Basketball was invented in Massachusetts by Canadian-born James Naismith. All authoritative calculations of the country's size include only the 50 states and the District of Columbia, not the territories. The Louisiana Purchase of French-claimed territory under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size. A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led Spain to cede it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819. Countries and territories where English is the national language or the native language of the majority. As victory was won in Europe, a 1945 international conference held in San Francisco produced the United Nations Charter, which became active after the war. [95] It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. [57] For elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. [15], The phrase "United States" was originally treated as plurale.g., "the United States are"including in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865. Soul food, developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law". Donnie Yen didn't want to perpetuate "generic"-sounding stereotypes onscreen.. Likewise, nearly all nations host American diplomatic missions. [205] According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adults identified themselves as Christian,[206] down from 86.4% in 1990. Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact. More recent American creations include hip hop and house music. [105][111][114] Consequently, the share of income of the top 1%21.8% of total reported income in 2005has more than doubled since 1980,[115] leaving the United States with the greatest income inequality among developed nations. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and others led a new wave of feminism that sought political, social, and economic equality for women. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway are often named among the most influential writers of the 20th century. After declining sharply during the middle of the 20th century, poverty rates have plateaued since the early 1970s, with 1115% of Americans below the poverty line every year, and 58.5% spending at least one year in poverty between the ages of 25 and 75. [188] Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%. The 2010 midterm elections saw the Republican Party take control of the House and make gains in the Senate, where the Democrats retain the majority. . [197] The metro areas of Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008. Major health care and financial system reforms were enacted two years later. Belly of the Beast Director's Cut is a ground-breaking documentary film that presents the hidden history of the United States and its secret origins of . [211], The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is the highest among OECD nations. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who serve for life. See more Wikipedia articles related to United States. In 2011, a raid by Navy SEALs in Pakistan killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Robert Maginnis & William Ramsey. [78], The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. As of the 2000 census, seven states have the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, has fifty-three. [117] The top 1% pays 27.6% of all federal taxes, while the top 10% pays 54.7%. Director's Cut version released by Fourth Watch Films. Energy consumption per capita is 7.8tons of oil equivalent per year, the 10th highest rate in the world. Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty after a four-year moratorium, there have been more than 1,000 executions. [238], The American fast food industry, the world's largest, pioneered the drive-through format in the 1930s. John Rawls and Robert Nozick led a revival of political philosophy. The southern tip of Florida is tropical, as is Hawaii. [52] Johnson and his successor, Richard Nixon, expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the unsuccessful Vietnam War. Justen Faull and . Many thanks for the torrent. ", http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13618424.700-how-columbus-sickened-the-new-world-why-were-nativeamericans-so-vulnerable-to-the-diseases-european-settlers-brought-with-them.html, http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/lewisclark2/circa1804/heritage/louisianapurchase/louisianapurchase.htm, http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1860a-02.pdf, Toward a social history of the American Civil War: exploratory essays, http://www3.wooster.edu/History/jgates/book-ch3.html, "A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II", http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce3.htm, "The United States and the Founding of the United Nations, August 1941 October 1945", http://web.archive.org/web/20070612221444/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm, "Our Documents Civil Rights Act (1964)", http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=97, "Why the Expansion of the 1990s Lasted So Long", http://iwin.iwd.state.ia.us/iowa/ArticleReader?itemid=00003700&print=1, http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-02-14-eu-survey.htm, http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-republic-or-a-democracy/, http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/what_is_g8.html, "Brotherhood of the Burger Kings: Obama and Cameron Hail 'Stronger than Ever' Special Relationship", http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1390800/Obama-reaffirms-special-relationship-US-historic-speech-MPs.html, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/96-397.pdf, "Australia: Background and U.S. Relations", 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, "New Zealand: Background and Bilateral Relations with the United States", http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32876.pdf, "The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Census Regions, Census Divisions, and Their Constituent States", http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/glossry2.pdf, "Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Learning", http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf, "The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4", http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html, "California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 412.20(6)", http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=ccp&group=00001-01000&file=412.10-412.30, http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/allforms.htm, "Among Wealthy NationsU.S. Adams, J. Q., and Pearlie Strother-Adams (2001). in. Congress. ", "Base Structure Report, Fiscal Year 2008 Baseline", http://www.defense.gov/pubs/BSR_2008_Baseline.pdf, "Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area and by Country (309A)", http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf, "Illusions of Empire: Defining the New American Order", http://people.cas.sc.edu/rosati/ttp.ikenberry.empirereviews.fa.march04.htm, http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people4/CJohnson/cjohnson-con3.html, "The 15 Countries with the Highest Military Expenditure in 2010", http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/resultoutput/15majorspenders, "Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request Overview", http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/FY2012_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf, "Deadly Iraq War Ends with Exit of Last U.S. [111][112] Median household income has increased for all classes since 1980,[113] largely owing to more dual-earner households, the closing of the gender pay gap, and longer work hours, but the growth has been strongly tilted toward the very top. Japan surrendered on September 2, ending the war.[49]. [213], The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. [218] The American Dream, or the incorrect perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a key role in attracting immigrants. [138] Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal. Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. Public opinion on the issue has shifted from general opposition in the 1990s to a statistical deadlock, to a majority in support. American pop stars such as Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna have become global celebrities. However, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Bhutan, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford popularized the assembly line. Before he took office, seven slave states declared their secessionwhich the federal government maintained was illegaland formed the Confederate States of America. Officially the Republic of China, participate as ", *Officially the Republic of China, participate as, BELLY OF THE BEAST: Director's Cut (2020) - The Hidden History of The United States, Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Territorial evolution of the United States, nonvoting representation in the U.S. Congress, many millions of indigenous Americans died, recognized the independence of the United States, personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, diplomatic progress with the Soviet Union, Political ideologies in the United States, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel, inequality-adjusted human development index, Science and technology in the United States, Technological and industrial history of the United States, first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Educational attainment in the United States, one-third of the adult population is obese, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA, PhiladelphiaCamdenWilmington, PANJDEMD MSA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA, List of endangered languages in the United States, Separation of church and state in the United States, List of religious movements that began in the United States.