House, the residence and workplace of the U.S. president and the offices of the presidential staff
The Supreme Court Building, which houses the nation's highest court

The United States is a federal republic of 50 states and a separate federal capital district, Washington, D.C. It also asserts sovereignty over five unincorporated territories and several uninhabited island possessions.[17][210] The U.S. is the world's oldest surviving federation,[211] and its presidential system of national government has been adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent states worldwide following their decolonization.[212] It is a liberal representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law".[213] The Constitution of the United States serves as the country's supreme legal document, also establishing the structure and responsibilities of the national federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The U.S. Constitution is the world's oldest national constitution still in effect (from March 4, 1789).

National government

Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of checks and balances.[214]

  • The U.S. Congress, a bicameral legislature made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse,[215] and has the power of impeachment.[216] The Senate has 100 members (2 from each state), elected for a six-year term. The House of Representatives has 435 members, each elected for a two-year term; all representatives serve one congressional district of equivalent population. Congressional districts are drawn by each state legislature and are contiguous within the state.[217] The Congress also organizes a collection of committees, each of which handles a specific task or duty. One of Congress's foremost non-legislative functions is the power to investigate and oversee the executive branch.[218] Congressional oversight is usually delegated to committees and is facilitated by Congress's subpoena power.[219] Appointment to a committee enables a member to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under its purview. The various committees monitor ongoing governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the U.S. Congress, including but not limited to new legislation. The two major political parties have appointment power in deciding each committee's membership. Committee chairs are assigned to a member of the majority party.
  • The U.S. president is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military, chief executive of the federal government, and has the ability to veto legislative bills from the U.S. Congress before they become law. However, presidential vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers of Congress. The president appoints the members of the Cabinet, subject to Senate approval, and names other officials who administer and enforce federal laws through their respective agencies.[220] The president also has clemency power for federal crimes and can issue pardons. Finally, the president has the right to issue expansive "executive orders", subject to judicial review, in a number of policy areas. Candidates for president campaign with a vice-presidential running mate. Both candidates are elected together, or defeated together, in a presidential election. Unlike other votes in American politics, this is technically an indirect election in which the winner will be determined by the U.S. Electoral College. There, votes are officially cast by individual electors selected by their state legislature.[221] In practice, however, each of the 50 states chooses a group of presidential electors who are required to confirm the winner of their state's popular vote. Each state is allocated two electors plus one additional elector for each congressional district, which in effect combines to equal the number of elected officials that state sends to Congress. The District of Columbia, with no representatives or senators, is allocated three electoral votes. Both the president and the vice president serve a four-year term, and the president may be reelected to the office only once, for one additional four-year term.[q]
  • The U.S. federal judiciary, whose judges are all appointed for life by the president with Senate approval, consists primarily of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. courts of appeals, and the U.S. district courts. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.[222] The Supreme Court has nine members led by the Chief Justice of the United States. The members are appointed by the sitting president when a vacancy becomes available.[223] In a number of ways the federal court system operates differently than state courts. For civil cases that is apparent in the types of cases that can be heard in the federal system. Their limited jurisdiction restricts them to cases authorized by the United States Constitution or federal statutes. In criminal cases, states may only bring criminal prosecutions in state courts, and the federal government may only bring criminal prosecutions in federal court. The first level in the federal courts is federal district court for any case under "original jurisdiction", such as federal statutes, the Constitution, or treaties. There are twelve federal circuits that divide the country into different regions for federal appeals courts. After a federal district court has decided a case, it can then be appealed to a United States court of appeal. The next and highest court in the system is the Supreme Court of the United States. It has the power to decide appeals on all cases brought in federal court or those brought in state court but dealing with federal law. Unlike circuit court appeals, however, the Supreme Court is usually not required to hear the appeal. A "petition for writ of certiorari" may be submitted to the court, asking it to hear the case. If it is granted, the Supreme Court will take briefs and conduct oral arguments. If it is not granted, the opinion of the lower court stands. Certiorari is not often granted, and less than 1% of appeals to the Supreme Court are actually heard by it. Usually, the Court only hears cases when there are conflicting decisions across the nation on a particular issue, or when there is an obvious error in a case.

The three-branch system is known as the presidential system, in contrast to the parliamentary system, where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world imitated this aspect of the 1789 Constitution of the United States, especially in the Americas.[224]

Political parties

U.S. state governments (governor and legislature) by party control, as of 2024:
  Democratic control
  Republican control
  Split control

The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th century with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties.[225] Since then, the United States has operated as a de facto two-party system, though the parties in that system have been different at different times.[226] The two main national parties are presently the Democratic and the Republican. The former is perceived as relatively liberal in its political platform while the latter is perceived as relatively conservative.[227]

Subdivisions

In the American federal system, sovereign powers are shared between two levels of elected government: national and state. People in the states are also represented by local elected governments, which are administrative divisions of the states.[228] States are subdivided into counties or county equivalents, and further divided into municipalities. The District of Columbia is a federal district containing the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C..[229] The federal district is an administrative division of the federal government.[230] Federally recognized tribes govern 326 Indian reservations.[231]

AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern Mariana IslandsOhioOklahomaOregonPuerto RicoPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUnited States Virgin IslandsUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingDelawareMarylandNew HampshireNew JerseyMassachusettsConnecticutDistrict of ColumbiaWest VirginiaPuerto RicoUnited States Virgin IslandsGuamNorthern Mariana IslandsAmerican SamoaVermontRhode Island

Foreign relations

see caption
The United Nations headquarters has been situated along the East River in Midtown Manhattan since 1952; in 1945, the United States was a founding member of the UN.

The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it has the world's second-largest diplomatic corps as of 2024. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,[232] and home to the United Nations headquarters.[233] The United States is a member of the G7,[234] G20,[235] and OECD intergovernmental organizations.[236] Almost all countries have embassies and many have consulates (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal diplomatic missions with the United States, except Iran,[237] North Korea,[238] and Bhutan.[239] Though Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close unofficial relations.[240] The United States regularly supplies Taiwan with military equipment to deter potential Chinese aggression.[241] Its geopolitical attention also turned to the Indo-Pacific when the United States joined the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Australia, India, and Japan.[242]

The United States has a "Special Relationship" with the United Kingdom[243] and strong ties with Canada,[244] Australia,[245] New Zealand,[246] the Philippines,[247] Japan,[248] South Korea,[249] Israel,[250] and several European Union countries (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland).[251] The U.S. works closely with its NATO allies on military and national security issues, and with countries in the Americas through the Organization of American States and the United States–Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement. In South America, Colombia is traditionally considered to be the closest ally of the United States.[252] The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau through the Compact of Free Association.[222] It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation with India,[253] but its ties with China have steadily deteriorated.[254][255] Since 2014, the U.S. has become a key ally of Ukraine;[256] it has also provided the country with significant military equipment and other support in response to Russia's 2022 invasion.[257]

Military

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, is one of the world's largest office buildings with over 6.5 million square feet (600,000 m2) of floor space.

The president is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Department of Defense, which is headquartered at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., administers five of the six service branches, which are made up of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force.[258] The Coast Guard is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy in wartime.[259]

The United States spent $916 billion on its military in 2023, which is by far the largest amount of any country, making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% of the country's GDP.[260][261] The U.S. has 42% of the world's nuclear weapons—the second-largest share after Russia.[262]

The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces in the world, behind the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Indian Armed Forces.[263] The military operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad,[264] and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25 foreign countries.[265]

State defense forces (SDFs) are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. SDFs are authorized by state and federal law but are under the command of the state's governor.[266][267][268] They are distinct from the state's National Guard units in that they cannot become federalized entities. A state's National Guard personnel, however, may be federalized under the National Defense Act Amendments of 1933, which created the Guard and provides for the integration of Army National Guard units and personnel into the U.S. Army and (since 1947) the U.S. Air Force.[269]

Law enforcement and criminal justice

J. Edgar Hoover Building, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in Washington, D.C.

There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in the United States.[270] Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and sheriff departments in their municipal or county jurisdictions. The state police departments have authority in their respective state, and federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting civil rights, national security and enforcing U.S. federal courts' rulings and federal laws.[271] State courts conduct most civil and criminal trials,[272] and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions.[273]

There is no unified "criminal justice system" in the United States. The American prison system is largely heterogenous, with thousands of relatively independent systems operating across federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In 2023, "these systems [held] almost 2 million people in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails, 1,323 juvenile correctional facilities, 181 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. territories."[274] Despite disparate systems of confinement, four main institutions dominate: federal prisons, state prisons, local jails, and juvenile correctional facilities.[275] Federal prisons are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and hold people who have been convicted of federal crimes, including pretrial detainees.[275] State prisons, run by the official department of correction of each state, hold sentenced people serving prison time (usually longer than one year) for felony offenses.[275] Local jails are county or municipal facilities that incarcerate defendants prior to trial; they also hold those serving short sentences (typically under a year).[275] Juvenile correctional facilities are operated by local or state governments and serve as longer-term placements for any minor adjudicated as delinquent and ordered by a judge to be confined.[276]

As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth-highest per capita incarceration rate in the world—531 people per 100,000 inhabitants—and the largest prison and jail population in the world, with almost 2 million people incarcerated.[274][277][278] An analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25 times higher".[279]

Economy

see caption
The U.S. dollar, the most-used currency in international transactions and the world's foremost reserve currency[280]

The U.S. has been the world's largest economy nominally since about 1890.[281] The 2023 nominal U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $27 trillion was the highest in the world, constituting over 25% of the global economy or 15% at purchasing power parity (PPP).[13][282] From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the G7.[283] The country ranks first in the world by nominal GDP,[284] second when adjusted for purchasing power parities (PPP),[13] and ninth by PPP-adjusted GDP per capita.[13] It possesses the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD countries.[285] As of February 2024, the total federal government debt was $34.4 trillion.[286]

Microsoft, the world's biggest company by market capitalization,[287] has its global headquarters in Redmond, Washington, north of Seattle.

Of the world's 500 largest companies by revenue, 136 are headquartered in the U.S. as of 2023,[288] which is the highest number of any country.[289] The U.S. dollar is the currency most used in international transactions and is the world's foremost reserve currency, backed by the country's dominant economy, its military, the petrodollar system, and its linked eurodollar and large U.S. treasuries market.[280] Several countries use it as their official currency, and in others it is the de facto currency.[290][291] It has free trade agreements with several countries, including the USMCA.[292] The U.S. ranked second in the Global Competitiveness Report in 2019, after Singapore.[293] Although the United States has reached a post-industrial level of development[294] and is often described as having a service economy,[294][295] it remains a major industrial power.[296] As of 2021, the U.S. is the second-largest manufacturing country after China.[297]

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization[298]

New York City is the world's principal financial center[299][300] and the epicenter of the world's largest metropolitan economy.[301] The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, both located in New York City, are the world's two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization and trade volume.[302][303] The United States is at or near the forefront of technological advancement and innovation[304] in many economic fields, especially in artificial intelligence; electronics and computers; pharmaceuticals; and medical, aerospace and military equipment.[172] The country's economy is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.[305] The largest trading partners of the United States are the European Union, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.[306] The United States is the world's largest importer and the second-largest exporter.[r] It is by far the world's largest exporter of services.[309]

Americans have the highest average household and employee income among OECD member states,[310] and the fourth-highest median household income,[311] up from sixth-highest in 2013.[312] With personal consumption expenditures of over $18.5 trillion in 2023,[313] the U.S. has a heavily consumer-driven economy and is by far the world's largest consumer market.[314] Wealth in the United States is highly concentrated; the richest 10% of the adult population own 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 2%.[315] Income inequality in the U.S. remains at record highs,[316] with the top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all income[317] and giving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among OECD members.[318][319] The U.S. ranks first in the number of dollar billionaires and millionaires, with 735 billionaires and nearly 22 million millionaires as of 2023.[320] There were about 582,500 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in the U.S. in 2022, with 60% staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.[321] In 2022, 6.4 million children experienced food insecurity.[322] Feeding America estimates that around one in five, or approximately 13 million, children experience hunger in the U.S. and do not know where they will get their next meal or when.[323] As of 2022, 37.9 million people, or 11.5% of the U.S. population, were living in poverty.[324]

The United States has a smaller welfare state and redistributes less income through government action than most other high-income countries.[325][326] It is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation nationally[327] and is one of a few countries in the world without federal paid family leave as a legal right.[328] The United States has a higher percentage of low-income workers than almost any other developed country, largely because of a weak collective bargaining system and lack of government support for at-risk workers.[329]

Science, technology, spaceflight and energy

The United States has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th century and scientific research since the mid-20th century.[330] Methods for producing interchangeable parts and the establishment of a machine tool industry enabled the large-scale manufacturing of U.S. consumer products in the late 19th century.[331] By the early 20th century, factory electrification, the introduction of the assembly line, and other labor-saving techniques created the system of mass production.[332] The United States is widely considered to be the leading country in the development of artificial intelligence technology.[333][334][335] In 2022, the United States was (after China) the country with the second-highest number of published scientific papers.[336] In 2021, the U.S. ranked second (also after China) by the number of patent applications, and third by trademark and industrial design applications (after China and Germany), according to World Intellectual Property Indicators.[337] In 2023 and 2024, the United States ranked third (after Switzerland and Sweden) in the Global Innovation Index.[338][339] The U.S. has the highest total research and development expenditure of any country[340] and ranks ninth as a percentage of GDP.[341] In 2023, the United States was ranked the second most technologically advanced country in the world (after South Korea) by Global Finance magazine.[342]

U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin saluting the American flag on the Moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission; the United States is the only country that has landed crews on the lunar surface.

The United States has maintained a space program since the late 1950s, beginning with the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958.[343][344] NASA's Apollo program (1961–1972) achieved the first crewed Moon landing with the 1969 Apollo 11 mission; it remains one of the agency's most significant milestones.[345][346] Other major endeavors by NASA include the Space Shuttle program (1981–2011),[347] the Voyager program (1972–present), the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes (launched in 1990 and 2021, respectively),[348][349] and the multi-mission Mars Exploration Program (Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance).[350] NASA is one of five agencies collaborating on the International Space Station (ISS);[351] U.S. contributions to the ISS include several modules, including Destiny (2001), Harmony (2007), and Tranquility (2010), as well as ongoing logistical and operational support.[352] The United States private sector dominates the global commercial spaceflight industry.[353] Prominent American spaceflight contractors include Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX. NASA programs such as the Commercial Crew Program, Commercial Resupply Services, Commercial Lunar Payload Services, and NextSTEP have facilitated growing private-sector involvement in American spaceflight.[354]

As of 2023, the United States receives approximately 84% of its energy from fossil fuel, and the largest source of the country's energy came from petroleum (38%), followed by natural gas (36%), renewable sources (9%), coal (9%), and nuclear power (9%).[355][356] The United States constitutes less than 4% of the world's population, but consumes around 16% of the world's energy.[357] The U.S. ranks as the second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases.[358]

Transportation

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, serving the Atlanta metropolitan area, is the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic with over 75 million passengers in 2021.[359]

The U.S. Department of Transportation and its divisions provide regulation, supervision, and funding for all aspects of transportation except for customs, immigration, and security. (The latter remain the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.) Each U.S. state has its own department of transportation, which builds and maintains state highways. Depending upon the state, this department might also directly operate or supervise other modes of transportation.

Aviation law is almost entirely the jurisdiction of the federal government; the Federal Aviation Administration regulates all aspects of civil aviation, air traffic management, certification and compliance, and aviation safety. Vehicle traffic laws, however, are enacted and enforced by state and local authorities, with the exception of roads located on federal property (national parks, military bases) or in the unorganized U.S. territories. The United States Coast Guard is the primary enforcer of law and security on U.S. waterways, inland as well as coastal, but economic jurisdiction over coastal tidelands is shared between state and federal governments. The country's inland waterways are the world's fifth-longest, totaling 41,009 km (25,482 mi).[360]

Passenger and freight rail systems, bus systems, water ferries, and dams may be under either public or private ownership and operation. U.S. civilian airlines are all privately owned. Most U.S. airports are owned and operated by local government authorities, and there are also some private airports. The Transportation Security Administration has provided security at most major airports since 2001.

Interchange between Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 in Houston, Texas

Commercial railroads and trains were the dominant mode of transportation in the U.S. until the mid-twentieth century. The introduction of jet airplanes and airports serving the same major routes accelerated a decline in demand for interstate and intercity rail passenger service by the 1960s. The completion of the Interstate Highway System also hastened the sharp curtailment of passenger service by the railroads. These significant developments led to the creation of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, now called Amtrak, by the U.S. federal government in 1971. Amtrak helps to maintain limited intercity rail passenger service in most parts of the country. It serves most major U.S. cities, but outside the Northeast, California, and Illinois it typically runs only a few trains per day. More frequent Amtrak service is available in regional corridors between certain major cities, particularly the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston; between New York City and Albany; in metropolitan Chicago; and in parts of California and the Pacific Northwest. Amtrak does not serve several major U.S. destinations, including Las Vegas and Phoenix, Arizona.

The American civil airline industry is entirely owned by corporations and has been largely deregulated since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned.[361] The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; American Airlines is number one after its 2013 acquisition by US Airways.[362] Of the world's 50 busiest passenger airports, 16 are in the United States, including the top five and the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[363][364] As of 2022, there are 19,969 airports in the U.S., of which 5,193 are designated as "public use", including for general aviation and other activities.[365]

The overwhelming majority of roads in the United States are owned and maintained by state and local governments. Roads maintained only by the U.S. federal government are generally only found on federal lands (such as national parks) or at federal facilities (like military bases). The Interstate Highway System, with its large, open freeways linking the states, is partly funded by the federal government but owned and maintained by the state government hosting its section of the interstate. Some states fund and build their own large expressways—often called "parkways" or "turnpikes"—that generally use tolls to pay for construction and maintenance. Likewise, some privately owned roads may use tolls for this purpose.

Public transportation in the United States includes bus, commuter rail, ferry, and sometimes airline service. Public transit systems serve areas of higher population density where demand is greatest. Many U.S. cities, towns, and suburbs are car-dependent, however, and subrurban public transit is less common and service far less frequent. Most U.S. urban areas have some form of public transit, notably city buses, while the largest (e.g. New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon) operate extensive systems that also include subways or light rail.[366] Most public transit service in the United States is run by local governments, but national and regional commuter lines serve major U.S. urban corridors.

Personal transportation in the United States is dominated by automobiles,[367][368] which operate on a network of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) of public roads, making it the longest in the world.[369][370] The country's rail transport network, also the longest in the world at 182,412.3 mi (293,564.2 km),[371] handles mostly freight.[372][373] Of the world's 50 busiest container ports, four are located in the United States. The busiest in the U.S. is the Port of Los Angeles.[374]

The Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the Ford Model T, both American cars, are considered the first mass-produced[375] and mass-affordable[376] cars, respectively. As of 2023, the United States is the second-largest manufacturer of motor vehicles[377] and is home to Tesla, the world's most valuable car company.[378] American automotive company General Motors held the title of the world's best-selling automaker from 1931 to 2008.[379] The American automotive industry is the world's second-largest automobile market by sales, having been overtaken by China in 2010,[380] and the U.S. has the highest vehicle ownership per capita in the world,[381] with 910 vehicles per 1000 people.[382] By value, the U.S. was the world's largest importer and third-largest exporter of cars in 2022.[383]

Demographics

Population

The 10 most populous U.S. states
(2020 U.S. census)[384][385]
State Population (millions)
California
39.0
Texas
30.5
Florida
22.6
New York
19.6
Pennsylvania
13.0
Illinois
12.5
Ohio
11.7
Georgia
11.0
North Carolina
10.8
Michigan
10.0

The U.S. Census Bureau reported 331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020,[s][386] making the United States the third-most-populous country in the world, after China and India.[172] According to the Bureau's U.S. Population Clock, on July 1, 2024, the U.S. population had a net gain of one person every 16 seconds, or about 5400 people per day.[387] In 2023, 51% of Americans age 15 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 34% had never been married.[388] In 2023, the total fertility rate for the U.S. stood at 1.6 children per woman,[389] and, at 23%, it had the world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households in 2019.[390]

The United States has a diverse population; 37 ancestry groups have more than one million members.[391] White Americans with ancestry from Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa form the largest racial and ethnic group at 57.8% of the United States population.[392][393] Hispanic and Latino Americans form the second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population. African Americans constitute the country's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total U.S. population.[391] Asian Americans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of the United States population. The country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about 1%,[391] and some 574 native tribes are recognized by the federal government.[394] In 2022, the median age of the United States population was 38.9 years.[395]

Language

Most spoken languages in the U.S.

While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is by far the most commonly spoken and written.[396] Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws, such as U.S. naturalization requirements, standardize English, and most states have declared it the official language.[397] Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii (Hawaiian),[398] Alaska (twenty Native languages),[t][399] South Dakota (Sioux),[400] American Samoa (Samoan), Puerto Rico (Spanish), Guam (Chamorro), and the Northern Mariana Islands (Carolinian and Chamorro). In total, 169 Native American languages are spoken in the United States.[401] In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English.[402]

According to the American Community Survey (2020),[403] some 245.4 million people out of the total U.S. population of 334 million spoke only English at home. About 41.2 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include Chinese (3.40 million), Tagalog (1.71 million), Vietnamese (1.52 million), Arabic (1.39 million), French (1.18 million), Korean (1.07 million), and Russian (1.04 million). German, spoken by 1 million people at home in 2010, fell to 857,000 total speakers in 2020.[404]

Immigration

The Mexico–United States border wall between San Diego (left) and Tijuana (right)

America's immigrant population of nearly 51 million is by far the world's largest in absolute terms.[405][406] In 2022, there were 87.7 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants in the United States, accounting for nearly 27% of the overall U.S. population.[407] In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanent residents, 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants.[408] In 2019, the top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (24% of immigrants), India (6%), China (5%), the Philippines (4.5%), and El Salvador (3%).[409] In fiscal year 2022, over one million immigrants (most of whom entered through family reunification) were granted legal residence.[410] The United States led the world in refugee resettlement for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.[411]

Religion

Religious affiliation in the U.S., according to a 2023 Gallup poll:[7]

  Protestantism (33%)
  Catholicism (22%)
  Judaism (2%)
  Mormonism (1%)
  Other religion (6%)
  Unaffiliated (22%)
  Unanswered (3%)

The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion in the country and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting its establishment.[412][413] Religious practice is widespread, among the most diverse in the world,[414] and profoundly vibrant.[415] The country has the world's largest Christian population.[416] Other notable faiths include Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, many New Age movements, and Native American religions.[417] Religious practice varies significantly by region.[418] "Ceremonial deism" is common in American culture.[419]

The overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a higher power or spiritual force, engage in spiritual practices such as prayer, and consider themselves religious or spiritual.[420][421] In the "Bible Belt", located within the Southern United States, evangelical Protestantism plays a significant role culturally, whereas New England and the Western United States tend to be more secular.[418] Mormonism—a Restorationist movement, whose members migrated westward from Missouri and Illinois under the leadership of Brigham Young in 1847 after the assassination of Joseph Smith[422]—remains the predominant religion in Utah to this day.[423]

Urbanization

About 82% of Americans live in urban areas, including suburbs;[172] about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.[424] In 2022, 333 incorporated municipalities had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four cities—New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston—had populations exceeding two million.[425] Many U.S. metropolitan populations are growing rapidly, particularly in the South and West.[426]

 
Largest metropolitan areas in the United States
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.
New York
New York
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
1 New York Northeast 19,498,249 11 Boston Northeast 4,919,179 Chicago
Chicago
Dallas–Fort Worth
Dallas–Fort Worth
2 Los Angeles West 12,799,100 12 Riverside–San Bernardino West 4,688,053
3 Chicago Midwest 9,262,825 13 San Francisco West 4,566,961
4 Dallas–Fort Worth South 8,100,037 14 Detroit Midwest 4,342,304
5 Houston South 7,510,253 15 Seattle West 4,044,837
6 Atlanta South 6,307,261 16 Minneapolis–Saint Paul Midwest 3,712,020
7 Washington, D.C. South 6,304,975 17 Tampa–St. Petersburg South 3,342,963
8 Philadelphia Northeast 6,246,160 18 San Diego West 3,269,973
9 Miami South 6,183,199 19 Denver West 3,005,131
10 Phoenix West 5,070,110 20 Baltimore South 2,834,316


Health

The Texas Medical Center, a cluster of contemporary skyscrapers, at night
Texas Medical Center in Houston is the largest medical complex in the world.[428][429] As of 2018, it employed 120,000 people and treated 10 million patients annually.[430]

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), average American life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years in 2022 (74.8 years for men and 80.2 years for women). This was a gain of 1.1 years from 76.4 years in 2021, but the CDC noted that the new average "didn't fully offset the loss of 2.4 years between 2019 and 2021". Higher overall mortality due especially to the health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as opioid overdoses and suicides were held mostly responsible for the previous drop in life expectancy.[431] The same report stated that the 2022 gains in average U.S. life expectancy were especially significant for men, Hispanics, and American Indian–Alaskan Native people (AIAN). Starting in 1998, the life expectancy in the U.S. fell behind that of other wealthy industrialized countries, and Americans' "health disadvantage" gap has been increasing ever since.[432] The U.S. has one of the highest suicide rates among high-income countries.[433] Approximately one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese and another third is overweight.[434] The U.S. healthcare system far outspends that of any other country, measured both in per capita spending and as a percentage of GDP, but attains worse healthcare outcomes when compared to peer countries for reasons that are debated.[435] The United States is the only developed country without a system of universal healthcare, and a significant proportion of the population that does not carry health insurance.[436] Government-funded healthcare coverage for the poor (Medicaid) and for those age 65 and older (Medicare) is available to Americans who meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, former President Obama passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[u][437] Abortion in the United States is not federally protected, and is illegal or restricted in 17 states.[438]

Education

Photograph of the University of Virginia
77% of American college students attend public institutions[439] such as the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819.

American primary and secondary education (known in the U.S. as K-12, "kindergarten through 12th grade") is decentralized. School systems are operated by state, territorial, and sometimes municipal governments and regulated by the U.S. Department of Education. In general, children are required to attend school or an approved homeschool from the age of five or six (kindergarten or first grade) until they are 18 years old. This often brings students through the 12th grade, the final year of a U.S. high school, but some states and territories allow them to leave school earlier, at age 16 or 17.[440] The U.S. spends more on education per student than any country in the world,[441] an average of $18,614 per year per public elementary and secondary school student in 2020–2021.[442] Among Americans age 25 and older, 92.2% graduated from high school, 62.7% attended some college, 37.7% earned a bachelor's degree, and 14.2% earned a graduate degree.[443] The U.S. literacy rate is near-universal.[172][444] The country has the most Nobel Prize winners of any country, with 411 (having won 413 awards).[445][446]

U.S. tertiary or higher education has earned a global reputation. Many of the world's top universities, as listed by various ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of the top 25.[447][448] American higher education is dominated by state university systems, although the country's many private universities and colleges enroll about 20% of all American students. Local community colleges generally offer coursework and degree programs covering the first two years of college study. They often have more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.[449]

As for public expenditures on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the OECD average, and Americans spend more than all nations in combined public and private spending.[450] Colleges and universities directly funded by the federal government do not charge tuition and are limited to military personnel and government employees, including: the U.S. service academies, the Naval Postgraduate School, and military staff colleges. Despite some student loan forgiveness programs in place,[451] student loan debt increased by 102% between 2010 and 2020,[452] and exceeded $1.7 trillion as of 2022.[453]

Culture and society

The Statue of Liberty, a large teal bronze sculpture on a stone pedestal
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) on Liberty Island in New York Harbor was an 1866 gift from France that has become an iconic symbol of the American Dream.[454]

Americans have traditionally been characterized by a unifying political belief in an "American Creed" emphasizing consent of the governed, liberty, equality under the law, democracy, social equality, property rights, and a preference for limited government.[455][456] Culturally, the country has been described as having the values of individualism and personal autonomy,[457][458] as well as having a strong work ethic,[459] competitiveness,[460] and voluntary altruism towards others.[461][462][463] According to a 2016 study by the Charities Aid Foundation, Americans donated 1.44% of total GDP to charity—the highest rate in the world by a large margin.[464] The United States is home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.[465][466] It has acquired significant cultural and economic soft power.[467][468]

Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from Europe, Africa, or Asia (the "Old World") within the past five centuries.[469] Mainstream American culture is a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants with influences from many other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa.[470] More recent immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has been described as a homogenizing melting pot, and a heterogeneous salad bowl, with immigrants contributing to, and often assimilating into, mainstream American culture. The American Dream, or the perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a key role in attracting immigrants.[471][472] Whether this perception is accurate has been a topic of debate.[473][474][475] While mainstream culture holds that the United States is a classless society,[476] scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values.[477][478] Americans tend to greatly value socioeconomic achievement, but being ordinary or average is promoted by some as a noble condition as well.[479]

The National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities is an agency of the United States federal government that was established in 1965 with the purpose to "develop and promote a broadly conceived national policy of support for the humanities and the arts in the United States, and for institutions which preserve the cultural heritage of the United States."[480] It is composed of four sub-agencies:

The United States is considered to have the strongest protections of free speech of any country under the First Amendment,[481] which protects flag desecration, hate speech, blasphemy, and lese-majesty as forms of protected expression.[482][483][484] A 2016 Pew Research Center poll found that Americans were the most supportive of free expression of any polity measured.[485] They are the "most supportive of freedom of the press and the right to use the Internet without government censorship."[486] The U.S. is a socially progressive country[487] with permissive attitudes surrounding human sexuality.[488] LGBT rights in the United States are advanced by global standards.[488][489][490]

Literature

Photograph of Mark Twain
Mark Twain, whom William Faulkner called "the father of American literature"[491]

Colonial American authors were influenced by John Locke and various other Enlightenment philosophers.[492][493] The American Revolutionary Period (1765–1783) is notable for the political writings of Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. Shortly before and after the Revolutionary War, the newspaper rose to prominence, filling a demand for anti-British national literature.[494][495] An early novel is William Hill Brown's The Power of Sympathy, published in 1791. Writer and critic John Neal in the early- to mid-nineteenth century helped advance America toward a unique literature and culture by criticizing predecessors such as Washington Irving for imitating their British counterparts, and by influencing writers such as Edgar Allan Poe,[496] who took American poetry and short fiction in new directions. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller pioneered the influential Transcendentalism movement;[497][498] Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden, was influenced by this movement. The conflict surrounding abolitionism inspired writers, like Harriet Beecher Stowe, and authors of slave narratives, such as Frederick Douglass. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850) explored the dark side of American history, as did Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851). Major American poets of the nineteenth century American Renaissance include Walt Whitman, Melville, and Emily Dickinson.[499][500] Mark Twain was the first major American writer to be born in the West. Henry James achieved international recognition with novels like The Portrait of a Lady (1881). As literacy rates rose, periodicals published more stories centered around industrial workers, women, and the rural poor.[501][502] Naturalism, regionalism, and realism were the major literary movements of the period.[503][504]

While modernism generally took on an international character, modernist authors working within the United States more often rooted their work in specific regions, peoples, and cultures.[505] Following the Great Migration to northern cities, African-American and black West Indian authors of the Harlem Renaissance developed an independent tradition of literature that rebuked a history of inequality and celebrated black culture. An important cultural export during the Jazz Age, these writings were a key influence on Négritude, a philosophy emerging in the 1930s among francophone writers of the African diaspora.[506][507] In the 1950s, an ideal of homogeneity led many authors to attempt to write the Great American Novel,[508] while the Beat Generation rejected this conformity, using styles that elevated the impact of the spoken word over mechanics to describe drug use, sexuality, and the failings of society.[509][510] Contemporary literature is more pluralistic than in previous eras, with the closest thing to a unifying feature being a trend toward self-conscious experiments with language.[511] As of 2024 there have been 12 American laureates for the Nobel Prize in literature.[512]

Mass media

Comcast Center in Philadelphia, headquarters of Comcast, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and media conglomerates

Media is broadly uncensored, with the First Amendment providing significant protections, as reiterated in New York Times Co. v. United States.[481] The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX). The four major broadcast television networks are all commercial entities. Cable television offers hundreds of channels catering to a variety of niches.[513] As of 2021, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listen to broadcast radio, while about 40% listen to podcasts.[514] As of 2020, there were 15,460 licensed full-power radio stations in the U.S. according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[515] Much of the public radio broadcasting is supplied by NPR, incorporated in February 1970 under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.[516]

U.S. newspapers with a global reach and reputation include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.[517] About 800 publications are produced in Spanish.[518][519] With few exceptions, newspapers are privately owned, either by large chains such as Gannett or McClatchy, which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by small chains that own a handful of papers; or, in an increasingly rare situation, by individuals or families. Major cities often have alternative newspapers to complement the mainstream daily papers, such as The Village Voice in New York City and LA Weekly in Los Angeles. The five most popular websites used in the U.S. are Google, YouTube, Amazon, Yahoo, and Facebook—all of them American-owned.[520]

As of 2022, the video game market of the United States is the world's largest by revenue.[521] There are 444 publishers, developers, and hardware companies in California alone.[522]

Theater

Broadway theaters in Theater District, Manhattan

The United States is well known for its theater. Mainstream theater in the United States derives from the old European theatrical tradition and has been heavily influenced by the British theater.[523] By the middle of the 19th century America had created new distinct dramatic forms in the Tom Shows, the showboat theater and the minstrel show.[524] The central hub of the American theater scene is the Theater District in Manhattan, with its divisions of Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway.[525]

Many movie and television celebrities have gotten their big break working in New York productions. Outside New York City, many cities have professional regional or resident theater companies that produce their own seasons. The biggest-budget theatrical productions are musicals. U.S. theater has an active community theater culture.[526]

The Tony Awards recognizes excellence in live Broadway theater and are presented at an annual ceremony in Manhattan. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theater. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.[527]

Visual arts

American Gothic (1930) by Grant Wood is one of the most famous American paintings and is widely parodied.[528]

Folk art in colonial America grew out of artisanal craftsmanship in communities that allowed commonly trained people to individually express themselves. It was distinct from Europe's tradition of high art, which was less accessible and generally less relevant to early American settlers.[529] Cultural movements in art and craftsmanship in colonial America generally lagged behind those of Western Europe. For example, the prevailing medieval style of woodworking and primitive sculpture became integral to early American folk art, despite the emergence of Renaissance styles in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The new English styles would have been early enough to make a considerable impact on American folk art, but American styles and forms had already been firmly adopted. Not only did styles change slowly in early America, but there was a tendency for rural artisans there to continue their traditional forms longer than their urban counterparts did—and far longer than those in Western Europe.[481]

The Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century movement in the visual arts tradition of European naturalism. The 1913 Armory Show in New York City, an exhibition of European modernist art, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.[530]

Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and others experimented with new and individualistic styles, which would become known as American modernism. Major artistic movements such as the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning and the pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein developed largely in the United States. Major photographers include Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, James Van Der Zee, Ansel Adams, and Gordon Parks.[531]

The tide of modernism and then postmodernism has brought global fame to American architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry.[532] The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan is the largest art museum in the United States[533] and the fourth-largest in the world.

Music

American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional folk music, contemporary folk music, or roots music. Many traditional songs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back to such origins as the British Isles, mainland Europe, or Africa.[534] The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music in particular have influenced American music.[535] Banjos were brought to America through the slave trade. Minstrel shows incorporating the instrument into their acts led to its increased popularity and widespread production in the 19th century.[536][537] The electric guitar, first invented in the 1930s, and mass-produced by the 1940s, had an enormous influence on popular music, in particular due to the development of rock and roll.[538]

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee

Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and old-time music were adopted and transformed into popular genres with global audiences. Jazz grew from blues and ragtime in the early 20th century, developing from the innovations and recordings of composers such as W.C. Handy and Jelly Roll Morton. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington increased its popularity early in the 20th century.[539] Country music developed in the 1920s,[540] rock and roll in the 1930s,[538] and bluegrass[541] and rhythm and blues in the 1940s.[542] In the 1960s, Bob Dylan emerged from the folk revival to become one of the country's most celebrated songwriters.[543] The musical forms of punk and hip hop both originated in the United States in the 1970s.[544]

The United States has the world's largest music market with a total retail value of $15.9 billion in 2022.[545] Most of the world's major record companies are based in the U.S.; they are represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[546] Mid-20th-century American pop stars, such as Frank Sinatra[547] and Elvis Presley,[548] became global celebrities and best-selling music artists,[539] as have artists of the late 20th century, such as Michael Jackson,[549] Madonna,[550] Whitney Houston,[551] and Prince,[552] and the early 21st century, such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.[553]

Fashion

Haute couture fashion models on the catwalk during New York Fashion Week

The United States is the world's largest apparel market by revenue.[554] Apart from professional business attire, American fashion is eclectic and predominantly informal. Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing; however, sneakers, jeans, T-shirts, and baseball caps are emblematic of American styles.[555] New York, with its fashion week, is considered to be one of the "Big Four" global fashion capitals, along with Paris, Milan, and London. A study demonstrated that general proximity to Manhattan's Garment District has been synonymous with American fashion since its inception in the early 20th century.[556]

The headquarters of many designer labels reside in Manhattan. Labels cater to niche markets, such as preteens. New York Fashion Week is one of the most influential fashion weeks in the world, and occurs twice a year;[557] while the annual Met Gala in Manhattan is commonly known as the fashion world's "biggest night".[558][559]

Cinema

The iconic Hollywood Sign, in the Hollywood Hills, often regarded as the symbol of the American film industry

The U.S. film industry has a worldwide influence and following. Hollywood, a district in northern Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city, is also metonymous for the American filmmaking industry.[560][561][562] The major film studios of the United States are the primary source of the most commercially successful and most ticket-selling movies in the world.[563][564] Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, although in the 21st century an increasing number of films are not made there, and film companies have been subject to the forces of globalization.[565] The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1929,[566] and the Golden Globe Awards have been held annually since January 1944.[567]

The industry peaked in what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of Hollywood", from the early sound period until the early 1960s,[568] with screen actors such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe becoming iconic figures.[569][570] In the 1970s, "New Hollywood", or the "Hollywood Renaissance",[571] was defined by grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist pictures of the post-war period.[572] The 21st century has been marked by the rise of American streaming platforms, which came to rival traditional cinema.[573][574]

Cuisine

A Thanksgiving dinner with roast turkey, mashed potatoes, pickles, corn, candied yams, cranberry jelly, shrimps, stuffing, green peas, deviled eggs, green salad, and apple sauce

Early settlers were introduced by Native Americans to foods such as turkey, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup. Of the most enduring and pervasive examples are variations of the native dish called succotash. Early settlers and later immigrants combined these with foods they were familiar with, such as wheat flour,[575] beef, and milk, to create a distinctive American cuisine.[576][577] New World crops, especially pumpkin, corn, potatoes, and turkey as the main course are part of a shared national menu on Thanksgiving, when many Americans prepare or purchase traditional dishes to celebrate the occasion.[578]

Characteristic American dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, doughnuts, french fries, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs, and American pizza derive from the recipes of various immigrant groups.[579][580][581][582] Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos preexisted the United States in areas later annexed from Mexico, and adaptations of Chinese cuisine as well as pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are all widely consumed.[583] American chefs have had a significant impact on society both domestically and internationally. In 1946, the Culinary Institute of America was founded by Katharine Angell and Frances Roth. This would become the United States' most prestigious culinary school, where many of the most talented American chefs would study prior to successful careers.[584][585]

The United States restaurant industry was projected at $899 billion in sales for 2020,[586][587] and employed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the nation's workforce directly.[586] It is the country's second-largest private employer and the third-largest employer overall.[588][589] The United States is home to over 220 Michelin Star-rated restaurants, 70 of which are in New York City alone.[590] Wine has been produced in what is now the United States since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in what is now New Mexico in 1628.[591][592][593] In the modern U.S., wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84 percent of all U.S. wine. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine-producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.[594][595]

The American fast-food industry developed alongside the nation's car culture.[596] American restaurants developed the drive-in format in the 1920s, which they began to replace with the drive-through format by the 1940s.[597][598] American fast-food restaurant chains, such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dunkin' Donuts and many others, have numerous outlets around the world.[599]

Sports

American football is the most popular sport in the United States; in this September 2022 National Football League game, the Jacksonville Jaguars play the Washington Commanders at FedExField.

The most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are American football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey.[600] While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved out of European practices, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding, and snowboarding are American inventions, many of which have become popular worldwide.[601] Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate European contact.[602] The market for professional sports in the United States was approximately $69 billion in July 2013, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined.[603]

American football is by several measures the most popular spectator sport in the United States;[604] the National Football League has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world, and the Super Bowl is watched by tens of millions globally.[605] However, baseball has been regarded as the U.S. "national sport" since the late 19th century. After American football, the next four most popular professional team sports are basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey. Their premier leagues are, respectively, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the National Hockey League. The most-watched individual sports in the U.S. are golf and auto racing, particularly NASCAR and IndyCar.[606][607]

On the collegiate level, earnings for the member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,[608] and college football and basketball attract large audiences, as the NCAA March Madness tournament and the College Football Playoff are some of the most watched national sporting events.[609] In the U.S., the intercollegiate sports level serves as a feeder system for professional sports. This differs greatly from practices in nearly all other countries, where publicly and privately funded sports organizations serve this function.[610]

Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. The 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, were the first-ever Olympic Games held outside of Europe.[611] The Olympic Games will be held in the U.S. for a ninth time when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. U.S. athletes have won a total of 2,968 medals (1,179 gold) at the Olympic Games, the most of any country.[612][613][614]

In international professional competition, the U.S. men's national soccer team has qualified for eleven World Cups, while the women's national team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup and Olympic soccer tournament four times each.[615] The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and will co-host, along with Canada and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[616] The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup was also hosted by the United States. Its final match was watched by 90,185, setting the world record for most-attended women's sporting event at the time.[617]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Twenty-eight of the 50 states recognize only English as an official language. The State of Hawaii recognizes both Hawaiian and English as official languages, the State of Alaska officially recognizes 20 Alaska Native languages alongside English, and the State of South Dakota recognizes English and all Sioux dialects as official languages. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have no official language.
  2. ^ English is the de facto language. For more information, see Languages of the United States.
  3. ^ The historical and informal demonym Yankee has been applied to Americans, New Englanders, or northeasterners since the 18th century.
  4. ^ a b c At 3,531,900 sq mi (9,147,590 km2), the United States is the third-largest country in the world by land area, behind Russia and China. By total area (land and water), it is the third-largest, behind Russia and Canada, if its coastal and territorial water areas are included. However, if only its internal waters are included (bays, sounds, rivers, lakes, and the Great Lakes), the U.S. is the fourth-largest, after Russia, Canada, and China.
    Coastal/territorial waters included: 3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,517 km2)[18]
    Only internal waters included: 3,696,100 sq mi (9,572,900 km2)[19]
  5. ^ Excludes Puerto Rico and the other unincorporated islands because they are counted separately in U.S. census statistics
  6. ^ After adjustment for taxes and transfers
  7. ^ See Time in the United States for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
  8. ^ See Date and time notation in the United States.
  9. ^ The U.S. Virgin Islands use left-hand traffic.
  10. ^ The five major territories outside the union of states are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The seven undisputed island areas without permanent populations are Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, and Palmyra Atoll. U.S. sovereignty over the unpopulated Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, and Wake Island is disputed.[17]
  11. ^ The U.S. Census Bureau's latest official population estimate of 334,914,895 residents (2023) is for the 50 states and the District of Columbia; it excludes the 3.6 million residents of the five major U.S. territories and outlying islands. The Census Bureau also provides a continuously updated but unofficial population clock: www.census.gov/popclock
  12. ^ Based on purchasing power
  13. ^ Including agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Health Organization
  14. ^ The official U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual has prescribed specific usages for "U.S." and "United States" as part of official names. In "formal writing (treaties, Executive orders, proclamations, etc.); congressional bills; legal citations and courtwork; and covers and title pages",[28] "United States" is always used. In a sentence containing the name of another country, "United States" must be used. Otherwise, "U.S." is used preceding a government organization or as an adjective, but "United States" is used as an adjective preceding non-governmental organizations (e.g. United States Steel Corporation).[28]
  15. ^ From the late 15th century, the Columbian exchange had been catastrophic for native populations throughout the Americas. It is estimated that up to 95 percent of the indigenous populations, especially in the Caribbean, perished from infectious diseases during the years following European colonization;[51] remaining populations were often displaced by European expansion.[52][53]
  16. ^ New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
  17. ^ Per the U.S. Constitution, Amendment Twenty-three, proposed by the U.S. Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified by the States on March 29, 1961
  18. ^ A country's total exports are usually understood to be goods and services. Based on this, the U.S. is the world's second-largest exporter, after China.[307] However, if primary income is included, the U.S. is the world's largest exporter.[308]
  19. ^ This figure, like most official data for the United States as a whole, excludes the five unincorporated territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands) and minor island possessions.
  20. ^ Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Unanga (Aleut), Denaʼina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwichʼin, Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian
  21. ^ Also known less formally as Obamacare

References

  1. ^ 36 U.S.C. § 302
  2. ^ "The Great Seal of the United States" (PDF). U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. 2003. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  3. ^ An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America (H.R. 14). 71st United States Congress. March 3, 1931.
  4. ^ "2020 Census Illuminates Racial and Ethnic Composition of the Country". United States Census. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census". United States Census. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "A Breakdown of 2020 Census Demographic Data". NPR. August 13, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Staff (June 8, 2007). "In Depth: Topics A to Z (Religion)". Gallup, Inc. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia and Fact-index: Ohio. 1963. p. 336.
  9. ^ "The Water Area of Each State". United States Geological Survey. 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Areas of the 50 states and the District of Columbia but not Puerto Rico nor other island territories per "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". Census.gov. August 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2020. reflect base feature updates made in the MAF/TIGER database through August, 2010.
  11. ^ "U.S. Population Trends Return to Pre-Pandemic Norms as More States Gain Population". Census.gov. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau Today Delivers State Population Totals for Congressional Apportionment". United States Census. Retrieved April 26, 2021. The 2020 census is as of April 1, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (United States)". www.imf.org. International Monetary Fund. October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Income in the United States: 2022". Census.gov. p. 47. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Difference Between .us vs .com". Cozab. January 3, 2022. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  17. ^ a b
  18. ^ "China". The World Factbook. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  19. ^ "United States". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  20. ^ a b DeLear, Byron (July 4, 2013). "Who coined 'United States of America'? Mystery might have intriguing answer". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, MA.
  21. ^ Fay, John (July 15, 2016). "The forgotten Irishman who named the 'United States of America'". IrishCentral.com. According to the NY Historical Society, Stephen Moylan was the man responsible for the earliest documented use of the phrase 'United States of America'. But who was Stephen Moylan?
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40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W / 40; -100 (United States of America)