{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}

{{for|other uses of "US", "USA", and "United States"|US (disambiguation)|USA (disambiguation)|United States (disambiguation)}}

{{pp-semi|small=yes}}

{{Infobox country

|conventional_long_name = United States of America

|common_name = United States

|image_flag = Flag of the United States.svg

|image_coat = Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg

|symbol_type = Great Seal

|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"}}

</div>

|national_anthem = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"<br /><center>[[File:Star Spangled Banner instrumental.ogg]]</center>

|image_map = USA orthographic.svg

|alt_map = Projection of North America with the United States in green

|map_width = 220px

|capital = [[Washington, D.C.]]

|latd=38 |latm=53 |latNS=N |longd=77 |longm=01 |longEW=W

|largest_city = [[New York City]]

|official_languages = {{nowrap|None at [[Federal government of the United States|federal level]]{{ref label|engoffbox|a|}}}}

|languages_type = [[National language]]

|languages = [[American English]]{{ref label|engfactobox|b|}}

|demonym = [[Americans|American]]

|government_type = [[Federalism|Federal]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[constitutional republic]]

|leader_title1 = [[President of the United States|President]]

|leader_name1 = {{nowrap|[[Barack Obama]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}

|leader_title2 = [[Vice President (United States)|Vice President]]

|leader_name2 = {{nowrap|[[Joe Biden]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}

|leader_title3 = {{nowrap|[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]}}

|leader_name3 = {{nowrap|[[John Boehner]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}

|leader_title4 = [[Chief Justice (United States)|Chief Justice]]

|leader_name4 = [[John Roberts]]

|legislature = [[United States Congress|Congress]]

|upper_house = [[Senate (United States)|Senate]]

|lower_house = [[House of Representatives (United States)|House of Representatives]]

|sovereignty_type = [[American Revolution|Independence]]

|sovereignty_note = from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]

|established_event1 = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declared]]

|established_date1 = July 4, 1776

|established_event2 = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Recognized]]

|established_date2 = September 3, 1783

|established_event3 = {{nowrap|[[United States Constitution|Constitution]]}}

|established_date3 = June 21, 1788

|area_magnitude = 1 E12

|area_sq_mi = 3794101

|area_km2 = 9826675

|area_rank = 3rd/4th

|area_footnote = <ref name="WF"/>{{ref label|areabox|c|}}

|percent_water = 6.76

|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>

|population_estimate_year = 2013

|population_estimate_rank = 3rd

|population_density_km2 = 34.2

|population_density_sq_mi = 88.6

|population_density_rank = 179th

|GDP_PPP_year = 2013

|GDP_PPP = {{nowrap|$16.724 trillion<ref name=IMF_GDP>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2010&ey=2013&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=72&pr1.y=17&c=111&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CPPPSH%2CLP&grp=0&a= |publisher=International Monetary Fund |title=World Economic Outlook Database: United States |month=November |year=2013 |accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref><!--end nowrap:-->}}

|GDP_PPP_rank = 1st

|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $52,839<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>

|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 6th

|GDP_nominal = {{nowrap|$16.724 trillion<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>}}

|GDP_nominal_rank = 1st

|GDP_nominal_year = 2013

|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $52,839<ref name="IMF_GDP"/>

|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th

|Gini_year = 2011

|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->

|Gini = 47.7 <!--number only-->

|Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb12-172.html |title=Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011 |work=Newsroom |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |date=September 12, 2012 |accessdate=January 23, 2013}}</ref>

|Gini_rank = 39th (2009)

|HDI_year = 2013

|HDI_change = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->

|HDI = 0.937 <!--number only-->

|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

|EF_year = 2007

|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>

|EF_rank = 6th

|currency = [[{{#property:p38}}]] ($)

|currency_code = USD

|country_code = USA

|utc_offset = −5 to −10

|utc_offset_DST = −4 to −10{{ref label|UTCbox|e|}}

|calling_code = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]

|iso3166code = US

|drives_on = right{{ref label|driving|g|}}

|cctld = {{nowrap|[[.us]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.gov]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.mil]]{{nbsp|3}}[[.edu]]}}

|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]].

|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. [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language]].

|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]].

|footnote_d = {{note|popbox}} The population estimate is of people whose usual residence is within the 50 states and the District of Columbia, regardless of nationality. It does not include those living in the territories (over 4&nbsp;million people, mostly in [[Puerto Rico]]).

|footnote_e = {{note|UTCbox}} See [[Time in the United States]] for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.

|footnote_f = {{note|ISO3166box}} Does not include [[insular area]]s and [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]], which have their own [[ISO 3166]] codes.

|footnote_g = {{note|driving}} Except [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]].

}}

<!---

The opening paragraphs on this article are a topic of great debate. Please check the discussion page before editing.

--->

The '''United States of America''' ('''USA'''), commonly referred to as the '''United States''' ('''US'''), '''America''', or simply '''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=978-0312376598 |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=978-0812211672}}</ref> consisting of 50 [[U.S. state|states]], 16 [[United States territory|territories]], a [[Federal district (United States)|federal district]], and various overseas [[Territories of the United States#Extraterritorial jurisdiction|extraterritorial jurisdictions]]. The [[Contiguous United States|48 contiguous states]] and the federal district of [[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 3.79&nbsp;million square miles (9.83&nbsp;million km²) in total and with around 316 million people, the United States is the [[List of countries and dependencies by area|fourth-largest country by total area]] and third largest by [[List of countries by population|population]]. It is one of the world's most [[Multiethnic society|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.

[[Paleo-indians]] [[Settlement of the Americas|migrated]] from Asia to what is now the US mainland around 15,000 years ago,<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/12/science/la-sci-sn-paisley-caves-20120712 LA Times</ref> 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 Great Britain and these colonies led to the [[American Revolution]]. On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously issued the [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]]. The [[American Revolutionary War|ensuing 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=9780809072354}}</ref> The current [[Constitution (United States)|Constitution]] was adopted on September 17, 1787. The first 10 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]].

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=9781851098330 |page=238}}</ref> The [[American Civil War]] ended legalized slavery in the United States.<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=9781615300457 |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/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]] left the United States as the sole superpower.

The United States is a [[developed country]] and has the world's largest national economy, with an estimated [[GDP]] in 2013 of $16.7&nbsp;trillion {{ndash}} 19% of global GDP at [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|purchasing-power parity]].<ref name="IMF_GDP" /><ref>The [[European Union]] has a larger collective economy, but is not a single nation.</ref> The per capita GDP of the U.S. was the world's [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|sixth-highest]] in 2010<ref name="IMF_GDP" /> and the U.S. has the highest mean and second-highest median [[household income]] in the OECD as well as the highest [[List of countries by average wage|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-2011/household-income_soc_glance-2011-6-en|work=Society at a Glance 2011: OECD Social Indicators|publisher=OECD Publishing|accessdate=November 25, 2012|doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2011-6-en|date=April 12, 2011}}</ref> The U.S. has the fourth most [[Income inequality in the United States|unequal income distribution]] among [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] nations<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 16% of the population [[Poverty in the United States|living in poverty]].<ref name="Census: U.S. Poverty Rate Spikes, Nearly 50 Million Americans Affected">[http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/11/15/census-u-s-poverty-rate-spikes-nearly-50-million-americans-affected/ "Census: U.S. Poverty Rate Spikes, Nearly 50 Million Americans Affected"] ''CBS.'' November 15, 2012</ref> The economy is fueled by an abundance of natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure,<ref>[http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/,2009 ]{{dead link|date=March 2013}}</ref> and high 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> and while its economy is considered [[post-industrial]] the US 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 country accounts for 39% of [[List of countries by military expenditures|global military spending]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=458 |title=Trends in world military expenditure, 2012 |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |date=April 2013 |accessdate=April 15, 2013}}</ref> being the foremost economic and military power, a prominent political and cultural force in the world, 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>

==Etymology==

<!--linked-->

{{See also|Names for United States citizens}}

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]].<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 Washingon'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>

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>Carter, Rusty (August 18, 2012). [http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-usa-first-0818-20120818,0,4983868.story "You read it here first"]{{dead link|date=December 2012}}. ''Virginia Gazette''. "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>Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the [http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html Declaration of Independence]</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=9780975385142}}</ref>

The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms include the "U.S.", the "USA", 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]]".

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>

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>

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 initialism 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>

==History==

{{Main|History of the United States|Timeline of United States history}}

===Native American and European contact===

People from Asia [[Models of migration to the New World|migrated]] to the North American continent approximately 15,000 or more years ago.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>[[#HumanOrigins|Smithsonian, 2004, Human Origins]]</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, it is estimated that [[Population history of indigenous peoples of the Americas|their population declined]] due to various reasons, including diseases such as [[smallpox]] and [[measles]] to which indigenous Americans had no natural immunities,<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>

In the early days of colonization many settlers were subject to shortages of food, disease and attacks from native Indians. Indians were also often at war with neighboring tribes and would often enslave their defeated enemy, a practice that was also soon used by various colonists who captured Indians in battle. During the various colonial wars, many colonists were also captured by Indians as slaves and taken north to Canada and sold to the French.<ref>[[#Juergens|Juergens, 2011]], p. 69</ref>

At the same time however many natives and settlers got along and came to depend on each other, especially settlers during the winter months. Natives also came to depend on settlers for guns, ammunition, powder and other modern devices. Because many tribes were frequently at war with one another it became imperative to establish and secure good relationships with at least one group of colonists. As colonists began to spread out into the interior their contact with native Indians increased, sometimes resulting in good relations, oftentimes resulting in conflict. In the process "Native American influenced colonist, and colonist influenced Native American".<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 6</ref>

Natives taught many settlers where, when and how to hunt and fish in the vast frontier that lay before them whose elements were generally unknown to the Europeans. In order to survive settlers often depended on native Indians who taught them how to adopt to the Indian's "hunting culture" and learned the use of animal skins as camouflage, decoys along with various whistles and calls used to attract prey. European ministries and others felt it was important to "civilize" the Indians and urged them to concentrate on farming and ranching and not depend primarily on hunting and gathering. At the same time Indians offered the benefit of their experience in growing corn, an unknown crop in Europe, and in the use of dead fish and other methods as fertilizer. It was not long before many Indians began to grow new crops and raise livestock and poultry in their communities and made use of the various living utilities settlers had to offer.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref>

Initially the Puritan and [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] were peaceful, but the [[King Philip's War]] broke out following cultural and religious differences between the colonists and the Wampanoag;<ref name=Vaughan_p12>[[#Vaughan|Vaughan, 1999]], p .12</ref><ref name=Ranlet_pp140-141>[[#Ranlet|Ranlet, 1999]], pp. 140–141</ref> by the war's end, the European colonists had defeated the Native Americans and were able to expand and control New England.<ref name=Ranlet_p_137>[[#Ranlet|Ranlet, 1999]], p. 137</ref> In Carolina, Native Americans were captured and sold into slavery to both New England and the West Indies. In 1676, the [[Virginia]] colony legally sanctioned the enslavement of Native Americans.<ref name="Rausch_p59">[[#Rausch|Rausch, 1994]], p. 59</ref> Conversely, the [[Five Civilized Tribes]] were involved in the institution of African slavery as [[Planter (plantation owner)|planters]].<ref>Sturm, Circe. "Blood Politics, Racial Classification, and Cherokee National Identity: The Trials and Tribulations of the Cherokee Freedmen", ''American Indian Quarterly'', Vol. 22, No. 1/2. (Winter – Spring, 1998), p. 231.</ref>

===Settlements===

{{see|European colonization of the Americas|13 colonies}}

After [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]' discovery of the [[New World]] in 1492 other explorers followed.<ref name=Taylor_pp33-34>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 33–34</ref> The first Spanish explorers landed in "La Florida" in 1513. Conquistadors explored much of the continent’s interior and Spain later set up some settlements in parts of Florida and the American southwest that were eventually merged into the United States.<ref name=Taylor_p72_74>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 72, 74</ref> There were also some French attempts to colonize the [[French colonization of the Americas|east coast]], and later more successful settlements along the [[Mississippi River]]. Many early European colonies failed due to starvation, disease, harsh weather, Native American attacks, or warfare with European rivals. The fate of the "lost" English colony of [[Roanoke colony|Roanoke]] in the 1580s is an enduring mystery.

[[James I]] on April 10, 1606, chartered The [[Virginia Company]] with the purpose of establishing English settlements on the eastern coast of North America. The [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia Colony]] was planted in 1607 with [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] and the [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]]' [[Plymouth Colony]] in 1620. Both colonies suffered initial hardships and great loss of life, but eventually stabilized and became the first successful English settlements in America. Both also saw efficiency greatly improve when personal property replaced the early communal operations.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 29–31</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> Tens of thousands of [[Puritans]] later settled [[History of New England|New England]].

Other New England colonies were established. Much of the territory between them and Virginia was controlled by the Dutch until England seized it in the late 17th century during the [[Anglo-Dutch Wars]], leading to the creation of the [[Middle Colonies]].<ref>[[#Berkin|Berkin, 2007]], p. 75</ref> Trade with and Christian evangelism to local tribes of native peoples were established in the colonies' early days, though relations would alternate from friendly to tense, and were characterized by periodic bouts of warfare, often with some tribes allying themselves with the English against common foes. Incidents like the [[Indian massacre of 1622|massacre of 1622]], the [[Pequot War]], and [[King Philip's War]] caused great destruction and threatened the existence of entire colonies, but resulted in reprisals that ultimately saw the power of enemy tribes reduced or broken, facilitating the expansion of English settlements.<ref>[[#Price|Price, 2003]]</ref><ref>[[#Vaughan|Vaughan, 1999]]</ref>

Most settlers in every colony were small farmers, but other industries developed. Tobacco was popular in Europe and became a major early cash crop. Furs, fishing, lumber, rum, rice, indigo, construction, wheat, ranching, and eventually shipbuilding contributed to economic growth. 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 people pushed west into the hills and backwoods, seeking to carve an existence out of virgin wilderness.<ref>[[#Lemon|Lemon, 1987]]</ref>

Settlers were a diverse mix of adventurers, profit seekers, people wanting religious freedom, and those who simply saw an opportunity for a better life.<ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], intro, chapters 1 and 2</ref> Many came as [[indentured servant]]s, either convicts or people who otherwise couldn't afford passage voluntarily signing contracts, and were set free after completing their specified term of service. Two-thirds of all Virginia settlers between 1630 and 1680 arrived indentured.<ref>Russell, David Lee (2005). ''The American Revolution in the Southern Colonies''. Jefferson, N.C., and London: McFarland, p. 12. ISBN 0-7864-0783-2.</ref>

The first African slaves were brought to the Americas by [[Spanish conquistadors]] in the 1500s shortly after Columbus' voyages. Most slaves were shipped to sugar colonies in the [[Caribbean]] and to [[Brazil]], where life expectancy was about seven years.<ref>Clingan, 2000, p. 13</ref> Life expectancy was much higher in North America because of less disease and better food and treatment, so the numbers of slaves grew rapidly into the millions by excesses of births over deaths.<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 many 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> By the turn of the 18th century, [[Slavery in the colonial United States|African slaves]] were becoming the primary source of bonded labor in many regions.<ref name="Quirk2011">[[#Quirk|Quirk, 2011]], p. 195</ref> Some colonists participated in the lucrative, slave oriented [[Triangular trade|"Golden Triangle"]], involving planters, merchants of various types, shippers, and the African tribal chiefs who [[African slave trade|provided them]] with slaves.<ref name=Rausch_p59/><ref>[[#Gold2006|Gold, 2006]], pp. 32–35</ref>

With the 1729 division of [[the Carolinas]] and the 1732 colonization of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], 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.

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.

===Independence and expansion===

{{see|American Revolutionary War|Declaration of Independence|American Revolution}}

[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|thumb|250px|The ''[[Trumbull's Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]'': the [[Committee of Five]] presenting their draft to the [[Second Continental Congress]] in 1776.]]

The [[American Revolution]] was the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Americans had developed a democratic system of local government and [[Republicanism in the United States|an ideology of "republicanism"]] that held government rested on the will of the people (not the king), which strongly opposed corruption and demanded civic virtue. They demanded their rights as Englishmen and rejected British efforts to impose taxes without the approval of colonial legislatures. The British insisted and the conflict escalated to full-scale war in 1775, the [[American Revolutionary 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> On June 14, 1775, the [[Second Continental Congress|Continental Congress]], convening in [[Philadelphia]], established a [[Continental Army]] under the command of [[George Washington]].<ref name="Brown2001">{{cite book |author=Brown, Jerold E. |title=Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=ygqNt3ra-vYC&pg=PA126 |year=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing |isbn=978-0-313-29322-1|page=126}}</ref> Proclaiming that "[[all men are created equal]]" and endowed with "certain [[Natural and legal rights|unalienable Rights]]", the Congress adopted the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], drafted largely by [[Thomas Jefferson]], on July 4, 1776. 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>

After a [[Battle of the Chesapeake|naval victory]] followed by the [[Siege of Yorktown|British defeat at Yorktown]] by American forces [[France in the American Revolutionary War|assisted by the French]],<ref>Greene and Pole, ''A Companion to the American Revolution'' p 357<br />Jonathan R. Dull, ''A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution'' (1987) p. 161<br />Lawrence S. Kaplan, "The Treaty of Paris, 1783: A Historiographical Challenge," ''International History Review,'' Sept 1983, Vol. 5 Issue 3, pp 431–442</ref> the United States was independent. In the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|peace treaty of 1783]] Britain recognized American sovereignty over most territory east of the [[Mississippi River]]. Nationalists calling for a much stronger federal government with powers of taxation led the [[Philadelphia Convention|constitutional convention]] in 1787. After intense debate in state conventions the [[United States Constitution]] was ratified in 1788. The [[1st United States Congress|first Senate, House of Representatives]], and [[president (United States)|president]]—George Washington—took office in 1789. 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>

Attitudes toward [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] were shifting; nearly all states officially outlawed the international slave trade before the federal government criminalized it in 1808.<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> Slavery had become more pronounced in the south than the north because the land there was better suited for large scale cash crop cultivation than the rocky ground and cooler climate of New England.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 43</ref><ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], pp. 27,29</ref> All the Northern states abolished slavery between 1780 and 1804, leaving the [[slave state]]s of the South as defenders of the "[[peculiar institution]]". With cotton a highly profitable plantation crop after 1820, slave interests in the Southern states maintained that slavery was a positive good for everyone, including the slaves.<ref name="Hall200as2">{{cite book |author=Hall, Kermit |title=The Oxford Companion to American Law |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=UXodg4rwE1IC&pg=PA26 |year=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-508878-6|page=26}}</ref> The [[Second Great Awakening]], beginning about 1800, converted millions to [[evangelical]] Protestantism. In the North it energized multiple social reform movements, including [[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>

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 under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |publisher=National Parks 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>

President [[Andrew Jackson]] took office in 1829, and began a set of reforms which led to the era of [[Jacksonian democracy]], which is considered to have lasted from 1830 to 1850. This included many reforms, such as wider male suffrage, and various adjustments to the power of the Federal government. This also led to the rise of the [[Second Party System]], which refers to the dominant parties which existed from 1828 to 1854.

The [[Trail of Tears]] in the 1830s exemplified the [[Indian removal]] policy that moved Indians to their own reservations, sometimes by force, with small annual government subsidies. The United States annexed the [[Republic of Texas]] in 1845, amid a period when the concept of [[Manifest Destiny]] was becoming popular.<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> The U.S. victory in the [[Mexican-American War]] resulted in the [[Mexican Cession|1848 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>

The [[California Gold Rush]] of 1848–49 further spurred western migration.<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> [[Rail transport in the United States#History|New railways]] made relocation easier for settlers 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, up to 40 million [[American bison]], or buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread.<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> The loss of the buffalo, a primary resource for the [[plains Indians]], was an existential blow to many native cultures.<ref name="Wishart2004"/> In 1869, President [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s Peace policy reversed the previous costly policy of "wars of extermination" in order to civilize and give Indians eventual United State citizenship having incorporated Indians as wards of the state, led by a [[philanthropic]] [[Board of Indian Commissioners]].<ref name=Smith_pp525-526>Smith (2001), ''Grant'', pp. 525–526</ref>

===Civil War and Reconstruction Era===

{{see|American Civil War|Reconstruction Era}}

Starting in the 1780s inherent divisions between the North and the South in American society over slavery ultimately led to the [[American Civil War]].<ref name=Carlisle_p1>Carlisle (2008), ''The Civil War and Reconstruction'', p. 1</ref> Initially, the [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founders]] of the nation had been able to keep the Union solvent by compromises worked out at the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] and to remain a single nation.<ref name=Carlisle_p1/>

[[Origins of the American Civil War|During the years]] leading up to the [[American Civil War]] tensions between [[slave and free states]] mounted with arguments about the relationship between the [[states' rights|state and federal governments]], as well as [[Bleeding Kansas|violent conflicts]] over the spread of slavery into new states.<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> [[Abraham Lincoln]], candidate of the largely antislavery [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], was elected president in 1860.<ref name="McIlwraithMuller2001mju">{{cite book|author1=Thomas F. McIlwraith|author2=Edward K. Muller|title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8NS0OTXRlTMC&pg=PA186|year=2001|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-0019-8|page=186}}</ref> Before he took office, seven slave states declared their secession—which the federal government maintained was illegal—and formed the [[Confederate States of America]].<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>

With the Confederate [[Battle of Fort Sumter|attack upon Fort Sumter]], the [[Civil War (United States)|Civil War]] began and four more slave states joined the Confederacy.<ref name="O'Brien2002qs"/> Lincoln's [[Emancipation Proclamation]] in 1863 declared slaves in the Confederacy to be free, though not those in Union slave states. Following the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] victory in 1865, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|ensured freedom]] for 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|made them citizens]], and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|gave 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> The war remains the deadliest conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of 620,000 soldiers.<ref>Vinovskis, Maris (1990). "''[http://books.google.com/books?id=gySktxKYPGoC&pg=PA6 Toward a social history of the American Civil War: exploratory essays]''". Cambridge University Press. p. 6. ISBN 0-521-39559-3.</ref>

The [[assassination of Abraham Lincoln]] [[radicalized Republican]] [[Reconstruction (United States)|Reconstruction]] policies 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> President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] implemented the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] and used the U.S. Military to enforce [[suffrage]] and civil rights for [[African Americans]] in the South destroying the [[Ku Klux Klan]] in 1871 under the [[Force Acts]].<ref name=Brands_Dec_2012_p46>[[#Brands American History|Brands]] (2012), ''Grant Takes On The Klan'', '''American History''', p. 46{{Verify credibility|date=April 2013}}</ref> The resolution of the disputed [[United States presidential election, 1876|1876 presidential election]] by the [[Compromise of 1877]] ended Reconstruction; [[Jim Crow laws]] soon [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchised many African Americans]].<ref name="Tarr2009"/>

===Industrialization===

In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented [[Immigration to the United States#History|influx of immigrants]] from Southern and Eastern Europe hastened the [[United States technological and industrial history#Technological systems and infrastructure|country's industrialization]]. The wave of immigration, [[Immigration Act of 1924|lasting until 1924]], provided labor and transformed American 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> United States immigration policies were Eurocentric, which barred [[Asian people|Asians]] from [[United States nationality law|naturalization]], and restricted their immigration beginning with the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]] in 1882.<ref>{{cite book |first=Xue Lan |last=Rong |first2=Judith |last2=Preissle |title=Educating Immigrant Students in the 21st Century: What Educators Need to Know |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=eWJ-9t33e1EC&lpg=PA127|year=2009 |publisher=[[Corwin Press]] |isbn=9781412940955 |pages=127–128 }}</ref> National infrastructure development spurred economic growth. The end of the Civil War spurred greater settlement and development of the [[American Old West]]. This was due to a variety of social and technological developments, including the completion of the [[First Transcontinental Telegraph]] in 1861 and the [[First Transcontinental Railroad]] in 1869.

The 1867 [[Alaska Purchase]] from [[Russia]] completed the country's mainland expansion. The [[Wounded Knee Massacre]] in 1890 was the last major armed conflict of the Indian Wars. In 1893, the [[Ancient Hawaii|indigenous monarchy]] of the Pacific [[Kingdom of Hawaii]] was overthrown in a coup led by American residents; the United States annexed the archipelago in 1898. Victory in the [[Spanish–American War]] the same year demonstrated that the United States was a [[world power]] and led to the annexation of [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], and the [[Philippines]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Gates, John M. |url= http://www3.wooster.edu/History/jgates/book-ch3.html |title=War-Related Deaths in the Philippines |work=Pacific Historical Review |publisher=College of Wooster |date=August 1984 |accessdate=September 27, 2007}}</ref> The Philippines [[Treaty of Manila (1946)|gained independence]] a half-century later; Puerto Rico and Guam remain U.S. territories.

The emergence of many prominent industrialists at the end of the 19th century gave rise to the [[Gilded Age]], a period of growing affluence and power among the business class. The hardships the working classes experienced during this period led to the rise of [[Anarchism in the United States|anarchist]] and [[History of the socialist movement in the United States|socialist]] movements in the U.S.<ref>[[Howard Zinn|Zinn, Howard]]. ''[[A People's History of the United States]]''. New York: [[HarperCollins|Harper Perennial Modern Classics]], 2005. Chapter 13, ''"The Socialist Challange"'' pp. 321–357 ISBN 0060838655</ref> In 1914 alone, 35,000 workers died in industrial accidents and 700,000 were injured.<ref>[[Howard Zinn|Zinn, Howard]]. ''[[A People's History of the United States]]''. New York: [[HarperCollins|Harper Perennial Modern Classics]], 2005. p. 327 ISBN 0060838655</ref> This period eventually ended with the beginning of the [[Progressive Era]], a period of significant reforms in many societal areas, including regulatory protection for the public, greater [[antitrust]] measures, and attention to living conditions for the working classes. President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] was one leading proponent of progressive reforms.

===World War I, Great Depression, and World War II===

{{see|World War I|Great Depression|World War II}}

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the United States remained [[neutrality (international relations)|neutral]]. Most Americans sympathized with the British and French, although many opposed intervention.<ref>Foner, Eric; Garraty, John A. (1991). ''The Reader's Companion to American History.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin. p. 576. ISBN 0-395-51372-3.</ref> In 1917, the United States joined the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], and the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] helped to turn the tide against the [[Central Powers]]. President [[Woodrow Wilson]] took a leading diplomatic role at the [[Paris Peace Conference of 1919]] which helped to shape the post-war world. Wilson 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]], which 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>

The country pursued a policy of unilateralism, verging on [[United States non-interventionism|isolationism]].<ref name="autogenerated418"/> In 1920, the women's rights movement, led by [[Carrie Chapman Catt]], 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 |authorlink1= |title= Carrie Chapman Catt: A Public Life |series=Women and Peace Series |year= 1996 |month= |publisher= Feminist Press at CUNY |location=New York City |isbn= 1558611398 |page=vii |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |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. [...] 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 prosperity of the [[Roaring Twenties]] ended with the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] that triggered the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].

After his election as president in 1932, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] responded with the [[New Deal]], a range of policies increasing government intervention in the economy, including 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 United States, effectively neutral during [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]]'s early stages after [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[invasion of Poland]] in September 1939, 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]] as well as the [[internment of Japanese Americans]] by the thousands.<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> Participation in the war spurred capital investment and industrial capacity, and the production figures after the Americans started to unfold the awesome productive capacity of their economy became the stuff of legend.<ref>See, for example, the aircraft production figures cited in {{Harvnb|Tooze|2006}}: in 1940, the Americans produced 6,019 aircraft; in 1941, 19,433; in 1942, almost 48,000; in 1943, an astonishing 85,898. Even more were to come in 1944. For comparison, in 1941, the German [[war economy]] could only manage about 12,000 aircraft.</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> among the major combatants, the United States was the only nation to become richer because of the war.<ref>Kennedy, Paul (1989). ''The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers''. New York: Vintage. p. 358. ISBN 0-679-72019-7.<br>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 [[Victory in Europe Day|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= http://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 |month=October |year=2005 |accessdate=June 11, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Historian}}</ref> The United States, having [[Manhattan Project|developed the first nuclear weapons]], used them on the Japanese cities of [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] in August. [[Surrender of Japan|Japan surrendered]] on September 2, ending the war.<ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 4-7700-2887-3.</ref>

===Cold War and Civil Rights era===

The United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for power after World War II during the [[Cold War]], dominating the military affairs of Europe through [[NATO]] and the [[Warsaw Pact]], respectively. 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 [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] pursued a series of investigations into suspected leftist subversion, while Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] became the figurehead of anticommunist sentiment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gladchuk |first=John Joseph |title=Hollywood and Anticommunism: HUAC and the Evolution of the Red Menace, 1935–1950 |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=0-415-95568-8}}</ref>

The 1961 Soviet launch of the [[Vostok 1|first manned spaceflight]] prompted President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s call for the United States to be first to land [[Apollo program|"a man on the moon"]], achieved 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> Kennedy also faced a [[Cuban missile crisis|tense nuclear showdown]] with Soviet forces in Cuba.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2003 |title=Averting the Final Failure: John F. Kennedy and the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis Meetings |series=Stanford Nuclear Age Series |last=Stern |first=Sheldon M}}</ref> Meanwhile, the United States experienced sustained economic expansion. Amidst the presence of various [[white nationalist]] groups, particularly the [[Ku Klux Klan]], a growing [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–68)|civil rights movement]] used [[nonviolence]] to confront segregation and discrimination. This was symbolized and led by black Americans such as [[Rosa Parks]] and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] On the other hand, some [[black nationalist]] groups such as the [[Black Panther Party]] and [[Malcolm X]] had a more militant scope.

Following [[Kennedy's assassination]] in 1963, the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], and [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965]] were passed under President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].<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}}<br />{{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}}<br />{{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> He also signed into law the [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]] programs.<ref>[http://www.ssa.gov/history/lbjsm.html Social Security History], the United States [[Social Security Administration]]</ref> Johnson also expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the ultimately unsuccessful [[Vietnam War]]. A widespread [[counterculture of the 1960s|countercultural movement]] grew, fueled by [[Opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to the war]], [[black nationalism]], and the [[sexual revolution]]. [[Betty Friedan]], [[Gloria Steinem]], and others led a [[Feminism in the United States|new wave of feminism]] that sought political, social, and economic equality for women.

In the 1970s, the American economy was hurt by [[1970s energy crisis|two major energy shocks]]. The [[Nixon Administration]] restored normal relations with [[China]] and oversaw the beginning of a period of [[Détente|generally eased relations]] with the Soviet Union. As a result of the [[Watergate scandal]], in 1974 Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign, to avoid being [[Impeachment in the United States|impeached]] on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power. The [[Carter Administration]] of the late 1970s was marked by the [[Iran hostage crisis]], [[stagflation]], and an increase of tensions with the Soviet Union following the [[Soviet war in Afghanistan|Soviet intervention in Afghanistan]]. The election of [[Ronald Reagan]] as president in 1980 heralded a [[Conservatism in the United States|rightward shift in American politics]],<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> reflected in major changes in [[Reaganomics|taxation and spending priorities]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Cronkite |first=Walter |authorlink=Walter Cronkite |last2=Wagner |first2=Heather Lehr |title=Ronald Reagan |series=Great American Presidents Series |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NNphH9XtyTkC&lpg=PA96 |year=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |location= |isbn=9781438103082 |page=102}}<br />{{cite book |last=D'Souza |first=Dinesh |authorlink=Dinesh D'Souza |title=Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Xn4JEGVh-bYC&lpg=PA26 |year=1999 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9780684848235 |page=304}}<br />{{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=9780195053944 |page=363}}</ref> His second term in office brought both the [[Iran–Contra affair|Iran–Contra scandal]] and significant [[Cold War (1985–1991)|diplomatic progress with the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/reagan-iran/ |title=General Article: The Iran-Contra Affair |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=American Experience |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan |title=Ronald Reagan |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Your Presidents |publisher=White House |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}<br />{{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=9780549416586 |page=352}}<br />{{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=9781439126318 |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=9781440686399 |page=432}}<br /></ref> The subsequent [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet collapse]] ended the Cold War.<ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref><ref>[[#ushistory13|US History.org, 2013]]</ref><ref>[[#Burns2008|Burns, 2008]]</ref>

<ref>[[#Levy1996|Levy, 1996]], p. 442</ref><ref>[[#Wallander2003|Wallander, 2003]]</ref>

===Contemporary era===

Under President [[George H. W. Bush]], the United States took a lead role in the UN–sanctioned [[Gulf War]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iraq/us_policy.html |title=Intervention In Iraq? |author=Lee Banville |work=[[PBS NewsHour]] |publisher=MacNeil/Lehrer Productions |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite web |url= http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/war-iraq/history/index.asp?article=timeline |title=Rebuilding Iraq |work=Student Activites |publisher=Scholastic Inc. |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |title=20 years after, Bush defends Gulf War as 'moral' |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41180168/ns/politics-more_politics/ |newspaper=NBC News |date=January 20, 2011 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |title=Twenty Years Later, First Iraq War Still Resonates |author=Greenblatt, Alan |url= http://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/133991181/twenty-years-later-first-iraq-war-still-resonates |newspaper=NPR |date=February 24, 2011 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}</ref> The longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history—from March 1991 to March 2001—encompassed the [[Bill Clinton]] administration and the [[dot-com bubble]].<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=9780324589993 |page=559}}</ref>

On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], [[al-Qaeda]] terrorists under the leadership of [[Osama bin Laden]] 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/ |newspaper=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 |work=CNN |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}</ref> In response, the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]] launched the global [[War on Terror]], [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invading Afghanistan]] and removing the [[Taliban]] government and al-Qaeda training camps.<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 web |url=http://www.cfr.org/terrorism/bush-administrations-response-september-11th-beyond/p4112 |title=The Bush Administration's Response to September 11th—and Beyond |authorlink=Richard N. Haass |author=Haass, Richard N. |date=October 15, 2001 |work=Terrorism |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |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=9781598849219 |page=872}}</ref> However, [[Taliban insurgency|Taliban insurgents]] were never completely defeated and continue to fight a [[guerrilla war]] against U.S. forces.<ref>{{cite news |title=Switch to guerrilla warfare |author=Smith, Michael |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1362399/Switch-to-guerrilla-warfare.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=November 14, 2001 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer |title=United States Leadership in Wartime |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wEkFzIWjdn4C&pg=PA870|year=2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781598841725 |page=952}}</ref> In 2003, the [[Coalition of the willing|United States and several allied forces]] launched [[2003 invasion of Iraq|an invasion of Iraq]] to [[Rationale for the Iraq War|engineer regime change]] there, beginning the [[Iraq War]]. American combat troops fought in the country for eight years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Many Europeans Oppose War in Iraq |work=USA Today |url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-02-14-eu-survey.htm |date=February 14, 2003 |accessdate=September 1, 2008}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.cfr.org/iraq/most-americans-support-war-iraq-shows-new-pewcfr-poll---commentary-lee-feinstein/p5051 |title=Most Americans Support War with Iraq, Shows New Pew/CFR Poll – Commentary by Lee Feinstein |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=October 10, 2002 |publisher=Council on Foreign Affairs |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}</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 web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/invasion/ |title=The Invasion of Iraq |date=February 26, 2004 |work=Frontline |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation |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=9780742549562 |page=159}}</ref><ref>{{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}}<br />{{cite news |title=Last American Troops Leave Iraq Marking End of War |agency=Associated Press |url= http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/17/last-american-troops-leave-iraq-marking-end-war/ |newspaper=Fox News |date=December 18, 2011 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}</ref>

In 2008, amid a global [[Late-2000s recession|economic recession]] and two wars, the first African-American president, [[Barack Obama]], was elected.<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 |newspaper=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> In 2011, Osama Bin Laden was [[Death of Osama bin Laden|killed]] during an American [[Navy SEAL]] raid on his compound in [[Abbottabad]], [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bowden |first=Mark |authorlink=Mark Bowden |title=The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden |url=http://books.google.com/?id=Y1dOLQN9hvwC&dq=SEALs+kill+Osama+bin+Laden |year=2012 |publisher=Grove Press |isbn=9780802194107 |page=304}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kill-capture/ |title=Kill/Capture |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=May 10, 2011 |work=Frontline |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |title=Osama Bin Laden's death: How it happened |author=Brown, Adrian |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13257330 |newspaper=BBC News |date=September 10, 2012 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}</ref>

==Government==

{{Main|Federal government of the United States|state governments of the United States|elections in the United States}}

[[File:Aerial view of the Capitol Hill.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the [[United States Capitol Complex|Capitol Grounds]] from the West (photo date unknown, pre-2001)<ref>[http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/cc_aerial_w.cfm U.S. Capitol Building | Architect of the Capitol | U.S. Capitol Building]. Aoc.gov. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref>]]

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 US 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>

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.

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]].

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>

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 12, 2000|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref>

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|date= |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.

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 10 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>

===Parties and elections===

{{Main|Politics of the United States|Political ideologies in the United States}}

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. ...

|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]].

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.

The winner of the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential election]] and the [[United States presidential election, 2012|2012 presidential election]], Democrat [[Barack Obama]], is the [[List of Presidents of the United States|44th U.S. president]].

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>

Since the founding of the United States until 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 |date= |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>

===Foreign relations===

{{Main|Foreign relations of the United States|Foreign policy of the United States}}

{{see also|Covert United States foreign regime change actions}}

The United States has established foreign relations. It is a permanent member of the [[United Nations Security Council]], and New York City hosts 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]]).

The United States has a "[[special relationship]]" with the [[United Kingdom&nbsp;– United States relations|United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jLy-NKnQitIC&pg=PA45&dq=uk+us+special+relationship&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m81IUp6bPIHJhAfCpoHoDA&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAzgK#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}}</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 European countries such as [[France–United States relations|France]] and [[Germany–United States relations|Germany]]. 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>

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===

{{See also|Taxation in the United States|United States federal budget}}

[[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"/>

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. |coauthors=Deng, 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>{{cite news |last=Crook |first=Clive |title=U.S. Taxes Really Are Unusually Progressive |url= http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/us-taxes-really-are-unusually-progressive/252917/ |date=February 10, 2012 |work=The Atlantic |location= Washington DC |accessdate=April 3, 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> 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 |month=July |year=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>[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/Payroll-Taxes.cfm TPC Tax Topics | Payroll Taxes]</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="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><ref name="Dylan47" />

There is disagreement over whether the U.S. tax system has become more or less progressive over the past 50 years.<ref>{{cite web |author=Stroup, Michael D. |title=An improved index and estimation method for assessing tax progressivity |url= http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/Stroup_TaxProgressivity_v2.pdf |publisher=Mercatus |accessdate=October 28, 2013 |coauthors=Hubbard, Keith |month=August |year=2013}}</ref><ref name=Catoprog>{{cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Alan |title=The Increasing Progressivity of U.S. Taxes: And the Shrinking Tax Base |url= http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/increasing-progressivity-us-taxes-shrinking-tax-base |publisher=Cato Institute |accessdate=October 28, 2013 |date=May 3, 2011}}</ref> Federal income tax rates for the top 0.1% of wealthiest taxpayers (highest income earners) have declined by 40 percent, while tax rates for average Americans {{Ambiguous|date=October 2013}} have remained roughly constant.<ref>[http://www.hamiltonproject.org/papers/just_how_progressive_is_the_u.s._tax_code/ Just How Progressive is the U.S. Tax Code? » Papers » The Hamilton Project]</ref><ref>[http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3090 Tax Rate for Richest 400 Taxpayers Plummeted in Recent Decades, Even as Their Pre-Tax Incomes Skyrocketed — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>Hacker, Jacob; Pierson, Paul (January 24, 2012). [http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/24/opinion/hacker-pierson-romney-taxes "Romney's returns show progressive taxes are dead for the superrich"]. ''CNN.com.''</ref> From 1979 to 2007 the average federal income tax rate fell 110% for the second lowest quintile, 56% for the middle quintile, 39% for the fourth quintile, 8% for the highest quintile, and 15% for the top 1%, with the bottom quintile moving from a tax rate of zero to negative liability. Despite this, individual income tax revenue only dropped from 8.7 to 8.5% of GDP over that time, and total federal revenue was 18.5% of GDP in both 1979 and 2007, above the postwar average of 18%.<ref name=Catoprog/> Tax code changes have dropped millions of lower earning people from the federal income tax rolls in recent decades. Those with zero or negative liability who were not claimed as dependents by a payer increased from 14.8% of the population in 1984 to 49.5% in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bluey |first=Rob |title=Chart of the Week: Nearly Half of All Americans Don't Pay Income Taxes |url= http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/19/chart-of-the-week-nearly-half-of-all-americans-dont-pay-income-taxes/ |publisher=Heritage Foundation |accessdate=October 28, 2013 |date=February 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tax Equity and the Growth in Nonpayers |url= http://taxfoundation.org/article/tax-equity-and-growth-nonpayers|publisher=Tax Foundation |accessdate=October 28, 2013 |author=Freeland, Will |coauthors=Hodge, Scott A. |date=July 20, 2012}}</ref> The federal income tax is the largest source of federal revenue and accounts for 27% of total government taxation in the United States. <ref>{{cite web |title=Income Taxes Account for the Largest Share of Federal Revenue |url= http://taxfoundation.org/blog/income-taxes-account-largest-share-federal-revenue |publisher=Tax Foundation |accessdate=October 29, 2013 |author=Lundeen, Andrew |coauthors=Hodge, Scott A. |date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> <ref>[http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/07/taxes-and-rich-0 "Looking at all the taxes"]. ''The Economist'' 'Democracy in America' blog. July 19, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3505 Misconceptions and Realities About Who Pays Taxes — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]</ref> When one looks beyond federal taxes to total taxation, progressivity declines, though there's disagreement about how much flattening of tax rates there is.<ref>{{cite news |last=Klein |first=Ezra |title=The one tax graph you really need to know |work=Washington Post blog |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/09/19/heres-why-the-47-percent-argument-is-an-abuse-of-tax-data/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Isidore |first=Chris |title=Buffett says he's still paying lower tax rate than his secretary |work=CNN Money |url= http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/04/news/economy/buffett-secretary-taxes |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref><ref name="TaxF" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Daniel J.|title=Warren Buffett's Fiscal Innumeracy|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2011/08/15/warren-buffetts-fiscal-innumeracy/|publisher=Forbes|accessdate=6 November 2013|date=August 15, 2011}}</ref>

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>

====Public debt====

{{Main|National debt of the United States}}

In March 2013, U.S. federal government debt held by the public was approximately $11.888 trillion, or about 75% of U.S. GDP. Intra-governmental holdings stood at $4.861 trillion, giving a combined total debt of $16.749 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 |date= |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>

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>

===Military===

{{main|United States Armed Forces}}

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 the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] in time 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>

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 11 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>

Total U.S. military spending in 2011, more than $700 billion, was 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>

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|accessdate=July 25, 2011}}</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 May 21, 2013, 2,039 had been killed during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx|title=Operation Enduring Freedom|publisher=Iraq Coalition Casualty Count|date=April 4, 2012|accessdate=April 4, 2012}}</ref>

==States and territories==

{{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 [[federation|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.

The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the two other areas considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the [[federal district]] where the capital, Washington, is located; and [[Palmyra Atoll]], an uninhabited but [[territories of the United States|incorporated territory]] in the Pacific Ocean. 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=9781437907049 |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>

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. 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}}

==Geography==

{{Main|Geography of the United States|Climate of the United States|Environment of the United States}}

[[File:USA topo en.jpg|right|thumb|350px|A composite satellite image of the contiguous United States]]

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>

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= http://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>

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.

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>

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= http://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>

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>

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 |accessdate= March 9, 2009}}</ref>{{dead link|date=June 2013}} 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/>{{dead link|date=June 2013}}<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>

===Environmental issues===

{{main|Environmental issues in the United States|Conservation movement#United States}}

[[Environmental issues in the United States|Environmental issues]] have been on the national agenda since 1970. Environmental controversies include debates on oil and nuclear energy, dealing with air and water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and deforestation,<ref>[http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html Forest Resources of the United States]</ref><ref>[http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr587.pdf Land Use Changes Involving Forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, With Projections to 2050<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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 protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].

==Economy==

{{Main|Economy of the United States}}

[[File:Photos NewYork1 032.jpg|thumb|235px|The [[New York Stock Exchange]] on [[Wall Street]], the world's largest stock exchange per total [[market capitalization]] of its listed companies.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.world-exchanges.org/files/file/stats%20and%20charts/July%202010%20WFE%20Market%20Highlights.pdf |title= Market highlights for first half-year 2010 |publisher=World Federation of Exchanges |accessdate=November 22, 2012}}</ref>]]

The United States has a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[mixed economy]], which is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s, a well-developed infrastructure, 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 $15.1 trillion constitutes 22% 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"/> Though larger than any other nation's, its national GDP was about 5% smaller at PPP in 2011 than the [[European Union]]'s, whose population is around 62% higher.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/3-28072011-AP/EN/3-28072011-AP-EN.PDF |title= EU27 Population 502.5 Million at 1 January 2011 |publisher= Eurostat Press Office |date=July 28, 2011 |accessdate=June 19, 2012}}</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>

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>

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= http://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>

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}}{{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}}{{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=http://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]], [[sunflowers]], 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]], along with [[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>[http://www.nma.org/index.php/coal-statistics Coal Statistics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.nma.org/index.php/minerals-statistics/minerals-production Minerals Production<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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>

[[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 news |author= Fuller, Thomas |url= http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php |title=In the East, Many EU Work Rules Don't Apply |date=June 15, 2005 |work=International Herald Tribune |location= Paris |accessdate=June 28, 2007}}</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 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>

The [[2008-2012 global recession]] had a significant impact on the United States. For example, persistent high [[unemployment]] [[99ers|remains]], 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]]. In fact, 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>

===Income, poverty, and wealth===

{{Main|Income in the United States|Poverty in the United States|Wealth in the United States}}

{{See also|Income inequality 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]], behind only Luxembourg.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web |title=OECD Better Life Index |url= http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111 |publisher=OECD |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Household Income" /> 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> In 2012, the state of [[Maryland]] had the highest median household income, $71,221, [[Mississippi]] had the lowest at $37,095 – nearly half that of Maryland's.<ref>{{cite news |title=24/7 Wall St.: America's richest states |url= http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/21/americas-richest-states/2845525/ |newspaper=USA Today |date=September 21, 2013}}</ref> Since 2000, [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] and [[North Dakota]] have experienced the largest increases in median income, while [[Michigan]] and [[Mississippi]] have experienced the largest declines.<ref>{{cite web|last=Noss|first=Amanda|title=Household Income: 2012|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf|work=American Community Survey Briefs|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=6 November 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> 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 Europeans, and more than every European 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 |coauthor=Sheffield, Rachel |date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>

The U.S. economy is currently embroiled in the economic downturn which followed the [[financial crisis of 2007–2008]], with output still below potential according to the [[Congressional Budget Office|CBO]]<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> and unemployment still above historic trends.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000 |title=Bureau of Labor Statistics Data |publisher=Data.bls.gov |date=December 1, 2010 |accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref> In February 2013, the [[unemployment]] rate was 7.7%, or 12.0 million people, while the government's broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes the part-time [[underemployment|underemployed]], was 14.3%, or 22.2 million. With a record proportion of [[long-term unemployment|long-term unemployed]], continued decreasing [[Household income in the United States|household income]], tax rises, and new [[Sequester (2013)|federal budget cuts]], the U.S. economy remained in a [[jobless recovery]].<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> Half of the U.S. population [[Poverty in the United States|lives in poverty]] or has a low income, according to U.S. [[census]] data.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Huffington Post |date= December 15, 2011 |title=U.S. Poverty: Census Finds Nearly Half Of Americans Are Poor Or Low-Income |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/census-shows-1-in-2-peopl_1_n_1150128.html |accessdate=June 5, 2013}}</ref> According to a survey by the [[Associated Press]], four out of five U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives.<ref>Yen, Hope (28 July 2013). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/28/poverty-unemployment-rates_n_3666594.html 80 Percent Of U.S. Adults Face Near-Poverty, Unemployment: Survey]. ''[[The Huffington Post]].'' Retrieved July 28, 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> [[Extreme poverty]] in the United States, meaning households living on less than $2 per day before government benefits, doubled from 1996 levels to 1.5 million households in 2011, including 2.8 million children.<ref name=NatlPovertyCtr>[http://npc.umich.edu/publications/policy_briefs/brief28/policybrief28.pdf "Extreme Poverty in the United States, 1996 to 2011"] ''National Poverty Center'', February 2012</ref> 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 weren't 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 |month=September |year=2012}}</ref> The [[USDA]] [[Economic Research Service]] states that 14.5 percent of American households were food-insecure during the year 2012.<ref>Coleman-Jensen, Alisha; Nord, Mark; Singh, Anita (September 5, 2013). [http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err155.aspx#.Uii0gNKsgyo Household Food Security in the United States in 2012]. ''[[USDA]] [[Economic Research Service]].'' Retrieved September 5, 2013.</ref>

There were about 643,000 sheltered and unsheltered [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in January 2009. Almost two-thirds stayed in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program and the other third were living on the street, in an abandoned building, or another place not meant for human habitation. About 1.56 million people, or about 0.5% of the U.S. population, used an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009.<ref name=HUDhomeless2009>{{cite web |url= http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/5thHomelessAssessmentReport.pdf |title=The Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (2009) |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref> The U.S. [[welfare state]] is one of the least extensive in the developed world, reducing both [[Economic inequality|relative poverty]] and [[poverty threshold|absolute poverty]] by [[Welfare's effect on poverty|considerably less than the mean for rich 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>{{cite journal |last1= Kenworthy |first1= L. |year= 1999 |title= Do Social-Welfare Policies Reduce Poverty? A Cross-National Assessment" ''Social Forces'' 77(3), 1119–1139. Bradley, D., E. Huber, S. Moller, F. Nielsen, and J. D. Stephens (2003). "Determinants of Relative Poverty in Advanced Capitalist Democracies| journal = American Sociological Review | volume = 68 | issue = 1| pages = 22–51}}</ref><ref>Gould, Elise and Wething, Hilary (July 24, 2012). [http://www.epi.org/publication/ib339-us-poverty-higher-safety-net-weaker/ "U.S. poverty rates higher, safety net weaker than in peer countries."] ''[[Economic Policy Institute]].'' Retrieved July 15, 2013.</ref> though combined private and public social expenditures per capita are relatively high and Americans face much lower consumption taxes than poor Europeans.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Fishback|first=Price V.|date=May 2010|title=Social Welfare Expenditures in the United States and the Nordic Countries: 1900–2003|journal=NBER Working Paper series|volume=15982|url=http://papers.nber.org/papers/w15982}}</ref>

While the American welfare state effectively reduces poverty among the elderly,<ref>Orr, D. (November–December 2004). "Social Security Isn't Broken: So Why the Rush to 'Fix' It?" In C. Sturr and R. Vasudevan, eds. (2007). ''Current Economic Issues''. Boston: Economic Affairs Bureau.</ref> it provides relatively little assistance to the young.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=a_new_deal_of_their_own |author=Starr, Paul |date=February 25, 2008 |title=A New Deal of Their Own |work=American Prospect |accessdate=July 24, 2008}}</ref> A 2007 [[UNICEF]] study of children's well-being in 21 industrialized nations, based on factors like income relative to each nation's own median, self-reported risky behavior, and family relationship quality, ranked the United States next to last.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/13_02_07_nn_unicef.pdf |title=Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries |publisher=UNICEF |year=2007 |accessdate=September 10, 2007}}</ref> After being higher in the postwar period, the U.S. unemployment rate fell below the rising [[eurozone]] unemployment rate in the mid-1980s and has remained significantly lower almost continuously since.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sorrentino, Constance |coauthor=Moy, Joyanna |title=U.S. labor market performance in international perspective|journal=Monthly Labor Review |year=2002 |month=June |url= http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2002/06/art2full.pdf |accessdate=August 22, 2013 |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chronic Unemployment in the Euro Area: Causes and Cures |url= http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/1999/01/0599ch4.pdf |work=World Economic Outlook |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=August 22, 2013|year=1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Unemployment |url= http://www.unc.edu/depts/europe/euroeconomics/Unemployment.php |work=Euro Economics |publisher= University of North Carolina |accessdate=August 22, 2013|quote=Chart}}</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 |coauthor=Ohanian, 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> At the same time, [[Trade union|unions]] are losing their strength in the United States, while they have retained more of their clout in [[Western Europe]]. Low-skilled immigrants to the U.S. have been competing for low-wage jobs, which allows employers to keep a lid on wages.<ref name="Global income inequality">Luhby, Tami (November 8, 2011). [http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/08/news/economy/global_income_inequality/index.htm Global income inequality: Where the U.S. ranks]. ''[[CNN|CNNMoney]]'' Retrieved August 18, 2013.</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,<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"/><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 |month=October |year=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> though incomes have risen across the board in that time and individuals' incomes have increased significantly with age.<ref name="Hagopian"/> The median American family had almost twice the purchasing power in 2011 that it did in 1960.<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>{{cite journal |last=Winship |first=Scott |title=Overstating the Costs of Inequality |journal=National Affairs|date=Spring 2013 |url= http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/overstating-the-costs-of-inequality |accessdate=August 22, 2013}}</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 Berkley]].'' Retrieved September 11, 2013.</ref> Over the last two decades income inequality has been increasing to the point of becoming permanent, reducing [[social mobility]] in the US.<ref name=BrookingsPerm>{{cite web |title=Inequality Rising and Permanent Over Past Two Decades |url= http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/bpea/latest-conference/2013-spring-permanent-inequality-panousi |work=Brookings Papers on Economic Activity |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] |accessdate=October 17, 2013 |author=Panousi, Vasia |coauthors=Vidangos, Ivan; Ramnath, Shanti; DeBacker, Jason; Heim, Bradley |date=Spring 2013}}</ref> Rising inequality is also hastening the decline of middle-class neighborhoods.<ref>Strachan, Maxwell (October 16, 2013). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/middle-class-neighborhoods-dying_n_4109084.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000029 "Dying Middle-Class Neighborhoods Being Replaced By A Segregated Society: Study"]. ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' Retrieved October 17, 2013.</ref>

Poverty in the U.S. has been increasing as median incomes have declined. Median income has now fallen for five consecutive years.<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> Analyses using a common data set for comparisons tend to find that the U.S. has a lower absolute poverty rate by market income than most other wealthy nations, although starting in the 1980s relative poverty rates have consistently exceeded those of other wealthy nations.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Health in International Perspective |url= http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13497&page=171 |publisher=National Research Council and Institute of Medicine |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |author=Woolf, Steven; Aaron, Laudon |pages=171–172}}</ref> Over 80% of poor American households have air conditioning, three quarters own at least one automobile, about 40% own their homes, and the average poor American has more living space than the general population average in every European nation except Luxembourg and [[Denmark]]. Most of them have a refrigerator, stove, microwave, telephone, and television. About half have computers and less than half have internet service.<ref name="Heritage Poor" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Residential Energy Consumption Survey |url= http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/data/2009/|publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |accessdate=October 3, 2013|year=2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=American Housing Survey for the United States: 2009 |url= http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/h150-09.pdf |publisher=U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=October 3, 2013 |date=September 8, 2011}}</ref> The population in extreme-poverty neighborhoods rose by one-third from 2000 to 2009.<ref name="Concentrated Poverty">Kneebone, Elizabeth; Nadeau, Carey; Berube, Alan (November 3, 2011). [http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/11/03-poverty-kneebone-nadeau-berube "The Re-Emergence of Concentrated Poverty: Metropolitan Trends in the 2000s"]. ''[[Brookings Institution]].'' Retrieved October 5, 2013.</ref> People living in such neighborhoods tend to suffer from inadequate access to quality education; higher crime rates; higher rates of physical and psychological ailment; limited access to credit and wealth accumulation; higher prices for goods and services; and constrained access to job opportunities.<ref name="Concentrated Poverty"/><ref>Rothwell, Jonathan (November 8, 2011). [http://www.newrepublic.com/blog/the-avenue/97198/why-heritage-wrong-about-poverty-in-america "Why Heritage Is Wrong About Poverty in America"]. ''[[The New Republic]]''. Retrieved September 16, 2013.</ref> In 2013, 44% of America's poor are considered to be in "deep poverty," with an income 50% or more below the government's official poverty line.<ref>Shah, Neil (October 11, 2013).[http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304500404579127603306039292 U.S. Poverty Rate Stabilizes—For Some]. ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' (New York). Retrieved October 15, 2013.</ref>

Wealth, like income and taxes, is [[Wealth inequality in the United States|highly concentrated]]: The richest 10% of the adult population possesses 69.8% of the country's household wealth, 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|month=December|year=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> For the year 2012, the United States ranks 12th on the [[Legatum Prosperity Index]].<ref>[http://www.prosperity.com/Ranking.aspx THE 2012 LEGATUM PROSPERITY INDEX TABLE RANKINGS]. [[Legatum Institute]], 2012.</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> By some measures, the U.S. has more millionaires per capita than any other nation, ranks in the top 14 in billionaires per capita,<ref>{{cite news |last=Roller |first=Emma |title=Which Country Has the Most Billionaires Per Capita? |url= http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/03/04/forbes_billionaires_list_countries_with_the_most_billionaires_per_capita.html |accessdate=April 12, 2013 |newspaper=Slate |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> and has more billionaires and millionaires than any other nation and all of Europe, most described as self-made, though to what degree is disputed. Some consider the entire idea of a self-made man to be largely a [[myth]]. The second wealthiest man in the United States, [[Warren Buffet]], has been quoted as saying: "''I personally think that society is responsible for a very significant percentage of what I've earned.''" According to the 2013 [[Forbes Magazine]] ranking of American billionaires, six of the ten wealthiest billionaires came from just two families and the source of their fortunes is inherited wealth. According to [[United for a Fair Economy]], 35% of 2011's 400 wealthiest Americans came from poor or middle-class backgrounds. They also say the myth of “self-made wealth is potentially destructive to the very infrastructure that enables wealth creation.”<ref>{{cite web |last=Joyce |first=Hanson |title=Top 10 Countries With Most Millionaires: Capgemini/RBC |url= http://www.advisorone.com/2012/06/20/top-10-countries-with-most-millionaires-capgemini?t=economy-markets&page=11 |work=Advisor One|accessdate=April 8, 2013|date=June 20, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks|first=Chad|title=How Most Millionaires Got Rich |url= http://news.discovery.com/human/life/millionaires-120722.htm |work=Discovery |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |date=June 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kroll |first=Luisa |title=Inside The 2013 Billionaires List: Facts and Figures |url= http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2013/03/04/inside-the-2013-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/ |work=Forbes |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |date=March 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>Chittum, Ryan (September 28, 2012). [http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/made_from_scratch.php "Billionaires made from scratch? Hardly"]. ''Columbia Journalism Review''.</ref><ref>[http://www.alternet.org/story/155149/the_self-made_myth%3A_debunking_conservatives%27_favorite_--_and_most_dangerous_--_fiction?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark The Self-Made Myth: Debunking Conservatives' Favorite - And Most Dangerous - Fiction | Alternet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>Williams, Ray (April 28, 2013). [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201304/why-do-we-cling-the-myth-the-self-made-man "Why do we cling to the myth of the 'self-made man?'"] ''Psychology Today''.</ref>

===Infrastructure===

====Transportation====

{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}

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 |date= |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>

[[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 |url= http://trafficsafety.org/safety/sharing/bike/bike-facts/bicycling-to-work |title= Bicycling to Work |publisher=Network of Employers for Traffic Safety |date= |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref>

The 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, 16 are in the United States, including the busiest, [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_c.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-55_666_2__ |title= Passenger Traffic 2006 Final |publisher=Airports Council International |date=July 18, 2007|accessdate=August 15, 2007}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref>

{{further|List of airlines of the United States}}

====Energy====

{{See also|Energy policy of the United States}}

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/2174rank.html |title= Rank Order—Oil (Consumption) |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook |date=September 6, 2007 |accessdate=September 14, 2007}}</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 |month=June |year=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==

{{Main|Science and technology in the United States}}

{{See also|Technological and industrial history of the United States}}

[[File:Aerial of Texas Medical Center with Downtown Houston in the background.jpg|right|thumb|246x246px|The [[Texas Medical Center]] in Houston is the world's largest medical center.]]

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 =http://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. 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. 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]].

The United States government largely developed the Defense Department's [[ARPANET]] and its successor, 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>

===Health===

{{See also|Health care in the United States|Health care reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}

The United States has life expectancy of 78.4 years at birth, up from 75.2 years in 1990, ranks 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 |coauthors= ''et al'' |accessdate= July 11, 2013 }}</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 6.06 per thousand places the United States 176th highest out of 222 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |title= Country Comparison: Infant Mortality Rate |publisher =CIA |work=The World Factbook|accessdate= October 25, 2011}}</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, particularly among blacks and Hispanics.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Teen Pregnancy|url=http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|accessdate=August 18, 2013}}</ref> In 2010, the [[maternal mortality rate]] was 21 deaths/100,000 live births, the U.S. occupying the 136th place among world countries (first place being the highest mortality rate – [[Chad]] in 2010). The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is higher than in most Western countries.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html?countryname=United%20States&countrycode=us&regionCode=noa&rank=136#us The World Factbook<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

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 combined. 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>

A comprehensive 2007 study by European doctors found the five-year [[cancer]] survival rate was significantly higher in the U.S. than in all 21 European nations studied, 66.3% for men versus the European mean of 47.3% and 62.9% versus 52.8% for women.<ref>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Nicole|title=UK cancer survival rate lowest in Europe|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560849/UK-cancer-survival-rate-lowest-in-Europe.html|accessdate=August 19, 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=August 21, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Verdecchia|first=A|coauthors=Francisci, S; Brenner, H; Gatta, G; Micheli, A; Mangone, L; Kunkler, I; EUROCARE-4 Working, Group|title=Recent cancer survival in Europe: a 2000-02 period analysis of EUROCARE-4 data.|journal=The lancet oncology|date=September 2007|year=2007|volume=8|issue=9|pages=784–96|pmid=17714993|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17714993|accessdate=August 19, 2013}}</ref> Americans undergo cancer screenings at significantly higher rates than people in other developed countries, and access [[Magnetic resonance imaging|MRI]] and [[X-ray computed tomography|CT scans]] at the highest rate of any OECD nation.<ref name=Atlas>{{cite book|last=MD|first=Scott W. Atlas,|title=In excellent health : setting the record straight on America's health care and charting a path for future reform|year=2011|publisher=Hoover Institution Press, Stanford University|location=Stanford, California|isbn=0817914447|pages=199–205|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0qExi2-3m5IC&source=gbs_navlinks_s}}</ref> People in the U.S. diagnosed with [[Hypercholesterolemia|high cholesterol]] or [[hypertension]] access pharmaceutical treatments at higher rates than those diagnosed in other developed nations, and are more likely to successfully control the conditions.<ref>Atlas 2011, pp. 205-207</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Wolf-Maier|first=K.|title=Hypertension Treatment and Control in Five European Countries, Canada, and the United States|journal=Hypertension|date=November 24, 2003|volume=43|issue=1|pages=10–17|doi=10.1161/01.HYP.0000103630.72812.10|url=http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/43/1/10.full.pdf+html|accessdate=August 19, 2013}}</ref> [[Diabetes mellitus|Diabetics]] are more likely to receive treatment and meet treatment targets in the U.S. than in Canada, England, or Scotland.<ref>Atlas 2011, pp. 150-156</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=O'Neill|first=June E|title=Health Status, Health Care and Inequality: Canada vs. the U.S.|url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w13429|work=Forum for Health Economics & Policy|publisher=Berkeley Electronic Press|accessdate=August 19, 2013|coauthors=O'Neill, Dave M|doi=10.2202/1558-9544.1094|year=2007}}</ref>

The U.S. health-care system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends]] any other nations, 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> In 2008, the U.S. spent more on [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|health care per capita]] ($7,146), and as percentage of GDP (15.2%), than any other nation. Health-care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts, and is not [[universal health care|universal]] as in all other developed countries. In 2004, private insurance paid for 36% of personal health expenditures, private out-of-pocket payments covered 15%, and federal, state, and local governments paid for 44%.<ref name="CDC H">{{cite web |url= http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf |title=Health, United States, 2006 |accessdate= November 24, 2006 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref>

In 2010, 49.9 million residents or 16.3% of the population did not carry [[health insurance]]. The main cause of this rise is the drop in the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance.<ref name="CBPP">{{cite web |url= http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=629 |title=Poverty Remains Higher, and Median Income for Non-Elderly Is Lower, Than When Recession Hit Bottom: Poor Performance Unprecedented for Four-Year Recovery Period |publisher=Center for Budget and Policy Priorities |date= September 1, 2006 |accessdate= June 24, 2007}}</ref> 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 |year= 2006 |volume=63|issue=6|pages=663–700 |doi=10.1177/1077558706293634 |pmid=17099121 |month=December |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> In 2007, 62.1% of filers for [[bankruptcy]] blamed medical expenses. About 25% of all [[senior citizen]]s declare bankruptcy because of medical expenses, and 43% are forced to mortgage or sell their primary residence.<ref name=kelley2013>[http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-012-2199-x "Out-of-Pocket Spending in the Last Five Years of Life"] ''Journal of General Internal Medicine'', February 2013, Volume 28, Issue 2, pp 304–309</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>

==Demographics==

{{Main|Demographics of the United States|Americans|List of United States cities by population}}

[[File:Mulberry Street NYC c1900 LOC 3g04637u edit.jpg|thumb|450px|Largest ancestry groups by county, 2000]]

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 aliens]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back808.pdf| author =Camarota, Steven A.; Jensenius, Karen |title= Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population |month=July |year=2008 |publisher= Center for Immigration Studies |accessdate= August 6, 2008}}</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 |month=May |year=2000 |accessdate=December 20, 2007 |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20070604165856/http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html |archivedate=June 4, 2007}}</ref>

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 for over two decades; since 1998, [[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> 9 million Americans identify as [[homosexual]], [[bisexual]] or [[transgender]], making up less than four percent of the population.<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 |work= ABC News |date=April 8, 2011 |author=Donaldson James, Susan}}</ref> A 2010 survey found that seven percent of men and eight percent of women identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual.<ref>[http://www.nationalsexstudy.indiana.edu/ National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior]. Retrieved January 6, 2013.</ref>

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|month=June|year=2004|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> [[White American]]s are the largest [[race (classification of humans)|racial group]]; [[German American]]s, [[Irish American]]s, and [[English American]]s constitute three of the country's four largest ancestry groups.<ref name="An2000"/> [[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"/>

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"/>

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"/> Much of this growth is from immigration; in 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was 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>

[[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"/>

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 (GCT-P1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000)| publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | date =April 1, 2000| accessdate = September 23, 2008}}</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/>

===Language===

{{Main|Languages of the United States}}

{{See also|Language Spoken at Home|List of endangered languages in the United States}}

[[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>

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}}</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.

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; [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico and is more widely spoken than English there.

===Religion===

{{Update|inaccurate=yes|section|talksection=/Archive 45#The religion section is outdated|date=March 2013}}

{{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}}

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 2002 study, 59% 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://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167|title=Among Wealthy Nations...U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion| publisher=Pew Research Center|work=Pew Global Attitudes Project|date=December 19, 2002|accessdate=October 23, 2008}}</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">[http://www.gallup.com/poll/125999/mississippians-go-church-most-vermonters-least.aspx Mississippians Go to Church the Most; Vermonters, Least<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adults identified themselves as [[Christianity in the United States|Christian]],<ref name="Pew">{{cite web|url=http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf|title=Religious Composition of the U.S.| publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|work=U.S. Religious Landscape Survey|year=2007|accessdate=October 23, 2008}}</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 51.3%, while [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]], at 23.9%, was the largest individual denomination.<ref name="Pew"/> The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2007 was 4.7%, up from 3.3% in 1990.<ref name="ARIS"/> 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 16.1% 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>

[[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. [[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 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.

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"/>

As with other Western countries, the U.S. is becoming less religious. [[Irreligion]] is growing rapidly among Americans under 30.<ref>{{cite web|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}}</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>

===Family structure===

{{Main|Family structure in the United States}}

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=http://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 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 |date= |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 web|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> 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>[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm FASTSTATS – Births and Natality<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The total fertility rate (TFR) was estimated for 2013 at 2.06 births per woman.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html The World Factbook<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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>

[[Same-sex marriage in the United States|Same-sex marriage]] is legally recognized in 13 U.S. states and the [[District of Columbia]].

===Education===

{{Main|Education in the United States}}

{{See also|Educational attainment in the United States|Higher education 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... |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 US spends more on education per student than any nation in the world.<ref name="education spending">{{cite web|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>

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 |date= |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 |date= |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=http://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>

==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}}

[[File:EdwardMoran-UnveilingTheStatueofLiberty1886Large.jpg|thumb|The [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[New York City]] is a symbol of both the U.S. and 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 United States has a diverse makeup of nationalities, home to 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.|title=Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity|year=2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&vq=core&source=gbs_navlinks_s|chapter=Chapters 2–4}}</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|month=November|year=2006}}</ref>

American culture is considered the most [[individualism|individualistic]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/|title=Individualism| publisher = Clearly Cultural|accessdate=February 28, 2009}}</ref> The [[American Dream]], or the perception that Americans enjoy high [[social mobility]], plays a key role in attracting immigrants.<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 |month=April |year=2005 |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |archivedate= June 23, 2006}}</ref> Social mobility is actually lower than other high-income countries, with the OECD ranking the U.S. 10th behind France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and the [[Nordic countries]],<ref name="socialmobility"/><ref>Dave Serchuk. [http://www.forbes.com/sites/daveserchuk/2011/12/07/happy-countrysocial-mobility/ Happy Country=Social Mobility?] ''[[Forbes]].'' 12/7/2011</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> This has been partly attributed to the depth of [[Poverty in the United States|American poverty]], which leaves poor children starting especially far behind.<ref name=DeParle>DeParle, Jason (January 4, 2012). [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/us/harder-for-americans-to-rise-from-lower-rungs.html?sq=mobility&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all Harder for Americans to Rise From Lower Rungs]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved September 8, 2013.</ref> Such studies are based on relative comparisons within each nation rather than absolute wealth earned throughout one's life, the U.S. having both a more stretched-out income distribution and a higher [[median household income|median income]] than those nations.<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> While the 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>

==See also==

{{Portal|United States}}

* [[Index of United States-related articles]]

* [[Outline of the United States]]

* [[List of United States cities by population]]

* [[List of metropolitan areas of the United States]]

* [[List of official United States national symbols]]

*{{Wikipedia books link}}

==References==

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*{{cite book |last=Ripper |first=Jason |title=American Stories: To 1877 |year=2008 |ref=2008 |publisher=<br>M.E. Sharpe |page=299 |isbn=9780765629036}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=vX-fYvoAeHwC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]

*{{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]

*{{cite book |last=Schneider |first= Dorothy |last2= Schneider |first2= Carl J. |title=Slavery in America |ref=Schneider |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2007 |page=554 |isbn=9781438108131}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=QlemwRTsY20C&vq=census&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]

*{{cite book |last=Schultz |first=David Andrew |title=Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution |ref=Schultz |year=2009 |publisher=<br>Infobase Publishing |page=904 |isbn=9781438126777}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=f7m713xwK58C&vq=twenty+seven+times&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]

*{{cite book |last=Simonson |first=Peter |title=Refiguring Mass Communication: A History |ref=Simonson |year=2010 |publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|quote=He held high the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the nation's unofficial motto, ''e pluribus unum'', even as he was recoiling from the party system in which he had long participated. |location=Urbana |isbn=9780252077050}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=N6lrAmPlbvIC&pg=PA79&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false Book]

*{{cite book |last=Smith |first= Andrew F. |year=2004 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America'' |ref=Smith2004 |publisher=<br>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=<br>Russell Sage Foundation |isbn=9781610446945 |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=<br>University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=9780806122205 |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=<br>London|publisher=Allen Lane|isbn=978-0-713-99566-4|ref=harv}}

*{{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Alden T. |ref=Vaughan |title=New England Encounters: Indians and Euroamericans Ca. 1600–1850 |publisher=<br>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=<br>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 |last=Zinn |first=Howard |authorlink=Howard Zinn |year=2005 |title=[[A People's History of the United States]] |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0060838655}}

{{refend}}

===Website sources===

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*{{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://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071128083459/http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archivedate=November 28, 2007 |ref=HumanOrigins |title=''Peopling of America''s |publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History |month=June |year=2004 |accessdate=June 19, 2007}}

*{{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= 9780313290183 |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}}