United States

The federal government is set up by the Constitution. There are three branches of government. They are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. State governments work very much like the federal government.

[change] Executive branch

The executive branch is the part of the government that enforces the law. Members of the U.S. Electoral College elect a President who is the leader of the executive branch, as well as the leader of the Armed Forces. The President decides whether or not the bills that the Legislative branch passes will become laws, and the President may veto any bill. The President may also make "executive orders" to ensure that people follow the law. Two of the most famous executive orders were President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and President Dwight D. Eisenhower's order to send 1,200 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division to allow the Little Rock Nine into a school that refused to admit African Americans students. The President is in charge of many departments that control much of the day-to-day business of government. For example, Department of Commerce makes rules about trade and business. The President chooses the heads of these departments, and also nominates judges at the federal (nation-wide) level. However, the Senate, part of the legislative branch, must agree with all of the people the President chooses. The President may serve two 4-year terms, making 8 years in all.

[change] Legislative branch

The west side of the United States Capitol, which is home to the United States Congress

The legislative branch is the part of the government that makes laws. The legislative branch is called Congress. Congress is divided into two "houses".

One house is the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is made up of Representatives, who are each elected by voters from their own state. The number of Representatives a state has is based on how many people live there: the more people a state has, the more representatives it gets. Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census, or count, of the population of the United States. States gain or lose Representatives based on their total population as shown by the census. Representatives serve two-year terms. The total number of representatives today is 435. The leader of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House, who is also the person who would become president if the President or Vice President were unable.

The other house is the Senate. In the Senate, each state is represented equally, by two Senators. Because there are 50 states, there are 100 senators. Before the President makes treaties or appoints officials, the Senate must approve them. Senators serve six-year terms. The Vice President of the United States serves as president of the Senate, but may only cast votes in order to break a tie vote. In practice, the Vice President is usually absent from the Senate, and a Senator is selected to serve as president pro tempore, or temporary president, of the Senate.

Representatives and Senators propose laws, called "bills", in their respective houses. A bill may be voted upon by the entire house right away or may first go to a small group of members of that house, known as a committee, which may recommend a bill for a vote by the whole house. If one house votes to pass a bill, the bill then gets sent to the other house; if both houses vote for it, it is then sent to the President, who may sign the bill into law or veto it. If the President vetoes the bill, it is sent back to Congress. If Congress votes again and passes the bill with at least a two-thirds majority, the bill becomes law and cannot be vetoed by the President.

Under the American system of federalism, Congress may not make laws that directly control the states; instead, Congress may use the promise of federal funds or extenuating circumstances, such as national emergencies, to encourage the states to follow federal law. This system is both complex and unique.

[change] Judicial branch

The judicial branch is the part of government that interprets what the law means. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and many lower courts. If the Supreme Court decides that a law is not allowed by the Constitution, the law is said to be "struck down" and is no longer valid law. The Supreme Court is made up of 9 judges, called Justices, who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. One of these 9 Justices, called the Chief Justice, heads the Court. A Supreme Court Justice serves until he or she dies or resigns (quits in the middle of his or her term). When that happens, the President nominates someone new to replace the Justice who left. If the Senate agrees with that choice, the people become a Justice. If the Senate does not agree with the President's choice, then the President must nominate someone else.

Famous court cases such as Marbury v. Madison (which was decided in 1803) have firmly established that the Supreme Court is the ultimate interpreter of the United States Constitution and has the power to strike down any law that conflicts with it.

[change] History

The place now called "the United States" has been inhabited since prehistoric times by Native American tribes. In time, Europeans "discovered" and eventually began establishing colonies in the eastern part of today's United States of America. The Netherlands, Spain, France, and England were the primary European countries that competed to settle and exploit the resources of the "New World." In 1607, the British founded Jamestown, their first North American colony. What started as a small settlement on the James River in the present-day state of Virginia expanded into 13 colonies as the British Crown granted land to other explorers who founded other settlements along the coast of the American continent, from present-day Georgia to the present-day St. Lawrence River and beyond. Some of these early colonists traveled vast distances to America to escape religious persecution, while others went to find new business opportunities or adventure. Eventually, the British came to dominate the continent and British customs and laws took root, with some exceptions and differences that eventually led to tensions between England and her American colonies.

The many native tribes had long spread across the North American continent, but the arrival of the Europeans proved disastrous for them. The Europeans brought diseases, like smallpox, that killed many Native Americans, since they had never been exposed to these diseases before and had developed no natural immunity, while the Europeans had been used to them for a very long time. Also, as the colonists began to prosper and multiply, they sought new land and freely took it from the native peoples. They killed many native, destroying whole tribes, and forced many to leave the land where their peoples had lived for thousands of years. In a very few cases, the colonists did buy land from the native peoples.

After a while, the colonists who settled in the British colonies became dissatisified with British rule. Among their primary concerns, the colonists felt that the heavy taxes the British made them pay were unfair because they were not being represented in the British government. "No taxation without representation," became a popular phrase, and infamous acts of the British Parliament, including the Stamp Act and the "Intolerable" Acts, angered many Americans. Many Americans, including Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, among others, began to feel that independence was the only way to secure their rights as free men. Committees were created in each of the 13 colonies to begin organizing resistance to the perceived oppression by the British government. Eventually, Britain began sending troops in order to quell what appeared to be a rebellion brewing. Events like the Boston Massacre and the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts swayed public opinion behind the cause of the revolutionaries. By 1775, the colonists had formed a Continental Congress and sent representatives, and after much debate, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. On July 4, 1776, its members signed the United States Declaration of Independence. This said from that point on, the 13 colonies were free and independent states; however, the independence of the new United States of America was not secure. From 1775 until 1781, the Americans fought Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War. In 1781, General George Washington and an allied force of American and French troops defeated the British at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively winning the war. Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States in the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783.

During the American Revolution and immediately following it, the United States was much more loosely organized than it is today. Each state had greater political power than the United States as a whole. In other words, the government was not centralized. This government structure was set in 1781. The document that established this structure was called the Articles of Confederation.

After a brief time, many in the United States wanted a stronger government. In 1787, Congress called a convention at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order to revise the Articles of Confederation. The result of the convention was an entirely new constitution. The Constitution of the United States was ratified by 9 of the 13 states in 1789 and became the law of the land. The Constitution is a written document that establishes the structure and function of the United States government. As promised during the ratification process, a set of 10 changes, or amendments that became known as the Bill of Rights was added to the original Constitution. These amendments limited the government's power and guaranteed certain rights to the citizens. The U.S. Constitution has been changed and added to many times since its creation. The main idea is that the U.S. government is a representative democracy elected by the people, all of whom have the same rights. However, not all did have the same rights, since only white males who owned property could vote and most black people in the United States were bound in slavery. This was finally changed after the bloody American Civil War, by the addition of the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments to the Constitution.

[change] Industrialization, Slavery, and the American Civil War

The United States was mostly farm land before the industrial revolution around the mid-19th century. Many new states were added to the original 13, and the nation grew.

In 1861, after decades of disagreement over the issues of states' rights and slavery, as well as the addition of new states in the west, 11 southern states attempted to secede from the United States and began forcefully seizing federal military posts in the South, sparking the American Civil War. The remaining United States, which were often referred to as the "Union" during the war, were primarily composed of the more prosperous northern states, while the "Confederacy" was made up of the seceding southern states. After numerous large-scale battles that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of men and civilians, the Union eventually won the war with the surrender of Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox Courthouse, Virginia. The surrender formally reunited the country, in territory at least, and meant the end of slavery in the United States.

After the Civil War, there were more problems in the west between the white settlers and the native Indians as more people began to move west. Because of this, many more Indians were killed.

[change] Expansion, Influence, and World Wars

In the early years of the 20th century, the U.S. slowly gained more influence in world affairs. In 1917, the US became involved in World War I and helped to defeat Germany and its allies. After World War I, the United States was suddenly the world's second richest and most powerful country. The U.S. became torn between assisting a devastated Europe with its recovery and strong isolationist sentiments among Americans who were disillusioned by the terrible European war. In general, the 1920s were years of economic boom in the U.S.

The Great Depression began in 1929 and continued throughout the 1930s, leaving many Americans without work, without homes, and without food. There were many reasons for the Great Depression, but the stock market crash of 1929, in particular, made the Depression so damaging. Many people, who had invested their savings in stocks lost a great deal of money in a very short amount of time. Some people lost all of their investments in only a few days, since the stocks they had bought in the years leading up to the crash were now worth almost nothing.

Later, the US was involved in World War II, and helped to defeat Nazi Germany and her allies. The war also allowed the U.S. economy to recover from the Great Depression and left the United States as one of the world's only two superpowers. The 1950s, especially, were prosperous years in America as her troops returned from the war and revitalized the American economy.

During the latter half of the 20th century, the United States was involved in a number of other wars and military activities, including:

The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The Cold War against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
The conflict in Haiti (Operation Uphold Democracy)
The conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo
The Persian Gulf War

[change] The Global War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, the United States was struck by a major terrorist attack. More than 3,000 civilians were killed, including many firefighters, police officers, and medical workers who responded to the scene. The terrorists took control of four airplanes in order to deliberately crash the planes into important American buildings.

Two of the planes crashed into the World Trade Center, a pair of skyscrapers in the financial district of New York City. One plane crashed into the Pentagon, the main headquarters building for the U.S. military, located near Washington, D.C. in Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought the hijackers aboard the plane.

Most of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia and all were members of a group called al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda soon admitted they were behind these attacks. The terrorist organization was based in Afghanistan, where they were supported by the Taliban Afghan government, which was then under the control of a fundamentalist group known as the Taliban.

The attacks led to sweeping changes in the U.S. government and the national security structure of the U.S. The United States responded militarily to the attacks in October of 2001 by going to war against Afghanistan and driving out the Taliban, claiming that the Taliban were supporters of al-Qaeda. In March of 2003, the United States again invaded Iraq and ended the government of Saddam Hussein. The war in Iraq created political tension in the U.S., as many Americans disagreed with the U.S. government's motives for invading and its plans to end the war successfully.

[change] Politics

The United States of America consists of 50 states, 5 territories and 1 district, all of which have 'limited autonomy.' This means that states can make laws about things inside the state, but if the national government makes laws that say different things, the law the state made is not a law any more, and people only have to follow the national law. Each state has a constitution of its own, different from the federal (national) Constitution. Each one of these is like the federal Constitution, but they only talk about how each state's government is set up.

The federal and state government is dominated today by two groups of politicians (called political parties): the Republicans (who are usually more conservative) and the Democrats (who are usually more liberal), although other people can sometimes be elected too, like people from the Green Party or the Independent Party. The two main parties get support from different people and businesses, who give money to the parties. This means that elections can cost a lot of money. In return, parties will sometimes pass laws that help the people who gave them money. This is a problem in American politics.

Right now, the President is Republican, but the Democrats have control of Congress, which means that neither party has enough votes to decide what direction the country's policies will go.

The USA's large cultural, economic, and military influence has made foreign relations, or relations with other countries, an especially important topic in American politics, and the politics of many other countries.

[change] Land

The United States has grown from 13 states in 1776, to 50 states, 5 territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, America Soma, Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands), 1 district (District of Columbia) and other lands (Guantanamo Bay, Johnston Atoll, etc.) today. The US states and territories are like what are sometimes called provinces for some countries.

The country grew from east to west. It conquered and bought lands. It also divided some states into two.

The states are also divided into smaller counties. Two states use different words other than "county". Louisiana uses the word "parish". Alaska uses the word "borough".

The United States also consists of several other lands that are not states. Some examples are:

Washington, D.C., the capital
Puerto Rico
American Samoa
Guam
U.S. Virgin Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands

The U.S. military has bases in many countries. The U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay was rented from Cuba, and kept after that country had a Communist revolution.

[change] Geography

The United States is the third biggest country in the world. Its geography varies a lot.

There are meadows on the East Coast,
The Appalachian Mountains in the east
The Great Plains in the middle of the country,
The Mississippi-Missouri river,in the middle
The Rocky Mountains west of the plains
Deserts and coastal areas west of the Rocky Mountains
Forests in the Pacific Northwest
Arctic regions of Alaska
Volcanic islands in Hawaii
Large coastline, many beaches

The climate varies along with the geography, from tropical (hot and wet in summer, warm and dry in winter) in Florida to tundra (cold all year) in Alaska. Large parts of the country have warm summers and cold winters. Some parts of the United States, like parts of California, have a Mediterranean climate.

[change] Economy

The United States has a capitalist economy. The country has steady economic growth, low unemployment and inflation, and a large trade deficit (meaning the United States buys more things from other countries than it sells).

The country has rich mineral resources, with many gold, oil, coal and uranium deposits. Farming makes the country among the top producers of, among others, corn (maize), wheat, sugar and tobacco. American produces cars, airplanes and electronics. About 3/4 of Americans work in the service industry.

The top 15 trading partners in terms of total trade are:

(1) Canada
(2) China
(3) Mexico
(4) Japan
(5) Germany
(6) UK
(7) South Korea
(8) France
(9) Taiwan
(10) Netherlands
(11) Brazil
(12) Malaysia
(13) Italy
(14) Singapore
(15) Ireland

[change] Demographics

Most of the people in the United States descend from European immigrants. Many people are descended from Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Africa, and Italy.

In recent years, many Hispanics have come from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, especially to the U.S. Southwest. Many of these people cross the border illegally. Some Americans are unhappy about that, and are also unhappy about having more use of the Spanish language in the United States (see Languages in the United States). Some people have suggested building a fence on the Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out, and there are already many border patrols.

Many people in the United States are African-American. Most of them descend from the African slaves that were brought to America.

A third large minority is Asian-American. Many of them are on the West Coast.

The original peoples, called Native American or American Indians and Inuit (Eskimos) are a very small group.

The 2000 Census counted self-reported ancestry. It identified 43 million German-Americans, 30.5 million Irish-Americans, 24.9 million African-Americans, 24.5 million English-Americans, and 18.4 million Mexican-Americans.

[change] Money

The social structure of the United States has a big range, meaning some Americans are much, much richer than others. For example, 51% of all households have access to a computer and 41% had access to the Internet in 2000, a figure which had grown to 75% in 2004. Globally, less than one percent of people own a computer. Furthermore, 67.9% of Americans owned their homes in 2002. The average income for an American was $37,000 a year in 2002.

[change] Religion

The level of Christianity in the US is declining. 86.2% called themselves Christian in 1990 and 76.5% said this in 2001 (ARIS 2001). The religious memberships in 2001 were Protestant 52%, Catholic 24.5%, none 13.2%, 2% Buddhist, Jewish 1.3% and 0.5-0.3% for Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, Hindu and Unitarian Universalist. There is a large difference between those who declare themselves to be of a religion and those who are members of a church of that religion. Census Bureau figures (PDF file) show that church membership in 2001 was 53% Christian, 2.3% Jewish and 0.1% Muslim, others lower.

[change] Languages

The United States doesn't have an official language, but English is the most used language. Spanish has also become more used and is becoming popular, especially among high school students and business people.

[change] Culture

American popular culture goes out to many places in the world. It has a large influence on most of the world, especially the Western world.

American music is heard all over the world, and American movies and television shows can be seen almost anywhere.

This was very different from when the country was younger.

Now most big American cities have classical and popular music; research centers and museums, dance performances, musicals and plays; outdoor art projects and architecture.

The United States is also a center of higher education. It has more than 1,500 universities, colleges, and similar institutions. Some of them are very prestigious.

[change] Federal holidays (For 2008)

Date	Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Celebrates the beginning of the year.
January 21 (3rd Monday in January)	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	Honors Dr.Martin Luther King Jr, an African-American civil rights leader.
February 18 (3rd Monday in February)	Washington's Birthday	Honors the first American President, George Washington. More often, this holiday is called Presidents' Day and honors all of the American Presidents.
May 26 (Last Monday in May)	Memorial Day	Honors military men and women who died in service, and marks the traditional start of summer.
July 4	Independence Day	Celebrates the Declaration of Independence; usually called "The Fourth of July".
September 1 (1st Monday in September)	Labor Day	Celebrates the achievements of workers, and marks the traditional end of summer.
October 12 (2nd Monday in October)	Columbus Day	Honors Christopher Columbus, the man who discovered the Americas for Europe (although Native Americans had been in the Americas for a long time).
November 11	Veterans Day	Honors all military men and women. The day usually includes a moment of silence at 11 a.m.
November 27 (4th Thursday in November)	Thanksgiving	Gives thanks for the autumn harvest, and marks the traditional beginning of the "holiday season".
December 25	Christmas	For Christians, marks the birth of Jesus according to Christianity. Many people, both Christians and not Christians, celebrate Christmas as a winter holiday of peace, friendship, and gift-giving.

[change] Press freedom

Reporters without borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2003: Ranks 31 out of 166 countries (2-way tie) (2002 - 17 out of 139 countries)

[change] Related topics

Cold War

[change] Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

United States

[change] United States government

US Constitution in basic English
Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites
The White House - Official site of the Presidential residence
Senate.gov - Official site of the United States Senate
House.gov - Official site of the United States House of Representatives
SCOTUS - Official site of the Supreme Court of the United States
Portrait of the USA - Published by the United States Information Agency, September 1997.
US Census Housing and Economic Statistics Updated regularly by US Bureau of the Census.
CIA world factbook

[change] Other

Political divisions of the United States
States	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
National capital	District of Columbia
Island areas	American Samoa • Baker Island • Guam • Howland Island • Jarvis Island • Johnston Atoll • Kingman Reef • Midway Atoll • Navassa Island • Northern Mariana Islands • Palmyra Atoll • Puerto Rico • Virgin Islands • Wake Island
Hypothetical states	51st state

v • d • e Countries and territories of North America
Independent	Antigua and Barbuda · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Canada · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Trinidad and Tobago · United States
Governed by other countries	Anguilla · Aruba · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Greenland · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Montserrat · Navassa Island · Netherlands Antilles · Puerto Rico · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands

v • d • e G8 countries
Canada · France · Germany · Japan · Italy · United Kingdom · Russia · United States

v • d • e North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Members	Belgium · Bulgaria · Canada · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Turkey · United Kingdom · United States
Candidates	Albania · Croatia · Georgia · Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) · *

Categories: Articles lacking sources | Members of NATO | United States | English-speaking countries | North American countries

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