{{for||US (disambiguation)|USA (disambiguation)|United States (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = United States of America
|common_name = the 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 = <div style="padding-bottom:0.5em;text-align:center;">"[[In God we trust]]"<ref>{{USC|36|302}} ''National motto''</ref><ref>[[#God|Dept. of Treasury, 2011]]</ref></div>
{{collapsible list
 |title = ''{{nobold|Other traditional mottos &nbsp;}} ''
 |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:center;line-height:1.15em;
 |liststyle = text-align:center;white-space:nowrap;
 |{{native phrase|la|"[[E pluribus unum]]"|italics=off}} {{small|(de facto)}}<br>{{small|"Out of many, one"}}
 |{{native phrase|la|"[[Annuit cœptis]]"|italics=off}}<br>{{small|"[[God|He]] has favored our undertakings"}}
 |{{native phrase|la|"[[Novus ordo seclorum]]"|italics=off}}<br>{{small|"New order of the ages"}}
}}
|national_anthem = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"<br /><br /><center>[[File:Star Spangled Banner instrumental.ogg]]</center>
----
<center>'''March:''' "[[The Stars and Stripes Forever]]"<ref name="national march">{{cite web|title=U.S. Code: Title 36, 304|work=United States Code|location=United States|publisher=Cornell Law School|url=http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode36/usc_sec_36_00000304----000-.html|date=August 12, 1998|accessdate=February 15, 2015|quote=The composition by John Philip Sousa entitled 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' is the national march.}}</ref></center><br /><center>[[File:The Stars and Stripes Forever - U.S. Navy Band.ogg]]</center> 
|image_map = United States (orthographic projection).svg
|map_caption = The [[contiguous United States]] plus [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]] in green
|alt_map = Projection of North America with the United States in green
|image_map2 = US insular areas SVG.svg
|alt_map2 = The United States and its [[Territories of the United States|territories]]
|map_caption2 = The United States and its [[Territories of the United States|territories]]
|map_width = 220px
|capital =[[Washington, D.C.]]
|latd=38 |latm=53 |latNS=N |longd=77 |longm=01 |longEW=W
|largest_city =[[New York City]]<br />{{small|{{coord|40|43|N|74|00|W|display=inline}}}}
|official_languages = {{nowrap|None at [[Federal government of the United States|federal level]]       |De facto: [[English]]{{ref label|engoffbox|a|}}}}
|languages_type = [[National language]]
|languages = [[English language|English]]{{ref label|engfactobox|b|}}<!---NOTE: Just English, don't add "American English"--->
|regional_languages     =
 {{unbulleted list
  |[[English language|English]] |[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|[[French language|French]] |[[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] |[[Samoan language|Samoan]] |[[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] |[[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] |[[Alaska Native languages|19 Native Alaskan languages]]}}
|official_religion = [[Freedom of religion in the United States|none]]
|demonym = [[Americans|American]]
|government_type = [[Federalism|Federal]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[Republic|constitutional republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of the United States|President]]
|leader_name1 = {{nowrap|[[Barack Obama]]}}
|leader_title2 = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]
|leader_name2 = {{nowrap|[[Joe Biden]]}}
|leader_title3 = {{nowrap|[[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]}}
|leader_name3 = {{nowrap|[[John Boehner]]}}
|leader_title4 = [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]]
|leader_name4 = [[John Roberts]]
|legislature = [[United States Congress|Congress]]
|upper_house = [[United States Senate|Senate]]
|lower_house = [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
|sovereignty_type = <div style="text-align: left;">[[American Revolution|Independence]] from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]</div>
|established_event1 = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration]]
|established_date1 = July 4, 1776
|established_event2 = [[Articles of Confederation|Confederation]]
|established_date2 = March 1, 1781
|established_event3 = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]]
|established_date3 = September 3, 1783
|established_event4 = {{nowrap|[[United States Constitution|Constitution]]}}
|established_date4 = June 21, 1788
|established_event5 = [[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union|Last state admission]]
|established_date5 = August 21, 1959
|area_rank = 3rd/4th
|area_magnitude = 1 E+12
|area_km2 = 9,826,675
|area_sq_mi = 3,794,100
|percent_water = 6.7
|area_label = Total Area
|area_label2 = Total Land Area
|area_data2 = 9,161,966 km<sup>2</sup> <br /> 3,537,500 sq mi
|area_footnote = <ref name="WF"/>{{ref label|areabox|c|}}
|population_estimate = 320,925,485<ref name="POP">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popclock/ |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |title=U.S. and World Population Clock |accessdate=May 22, 2015}}</ref>
|population_estimate_year = 2015
|population_estimate_rank = 3rd
|population_density_km2 = 35 <!--figures use (population/land area) as of May 2015-->
|population_density_sq_mi = 90.6 <!--figures use (population/land area) as of May 2015-->
|population_density_rank = 180th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2014
|GDP_PPP = {{nowrap|$17.418 trillion<!--end nowrap:-->}}<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 2nd
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $54,596<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 10th
|GDP_nominal = {{nowrap|$17.418 trillion}}<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=33&pr.y=7&sy=2014&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=111&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects|publisher=IMF}}</ref>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 1st
|GDP_nominal_year = 2014
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $54,596<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 10th
|Gini_year = 2013
|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|Gini = 38.0 <!--number only-->
|Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web|title=OECD Income Distribution Database: Gini, poverty, income, Methods and Concepts|url=http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/income-distribution-database.htm|website=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Global inequality: How the U.S. compares|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/19/global-inequality-how-the-u-s-compares/|website=Pew Research}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Income Distribution and Poverty : by country - INEQUALITY|url=http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=46189|website=OECD}}</ref>
|HDI_year = 2013<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
|HDI_change = steady<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|HDI = 0.914 <!--number only-->
|HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-summary-en.pdf |title=2014 Human Development Report Summary |date=2014 |accessdate=July 27, 2014 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme | pages=21–25}}</ref>
|HDI_rank = 5th
|EF_year = 2007
|EF = {{decrease}} 8.0 gha<ref name="EF">{{cite web |url=http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/uploads/Ecological_Footprint_Atlas_2010.pdf |title=Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010 |publisher=Global Footprint Network |accessdate=July 11, 2011}}</ref>
|EF_rank = 6th
|currency = [[{{#property:p38}}]] ($)
|currency_code = USD
|country_code = USA
|utc_offset = −5 to −10
|utc_offset_DST = −4 to −10{{ref label|UTCbox|d|}}
|calling_code = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
|iso3166code = US
|antipodes = [[Indian Ocean]]<br>[[Île Amsterdam]]<br>[[Île Saint-Paul]]<br>[[Kerguelen Islands]]
|date_format = MM/DD/YYYY
|drives_on = right{{ref label|driving|e|}}
|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]]. [[French language|French]] is a ''de facto'' language in the states of [[Maine]] and [[Louisiana]], while [[New Mexico]] state law grants [[Spanish language|Spanish]] a special status.<ref>New Mexico Code 1-16-7 (1981).</ref><ref>New Mexico Code 14-11-13 (2011).</ref><ref name=C&F>{{cite book | last1 = Cobarrubias | first1 = Juan | last2 = Fishman | first2 = Joshua A. | authorlink2 = Joshua Fishman | year = 1983 | title = Progress in Language Planning: International Perspectives | publisher = Walter de Gruyter | page = 195 | isbn = 90-279-3358-8 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=x9KoAkzfVqIC&pg=PA195 | accessdate = December 27, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = García | first = Ofelia | year = 2011 | title = Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | page = 167 | isbn = 1-4443-5978-9 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bW6V__K95ckC&pg=PT167 | accessdate = December 27, 2011}}</ref> |footnote_b = {{note|engfactobox}} English is the ''[[de facto]]'' language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80 percent of Americans aged five and older. 28 states and five territories have made English an official language. Other official languages include [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], [[Samoan language|Samoan]], [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]], [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]].
|footnote_c = {{note|areabox}} Whether the United States or [[China]] is larger has been [[List of countries and dependencies 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|UTCbox}} See [[Time in the United States]] for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
|footnote_e = {{note|driving}} Except the [[United States Virgin Islands]].
}}

The '''United States of America''' ('''USA'''), commonly referred to as the '''United States''' ('''U.S.''') or '''America''', is a [[federal republic]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge, Second Edition: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind |year=2007 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-37659-8 |page=670|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-BIGv9vIoqcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=ISBN9780312376598&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NE24VIzzHImggwT3toCIBA&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Onuf |first=Peter S. |title=The Origins of the Federal Republic: Jurisdictional Controversies in the United States, 1775–1787 |year=1983 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location= Philadelphia |isbn=978-0-8122-1167-2}}</ref> consisting of 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and a [[Washington, D.C.|federal district]]. The [[Contiguous United States|48 contiguous states]] and [[Washington, D.C.]], are in central [[North America]] between [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]]. The state of [[Alaska]] is located in 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 numerous unpopulated [[Territories of the United States|territories]] in the Pacific and the [[Caribbean]]. At 3.80&nbsp;million square miles (9.85&nbsp;million km<sup>2</sup>)<ref name="State and other areas">"[https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/state-area.html State and other areas]", U.S. Census Bureau, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620155719/http://www.govcomm.harris.com/solutions/products/census/maf-tiger.asp MAF/TIGER] database as of August 2010, excluding the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. viewed October 22, 2014.</ref> and with over 320 million people, the United States is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|fourth-largest country by total area]] and [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third most populous]]. It is one of the world's most [[Race and ethnicity in the United States|ethnically diverse]] and [[Multiculturalism|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]] are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwf.org/wildlife.aspx|title=Wildlife Library|publisher=National Wildlife Federation|accessdate= December 23, 2014}}</ref>

[[Settlement of the Americas|Paleo-Indians migrated from Eurasia]] to what is now the U.S. mainland around 15,000 years ago,<ref name=earliest/> with [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]] beginning in the 16th century. The United States emerged from [[Thirteen Colonies|13 British colonies]] located along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Disputes between [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and the colonies led to the [[American Revolution]]. On July 4, 1776, as the colonies were fighting Great Britain in the [[American Revolutionary War]], delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously adopted the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. The war ended in 1783 with [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|recognition of the independence of the United States]] by 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.<br/>{{cite book |author=Bender, Thomas |title=A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=wQHlrIz4gpYC&pg=PA61 |year=2006 |publisher=Hill & Wang |location=New York |page=61 |isbn=978-0-8090-7235-4}}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=4&smtid=1 |title=Overview of the Early National Period  |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2014 |website=Digitial History |publisher=University of Houston |access-date=February 25, 2015}}</ref> The country's [[United States Constitution|constitution]] was adopted on September 17, 1787, and ratified by the states in 1788. The first ten amendments, collectively named the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]], were ratified in 1791 and designed to 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 American Indian tribes]], [[United States territorial acquisitions|acquiring new territories]], and gradually [[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union|admitting new states]], until by 1848 the nation spanned the continent.<ref name="MD2007">{{cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |first2=J. Geoffrey |last2=Golson |title=Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America |series=Turning Points in History Series |url=http://books.google.com/?id=ka6LxulZaEwC&vq=annexation&dq=territorial+expansion+United+States+%22manifest+destiny%22 |year=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-833-0 |page=238}}</ref> During the second half of the 19th century, the [[American Civil War]] ended legal [[slavery in the United States|slavery in the country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967.html|title=The Civil War and emancipation 1861–1865 |work=Africans in America |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation|location=Boston, Massachusetts|year=1999|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012054217/http://pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967.html |archivedate=October 12, 1999 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Jeffrey H. |editor1-last=Wallenfeldt |author=Britannica Educational Publishing |series=America at War |title=The American Civil War and Reconstruction: People, Politics, and Power |url=http://books.google.com/?id=T_0TrXXiDbUC&dq=slavery+%22American+Civil+War%22 |year=2009 |publisher=Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-61530-045-7 |page=264}}</ref> By the end of that century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean,<ref name="AmCentNYT">{{cite book |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, driven in large part by the [[Industrial Revolution]], began to soar.<ref>{{cite web|title=Work in the Late 19th Century|url=http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/riseind/work/|website=Library of Congress|accessdate=January 16, 2015}}</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 to develop nuclear weapons]], the only country to [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|use them]] in [[warfare]], and a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]]. The end of the [[Cold War]] and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991]] left the United States as the world's sole superpower.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Tony Judt|author2=Denis Lacorne|title=With Us Or Against Us: Studies in Global Anti-Americanism|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nVDHAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61|date=June 4, 2005|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4039-8085-4|page=61}}<br />{{cite book|author=Richard J. Samuels|title=Encyclopedia of United States National Security|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=K751AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT666|date=December 21, 2005|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4522-6535-3|page=666}}<br />{{cite book|author=Paul R. Pillar|title=Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_GYklwy6booC&pg=PA57|date=January 1, 2001|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|isbn=0-8157-0004-0|page=57}}<br />{{cite book|author=Gabe T. Wang|title=China and the Taiwan Issue: Impending War at Taiwan Strait|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CbPJ7KZ9FvIC&pg=PA179|date=January 1, 2006|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-3434-2|page=179}}<br />{{cite book|title=Understanding the "Victory Disease," From the Little Bighorn to Mogadishu and Beyond|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qgdmiw4VUHsC&pg=PA1|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-1-4289-1052-2|page=1}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Akis Kalaitzidis|author2=Gregory W. Streich|title=U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tzwYzL9KcwEC&pg=PA313|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38375-5|page=313}}</ref>

The United States is a [[developed country]] and has the world's largest economy by [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|nominal and real GDP]], benefiting from an abundance of [[natural resource]]s and high worker productivity.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500395_162-3228735.html |title=U.S. Workers World's Most Productive |publisher=CBS News |date=February 11, 2009 |accessdate=April 23, 2013}}</ref> While the [[Economy of the United States|U.S. economy]] is considered [[post-industrial society|post-industrial]], the country 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://www.aamfg.org/category/issues/jobs-and-economy/manufacturing-jobs-and-us-economy |publisher= Alliance for American Manufacturing}}</ref> Accounting for 34% of [[List of countries by military expenditures|global military spending]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=476 |title=Trends in world military expenditure, 2013 |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |date=April 2014 |accessdate=April 14, 2014}}</ref> and 23% of world GDP,<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=23&pr.y=9&sy=2014&ey=2014&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C668%2C914%2C672%2C612%2C946%2C614%2C137%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C453%2C960%2C968%2C423%2C922%2C935%2C714%2C128%2C862%2C611%2C135%2C321%2C716%2C243%2C456%2C248%2C722%2C469%2C942%2C253%2C718%2C642%2C724%2C643%2C576%2C939%2C936%2C644%2C961%2C819%2C813%2C172%2C199%2C132%2C733%2C646%2C184%2C648%2C524%2C915%2C361%2C134%2C362%2C652%2C364%2C174%2C732%2C328%2C366%2C258%2C734%2C656%2C144%2C654%2C146%2C336%2C463%2C263%2C528%2C268%2C923%2C532%2C738%2C944%2C578%2C176%2C537%2C534%2C742%2C536%2C866%2C429%2C369%2C433%2C744%2C178%2C186%2C436%2C925%2C136%2C869%2C343%2C746%2C158%2C926%2C439%2C466%2C916%2C112%2C664%2C111%2C826%2C298%2C542%2C927%2C967%2C846%2C443%2C299%2C917%2C582%2C544%2C474%2C941%2C754%2C446%2C698%2C666&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a=|title = World Economic Outlook Database, April 2015|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>  it is the world's foremost economic and [[United States Armed Forces|military]] power, a prominent political and [[Culture of the United States|cultural]] force, and a leader in [[Science and technology in the United States|scientific research and technological innovations]].<ref>[[#Cohen|Cohen, 2004: History and the Hyperpower]]<br />[[#BBC18may|BBC, April 2008: Country Profile: United States of America]]<br />{{cite web|url=http://www.researchtrends.com/issue8-november-2008/geographical-trends-of-research-output/|title=Geographical trends of research output|publisher=Research Trends|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}<br />{{cite web|url=http://www.openaccessweek.org/profiles/blogs/the-top-20-countries-for-scientific-output|title=The top 20 countries for scientific output|publisher=Open Access Week|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}<br />{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/about-us/annual-reports-statistics/annual-report/2012/statistics-trends/granted-patents.html|title=Granted patents|publisher=European Patent Office|accessdate=March 16, 2014}}</ref>

==Etymology==
<!--linked-->
{{See also|Names for United States citizens|Names of the United States}}
In 1507, the [[Germans|German]] [[cartography|cartographer]] [[Martin Waldseemüller]] produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere [[Americas|"America"]] after the Italian explorer and cartographer [[Amerigo Vespucci]] ([[Latin]]: ''Americus Vespucius'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-24-america-turns-500_N.htm?csp=34 |title=Cartographer Put 'America' on the Map 500 years Ago |work=USA Today |location =Washington, D.C. |date=April 24, 2007 |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=November 30, 2008}}</ref> The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" is from a letter dated January 2, 1776, written by [[Stephen Moylan|Stephen Moylan, Esq.]], [[George Washington]]'s [[aide-de-camp]] and Muster-Master General of the [[Continental Army]]. Addressed to [[Joseph Reed (politician)|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 known publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous essay in ''[[The Virginia Gazette]]'' newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776.<ref>{{cite journal|title="To the inhabitants of Virginia," by A PLANTER.'' Dixon and Hunter's. April 6, 1776, Williamsburg, Virginia. Letter is also included in Peter Force's ''American Archives'' |url=http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|issue=1287|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219053616/http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|archivedate=December 19, 2014|volume=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Rusty |last=Carter |url =http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-usa-first-0818-20120818,0,4983868.story |title =You read it here first |newspaper =The Virginia Gazette |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120822051820/http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-usa-first-0818-20120818,0,4983868.story |archivedate=August 22, 2012 |date =August 18, 2012 |deadurl=yes |quote=He did a search of the archives and found the letter on the front page of the April 6, 1776, edition, published by Hunter & Dixon.}}</ref> In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].<ref>DeLear, Byron (August 16, 2012). [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2012/0816/Who-coined-the-name-United-States-of-America-Mystery-gets-new-twist#disqus_thread "Who coined the name 'United States of America'? Mystery gets new twist."] ''Christian Science Monitor'' (Boston, MA).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html |title=Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence |publisher = Princeton University |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040805235246/http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html |archivedate=August 5, 2004 |year =2004 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> In the final [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] version of the Declaration, the title was changed to read, "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America".<!--Do not uppercase "united" here: it is unambiguously lowercased in the Declaration--><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters.html |title=The Charters of Freedom |publisher=National Archives |accessdate=June 20, 2007}}</ref> In 1777 the [[Articles of Confederation]] announced, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'".<ref>{{cite book|author=Mary Mostert|title=The Threat of Anarchy Leads to the Constitution of the United States|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jntSQ-yn66AC&pg=PA18|year=2005|publisher=CTR Publishing, Inc|page=18|isbn=978-0-9753851-4-2}}</ref>

The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms are the "U.S.", the "USA", and "America". Colloquial names are the "U.S. of A." and, internationally, the "States". "[[Columbia (name)|Columbia]]", a name popular in poetry and songs of the late 1700s, derives its origin from [[Christopher Columbus]]; it appears in the name "[[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]]".<ref name="Brokenshire1">{{cite book|author=Doug Brokenshire (Stanford University)|title=Washington State Place Names|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=7XI52I8zI_AC&pg=PA49|year=1996|publisher=Caxton Press|isbn=978-0-87004-562-2|page=49}}</ref> In non-English languages, the name is frequently the translation of either the "United States" or "United States of America", and colloquially as "America". In addition, an abbreviation (e.g. USA) is sometimes used.<ref>For example, the U.S. embassy in Spain calls itself the embassy of the "Estados Unidos", literally the words "states" and "united", and also uses the initials "EE.UU.", the doubled letters implying plural use in Spanish [http://spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov/] Elsewhere on the site "Estados Unidos de América" is used [http://spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov/es/educacion/benjamin_2013.html]</ref>

The phrase "United States" was originally 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. The singular form—e.g., "the United States is"— became popular 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 is more significant than usage; it is a 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>

A citizen of the United States is an "[[Americans|American]]". "United States", "American" and "U.S." refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S.&nbsp;forces"). "[[American (word)|American]]" rarely refers 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>

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States|Timeline of United States history|Economic history of the United States}}
[[File:Indians giving a talk to Bouquet.jpg|thumb|220px|Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764]]

===Native American and European contact===
{{Further|Pre-Columbian era|Colonial history of the United States}}

The first North American settlers [[Settlement of the Americas|migrated]] from [[Siberia]] by way of the [[Beringia|Bering land bridge]] approximately 15,000 or more years ago.<ref name=earliest>{{cite news|title=Who was first? New info on North America's earliest residents|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/12/science/la-sci-sn-paisley-caves-20120712|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|location=Los Angeles County, California|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=July 12, 2012|first=Thomas H.|last=Maugh II|accessdate=February 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128083459/http://anthropology.si.edu/HumanOrigins/faq/americas.htm |archivedate=November 28, 2007 |ref=HumanOrigins |title=What is the earliest evidence of the peopling of North and South America? |publisher=Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History |date=June 2004 |accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Nicolas |last=Kudeba |url=http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/chapter-1-first-big-steppe/ |title=Chapter 1&nbsp;– The First Big Steppe&nbsp;– Aboriginal Canadian History |website=The History of Canada Podcast |date=February 28, 2014 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140301013552/http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/chapter-1-first-big-steppe/ |archivedate=March 1, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Some, such as the [[pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] [[Mississippian culture]], developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. After the [[Spanish conquistadors]] made the first contacts, the [[Demographic history of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|native population declined]] for various reasons, including diseases such as [[smallpox]] and [[measles]],<ref>"''[http://books.google.com/books?id=qubTdDk1H3IC&pg=PA205 The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology]''". Arthur C. Aufderheide, Conrado Rodríguez-Martín, Odin Langsjoen (1998). [[Cambridge University Press]]. p. 205. ISBN 0-521-55203-6</ref><ref>[[#Bianchine|Bianchine, Russo, 1992]] pp. 225–232</ref> 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 European settlers were subject to food shortages, disease and attacks from Native Americans. Native Americans were also often at war with neighboring tribes and allied with Europeans in their colonial wars.<ref>[[#Juergens|Juergens, 2011]], p. 69</ref> At the same time, however, many natives and settlers came to depend on each other. Settlers traded for food and animal pelts, natives for guns, ammunition and other European wares.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 6</ref> Natives taught many settlers where, when and how to cultivate corn, beans and squash. European missionaries and others felt it was important to "civilize" the Indians and urged them to concentrate on farming and ranching rather than depending on hunting and gathering.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref>

===Settlements===
{{further|European colonization of the Americas|Thirteen Colonies}}

After [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]' [[Columbus's first voyage|first voyage]] to the [[New World]] in 1492, other explorers followed with settlement into the Floridas and the American Southwest.<ref name=Taylor_pp33-34>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 33–34</ref><ref name=Taylor_p72_74>[[#Taylor|Taylor]], pp. 72, 74</ref> There were also some [[French colonization of the Americas|French attempts]] to colonize the east coast, and later more successful settlements along the [[Mississippi River]]. Successful [[English overseas possessions|English settlement]] on the eastern coast of North America began with the Virginia Colony in 1607 at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] and the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims']] [[Plymouth Colony]] in 1620. Early experiments in communal living failed until the introduction of private farm holdings.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 29–31</ref> Many settlers were [[English Dissenters|dissenting Christian groups]] who came seeking [[freedom of religion|religious freedom]]. 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>

[[File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg|thumb|left|Signing of the [[Mayflower Compact]], 1620]]
Most settlers in every colony were small farmers, but other industries developed within a few decades as varied as the settlements. [[Cash crops]] included tobacco, rice and wheat. Extraction industries grew up in furs, fishing and lumber. Manufacturers produced rum and ships, and by the late colonial period Americans were producing one-seventh of the world's iron supply.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], chapter 3</ref> Cities eventually dotted the coast to support local economies and serve as trade hubs. English colonists were supplemented by waves of [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]] and other groups. As coastal land grew more expensive freed [[indentured servant]]s pushed further west.<ref>[[#Lemon|Lemon, 1987]]</ref> Slave cultivation of cash crops began with the Spanish in the 1500s, and was adopted by the English, but life expectancy was much higher in North America because of less disease and better food and treatment, leading to a rapid increase in the numbers of slaves.<ref>Clingan, 2000, p. 13</ref><ref>[[#Tadman|Tadman, 2000]], p. 1534</ref><ref>[[#Schneider|Schneider, 2007]], p. 484</ref> Colonial society was largely divided over the religious and moral implications of slavery and colonies passed acts for and against the practice.<ref name=Lien522>[[#Lien|Lien, 1913]], p. 522</ref><ref name=Davis7>[[#Davis96|Davis, 1996]], p. 7</ref> But by the turn of the 18th century, African slaves were replacing indentured servants for cash crop labor, especially in southern regions.<ref name="Quirk2011">[[#Quirk|Quirk, 2011]], p. 195</ref>

With the British colonization of [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]] in 1732, the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] that would become the United States of America were established.<ref name="BilhartzElliott2007">{{cite book |author1=Bilhartz, Terry D. |author2=Elliott, Alan C. |title=Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=J65Z_Ura2EIC&pg=PA7 |year=2007|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-1817-7}}</ref> All had local governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient [[rights of Englishmen]] and a sense of self-government stimulating support for republicanism.<ref name="Wood1998">{{cite book |author=Wood, Gordon S. |title=The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kdDRJLxBhl4C&pg=PA263 |year=1998|publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-0-8078-4723-7|page=263}}</ref> With extremely high birth rates, low death rates, and steady settlement, the colonial population grew rapidly. Relatively small Native American populations were eclipsed.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 38–39</ref> The [[Christian revival]]ist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the [[First Great Awakening|Great Awakening]] fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty.<ref>Foner, Eric. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YhHcaweX2tIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=story+of+American+freedom&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iJ6ZVNDOGMjeggStroKQDA&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=story%20of%20American%20freedom&f=false The Story of American Freedom], 1998 ISBN 0-393-04665-6 p.4-5.</ref>

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 in the 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oll.libertyfund.org/pages/1763-otis-rights-of-british-colonies-asserted-pamphlet|title=The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved |publisher=Online Library of Liberty|author=Otis, James|year=1763|accessdate=January 10, 2015 |language=}}</ref>

===Independence and expansion===
{{further|American Revolutionary War|United States Declaration of Independence|American Revolution}}
[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'': the [[Committee of Five]] presenting their draft to the [[Second Continental Congress]] in 1776]]

The American Revolutionary War was the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Americans had developed an ideology of [[Republicanism in the United States|"republicanism"]] asserting that government rested on the will of the people as expressed in their local legislatures. They demanded their [[Rights of Englishmen|
rights as Englishmen]], "no taxation without representation". The British insisted on administering the empire through Parliament, and [[American Revolution|the conflict]] escalated into war.<ref name="Humphrey2003">{{cite book |author=Humphrey, Carol Sue |title=The Revolutionary Era: Primary Documents on Events from 1776 To 1800 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=19NWMZ6Ec_sC&pg=PA8 |year=2003|publisher=Greenwood Publishing |isbn=978-0-313-32083-5|pages=8–10}}</ref> Following the passage of the [[Lee Resolution]], on July 2, 1776, which was the actual vote for independence, the Congress adopted the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], on July 4, which proclaimed, in a long preamble, that humanity is created equal in their unalienable rights and that those rights were not being protected by Great Britain, and finally declared, in the words of the resolution, that the [[Thirteen Colonies]] were independent states and had no allegiance to the British crown in the United States. The fourth day of July is celebrated annually as [[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>

Britain recognized the independence of the United States following their defeat at [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]].<ref>Greene and Pole, ''A Companion to the American Revolution'' p 357. Jonathan R. Dull, ''A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution'' (1987) p. 161. Lawrence S. Kaplan, "The Treaty of Paris, 1783: A Historiographical Challenge", ''International History Review,'' Sept 1983, Vol. 5 Issue 3, pp 431–442</ref> In the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|peace treaty of 1783]], American sovereignty was recognized from the Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River. Nationalists led the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Philadelphia Convention]] of 1787 in writing the [[United States Constitution]], [[Ratification of the United States Constitution|ratified]] in state conventions in 1788. The federal government was reorganized into three branches, on the principle of creating salutary checks and balances, in 1789. George Washington, who had led the revolutionary army to victory, was the first [[President of the United States|president]] elected under the new constitution. The [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]], forbidding federal restriction of [[Natural and legal 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>

Although the federal government criminalized the international slave trade in 1808, after 1820 cultivation of the highly profitable cotton crop exploded in the [[Deep South]], and along with it the slave population.<ref name="Cogliano2008">{{cite book |author=Cogliano, Francis D. |title=Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1f-wAfE0mpsC&pg=PA219 |year=2008 |publisher=University of Virginia Press|isbn=978-0-8139-2733-6|page=219}}</ref><ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 43</ref><ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], pp. 27,29</ref> The [[Second Great Awakening]], beginning about 1800, converted millions to [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] Protestantism. In the North it energized multiple social reform movements, including [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism]];<ref name="Clark2012iu">{{cite book |author=Clark, Mary Ann |title=Then We'll Sing a New Song: African Influences on America's Religious Landscape |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3Tl3vqx-BX0C&pg=PT47 |date=May 2012|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-0881-0|page=47}}</ref> in the South, Methodists and Baptists proselytized among slave populations.<ref>Heinemann, Ronald L., et al., Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: a history of Virginia 1607-2007, 2007 ISBN 978-0-8139-2609-4, p.197</ref>

Americans' eagerness to [[United States territorial acquisitions|expand westward]] prompted a long series of [[American Indian Wars]].<ref name="BillingtonRidge2001j">{{cite book|author1=Billington, Ray Allen |author2=Ridge, Martin |author-link2= Martin Ridge (historian) |title=Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YoV-k7VcyZ0C&pg=PA22 |year=2001 |publisher=UNM Press |isbn=978-0-8263-1981-4 |page=22}}</ref> The [[Louisiana Purchase]] of French-claimed territory in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |publisher=National Park Services |url=http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf |accessdate=March 1, 2011}}</ref> The [[War of 1812]], declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened U.S. nationalism.<ref name="Wait1999">{{cite book |author=Wait, Eugene M. |title=America and the War of 1812 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&pg=PA78 |year=1999 |publisher=Nova Publishers |isbn=978-1-56072-644-9|page=78}}</ref> A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain to cede]] it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819.<ref name="KloseJones1994">{{cite book |author1= Klose, Nelson |author2=Jones, Robert F. |title=United States History to 1877 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r4pXwnFs2HMC&pg=PA150 |year=1994|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-8120-1834-9|page=150}}</ref> Expansion was aided by [[Steam engine|steam power]], when [[steamboats]] began traveling along America's large water systems, which were connected by new [[canal]]s, such as the [[Erie Canal|Erie]] and the [[Illinois and Michigan Canal|I&M]]; then, even faster railroads began their stretch across the nation's land.<ref>Winchester, pp. 198, 216, 251, 253</ref>

[[File:U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png|thumb|300px|[[United States territorial acquisitions|U.S. territorial acquisitions]]{{endash}}portions of each territory were granted statehood since the 18th century.]]
From 1820 to 1850, [[Jacksonian democracy]] began a set of reforms which included wider male suffrage; it led to the rise of the [[Second Party System]] of Democrats and Whigs as the dominant parties from 1828 to 1854. The [[Trail of Tears]] in the 1830s exemplified the Indian removal policy that moved Indians into the west to their own reservations. The U.S. annexed the [[Republic of Texas]] in 1845 during a period of expansionist [[Manifest destiny]].<ref name="Morrison1999">{{cite book |author=Morrison, Michael A. |title=Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YTaxzMlkVEMC&pg=PA13 |year=1999|publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]] |isbn=978-0-8078-4796-1|pages=13–21}}</ref> The 1846 [[Oregon Treaty]] with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day [[Northwestern United States|American Northwest]].<ref name="Kemp2010">{{cite book |author=Kemp, Roger L. |title=Documents of American Democracy: A Collection of Essential Works |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA180 |year=2010 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|isbn=978-0-7864-4210-2|page=180}}</ref> Victory in the [[Mexican–American War]] resulted in the 1848 [[Mexican Cession]] of California and much of the present-day American Southwest.<ref name="McIlwraithMuller2001">{{cite book |author1=McIlwraith, Thomas F. |author2=Muller, Edward K. |title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8NS0OTXRlTMC&pg=PA61 |year=2001|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-0-7425-0019-8|page=61}}</ref>

The [[California Gold Rush]] of 1848–49 spurred western migration and the creation of additional western states.<ref name="Rawls1999">{{cite book |author=Rawls, James J. |title=A Golden State: Mining and Economic Development in Gold Rush California |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UPUsIaHZTm0C&pg=PA20 |year=1999|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21771-3|page=20}}</ref> After the [[American Civil War]], new transcontinental [[Rail transportation in the United States#History|railways]] made relocation easier for settlers, expanded internal trade and increased conflicts with Native Americans.<ref name="Black2011kj">{{cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |authorlink=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519–1871 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EIst_CSWOqIC&pg=PA275 |year=2011|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|isbn=978-0-253-35660-4|page=275}}</ref> Over a half-century, the loss of the buffalo was an existential blow to many [[Plains Indians]] cultures.<ref name="Wishart2004">{{cite book|author=Wishart, David J. |title=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rtRFyFO4hpEC&pg=PA37 |year=2004|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|isbn=978-0-8032-4787-1|page=37}}</ref> In 1869, a new [[Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant#Indian affairs and human rights|Peace Policy]] sought to protect Native-Americans from abuses, avoid further warfare, and secure their eventual U.S. citizenship.<ref name=Smith_pp525-526>Smith (2001), ''Grant'', pp. 523–526</ref>

===Civil War and Reconstruction Era===
{{further|American Civil War|Reconstruction Era}}
[[File:Thure de Thulstrup - L. Prang and Co. - Battle of Gettysburg - Restoration by Adam Cuerden.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Gettysburg]], [[Pennsylvania]] during the Civil War by [[Thure de Thulstrup]]]]

[[Origins of the American Civil War|Differences of opinion and social order]] between northern and southern states in early United States society, particularly regarding [[Slavery in the United States|Black slavery]], ultimately led the USA into the American Civil War.<ref name="Murray2004kjh">{{cite book|author=Stuart Murray|title=Atlas of American Military History|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_sy7mmmxQC&pg=PA76|year=2004|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-3025-5|page=76}}</ref> Initially, states entering the Union alternated between [[slave and free states]], keeping a sectional balance in the Senate, while free states outstripped slave states in population and in the House of Representatives. But with additional western territory and more free-soil states, tensions between slave and free states mounted with arguments over federalism and disposition of the territories, whether and how to expand or restrict slavery.<ref name="O'Brien2002qs">{{cite book|author=Patrick Karl O'Brien|title=Atlas of World History|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ffZy5tDjaUkC&pg=PA184|year= 2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-521921-0|page=184}}</ref>

With the 1860 election of [[Abraham Lincoln]], the first president from the largely anti-slavery [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], conventions in thirteen states ultimately declared secession and formed the [[Confederate States of America]], while the U.S. federal government maintained that secession was illegal.<ref name="O'Brien2002qs"/> The ensuing war was at first for Union, then after 1863 as casualties mounted and Lincoln delivered his [[Emancipation Proclamation]], a second war aim became abolition of slavery. The war remains the deadliest military conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of approximately 618,000 soldiers as well as many civilians.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vinovskis|first=Maris|date=1990|title=Toward A Social History of the American Civil War: Exploratory Essays|page=4|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge; New York|isbn=0-521-39559-3}}</ref>

Following the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] victory in 1865, [[Reconstruction Amendments|three amendments]] to the U.S. Constitution brought about the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|prohibition of slavery]], gave [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|U.S. citizenship]] to 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> and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|promised them voting rights]]. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in [[Federalism in the United States|federal power]]<ref>De Rosa, Marshall L. (1997). ''The Politics of Dissolution: The Quest for a National Identity and the American Civil War''. Edison, NJ: Transaction. p. 266. ISBN 1-56000-349-9.</ref> aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves.<ref name="Tarr2009">{{cite book|author=G. Alan Tarr|title=Judicial Process and Judicial Policymaking|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8Q6Gh5_OQgQC&pg=PA30|year=2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-495-56736-3|page=30}}</ref> But following the [[Reconstruction Era]], throughout the South [[Jim Crow laws]] soon effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] most blacks and some poor whites. Over the subsequent decades, in both the North and the South blacks and some whites faced systemic discrimination, including [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] and occasional [[Lynching in the United States|vigilante violence]], sparking [[Anti-lynching movement|national movements]] against these abuses.<ref name="Tarr2009"/>

===Industrialization===
{{Main|Economic history of the United States}}
{{further|Labor history of the United States}}
[[Image:Ellis island 1902.jpg|thumb|[[Ellis Island]], in [[New York City]], was a major gateway for the influx of [[immigration]]]]
In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented [[Immigration to the United States#History|influx of immigrants]] from Southern and Eastern Europe supplied a surplus of labor for the country's industrialization and transformed its culture.<ref name="Powell2009qwet">{{cite book|author=John Powell|title=Encyclopedia of North American Immigration|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VNCX6UsdZYkC&pg=PA74|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1012-7|page=74}}</ref> National infrastructure including [[First Transcontinental Telegraph|telegraph]] and [[First Transcontinental Railroad|transcontinental railroads]] spurred economic growth and greater settlement and development of the [[American frontier|American Old West]]. The later invention of [[Incandescent light bulb|electric light]] and the [[telephone]] would also impact communication and urban life.<ref>Winchester, pp. 351, 385</ref> The end of the [[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]] further expanded acreage under mechanical cultivation, increasing surpluses for international markets.<ref>{{cite web|title=Toward a Market Economy|url=http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/history/us-history-i/economic-growth-and-development-18151860/toward-a-market-economy|website=[[CliffsNotes]]|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> Mainland expansion was completed by the [[Alaska Purchase|purchase of Alaska]] from [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1867.<ref>{{cite web|title=Purchase of Alaska, 1867|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/alaska-purchase|publisher=U.S. Department of State|website=Office of the Historian|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> In 1898 the U.S. entered the world stage with important sugar production and strategic facilities acquired in [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Huntrods|first1=Diane|title=Sugarcane Profile|url=http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/grains__oilseeds/sugarcane-profile/|publisher=Iowa State University|website=Agricultural Marketing Resource Center|accessdate=December 23, 2014}}</ref> [[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], and the [[Philippines]] were ceded by Spain in the same year, following the [[Spanish–American War]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Spanish-American War, 1898|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/spanish-american-war|publisher=U.S. Department of State|website=Office of the Historian|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref>

[[Gilded Age|Rapid economic development]] at the end of the 19th century produced many prominent industrialists, and the U.S. economy became the world's largest.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kirkland|first1=Edward|title=Industry Comes of Age: Business, Labor, and Public Policy|pages=400–405|edition=1961}}</ref> Dramatic changes were accompanied by social unrest and the rise of [[People's Party (United States)|populist]], [[History of the socialist movement in the United States|socialist]], and [[Anarchism in the United States|anarchist]] movements.<ref>[[#Zinn|Zinn, 2005]]</ref> This period eventually ended with the advent of the [[Progressive Era]], which saw significant reforms in many societal areas, including [[women's suffrage]], [[Prohibition in the United States|alcohol prohibition]], regulation of consumer goods, greater [[United States antitrust law|antitrust measures]] to ensure competition and attention to worker conditions.

===World War I, Great Depression, and World War II===
{{further|World War I|Great Depression|World War II}}
[[File:Approaching Omaha.jpg|thumb|U.S. troops approaching [[Omaha Beach]] during World War II]]
The United States remained neutral at the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914, though by 1917, it joined the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], helping to turn the tide against the [[Central Powers]]. In 1919, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] took a leading diplomatic role at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] and advocated strongly for the U.S. to join the [[League of Nations]]. However, the Senate refused to approve this, and did not ratify the [[Treaty of Versailles]] that established the League of Nations.<ref name="autogenerated418">McDuffie, Jerome; Piggrem, Gary Wayne; Woodworth, Steven E. (2005). ''U.S. History Super Review''. Piscataway, NJ: Research & Education Association. p. 418. ISBN 0-7386-0070-9.</ref>

In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|constitutional amendment]] granting [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref name="voris">{{cite book |last1=Voris |first1=Jacqueline Van |title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Public Life |series=Women and Peace Series |year=1996 |publisher=Feminist Press at CUNY |location=New York City |isbn=1-55861-139-8 |page=vii|quote=Carrie Chapmann Catt led an army of voteless women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote and convinced state legislatures to ratify it in 1920.&nbsp;... Catt was one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century and was on all lists of famous American women.}}</ref> The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of [[radio]] for [[mass communication]] and the invention of early [[television]].<ref>Winchester pp. 410–411</ref> The prosperity of the [[Roaring Twenties]] ended with the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] and the onset of the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]. After his election as president in 1932, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] responded with the [[New Deal]], which included the establishment of the [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] system.<ref>{{cite book |title=Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need |first1=June |last1=Axinn |first2=Mark J. |last2=Stern |isbn=978-0-205-52215-6 |edition=7th |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |location=Boston |year=2007}}</ref> The [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] of millions of African Americans out of the American South began around WWI and extended through the 1960s;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lemann |first=Nicholas |title=The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America |page = 6 |year=1991 |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=0-394-56004-3 }}</ref> whereas the [[Dust Bowl]] of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.<ref>{{cite book|author=James Noble Gregory|title=American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qNdtGwnXYrIC|year=1991|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507136-8}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/dustbowl-mass-exodus-plains/ |title=Mass Exodus From the Plains |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2013 |website=American Experience |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation |accessdate=October 5, 2014}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html |title=The Migrant Experience |last1=Fanslow |first1=Robin A. |date=April 6, 1998 |website=American Folklore Center |publisher=Library of Congress |accessdate=October 5, 2014}}<br />{{cite book|author=Walter J. Stein|title=California and the Dust Bowl Migration|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hGuGAAAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-8371-6267-6}}</ref>

The United States was at first effectively neutral during [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]]'s early stages but began supplying material to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in March 1941 through the [[Lend-Lease]] program. On December 7, 1941, the [[Empire of Japan]] launched a surprise [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], prompting the United States to join the Allies against the [[Axis powers]].<ref name="Pearl Harbor">{{cite web|last1=Yamasaki|first1=Mitch|title=Pearl Harbor and America's Entry into World War II: A Documentary History|url=http://www.hawaiiinternment.org/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf|website=http://www.hawaiiinternment.org/|publisher=World War II Internment in Hawaii|accessdate=January 14, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213122046/http://www.hawaiiinternment.org/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf|archivedate=April 2, 2015}}</ref> Though the nation lost more than 400,000 soldiers,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf |title=American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics |publisher=Congressional Research Service |last=Leland |first=Anne |last2=Oboroceanu |first2=Mari–Jana |date=February 26, 2010 |accessdate=February 18, 2011}} p. 2.</ref> it emerged [[World War II casualties#Human losses by country|relatively undamaged]] from the war with even greater economic and military influence.<ref>Kennedy, Paul (1989). ''The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers''. New York: Vintage. p. 358. ISBN 0-679-72019-7. Indeed, World War II ushered in the zenith of U.S. power in what came to be called the [[American Century]], as {{Harvnb|Leffler|2010|p=67}}, indicates: "Truman presided over the greatest military and economic power the world had ever known. War production had lifted the United States out of the Great Depression and had inaugurated an era of unimagined prosperity. Gross national product increased by 60 percent during the war, total earnings by 50 percent. Despite social unrest, labor agitation, racial conflict, and teenage vandalism, Americans had more discretionary income than ever before. Simultaneously, the U.S. government had built up the greatest war machine in human history. By the end of 1942, the United States was producing more arms than all the Axis states combined, and, in 1943, it made almost three times more armaments than did the Soviet Union. In 1945, the United States had two-thirds of the world's gold reserves, three-fourths of its invested capital, half of its shipping vessels, and half of its manufacturing capacity. Its GNP was three times that of the Soviet Union and more than five times that of Britain. It was also nearing completion of the atomic bomb, a technological and production feat of huge costs and proportions."</ref> Allied conferences at [[Bretton Woods Conference|Bretton Woods]] and [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]] outlined a new system of international organizations that placed the [[United States and the United Nations|United States]] and [[Soviet Union and the United Nations|Soviet Union]] at the center of world affairs. As an [[Victory in Europe Day|Allied victory was won in Europe]], a 1945 [[United Nations Conference on International Organization|international conference]] held in [[San Francisco]] produced the [[United Nations Charter]], which became active after the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612221444/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm |archivedate=June 12, 2007 |title=The United States and the Founding of the United Nations, August 1941&nbsp;– October 1945 |date=October 2005 |accessdate=June 11, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Historian}}</ref> The United States developed the [[Manhattan Project|first nuclear weapons]] and used them on Japan; the Japanese [[Surrender of Japan|surrendered]] on September 2, ending World War II.<ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 4-7700-2887-3.</ref>

===Cold War and civil rights era===
{{Main|History of the United States (1945–64)|History of the United States (1964–80)|History of the United States (1980–91)}}
[[File:Reagan and Gorbachev hold discussions.jpg|thumb|US President [[Ronald Reagan]] (left) and [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet General Secretary]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], meeting [[Geneva Summit (1985)|in Geneva]] in 1985]]

After World War II the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] jockeyed for power during what is known as the [[Cold War]], driven by an ideological divide between [[capitalism]] and [[communism]].<ref name="WaggAndrews2012">{{cite book|last1=Wagg|first1=Stephen|last2=Andrews|first2=David|title=East Plays West: Sport and the Cold War|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qmjLR5YyUhEC&pg=PR11|date=September 10, 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-24167-5|page=11}}</ref> They dominated the military affairs of [[Europe]], with the U.S. and its [[NATO]] allies on one side and the USSR and its [[Warsaw Pact]] allies on the other. The U.S. developed a policy of "[[containment]]" toward Soviet bloc expansion. While they engaged in [[proxy war]]s and developed powerful nuclear arsenals, the two countries avoided direct military conflict. The U.S. often opposed [[Third World]] left-wing movements that it viewed as Soviet-sponsored. American troops fought communist [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese]] and [[North Korea]]n forces in the [[Korean War]] of 1950–53. The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the [[Sputnik 1|first artificial satellite]] and its 1961 launch of the [[Vostok 1|first manned spaceflight]] initiated a "[[Space Race]]" in which the United States became the first to [[Apollo 11|land a man on the moon]] in 1969.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Collins (astronaut) |title=Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space |location=New York |publisher=Grove Press |year=1988}}</ref> A proxy war was expanded in Southeast Asia with the [[Vietnam War]].{{refn|group=fn|Beginning between 1945, 1954, 1962 (depending on different sources) and ending in the mid-1970s. Several start dates of the war are given by different sources: 1945,<ref>{{cite book|author=Gary Donaldson|title=America at War Since 1945: Politics and Diplomacy in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jOHR0neab58C&pg=PA208|date=January 1, 1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-95660-8|page=208}}</ref> 1954,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/timeline/ |title=Battlefield: Timeline |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Battlefield Vietnam Web Site |publisher=Public Broadcasting Service |accessdate=October 31, 2014}}</ref> 1959,<ref>{{cite book|author=R. J. Rummel|title=Death by Government|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=aYBrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA255|date=January 1, 1997|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-56000-927-6|page=255}}</ref> and 1962;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/vietnam/ |title=Vietnam War 1962–75 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Australian War Memorial |publisher=Government of Australia |accessdate=October 31, 2014}}</ref> the end date is also debated. Major U.S. involvement stopped in 1973,<ref>{{cite news |last=Ip |first=Michael |date=March 29, 2013 |title=Looking Back: The End of the Vietnam War |url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/looking-back-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war/ |newspaper=ABC News |accessdate=October 31, 2014 }}</ref> yet most recognize the end of the Second Indochina War as when the Republic of Vietnam was toppled in 1975.<ref>{{cite book|author=Allan Todd|title=History for the IB Diploma: The Cold War|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=yoapyhfmsHkC&pg=PT172|date=May 19, 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-18932-3|page=172}}</ref>}}

At home, the U.S. experienced [[Post–World War II economic expansion|sustained economic expansion]] and a [[Post–World War II baby boom|rapid growth of its population]] and middle class. Construction of an [[Interstate Highway System]] transformed the nation's infrastructure over the following decades. Millions moved from farms and [[inner city|inner cities]] to large [[suburb]]an housing developments.<ref>Winchester, pp. 305-308</ref><ref name=IntHighways>{{cite web|last1=Blas|first1=Elisheva|title=The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways|url=http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/pdfs/N10_NHD_Blas_Junior.pdf|website=http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/|publisher=Society for History Education|accessdate=January 19, 2015}}</ref> A growing [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)|civil rights movement]] used [[nonviolence]] to confront segregation and discrimination, with [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] becoming a prominent leader and figurehead. A combination of court decisions and legislation, culminating in the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], sought to end racial discrimination.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dallek |first=Robert |year=2004 |title=Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President |page=169 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-515920-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=97 |title=Our Documents&nbsp;– Civil Rights Act (1964) |publisher=United States Department of Justice |accessdate=July 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/Johnson/archives.hom/speeches.hom/651003.asp | title =Remarks at the Signing of the Immigration Bill, Liberty Island, New York |date=October 3, 1965 |accessdate=January 1, 2012}}</ref> Meanwhile, a [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture movement]] grew which was fueled by [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to the Vietnam war]], [[black nationalism]], and the [[sexual revolution]]. The launch of a "[[War on Poverty]]" expanded entitlement and welfare spending.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssa.gov/history/lbjsm.html|title=Social Security|work=ssa.gov}}</ref>

The 1970s and early 1980s saw the onset of [[stagflation]]. After his election in 1980, President [[Ronald Reagan]] responded to economic stagnation with [[Reaganomics|free-market oriented reforms]]. Following the collapse of [[détente]], he abandoned "containment" and initiated the more aggressive "[[rollback]]" strategy towards the USSR.<ref>[[#Soss|Soss, 2010]], p. 277</ref><ref>[[#Fraser|Fraser, 1989]]</ref><ref>[[#Ferguson|Ferguson, 1986]], pp. 43–53</ref><ref>[[#Williams|Williams]], pp. 325–331</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Niskanen |first=William A. |title=Reaganomics: an insider's account of the policies and the people |url=http://books.google.com/?id=zq4rsWNrYo4C&q=Reaganomics&dq=Reaganomics |year=1988 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-505394-4 |page=363}}</ref> After a surge in female labor participation over the previous decade, by 1985 the majority of women aged 16 and over were employed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Women in the Labor Force: A Databook|url=http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2012.pdf|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|accessdate=March 21, 2014|page=11|year=2013}}</ref> The late 1980s brought a "[[Cold War (1985–91)|thaw]]" in relations with the USSR, and [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|its collapse]] in 1991 finally ended the Cold War.<ref>{{cite book |last=Howell |first=Buddy Wayne |title=The Rhetoric of Presidential Summit Diplomacy: Ronald Reagan and the U.S.-Soviet Summits, 1985—1988 |url=http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Rhetoric_of_Presidential_Summit_Dipl.html?id=LctvjhxJ-bsC |year=2006 |publisher=Texas A&M University |isbn=978-0-549-41658-6 |page=352}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kissinger |first=Henry |authorlink=Henry Kissinger |title=Diplomacy |url=http://books.google.com/?id=0IZboamhb5EC&lpg=PA731 |year=2011 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-2631-8 |pages=781–784}}<br />{{cite book |last=Mann |first=James |title=The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War |url=http://books.google.com/?id=BgZyXNIrvB4C&pg=PT12|year=2009 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4406-8639-9 |page=432}}<br /></ref><ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref><ref>[[#ushistory13|US History.org, 2013]]</ref>

===Contemporary history===
{{Main|History of the United States (1991–present)}}
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}}
After the Cold War, the 1990s saw the [[1990s United States boom|longest economic expansion]] in modern U.S. history, ending in 2001.<ref>{{cite news |title=Did Clinton Do It, or Was He Lucky? |author=Dale, Reginald |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/18/business/worldbusiness/18iht-think.2.t_2.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 18, 2000 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Mankiw |first=N. Gregory |title=Macroeconomics |url=http://books.google.com/?id=58KxPNa0hF4C&lpg=PA463 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-324-58999-3 |page=559}}</ref> [[ARPANET|Originating in U.S. defense networks]], the [[Internet]] spread to international academic networks, and then to the public in the 1990s, greatly impacting the global economy, society, and culture.<ref>Winchester, pp. 420-423</ref> On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], [[Al-Qaeda]] terrorists struck the [[World Trade Center]] in New York City and [[the Pentagon]] near Washington, D.C., killing nearly 3,000 people.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=September 9, 2011 |title=Flashback 9/11: As It Happened |url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/1151859712001/flashback-911-as-it-happened/ |accessdate=March 6, 2013 |publisher=Fox News}}<br />{{cite news |title=America remembers Sept. 11 attacks 11 years later |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57510234/america-remembers-sept-11-attacks-11-years-later/ |publisher=CBS News |date=September 11, 2012 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/multimedia.day.html |title=Day of Terror Video Archive |year=2005 |publisher=CNN |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}</ref> In response the United States launched the [[War on Terror]], which includes the ongoing [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]] and the 2003–11 [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The 'War on Terror' Is Critical to President George W. Bush's Legacy |author=Walsh, Kenneth T. |url=http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/09/the-war-on-terror-is-critical-to-president-george-w-bushs-legacy |newspaper=U.S. News & World Report |date=December 9, 2008 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |title=The 9/11 Encyclopedia: Second Edition |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PDDIgWRN_HQC&pg=PA210 |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-921-9 |page=872}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Overview: The Iraq War |last=Wong |first=Edward |url=http://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 15, 2008 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=James Turner |title=The War to Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict |url=http://books.google.com/?id=SF7U27JsLC4C&dq=iraq+invasion+removes+hussein |year=2005 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-4956-2 |page=159}}<br />{{cite news |title=Timeline: Key moments in the Iraq War |author=Durando, Jessica |author2=Green, Shannon Rae |agency=Associated Press |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |newspaper=USA Today |date=December 21, 2011 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}</ref>

Beginning in 1994, the U.S. participates in the world's largest trade bloc in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), linking 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services. The goal of the agreement among the U.S., Canada and Mexico was met to eliminate trade and investment barriers among them by January 1, 2008; trade among the partners has soared since the agreement went into force.<ref>[http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta "North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)"] Office of the United States Trade Representative. Retrieved January 11, 2015.<br />{{cite book|author1=Thakur|author2=Manab Thakur Gene E Burton B N Srivastava|title=International Management: Concepts and Cases|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=J2SbAuVzHBMC&pg=PA334|year=1997|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=978-0-07-463395-3|pages=334–335}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Akis Kalaitzidis|author2=Gregory W. Streich|title=U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=c9rhlt2Ke3gC&pg=PA201|date=September 13, 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38376-2|page=201}}</ref>

[[Barack Obama]], the first [[African American]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/barack-obama-elected-as-americas-first-black-president |title=Barack Obama elected as America's first black president |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=History.com |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC |accessdate=October 7, 2014}}<br />{{cite book|author=Dorothy Littlejohn Guthrie|title=Integrating African American Literature in the Library and Classroom|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=lvHPrQcgShUC&pg=PA191|date=September 30, 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-751-2|page=191}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Gregory Parks|author2=Matthew Hughey|title=The Obamas and a (Post) Racial America?|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=lT-z3keUqMMC&pg=PA167|date=January 4, 2011|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-978129-4|page=167}}</ref> and [[Multiracial American|multiracial]]<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 12, 2008 |title=Barack Obama: Face Of New Multiracial Movement? |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96916824 |newspaper=NPR |accessdate=October 4, 2014 }}<br />{{cite book|author=Eric J. Bailey|title=The New Face of America: How the Emerging Multiracial, Multiethnic Majority is Changing the United States: How the Emerging Multiracial, Multiethnic Majority Is Changing the United States|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YZNgAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA6|date=May 9, 2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38570-4|page=6 |quote=This new cultural trend of acknowledging and recognizing one's multiracial heritage was also influenced, of course, by the United States' election of its first multiracial president&nbsp;— Barack Obama. }}<br />{{cite book|author1=Miguel E. Gallardo|author2=Brian W. McNeill|title=Intersections of Multiple Identities: A Casebook of Evidence-Based Practices with Diverse Populations|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XbTk-baKbjIC&pg=PR27|date=February 11, 2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-135-59467-1|page=XXVII |quote=As demonstrated by the constantly changing demographics of our multiracial society, and most prominently by Barack Obama, the first multiracial President of the United States, it is no longer enough to simply understand diverse groups of individuals as identifying only with a single ethnic or cultural background }}<br />{{cite book|author1=Jose Ashford|author2=Craig LeCroy|title=Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Multidimensional Perspective|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=R8-HitN5Jp0C&pg=PA174|date=June 26, 2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=0-495-60169-1|page=174 |quote=This is in part related to the growing presence of prominent multiracial Americans in media, including golf phenomenon Tiger Woods, Academy Award-winning actress Halle Barry, and more recently, and significantly, President Barack Obama.}}</ref> president, was elected in 2008 amid the [[Great Recession]],<ref>{{cite news |title=African-American Economic Gains Reversed By Great Recession |agency=Associated Press |author=Washington, Jesse |author2=Rugaber, Chris |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/10/black-recession-economy-african-americans_n_894046.html |newspaper=Huffington Post |date=September 9, 2011 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite news |title=Obama rides economy to White House |author=Hargreaves, Steve |url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/11/04/news/economy/election_polls/index.htm |publisher=CNN |date=November 5, 2008 |accessdate=March 7, 2013}}<br />{{cite AV media |year=2010 |title=One Year In, a Closer Look at the Obama Presidency |url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june10/obama_01-19.html |accessdate=March 7, 2012 |publisher=MacNeil/Lehrer Production}}</ref> which began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.<ref>[http://www.nber.org/cycles.html US Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions], NBER, accessed January 11, 2015.</ref>

==Geography, climate, and environment==
{{Main|Geography of the United States|Climate of the United States|Environment of the United States}}
[[File:USA-satellite.jpg|right|thumb|A composite satellite image of the contiguous United States and surrounding areas]]
The land area of the [[contiguous United States]] is {{convert|2959064|sqmi|Mm2|1}}. Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at {{convert|663268|sqmi|Mm2|1}}. Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], southwest of North America, is {{convert|10931|sqmi|km2|0}} in area.<ref name="Land Area of US and states">{{cite web|title=2010 Census Area|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|website=http://www.census.gov/|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|page=41|accessdate=January 18, 2015}}</ref>

The United States is the world's third or fourth [[List of countries and dependencies 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|Mm2|1}}<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|Mm2|1}}<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|Mm2|1}}.<ref name="WF">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html |title=United States |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|work=The World Factbook |date=June 20, 2014 |accessdate=January 20, 2015}} (area given in square kilometers)</ref> to 3,805,927 square miles (9.9&nbsp;Mm<sup>2</sup>).<ref name="State and other areas"/> Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.<ref name="CIA Factbook Area">{{cite web|title=Area|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html|website=The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref>

The coastal plain of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] seaboard gives way further inland to [[deciduous]] forests and the rolling hills of the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Geographic Regions of Georgia|url=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/geography/article/geographic-regions-of-georgia|website=Georgia Info|publisher=Digital Library of Georgia|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The [[Appalachian Mountains]] divide the eastern seaboard from the [[Great Lakes]] and the grasslands of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].<ref name="NAU">{{cite web|last=Lew|first=Alan|title=PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE US|url=http://www.geog.nau.edu/courses/alew/gsp220/text/chapters/ch2.html|website=GSP 220 - Geography of the United States|publisher=North Arizona University|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="NAU"/>

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 (4.3&nbsp;km) in [[Colorado]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Harms|first=Nicole|title=Facts About the Rocky Mountain Range|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/rocky-mountain-range-11967.html|website=Travel Tips|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> Farther west are the rocky [[Great Basin]] and deserts such as the [[Chihuahuan Desert|Chihuahua]] and [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Great Basin|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242919/Great-Basin|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> 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|km}}. The [[Extreme points of the United States|lowest and highest points]] in the [[Contiguous United States|continental]] United States are in the state of [[California]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Whitney, California|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2829|publisher=Peakbagger|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> and only about {{convert|84|mi|km}} apart.<ref>{{cite web|title=Find Distance and Azimuths Between 2 Sets of Coordinates (Badwater 36-15-01-N, 116-49-33-W and Mount Whitney 36-34-43-N, 118-17-31-W)|url=http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/distance?dlat=36&mlat=15&slat=01&ns=1&dlon=116&mlon=49&slon=33&ew=1&dlat2=36&mlat2=34&slat2=43&sn=1&dlon2=118&mlon2=17&slon2=31&we=1&iselec=1|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> At 20,320&nbsp;feet (6.2&nbsp;km), Alaska's [[Mount McKinley]] is the tallest peak in the country and in North America.<ref>{{cite web|last=Poppick|first=Laura|title=US Tallest Mountain's Surprising Location Explained|url=http://www.livescience.com/39245-us-tallest-mountain-location-explained.html|publisher=LiveScience|accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref> 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 climate|humid continental]] in the north to [[humid subtropical climate|humid subtropical]] in the south.<ref>{{cite web|last=Boyden|first=Jennifer|title=Climate Regions of the United States|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-regions-united-states-21570.html|website=Travel Tips|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The southern tip of [[Florida]] is tropical, as is Hawaii.<ref>{{cite web|title=Köppen Classification Map, clearly showing South Florida has a tropical climate|url=http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A4.pdf|accessdate=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains have an [[alpine climate]]. 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 [[Tornado Alley]] areas in the Midwest and South.<ref>{{cite news |author=Perkins, Sid |url=http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701131631/http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp |archivedate=July 1, 2007 |title=Tornado Alley, USA |accessdate=September 20, 2006 |date=May 11, 2002 |work=Science News}}</ref>

===Wildlife===
{{main|Fauna of the United States|Flora of the United States}}
[[File:Bald Eagle Portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[bald eagle]] has been the national bird of the United States since 1782.]]
The U.S. ecology is [[megadiverse countries|megadiverse]]: about 17,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of [[flowering plant]]s are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web |author=Morin, Nancy |url=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 428 mammal species, 784 bird species, 311 reptile species, and 295 amphibian species.<ref name="Current Results # of native species in the US">{{cite web|last1=Osborn|first1=Liz|title=Number of Native Species in United States|url=http://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-of-native-species-in-united-states.php|publisher=Current Results Nexus|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref> About 91,000 insect species have been described.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm |title=Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals) |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=January 20, 2009}}</ref> The [[bald eagle]] is both the [[List of national birds|national bird]] and [[List of national animals|national animal]] of the United States, and is an enduring symbol of the country itself.<ref name=j23>{{Cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=E.A. |year=1990 |title=Symbol of a Nation: The Bald Eagle in American Culture |journal=The Journal of American Culture |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=63–69|doi=10.1111/j.1542-734X.1990.1301_63.x }}</ref>

There are 58 [[List of areas in the United States National Park System|national parks]] and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and [[wilderness]] areas.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=639 |title=National Park Service Announces Addition of Two New Units |publisher=National Park Service |date=February 28, 2006 |accessdate=June 13, 2006}}</ref> Altogether, the government owns about 28% of the country's land area.<ref name="NYTimes Federal Land">{{cite news|last1=Lipton|first1=Eric|last2=Krauss|first2=Clifford|title=Giving Reins to the States Over Drilling|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/romney-would-give-reins-to-states-on-drilling-on-federal-lands.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0|accessdate=January 18, 2015|publisher=New York Times|date=August 23, 2012}}</ref> Most of this is [[protected area|protected]], though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; about .86% is used for military purposes.<ref name="Federal Land Ownership">{{cite web|last1=Gorte|first1=Ross W.|last2=Vincent|first2=Carol Hardy.|last3=Hanson|first3=Laura A.|last4=Marc R.|first4=Rosenblum|title=Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42346.pdf|website=https://fas.org/|publisher=Congressional Research Service|accessdate=January 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Fed Land Uses">{{cite web|title=Chapter 6: Federal Programs to Promote Resource Use, Extraction, and Development|url=http://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/wetlands2/v2ch6.cfm|website=http://www.doi.gov/|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|accessdate=January 19, 2015}}</ref>

[[Environmental issues in the United States|Environmental issues]] have been on the national agenda since 1970. Environmental controversies include debates on oil and [[nuclear binding energy|nuclear energy]], dealing with air and water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and [[deforestation]],<ref>{{cite web|author=The National Atlas of the United States of America |url=http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html |title=Forest Resources of the United States |publisher=Nationalatlas.gov |date=January 14, 2013 |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr587.pdf |title=Land Use Changes Involving Forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, With Projections to 2050 |format=PDF |year=2003 |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</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 name="Collin2006">{{cite book|last=Collin|first=Robert W.|title=The Environmental Protection Agency: Cleaning Up America's Act|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OVPoqXeTYTwC&pg=PA1|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-33341-5|page=1}}</ref> The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.<ref>Turner, James Morton (2012). ''The Promise of Wilderness''</ref> The [[Endangered Species Act]] of 1973 is intended to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]].<ref name="Office">{{cite book|title=Endangered species Fish and Wildlife Service |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=a8BEuUPJb58C&pg=PA1|publisher=General Accounting Office, DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-1-4289-3997-4|page=1}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the United States|Americans|List of U.S. states by population density|List of United States cities by population}}

===Population===

{|class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width:240px"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5"
!Race/Ethnicity <small>(2013)</small>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!<small>By race:</small><ref name="Cen2013Summary">{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html|title=USA| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || style="text-align:center;"|77.7%
|-
| [[African American]] || style="text-align:center;"|13.2%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || style="text-align:center;"|5.3%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] || style="text-align:center;"|1.2%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Pacific Islands American|Pacific Islander]] || style="text-align:center;"|0.2%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Multiracial]] (2 or more) || style="text-align:center;"| 2.4%
|-
!<small>By ethnicity:</small><ref name="Cen2013Summary"/>
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic/Latino]] (of any race) || style="text-align:center;"|17.1%
|-
| Non-[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic/Latino]] (of any race) || style="text-align:center;"|82.9%
|}
[[File:Liberty-statue-from-below.jpg|thumb|The [[Statue of Liberty]] in [[New York City]] is a symbol of both the U.S. and the ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity.<ref>{{cite web| title = Statue of Liberty| work=World Heritage| publisher=UNESCO| url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307| accessdate = October 20, 2011}}</ref>]]
The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] currently estimates the country's population to be {{formatnum:{{data United States | Poptoday}}}},<ref name="POP"/> The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the 20th century, from about 76 million in 1900.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/pop.pdf |title=Statistical Abstract of the United States |year=2005 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> The third most populous nation in the world, after China and [[India]], the United States is the only major industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected.<ref name="PRC">{{cite web |url=http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html |title=Executive Summary: A Population Perspective of the United States |publisher=Population Resource Center |date=May 2000 |accessdate=December 20, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604165856/http://www.prcdc.org/summaries/uspopperspec/uspopperspec.html |archivedate=June 4, 2007}}</ref> In the 1800s the average woman had 7.04 children, by the 1900s this number had decreased to 3.56.<ref name="Doan">{{cite book|title=Opposition and Intimidation:The abortion wars and strategies of political harassment|author=Alesha E. Doan|year=2007|page=40|publisher=University of Michigan}}</ref>

The United States has a very diverse population; 37 [[U.s. ancestry|ancestry groups]] have more than one million members.<ref name="An2000">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|title=Ancestry 2000|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=June 2004|accessdate=June 13, 2007}}</ref> [[German American]]s are the largest ethnic group (more than 50 million) - followed by [[Irish American]]s (circa 37 million), [[Mexican American]]s (circa 31 million) and [[English American]]s (circa 28 million).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf |title=Population by Selected Ancestry Group and Region: 2009 |format=PDF |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Oleaga|first=Michael|title=Immigration Numbers Update: 13 Million Mexicans Immigrated to US in 2013, But Chinese Migrants Outnumber Other Latin Americans|url=http://www.latinpost.com/articles/20628/20140903/immigration-numbers-update-13-million-mexicans-immigrated-2013-chinese-migrants.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140905071238/http://www.latinpost.com/articles/20628/20140903/immigration-numbers-update-13-million-mexicans-immigrated-2013-chinese-migrants.htm|publisher=Latin Post|archivedate=September 5, 2014|accessdate=December 28, 2014}}</ref>

[[White American]]s are the largest [[race (human classification)|racial group]]; [[African American|Black Americans]] are the nation's largest [[minority group|racial minority]] and third largest ancestry group.<ref name="An2000"/> [[Asian American]]s are the country's second largest racial minority; the three largest Asian American ethnic groups are [[Chinese American]]s, [[Filipino American]]s, and [[Indian American]]s.<ref name="An2000"/>

The United States has a birth rate of 13 per 1,000, which is 5 births below the world average.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2054.html|title=Field Listing: Birth Rate|publisher=The World Factboook|work=Central Intelligence Agency|year=2014|accessdate=January 21, 2015}}</ref> Its [[population growth]] rate is positive at 0.7%, [[Total fertility rate#Developed or developing countries|higher than that of many developed nations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW/countries|title=Population growth (annual %)|publisher=The World Bank|work=United Nations Population Division|year=2014|accessdate=January 21, 2015}}</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 [[Permanent residence (United States)|legal residence]].<ref name="LPR">[http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_lpr_fr_2012_2.pdf "U.S. Legal Permanent Residents: 2012"]. [[Office of Immigration Statistics]] ''Annual Flow Report.''</ref> [[Mexico]] has been the leading source of new residents since the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965|1965 Immigration Act]]. China, India, and the [[Philippines]] have been in the top four sending countries every year since the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Immigrants in the United States, 2010: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population|url=http://cis.org/2012-profile-of-americas-foreign-born-population|website=Center for Immigrant Studies|accessdate=January 13, 2015}}</ref> {{As of|2012}}, approximately 11.4 million residents are [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigrants]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_ill_pe_2012_2.pdf |title=Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2012 |last1=Baker |first1=Bryan |last2=Rytina |first2=Nancy |date=March 2013 |website=Office of Immigration Statistics |publisher=Department of Homeland Security |accessdate=October 21, 2014}}</ref>

According to a survey conducted by the Williams Institute, nine million Americans, or roughly 3.4% of the adult population identify themselves as [[homosexuality|homosexual]], [[bisexuality|bisexual]], or [[transgender]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What percentage of the U.S. population is gay, lesbian or bisexual?|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/15/what-percentage-of-the-u-s-population-is-gay-lesbian-or-bisexual/|publisher=Washington Post|accessdate=December 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/williams-institute-report-reveals-million-gay-bisexual-transgender/story?id=13320565 |title=Gay Americans Make Up 4 Percent of Population |accessdate=August 26, 2012 |publisher=ABC News |date=April 8, 2011 |author=Donaldson James, Susan}}</ref> A 2012 Gallup poll also concluded that 3.5% of adult Americans identified as [[LGBT]]. The highest percentage came from the District of Columbia (10%), while the lowest state was North Dakota at 1.7%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/160517/lgbt-percentage-highest-lowest-north-dakota.aspx |title=LGBT Percentage Highest in D.C., Lowest in North Dakota |publisher=Gallup |accessdate=June 14, 2014}}</ref> In a 2013 survey, the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] found that 96.6% of Americans identify as straight, while 1.6% identify as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% identify as being bisexual.<ref>{{cite news |last=Somashekher |first=Sandhya |date=July 15, 2014 |title=Health survey gives government its first large-scale data on gay, bisexual population |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/health-survey-gives-government-its-first-large-scale-data-on-gay-bisexual-population/2014/07/14/2db9f4b0-092f-11e4-bbf1-cc51275e7f8f_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |accessdate=November 19, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |last=Bigelow |first=William |date=July 15, 2015 |title=CDC: Nation's Percentage of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals Less than Supposed |url=http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/07/15/Study-Nation-s-Percentage-of-Gays-Less-Than-Supposed |newspaper=Breitbart |accessdate=November 19, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |last=Sieczkowski |first=Cavan |date=July 15, 2014 |title=Health Survey: About 2 Percent Of Americans Are Gay Or Lesbian |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/health-survey-americans-gay_n_5587696.html |newspaper=Huffington Post |accessdate=November 19, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |last=Painter |first=Kim |date=July 15, 2014 |title=Just over 2% tell CDC they are gay, lesbian, bisexual |url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/15/gay-lesbian-bisexual-cdc-survey/12671717/ |newspaper=USA Today |accessdate=November 19, 2014 }}</ref>

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">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/|title=2010 Census Data| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 29, 2011}}</ref> Much of this growth is from immigration; in 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was [[Foreign born|foreign-born]], with 54% of that figure born in [[Latin America]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Tables 41 and 42—Native and Foreign-Born Populations|accessdate= October 11, 2009}}</ref>

[[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 rates|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 Statistics Reports: Volume 61, Number 1. Births: Final Data for 2012 |date=August 2012 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|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://media.timesfreepress.com/docs/2008/08/U.S._Census_diversity_0823.pdf |accessdate= March 29, 2013 |title=An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury |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 |publisher =U.S. Census Bureau |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100117053950/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en |archivedate=January 17, 2010 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> In 2008, 273 [[List of United States cities by population|incorporated places]] had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four [[global city|global cities]] had over two million ([[New York City]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Chicago]], and [[Houston]]).<ref name=PopEstBigCities>{{cite web |url= http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/copy_of_2008-subcounty-population-hawaii/SUB_EST2008_01.pdf | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJk99 |archivedate= December 7, 2009 |title =Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2008 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 |work= 2008 Population Estimates |publisher= U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division |date=July 1, 2009}}</ref> There are 52 [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|metropolitan areas]] with populations greater than one million.<ref name=PopEstMSA>{{cite web | url = http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/2008_MSA_Hawaii/CBSA_EST2008_05.pdf |archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJzkG |archivedate= December 7, 2009 |title= Table 5. Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2007 to July 1, 2008 |work= 2008 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau| date =March 19, 2009}}</ref> Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 47 are in the West or South.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb09-45.html|title=Raleigh and Austin are Fastest-Growing Metro Areas|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=March 19, 2009|accessdate=October 11, 2009}}</ref> The metro areas of  [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]], [[Dallas]], Houston, [[Atlanta]], and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008.<ref name=PopEstMSA/>
<div style="margin:0 auto">{{Largest Metropolitan Areas of the United States}}</div>
{{-}}

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}
{{See also|Language Spoken at Home in the United States of America|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 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|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20131103123226/http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|archivedate=November 3, 2013|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>  Alaska recognizes [[Alaska Native languages|many Native languages]].<ref>[http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/21/305688602/alaska-oks-bill-making-native-languages-official Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official] April 21, 2014; Bill Chappell; NPR.org</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]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?menu=004&LangID=96 |title=Samoan |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=UCLA Language Materials Project |publisher=UCLA |accessdate=October 4, 2014}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Frederick T.L. Leong|author2=Mark M. Leach|title=Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups: Theory, Research, and Practice|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mrKTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT185|date=April 15, 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-91680-0|page=185}}<br />{{cite book|author=Robert D. Craig|title=Historical Dictionary of Polynesia|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=01U5DrqoMJgC&pg=PR33|year=2002|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-4237-3|page=33}}</ref> and [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Nessa Wolfson|author2=Joan Manes|title=Language of Inequality|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ywvo0fNRGqgC&pg=PA176|year=1985|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-009946-1|page=176}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Lawrence J. Cunningham|author2=Janice J. Beaty|title=A History of Guam|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bkaLkgHEFvIC&pg=PA203|date=January 2001|publisher=Bess Press|isbn=978-1-57306-047-9|page=203}}<br />{{cite book|author=Eur|title=The Far East and Australasia 2003|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=LclscNCTz9oC&pg=PA1137|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-133-9|page=1137}}</ref> are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands;<ref>{{cite book|author1=Yaron Matras|author2=Peter Bakker|title=The Mixed Language Debate: Theoretical and Empirical Advances|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qZMRV8y6T8AC&pg=PA301|year=2003|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-017776-3|page=301 |quote=in the Northern Marianas, Chamarro, Carolinian ( = the minority language of a group of Carolinian immigrants), and English received the status of co-official languages in 1985(Rodriguez-Ponga 1995:24-28). }}</ref> [[Cherokee language|Cherokee]] is officially recognized by the [[Cherokee Nation]] within the Cherokee tribal jurisdiction area in eastern Oklahoma;<ref>{{cite book|author=James W. Parins|title=Literacy and Intellectual Life in the Cherokee Nation, 1820–1906|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=dab8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA248|date=November 4, 2013|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-5122-9|page=248}}</ref> Spanish is an official language of [[Puerto Rico]] and is more widely spoken than English there.<ref name=PuertoRicoTranslation>{{cite web|url=http://www.puertorico.com/translation/|title=Translation in Puerto Rico|work=Puerto Rico Channel|accessdate=December 29, 2013}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{See also|History of religion in the United States|Freedom of religion in the United States|Separation of church and state in the United States|List of religious movements that began in the United States}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" font-size:80%;" style="margin-left:1em; float:right"
|+ style="font-size:100%" | Religious affiliation in the U.S. (2014)<ref name="pew2015"/>
|-
! Affiliation
! colspan="2"|% of U.S. population
|-
| [[Christianity|Christian]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|70.6||2||background:darkblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"|  [[Protestant]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|46.5||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Evangelical Protestant]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|25.4||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Mainline Protestant]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|14.7||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:30px;"| [[Black church]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|6.5||2||background:lightblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Catholic]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|20.8||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Mormon]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|1.6||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.8||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Eastern Orthodox]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.5||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Other Christian
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.4||2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| Non-Christian faiths
|align=right| '''{{bartable|5.9||2||background:darkgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Jewish]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|1.9||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Muslim]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.9||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Buddhist]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.7||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Hindu]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.7||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Other Non-Christian faiths
|align=right| '''{{bartable|1.8||2||background:lightgreen}}
|-
| [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|22.8||2||background:purple}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| Nothing in particular
|align=right| '''{{bartable|15.8||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Agnosticism|Agnostic]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|4.0||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; text-indent:15px;"| [[Atheism|Atheist]]
|align=right| '''{{bartable|3.1||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| Don't know/refused answer
|align=right| '''{{bartable|0.6||2||background:#A020F0}}
|-
| '''Total''' || '''{{bartable|100||2||background:grey}}'''
|}

The [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the [[Free Exercise Clause|free exercise]] of religion and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting its [[Establishment Clause|establishment]]. [[Christianity]] is by far the most common religion practiced in the U.S., but other religions are followed, too. In a 2013 survey, 56% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx#1|title=Religion| publisher=Gallup|date=June 2013|accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> In a 2009 Gallup poll 42% of Americans said that they attended church weekly or almost weekly; the figures ranged from a low of 23% in Vermont to a high of 63% in Mississippi.<ref name="gallup.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/125999/mississippians-go-church-most-vermonters-least.aspx |title=Mississippians Go to Church the Most; Vermonters, Least |publisher=Gallup |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref> As with other Western countries, the U.S. is becoming less religious. [[Irreligion]] is growing rapidly among Americans under 30.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/12/pew-survey-doubt-of-god-growing-quickly-among-millennials/|author=Merica, Dan|title=Pew Survey: Doubt of God Growing Quickly among Millennials| publisher=CNN|date=June 12, 2012|accessdate=June 14, 2012}}</ref> Polls show that overall American confidence in organized religion is declining,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/us-confidence-in-organized-religion-at-low-point_n_1669100.html?utm_hp_ref=religion |title= American Confidence In Organized Religion At All Time Low |accessdate=July 14, 2012 |date=July 12, 2012 |work=Huffington Post |first=Samreen |last=Hooda}}</ref> and that younger Americans in particular are becoming increasingly irreligious.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx |title=Religion Among the Millennials |publisher=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |accessdate=August 29, 2012}}</ref><ref name="pew2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |title=America’s Changing Religious Landscape|publisher=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |accessdate=May 12, 2015}}</ref> According to a 2012 study, Protestant share of U.S. population dropped to 48%, thus ending its status as religion of the majority for the first time.<ref name = "Nones of the Rise">[http://www.pewforum.org/files/2012/10/NonesOnTheRise-full.pdf "Nones" on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation]</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19892837 US Protestants no longer a majority - study]</ref><ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2215025/Protestants-longer-majority-U-S-time--rising-number-Americans-religion.html For the first time ever, Protestants are not the majority in U.S. - due to rising number of Americans with 'no religion']</ref>

According to a 2014 survey, 70.6% of adults identified themselves as [[Christianity in the United States|Christian]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://religions.pewforum.org/affiliations |title=Church Statistics and Religious Affiliations |publisher=Pew Research |accessdate=September 23, 2014}}</ref>
[[Protestantism|Protestant]] denominations accounted for 46.5%, while [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]], at 20.8%, was the largest individual denomination.<ref name="Pew">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/|title="Nones" on the Rise| publisher=Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life|year=2012|accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2014 was 5.9%.<ref name="Pew"/> Other religions include [[American Jews|Judaism]] (1.9%), [[Islam in the United States|Islam]] (0.9%), [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]] (0.7%), [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]] (0.7%).<ref name="Pew"/> The survey also reported that 22.8% 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">{{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 Keysar| publisher=CUNY Graduate Center|date=December 19, 2001|accessdate=September 16, 2011}}</ref><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 [[Unitarian Universalist]], [[Bahá'í Faith|Baha'i]], [[Sikh]], [[Jainism|Jain]], [[Shinto]], [[Confucianism|Confucian]], [[Taoism|Taoist]], [[Neo-Druidism|Druid]], [[Native American religion|Native American]], [[Wicca]]n, [[Religious humanism|humanist]] and [[deism|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 Christian religious grouping in the United States. Baptists collectively form the largest branch of Protestantism, and the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] is the largest individual Protestant denomination. About 26 percent of Americans identify as [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Protestants]], while 15 percent are Mainline and 7 percent belong to a traditionally Black church. [[Catholic Church in the United States|Roman Catholicism]] in the United States 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 because of Irish, Italian, Polish, German and Hispanic immigration. Rhode Island is the only state where a majority of the population is Catholic. [[Lutheranism]] in the U.S. has its origin in immigration from [[Northern Europe]] and [[Germany]]. [[North Dakota|North]] and [[South Dakota]] are the only states in which a plurality of the population is Lutheran. [[Utah]] is the only state where [[Mormonism]] is the religion of the majority of the population. The [[Mormon Corridor]] also extends to parts of [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]] and [[Wyoming]].<ref name="Walsh2005">{{cite book|last=Walsh|first=Margaret|title=The American West. Visions and Revisions|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=yyDKfY1gyH8C&pg=PA124|date=January 2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-59671-8|page=124}}</ref>

The [[Bible Belt]] is an informal term for a region in the Southern United States in which socially conservative Evangelical Protestantism 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"/>

===Family structure===
{{Main|Family structure in the United States}}
{{See also|Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States|Same-sex marriage in the United States|Cousin marriage law in the United States by state}}
{{As of|2007}}, 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|work=Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009| title=Table 55—Marital Status of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 2007|accessdate = October 11, 2009}}</ref> Women now work mostly outside the home and receive a majority of [[Educational attainment in the United States|bachelor's degrees]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609151527/http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html |archivedate=June 9, 2007 |title=Women's Advances in Education |publisher=Columbia University, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy |year=2006 |accessdate=June 6, 2007}}</ref>

The 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 |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> Between 2007 and 2010, the highest teenage birth rate was in [[Mississippi]], and the lowest in [[New Hampshire]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57411738/u.s-teen-birth-rates-fall-to-historic-lows/ |title=U.S. teen birth rates fall to historic lows |publisher=CBS News |date=April 10, 2012 |accessdate=July 4, 2013}}</ref> [[Abortion in the United States|Abortion]] is legal throughout the U.S., owing to ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', a 1973 [[Lists of landmark court decisions|landmark decision]] by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. 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 and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health|work=MMWR|date=November 24, 2006}}</ref> In 2011, the average age at first birth was 25.6 and 40.7% of births were to unmarried women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm |title=FASTSTATS&nbsp;– Births and Natality |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevntion |date=November 21, 2013 |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref> The total fertility rate (TFR) was estimated for 2013 at 1.86 births per woman.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wetzstein|first1=Cheryl|title=U.S. fertility plummets to record low|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/28/us-birthrate-plummets-to-record-low/?page=all|accessdate=August 20, 2014|newspaper=The Washington Times|date=May 28, 2014}}</ref> [[Adoption in the United States]] is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries).<ref>{{cite news |last=Jardine |first=Cassandra |title= Why adoption is so easy in America |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3354960/Why-adoption-is-so-easy-in-America.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=October 31, 2007}}</ref> In 2001, with over 127,000 adoptions, the U.S. accounted for nearly half of the total number of adoptions worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/policy/child-adoption.pdf |title= Child Adoption: Trends and policies |publisher= United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs |year=2009}}</ref> The legal status of [[LGBT adoption in the United States|same-sex couples adopting]] varies by jurisdiction. [[Polygamy]] is illegal throughout the U.S.<ref name=quietly>{{cite news|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90857818|title=Some Muslims in U.S. Quietly Engage in Polygamy|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]: ''[[All Things Considered]]''|accessdate=July 23, 2009|date=May 27, 2008|first=Barbara Bradley|last=Hagerty}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Federal government of the United States|State governments of the United States|Local government in the United States|Elections in the United States}}
{{triple image|right|Capitol Building Full View.jpg|202|WhiteHouseSouthFacade.JPG|120|USSupremeCourtWestFacade.JPG|125|<center>The [[United States Capitol]],<br /> where [[United States Congress|Congress]] meets:<br />the [[United States Senate|Senate]], left; the [[United States House of Representatives|House]], right|<center>The [[White House]], home of the [[President of the United States|U.S. President]]|<center>[[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], where the [[Supreme Court of the United States|nation's highest court]] sits</center>}}
The United States is the world's oldest surviving [[federation]]. It is a [[constitutional republic]] and [[representative democracy]], "in which [[majority rule]] is tempered by [[minority rights]] protected by [[Law of the United States|law]]".<ref>Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. ISBN 0-7668-2759-3.</ref> The government is regulated by a system of [[separation of powers|checks and balances]] defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm |title=Constitution of the United States |publisher=The Office of the Secretary of the Senate |accessdate=February 11, 2012 |author=Killian, Johnny H.}}</ref> For 2013, the U.S. ranked 19th on the [[Democracy Index]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Democracy Index 2013|url=http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=Democracy0814|website=The Economist}}</ref> and 17th on the [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 |url= http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results |publisher=Transparency International |accessdate=December 14, 2014}}</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 corporation|municipal governments]]. 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.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Mikhail Filippov|author2=Peter C. Ordeshook|author3=Olga Shvetsova|title=Designing Federalism: A Theory of Self-Sustainable Federal Institutions|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8CMX9GXA4T0C&pg=PA242|date=February 9, 2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-01648-3|page=242}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Barbara Bardes|author2=Mack Shelley|author3=Steffen Schmidt|title=American Government and Politics Today: Essentials 2013 - 2014 Edition|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=taMWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA265|date=January 1, 2013|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=1-285-60571-3|pages=265–266}}</ref>

[[File:Political System of the United States.svg|thumb|350px|Political system of the United States]]
The federal government is composed of three branches:
* [[Legislature|Legislative]]: The [[bicameralism|bicameral]] [[United States Congress|Congress]], made up of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], makes [[federal law]], [[declaration of war|declares war]], approves treaties, has the [[power of the purse]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Legislative Branch|publisher=United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany|url=http://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm|accessdate=August 20, 2012}}</ref> and has the power of [[impeachment]], by which it can remove sitting members of the government.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Process for impeachment|publisher=ThinkQuest|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|accessdate=August 20, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Executive (government)|Executive]]: [[President of the United States|The President]] is the [[commander-in-chief]] of the military, can veto [[bill (law)|legislative bills]] before they become law (subject to Congressional override), and appoints the [[Cabinet of the United States|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 [[Federal judiciary of the United States|federal courts]], whose judges are appointed by the President with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find [[constitutionality|unconstitutional]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kermit L. Hall|author2=Kevin T. McGuire|title=Institutions of American Democracy: The Judicial Branch|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6rWCaMAdUzgC|date=September 9, 2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-988374-5}}<br />{{cite book|author=U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services|title=Learn about the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8X1CzvBXHksC&pg=PA4|date=March 18, 2013|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-091708-0|page=4}}<br />{{cite book|author=Bryon Giddens-White|title=The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mbZw3bJsWtUC|date=July 1, 2005|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4034-6608-2}}<br />{{cite book|author=Charles L. Zelden|title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rjBUYGbUiQwC|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-702-9}}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts.aspx |title=Federal Courts |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website= |publisher=United States Courts |accessdate=October 19, 2014}}</ref>

The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a [[congressional district]] for a two-year term. House seats are [[United States congressional apportionment|apportioned]] among the states by population every tenth year. At the [[2000 United States Census|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 [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral college]] system in which the determining votes are apportioned to the states and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Electoral College|publisher=National Archives|url=http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref> The Supreme Court, led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States]], has nine members, who serve for life.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beyond politics: Why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life|first=Roger|last=Cossack|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12/|publisher=CNN|date=July 13, 2000 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120712085825/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12 |archivedate=July 12, 2012 |deadurl=yes}}</ref>

The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; [[Nebraska]] uniquely has a [[unicameralism|unicameral]] legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407533/Nebraska/78826/Agriculture#toc78830 |title=Nebraska (state, United States) : Agriculture|work=Britannica Online Encyclopedia|accessdate=November 11, 2012}}</ref> The [[Governor (United States)|governor]] (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.

The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. [[Article One of the United States Constitution|Article One]] protects the right to the "great writ" of [[Habeas corpus in the United States|habeas corpus]]. The Constitution has been amended 27 times;<ref>[[#Feldstein|Feldstein, Fabozzi, 2011]], p. 9</ref> the first ten amendments, which make up the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]], and the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]] form the central basis of Americans' individual rights. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to [[judicial review]] and any law ruled by the courts to be in violation of the Constitution is voided. The principle of judicial review, not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, was established by the Supreme Court in ''[[Marbury v. Madison]]'' (1803)<ref>[[#Schultz|Schultz, 2009]], pp. 164, 453, 503</ref> in a decision handed down by [[John Marshall|Chief Justice John Marshall]].<ref>[[#Schultz|Schultz, 2009]], p. 38</ref>

===Political divisions===
{{Main|Political divisions of the United States|U.S. state|Territories of the United States|List of states and territories of the United States}}
{{Further|Territorial evolution of the United States|United States territorial acquisitions}}
The United States is a federal union of 50 states. The original 13 states were the successors of the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] that rebelled against British rule. Early in the country's history, three new states were organized on territory separated from the claims of the existing states: [[Kentucky]] from [[Virginia]]; [[Tennessee]] from [[North Carolina]]; and [[Maine]] from [[Massachusetts]]. Most of the other states have been carved from territories obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. One set of exceptions includes [[Vermont]], [[Texas]], and [[Hawaii]]: each was a well-established 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.<ref>Zuczek, Richard. "Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era" [http://books.google.com/books?id=H80eQweo0V4C&pg=PA649&dq=texas+v.+white&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BCTzU8bAG9DIsATeh4LQBQ&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=texas%20v.%20white&f=false Texas v. White (1869)], ISBN 0-313-33073-5 p. 649.</ref>

The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass. The [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] is a [[federal district]] which contains the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: [[Puerto Rico]] and the [[United States Virgin Islands]] in the Caribbean; and [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] in the Pacific.<ref>See {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(36) and {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> Those born in the major territories are [[Birthright citizenship in the United States|birthright U.S. citizens]] except Samoans. Samoans born in American Samoa are born [[United States nationality law#Nationals|U.S. nationals]], and may become naturalized citizens.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=William O. |title=American Samoa: Issues Associated with Potential Changes to the Current System for Adjudicating Matters of Federal Law |url=http://books.google.com/?id=Ho_RmgOnwgwC&lpg=PA8 |year=2009 |publisher=DIANE Publishing |isbn=978-1-4379-0704-9 |page=8 }}</ref> American citizens residing in the territories have fundamental constitutional protections and elective self-government, with a territorial [[Delegate (United States Congress)|Member of Congress]], but they do not vote for president as states. Territories have personal and business tax regimes different from that of states.<ref>US General Accounting Office, U.S. Insular Areas. [http://www.gao.gov/assets/230/224900.pdf Application of the U.S. Constitution]. November 1997. p. 9. Appendix I, pp. 23–38. Retrieved April 29, 2013.</ref>

The United States also observes [[Tribal sovereignty in the United States|tribal sovereignty]] of the Native Nations. Though reservations are within state borders, the reservation is a sovereign entity. While the United States recognizes this sovereignty, other countries may not.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fonseca |first=Felicia |agency=Associated Press |title=Native American nations debate sovereignty after Iroquois passport dispute |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700049039/Native-American-nations-debate-sovereignty-after-Iroquois-passport-dispute.html?pg=all |accessdate=July 28, 2012 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City |date=July 17, 2010}}</ref>
{{USA midsize imagemap with state names}}<br>
{{US statehood dates}}

===Parties and elections===
{{Main|Politics of the United States|Political ideologies in the United States}}
[[File:Obama meets with Congressional Leadership July 2011.jpg|thumb|(From left to right) [[United States House of Representatives|House]] [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Leader]] [[Eric Cantor]], House Minority Leader [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[John Boehner]], [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]], [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Majority Leader]] [[Harry Reid]], and Senate Minority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] at the [[White House]] in 2011]]
The United States has operated under a [[two-party system]] for most of its history.<ref name=twsNovGe>{{cite news
|author= Etheridge, Eric; Deleith, Asger
|title= A Republic or a Democracy?
|newspaper= New York Times blogs
|quote= The US system seems essentially a two-party system.&nbsp;...
|date= August 19, 2009
|url= http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-republic-or-a-democracy/
|accessdate= November 7, 2010
}}</ref> For elective offices at most levels, state-administered [[primary election]]s choose the major party [[nomination|nominees]] for subsequent [[general election]]s. Since the [[United States presidential election, 1856|general election of 1856]], the major parties have been the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], [[History of the United States Democratic Party|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]]. The President and Vice-president are elected through the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] system.<ref name="Avaliktos2004">{{cite book|last=Avaliktos|first=Neal|title=The Election Process Revisited|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XR21acqXy28C&pg=PA111|date=January 1, 2004|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59454-054-7|page=111}}</ref>

Within American [[political culture]], the Republican Party is considered [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] and the Democratic Party is considered [[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>{{disputed-inline|Republican Party description|date=May 2015}} The states of the [[Politics of the Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and [[Politics of the Western United States|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 [[Politics of the Western United States|Rocky Mountains]] are relatively conservative.

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

In the [[114th United States Congress]], both the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate|Senate]] are controlled by the Republican Party. The Senate currently consists of 54 Republicans, and 44 Democrats with two [[independent politician|independents]] who caucus with the Democrats; the House consists of 246 Republicans and 188 Democrats, with one vacancy.<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> In state governorships, there are 31 Republicans, 18 Democrats and one independent.<ref>MultiState Associates Incorporated.
[https://www.multistate.com/state-resources/governors-legislatures 2015 Governors and Legislatures]. Viewed January 14, 2015.</ref> Among the DC mayor and the 5 territorial governors, there are 2 Republicans, 2 Democrats (one is also in the [[Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico)|PPD]]), and 2 Independents.<ref>National Governor's Association. [http://www.nga.org/cms/governors/bios Current Governors], viewed January 14, 2015; DeBonis, Mike. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-mayoral-candidates-bowser-catania-schwartz-await-voters-decision/2014/11/04/494fe0d6-533f-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html?tid=pm_local_pop Bowser is elected D.C. Mayor]", Washington Post November 5, 2014, viewed January 14, 2015.</ref>

Since the founding of the United States until the 2000s, the country's [[governance]] has been primarily dominated by [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestant]]s (WASPs). However, the situation has changed recently and of the top 17 positions (four national candidates of the two major party in the [[United States presidential election, 2012|2012 presidential election]], four leaders in [[112th United States Congress]], and nine [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court Justices]]) there is only one WASP.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/09/04/chart-no-more-wasps-in-presidential-races |title=CHART: No more WASPs in Presidential Races |publisher=US News and World Reports |accessdate=August 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= Knickerbocker, Brad |url= http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/0819/US-government-and-politics-no-longer-run-by-WASPs.-Does-it-matter |title=US government and politics no longer run by WASPs. Does it matter? |work=DC Decoder (blog) |publisher=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Boston MA |date=August 19, 2012 |accessdate=December 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.npr.org/2012/08/19/159194196/for-the-first-time-no-wasps-this-election |title=For the first time, no WASPs in election |publisher=NPR |date=August 19, 2012 |accessdate= August 3, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:The United Nations Secretariat Building.jpg|thumb|The [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations Headquarters]] has been situated in [[Midtown Manhattan]] since 1952.]]

===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 an established structure of foreign relations. It is a permanent member of the [[United Nations Security Council]], and New York City is home to the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations Headquarters]]. It is a member of the [[G7]],<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, [[Iran–United States relations|Iran]], [[North Korea–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 maintains relations with Taiwan and supplies them with [[Six Assurances|military equipment]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL30957.pdf |title=Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990 |last1=Kan |first1=Shirley A. |date=August 29, 2014 |publisher=Federation of American Scientist |accessdate=October 19, 2014 }}<br />{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Taiwan's Force Modernization: The American Side |url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/taiwans-unstalled-force-modernization-04250/ |newspaper=Defense Industry Daily |date=September 11, 2014 |accessdate=October 19, 2014 }}</ref>

The United States has a "[[Special Relationship|special relationship]]" with the [[United Kingdom–United States relations|United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.google.com/?id=jLy-NKnQitIC&pg=PA45&dq=uk+us+special+relationship#v=onepage&q=uk%20us%20special%20relationship&f=false|title=America's 'Special Relationships': Foreign and Domestic Aspects of the Politics of Alliance|page=45|first1=John|first2= Axel |last2=Schäfer|last1=Dumbrell|year=2009 |isbn= 9780203872703}}</ref> and strong ties with [[Canada–United States relations|Canada]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://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> [[Australia–United States 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–United States relations|New Zealand]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32876.pdf|title=New Zealand: Background and Bilateral Relations with the United States|author=Vaughn, Bruce |publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=May 27, 2011 |accessdate=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Philippines–United States relations|the Philippines]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33233.pdf|title=The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Interests|author=Lum, Thomas|publisher=Congressional Research Service| date=January 3, 2011|accessdate=August 3, 2011}}</ref> [[Japan–United States relations|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://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–United States relations|South Korea]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41481.pdf|title=U.S.–South Korea Relations: Issues for Congress|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–United States relations|Israel]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33476.pdf |title=Israel: Background and U.S. Relations |author=Zanotti, Jim|publisher=Congressional Research Service | date=July 31, 2014 |accessdate=September 12, 2014}}</ref> and several [[European Union]] countries, including [[France–United States relations|France]], [[Italy–United States relations|Italy]], [[Germany–United States relations|Germany]], and [[Spain–United States relations|Spain]]. It works closely with fellow [[NATO]] members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the [[Organization of American States]] and [[United States free trade agreements|free trade agreements]] such as the trilateral [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] with Canada and [[Mexico–United States 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.<ref>{{cite book|author=Charles L. Zelden|title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rjBUYGbUiQwC&pg=PA217|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-702-9|page=217}}<br />{{cite book|author1=Loren Yager|author2=Emil Friberg |author3=Leslie Holen|title=Foreign Relations: Migration from Micronesian Nations Has Had Significant Impact on Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TfoBd7_KsZMC&pg=PA7|date=July 2003|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=978-0-7567-3394-0|page=7}}</ref>

===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 [[Gross domestic product|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>Taxation in the US:
* {{cite journal |last=Prasad |first=M. |last2=Deng|first2= Y. |title=Taxation and the worlds of welfare |journal= Socio-Economic Review |date=April 2, 2009 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=431–457 |doi= 10.1093/ser/mwp005 |url= http://ser.oxfordjournals.org/content/7/3/431.abstract?keytype=ref&ijkey=65cyoW8oR1QgGoI |accessdate=May 5, 2013}}
* {{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}}
* {{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}}
* {{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> The highest 10% of income earners pay a majority of federal taxes,<ref>{{cite news |author=Jane Wells |title=The rich do not pay the most taxes, they pay ALL the taxes |url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/101264757#. |newspaper=CNBC |date=December 11, 2013 |accessdate=January 14, 2015 }}<br />{{cite news |author=Steve Hargreaves |title=The rich pay majority of U.S. income taxes |url=http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/12/news/economy/rich-taxes/ |newspaper=CNN |date=March 12, 2013 |accessdate=January 14, 2015 }}<br />{{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.org/federalbudget/top10-percent-income-earners |title=Top 10 Percent of Earners Paid 68 Percent of Federal Income Taxes |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year= 2015 |website=Fedeeral Budget |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |accessdate=January 14, 2015 }}<br />{{cite news |author=Stephen Dinan |title=CBO: The wealthy pay 70 percent of taxes |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/10/cbo-rich-pay-outsized-share-taxes/ |newspaper=Washington Times |date=July 10, 2012 |accessdate=January 14, 2015 }}<br />{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Tax Man Cometh! But For Whom? |url=http://www.npr.org/2012/04/15/150632993/the-tax-man-cometh-but-for-whom |newspaper=NPR |date=April 15, 2012 |accessdate=January 14, 2015 }}</ref> and about half of all taxes.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wamhoff|first1=Steve|title=Who Pays Taxes in America in 2014?|url=http://www.ctj.org/pdf/taxday2014.pdf|accessdate=January 17, 2015|publisher=Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy|date=April 7, 2014}}</ref> Payroll taxes for Social Security are a flat [[regressive tax]], with no tax charged on income above $113,700 and no tax at all paid on [[unearned income]] from things such as stocks and capital gains.<ref>{{cite web |last=Agadoni |first=Laura |title= Characteristics of a Regressive Tax |url= http://smallbusiness.chron.com/characteristics-regressive-tax-17562.html |publisher =Houston Chronicle Small Business blog}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/Payroll-Taxes.cfm |title=TPC Tax Topics &#124; Payroll Taxes |publisher=Taxpolicycenter.org |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</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 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20131016140415/http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/109216|archivedate=October 16, 2013|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">{{cite web |title=The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009 |url= http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/43373-06-11-HouseholdIncomeandFedTaxes.pdf |accessdate=April 3, 2013 |publisher= Congressional Budget Office |date=July 2012}}</ref> 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 |first=Stephen |last=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}}{{dead link|date=March 2015}}</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}}{{dead link|date=March 2015}}</ref> The [[tax incidence|incidence]] of [[corporate tax in the United States|corporate income tax]] has been a matter of considerable ongoing controversy for decades.<ref>Tax incidence of corporate tax in the United States:
* {{cite web |last=Harris |first=Benjamin H. |date= November 2009 |title=Corporate Tax Incidence and Its Implications for Progressivity |url= http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001349_corporate_tax_incidence.pdf |publisher=Tax Policy Center |accessdate=October 9, 2013}}
* {{cite web |last=Gentry |first=William M. |date=December 2007 |title=A Review of the Evidence on the Incidence of the Corporate Income Tax |url= http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/tax-analysis/Documents/ota101.pdf |work=OTA Paper 101 |publisher=Office of Tax Analysis, U.S. Department of the Treasury |accessdate=October 9, 2013}}
* {{cite book |last=Fullerton |first=Don |title=Handbook of Public Economics |year=2002 |publisher=Elsevier Science B.V. |location=Amsterdam |pages=1788–1839 |url= http://works.bepress.com/don_fullerton/15/ |last2= Metcalf|first2= Gilbert E. |editor=A.J. Auerbach and M. Feldstein|accessdate=October 9, 2013|chapter=Tax Incidence}}
* {{cite journal |last=Musgrave |first=R.A. |last2=Carroll|first2=J.J.|last3=Cook|first3= L.D.|last4=Frane|first4= L. |title= Distribution of Tax Payments by Income Groups: A Case Study for 1948 |journal= National Tax Journal |date=March 1951 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=1–53 |url= https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/scribd/?item_id=463471&filepath=/docs/historical/eccles/026_13_0001.pdf |accessdate=October 9, 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> State and local taxes vary widely, but are generally less progressive than federal taxes as they rely heavily on broadly borne [[Regressive tax|regressive]] sales and property taxes that yield less volatile revenue streams, though their consideration does not eliminate the progressive nature of overall taxation.<ref name="Dylan47" /><ref name="TaxF">{{cite web |last=Malm |first=Elizabeth |title=Comments on Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States |url= http://taxfoundation.org/article/comments-who-pays-distributional-analysis-tax-systems-all-50-states |publisher=Tax Foundation|accessdate=April 3, 2013|date=February 20, 2013}}</ref>

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>

====National debt====
[[File:Federal Debt Held by the Public 1790-2013.png|thumb|425px|US federal debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP, from 1790 to 2013]]
{{Main|National debt of the United States}}

The total [[List of countries by public debt|national debt]] in the United States was $18.527 trillion (106% of the GDP), according to an estimate for 2014 by the [[International Monetary Fund]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2012&ey=2014&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=61&pr1.y=12&c=111&s=GGXWDG%2CGGXWDG_NGDP&grp=0&a=#cs1 |title=IMF, United States General government gross debt |publisher=Imf.org |date=September 14, 2006 |accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref> In January 2015, U.S. federal government debt held by the public was approximately $13 trillion, or about 72% of U.S. GDP. Intra-governmental holdings stood at $5 trillion, giving a combined total debt of $18.080 trillion.<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web |url= http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np |title=Debt to the Penny (Daily History Search Application) |publisher=TreasuryDirect |accessdate=January 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Burgess Everett |title=The next debt ceiling fight |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/the-next-debt-ceiling-fight-113897.html |newspaper=Politico |date=January 6, 2015 |accessdate=January 6, 2015 }}</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 Ratings|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}}
[[File:US Navy 060618-N-8492C-212 An Air Force B-2 bomber along with other aircrafts from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fly over the Kitty Hawk, Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike groups.jpg|thumb|The [[carrier strike group]]s of the ''[[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|Kitty Hawk]]'', ''[[USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)|Ronald Reagan]]'', and ''[[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|Abraham Lincoln]]'' with aircraft from the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]].]]
[[File:US Navy 040204-N-3122S-004 An aerial image of the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) located on the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz.jpg|thumb|[[Davis-Monthan Air Force Base]], Tucson, Arizona (February 4, 2004)]]

The President holds the title of [[commander-in-chief]] of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] and the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. The [[United States Department of Defense]] administers the armed forces, including the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]]. The [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] is run by the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] in peacetime and by the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] during times of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel on active duty. The [[Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces|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 10 active aircraft carriers, and [[Marine expeditionary unit]]s at sea with the Navy's [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic and]] [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific fleets]]. The military operates 865 bases and facilities abroad,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/BSR_2008_Baseline.pdf|title=Base Structure Report, Fiscal Year 2008 Baseline|publisher=Department of Defense|accessdate=October 9, 2009}}</ref> and maintains [[United States military deployments|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 [[military budget of the United States]] in 2011 was more than $700 billion, 41% of global military spending and equal to the next 14 largest national military expenditures combined. At 4.7% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the top 15 military spenders, after [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/resultoutput/15majorspenders|title=The 15 Countries with the Highest Military Expenditure in 2011|publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref> U.S. defense spending as a percentage of GDP ranked 23rd globally in 2012 according to the CIA.<ref>{{cite web |title=Compare |url=http://cia-world-factbook.realclearworld.com/ |work=CIA World Factbook |publisher=RealClearWorld |accessdate=February 4, 2013}}</ref> Defense's share of U.S. spending has generally declined in recent decades, from Cold War peaks of 14.2% of GDP in 1953 and 69.5% of federal outlays in 1954 to 4.7% of GDP and 18.8% of federal outlays in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiscal Year 2013 Historical Tables|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/hist.pdf|work=Budget of the U.S. Government|publisher=White House OMB|accessdate=November 24, 2012}}</ref>

The proposed base [[military budget of the United States|Department of Defense budget]] for 2012, $553 billion, was a 4.2% increase over 2011; an additional $118 billion was proposed for the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/FY2012_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf|title=Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request Overview |publisher=Department of Defense |date=February 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110725214533/http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2012/FY2012_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf |archivedate=July 25, 2011 |deadurl= yes }}</ref> The last American troops serving in Iraq departed in December 2011;<ref>{{cite news|author=Basu, Moni|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/17/world/meast/iraq-troops-leave/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 |title=Deadly Iraq War Ends with Exit of Last U.S. Troops|publisher=CNN |date=December 18, 2011 |accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> 4,484 service members were killed during the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx|title=Operation Iraqi Freedom|publisher=Iraq Coalition Casualty Count|date=February 5, 2012|accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> Approximately 90,000 U.S. troops were serving in Afghanistan in April 2012;<ref name='Frontline Turning Point'>{{cite news | first = John | last = Cherian | title = Turning Point | date = April 7, 2012 | publisher = [[The Hindu Group]] | url = http://www.frontline.in/fl2907/stories/20120420290705200.htm | work = [[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] | accessdate = December 2, 2012 | archiveurl = http://liveweb.archive.org/http://www.frontline.in/fl2907/stories/20120420290705200.htm | archivedate = December 2, 2012 | quote = There are currently 90,000 U.S. troops deployed in the country.}}</ref> by November 8, 2013 2,285 had been killed during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2014)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/pages/report_oef_type.xhtml|title=Department of Defence Defence Casualty Analysis System |publisher=Department of Defense|date=November 2013|accessdate=November 11, 2013}}</ref>

==Law enforcement and crime==
{{Main|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
{{See also|Law of the United States|Capital punishment in the United States|Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Human rights in the United States#Justice system}}
[[File:Chevrolet Volt NYPD -- 04-04-2012.JPG|thumb|Law enforcement in the U.S. is maintained primarily by local police departments. The [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) is the largest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/lpd03.pdf|title=Local Police Departments, 2003 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics|date = May 2006|accessdate=December 7, 2011}}</ref>]]
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police and [[sheriff]]'s departments, with [[state police]] providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Service]] have specialized duties, including protecting [[civil rights]], [[National Security of the United States|national security]] and enforcing [[U.S. federal courts]]' rulings and federal laws.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Who Governs & What They Do|publisher=Chiff.com|url=http://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref> At the federal level and in almost every state, a legal system operates on a [[common law]]. State courts conduct most criminal trials; [[Federal judiciary of the United States|federal courts]] handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state criminal courts. [[Plea bargaining in the United States]] is very common; the vast majority of criminal cases in the country are settled by [[plea bargain]] rather than [[jury trial]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/criminal_stages/criminal_plea_bargain.html|title=Plea Bargains|website=Findlaw|accessdate=January 6, 2015}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/interviews/mcspadden.html|title=Interview with Judge Michael McSpadden|publisher=PBS|date=December 16, 2003}}</ref>

In 2012 there were 4.7 murders per 100,000 persons in the United States, a 54% decline from the modern peak of 10.2 in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics|url=http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/|publisher=U.S Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation|accessdate=November 16, 2013}}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/violent-crime/murder |title=Crime in the United States, 2011 |publisher=FBI '(Uniform Crime Statistics—Murder)' |accessdate=January 23, 2013}}<br/>{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html |title=UNODC Homicide Statistics |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |accessdate=January 23, 2013}}</ref> <!--<ref name='Crime US Murder 2010-09'>{{cite news | title = Murder | date = September 2010 | publisher = [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] | url = http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/violent_crime/murder_homicide.html | work = Crime in the United States, 2009 | accessdate = December 3, 2012 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100920225909/http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/violent_crime/murder_homicide.html | archivedate = September 20, 2010 | quote = There were 5.0 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009&nbsp;... compared with the 2000 rate, a 10.4 percent decrease was recorded.}}</ref> -->Among developed nations, the United States has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of [[Gun violence in the United States|gun violence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/eighthsurvey/8sv.pdf|title=Eighth United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2001–2002) |publisher=United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) |date = March 31, 2005|accessdate=May 18, 2008}}</ref> A cross-sectional analysis of the [[World Health Organization]] Mortality Database from 2003 showed that United States "homicide rates were 6.9 times higher than rates in the other high-income countries, driven by firearm homicide rates that were 19.5 times higher."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journals.lww.com/jtrauma/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2011&issue=01000&article=00035&type=abstract |title=Homicide, Suicide, and Unintentional Firearm Fatality: Compa ... : Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery |doi=10.1097/TA.0b013e3181dbaddf |publisher=Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery|accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref>{{Update after|2015|3|7}} [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Gun ownership rights]] continue to be the subject of [[Gun politics in the United States|contentious political debate]]. The FBI's [[Uniform Crime Reports]] estimates that there were 3,246 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2012, for a total of over 9 million total crimes.<ref>{{Cite news | first=David | last=Agren | title=Mexico crime belies government claims of progress | url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/18/mexico-violence-crime/17048757| work= | newspaper=Florida Today&nbsp;— USA Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 4B | date=October 19, 2014 | id= | accessdate=October 19, 2014}}</ref>

[[Capital punishment]] is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and used in 32 states.<ref>{{cite news|last=Simpson|first=Ian|title=Maryland becomes latest U.S. state to abolish death penalty|url=http://news.yahoo.com/maryland-governor-signs-bill-abolishing-death-penalty-153909799.html|newspaper=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=May 2, 2013|accessdate=July 4, 2013|agency=[[Reuters]]|archiveurl=http://archive.is/20130624185425/http://news.yahoo.com/maryland-governor-signs-bill-abolishing-death-penalty-153909799.html|archivedate=June 24, 2013}}</ref> No executions took place from 1967 to 1977, owing in part to a [[Furman v. Georgia|U.S. Supreme Court ruling]] striking down arbitrary imposition of the death penalty. In 1976, that Court ruled that, under appropriate circumstances, capital punishment may constitutionally be imposed. Since the decision there have been more than 1,300 executions, a majority of these taking place in three states: Texas, Virginia, and [[Oklahoma]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/views-executions|title=Searchable Execution Database
|accessdate=October 10, 2012|publisher=[[Death Penalty Information Center]]}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Capital punishment in the United States#States without capital punishment|several states]] have either abolished or struck down death penalty laws. In 2014, the country had the fifth highest number of executions in the world, following China, [[Iran]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/death-sentences-and-executions-2014 |title=Death Sentences and Executions 2014|accessdate = May 6, 2015|year=2014 |publisher=Amnesty International USA}}</ref>

The United States has the [[United States incarceration rate|highest documented incarceration rate]] and [[Incarceration in the United States|total prison population]] in the world.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Schmidt, Steffen W. |author2=Shelley, Mack C. |author3=Bardes, Barbara A. |title=American Government & Politics Today |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=IV1sxbRqhGIC&pg=PA591 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-495-50228-9 |page=591}}<br/>{{cite web |author=Walmsley, Roy |url= http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070628215935/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/world-prison-population-list-2005.pdf |archivedate=June 28, 2007|title=World Prison Population List |year=2005 |publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}} For the latest data, see {{cite web |url= http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070804061423/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/rel/icps/worldbrief/north_america_records.php?code=190 |archivedate=August 4, 2007 |title=Prison Brief for United States of America |date=June 21, 2006 |publisher=King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies}}<br/>[[United States National Research Council|National Research Council]]. ''[http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18613 The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences].'' Washington, DC: [[National Academies Press|The National Academies Press]], 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.<br/>[http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/2014_US_Nation_Behind_Bars_0.pdf Nation Behind Bars: A Human Rights Solution]. ''[[Human Rights Watch]],'' May 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.</ref> At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 100 adults.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Barkan, Steven E. |author2=Bryjak, George J. |title=Fundamentals of Criminal Justice: A Sociological View |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=bNGaYvTAeLMC&pg=PT23 |year=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn=978-1-4496-5439-9 |page=23}}</ref> At year end 2012, the combined U.S. adult correctional systems supervised about 6,937,600 offenders. About 1 in every 35 adult residents in the United States was under some form of correctional supervision at yearend 2012, the lowest rate observed since 1997.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Glaze|first1=Lauren E.|last2=Herberman|first2=Erinn J.|title=Correctional Populations in the United States, 2012|url=http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus12.pdf|date=December 2013}}</ref> The prison population has quadrupled since 1980.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Iadicola, Peter |author2=Shupe, Anson |title= Violence, Inequality, and Human Freedom |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=KSp0Ulmx44kC&pg=PA456 |date=October 26, 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-0949-7 |page=456}}</ref> However,  the imprisonment rate for all prisoners
sentenced to more than a year in state or federal facilities is 478 per 100,000 in 2013<ref>{{cite web|title=Prisoners in 2013|url=http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p13.pdf|website=Bureau of Justice Statistics}}</ref> and the rate for pre-trial/remand prisoners is 153 per 100,000 residents in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States of America - International Centre for Prison Studies|url=http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/united-states-america|website=[[International Centre for Prison Studies]]}}</ref> African-American males are jailed at about six times the rate of white males and three times the rate of Hispanic males.<ref name="DeLisiConis2011">{{cite book |author1=DeLisi, Matt |author2=Conis, Peter John |title= American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=ffWdrqbqpIEC&pg=PA21 |year=2011 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett |isbn=978-1-4496-4540-3 |page=21}}</ref> The country's high rate of incarceration is largely due to changes in [[United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines|sentencing guidelines]] and [[Federal drug policy of the United States|drug policies]].<ref name="ClearCole2008b">{{cite book |author1=Clear, Todd R. |author2=Cole, George F. |author3=Reisig, Michael Dean |title=American Corrections |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=cYVdYfUGxvoC&pg=PA485 |year=2008 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-495-55323-6 |page=485}}</ref> According to the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]], the majority of inmates held in federal prisons are convicted of drug offenses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Federal Bureau of Prisons: Statistics|url=http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/|website=Federal Bureau of Prisons|accessdate=March 4, 2015}}</ref> The [[Incarceration in the United States#Privatization|privatization of prisons]] and prison services which began in the 1980s has been a subject of debate.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Moore|first1=ADRIAN T.|title=PRIVATE PRISONS: Quality Corrections at a Lower Cost|url=http://reason.org/files/d14ffa18290a9aeb969d1a6c1a9ff935.pdf|website=Reason.org|publisher=Reason Foundation|accessdate=April 29, 2015}}<br/>{{cite web|last1=Benefield|first1=Nathan|title=Private Prisons Increase Capacity, Save Money, Improve Service|url=http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/issues/detail/private-prisons-increase-capacity-save-money|website=Commonwealth Foundation.org|publisher=Commonwealth Foundation|accessdate=April 29, 2015|date=October 24, 2007}}<br/>{{cite journal|author1=William G. Archambeault|author2=Donald R. Deis, Jr.|title=Cost Effectiveness Comparisons of Private Versus Public Prisons in Louisiana: A Comprehensive Analysis of Allen, Avoyelles, and Winn Correctional Centers|journal=Journal of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Research Consortium|date=1997–1998|volume=4|url=https://www.cca.com/Media/Default/documents/CCA-Resource-Center/Cost-Effectiveness-Comparisons-Study-1997.pdf|accessdate=April 29, 2015}}<br/>{{cite journal|last1=Volokh|first1=Alexander|title=A Tale of Two Systems: Cost, Quality, and Accountability in Private Prisons|journal=Harvard Law Review|date=May 1, 2002|volume=115|page=1868|url=http://volokh.com/sasha/prisons.html|accessdate=April 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>Selman, Donna and Paul Leighton (2010). ''[https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442201729/Punishment-for-Sale-Private-Prisons-Big-Business-and-the-Incarceration-Binge Punishment for Sale: Private Prisons, Big Business, and the Incarceration Binge].'' Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5lBraTDtiSgC&lpg=PP1&pg=PR11#v=onepage&q&f=false p. xi]. ISBN 1442201738.<br/>{{cite book| last =Harcourt| first =Bernard| authorlink =Bernard Harcourt  | title = [http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674066168 The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order].| publisher = Harvard University Press| date =2012| pages =[https://books.google.com/books?id=LW8I66EGmfcC&lpg=PP1&vq=GEO%20Group&pg=PA235#v=onepage&q&f=false 235 & 236]|  isbn = 0674066162}}<br/>{{cite journal |title=Neoliberalism's penal and debtor states |author= John L. Campbell |journal=Theoretical Criminology |date=2010 |volume=14 |issue=1|pages=59–73 |doi=10.1177/1362480609352783 |url=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/240707441_Neoliberalism%27s_penal_and_debtor_states_A_rejoinder_to_Loic_Wacquant}}<br/>Gottschalk, Marie (2014). ''[http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10330.html Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics].'' Princeton University Press. [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOs_BAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA70#v=onepage&q&f=false p. 70] ISBN 0691164053.</ref> In 2008, Louisiana [[List of U.S. states by incarceration rate#Incarceration rate by state|had the highest incarceration rate]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Chang|first=Cindy|title=Louisiana is the world's prison capital|url=http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/05/louisiana_is_the_worlds_prison.html|publisher=''[[The Times-Picayune]]''|date=May 29, 2012|accessdate=April 4, 2013}}</ref> and Maine the lowest.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mears, Daniel P. |title= American Criminal Justice Policy: An Evaluation Approach to Increasing Accountability and Effectiveness |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=CO0_SAED7q0C&pg=PA72 |year=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-76246-5 |page=72}}</ref> In 2012, Louisiana had the highest rate of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in the U.S., and New Hampshire the lowest.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fuchs |first=Erin |title=Why Louisiana Is The Murder Capital Of America |url= http://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-the-murder-rate-high-in-louisiana-2013-9 |work=Business Insider |date=October 1, 2013}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}

{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid #999; float: right; margin-left: 1em; width:325px"
|- style="background:#f5f5f5"
! colspan="3" | Economic indicators
|-
| Nominal [[gross domestic product|GDP]] || $17.555 trillion <small>(Q3 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;"|<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm|title = National Income and Product Accounts|date = July 30, 2014|accessdate = July 30, 2014|website = Bureau of Economic Analysis|publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis|last = |first = }}</ref>

|-
| Real GDP growth || 5% <small>(Q3 2014, annualized)</small>
|-
| ||2.2% <small>(2013)</small>|| style="text-align:right;"|<ref>{{cite web|title=Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter 2014 (Third Estimate)|url=http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm|website=Bureau of Economic Analysis|publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis|accessdate=January 26, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| [[Consumer price index|CPI]] inflation || 2.1% <small>(May 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf |title=CONSUMER PRICE INDEX&nbsp;– APRIL 2014 |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=April 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Employment-to-population ratio]] || 58.9% <small>(May 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000 |title=Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=May 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Unemployment in the United States|Unemployment]] || 5.5% <small>(February 2015)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web|title=Employment Situation Summary|url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm|website=Bureau of Labor Statistics|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics|accessdate=March 6, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| [[Labor force#Labor force in the United States|Labor force]] participation rate || 62.8% <small>(October 2014)</small> ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000 |title=Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 12, 2014 |work=Bureau of Labor Statistics |publisher=United States Department of Labor |accessdate=November 12, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[National debt of the United States|Total public debt]] || $17.5 trillion <small>(Q2 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/search?startMonth=12&startDay=31&startYear=2013&endMonth=06&endDay=14&endYear=2014 |title=Treasury Direct |publisher=Treasury Direct |accessdate=June 14, 2014 |date=June 12, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Wealth in the United States|Household net worth]] || $81.8 trillion <small>(Q1 2014)</small> || style="text-align:right;" |<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/current/z1.pdf|title = Federal Reserve Statistical Release|date = 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = Federal Reserve|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
|}
[[File:United States Export Treemap (2011).png|thumb|315px|United States export treemap (2011): The U.S. is the world's second-largest exporter.]]
The United States has a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[mixed economy]] which is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s and high productivity.<ref>Wright, Gavin; Czelusta, Jesse (2007). "Resource-Based Growth Past and Present", in ''Natural Resources: Neither Curse Nor Destiny'', ed. Daniel Lederman and William Maloney. World Bank. p. 185. ISBN 0-8213-6545-2.</ref> According to the [[International Monetary Fund]], the U.S. GDP of $16.8 trillion constitutes 24% of the [[gross world product]] at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP).<ref name=IMF_GDP>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/02/weodata/index.aspx|publisher=International Monetary Fund |title=World Economic Outlook Database: United States |date=October 2014 |accessdate=November 2, 2014}}</ref> Its national GDP was about 5% larger at PPP in 2014 than the [[European Union]]'s, whose population is around 62% higher.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/p/largest_economy.htm|title = World's Largest Economy|date = May 2, 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = About|publisher = |last = Amadeo|first = Kimberly}}</ref> However, the US's nominal GDP is estimated to be $17.528 trillion {{as of|2014|lc=y}}, which is about 5% smaller than that of the European Union.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=17&pr.y=20&sy=2012&ey=2019&scsm=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=110%2C998&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP&grp=1&a=1|title = European Union GDP|date = April 2014|accessdate = June 14, 2014|website = International Monetary Fund|publisher = International Monetary Fund|last = |first = }}</ref> From 1983 to 2008, U.S. real compounded annual GDP growth was 3.3%, compared to a 2.3% weighted average for the rest of the [[G7]].<ref name=Hagopian>{{cite journal |author=Hagopian, Kip |last2=Ohanian|first2= Lee |title= The Mismeasure of Inequality |journal=Policy Review|date=August 1, 2012 |url= http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |accessdate=August 22, 2013 |publisher=Hoover Institution Stanford University}}</ref> The country ranks ninth in the world in [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]] and sixth in [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita at PPP]].<ref name="IMF_GDP"/> The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the world's primary [[reserve currency]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.imf.org/external/np/sta/cofer/eng/cofer.pdf |title=Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=April 9, 2012}}</ref>

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 [[Foreign trade of the United States|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/> Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. public debt.<ref>http://www.treasury.gov/ticdata/Publish/mfh.txt</ref> The largest holder of the U.S. debt are American entities, including federal government accounts and the [[Federal Reserve System|Federal Reserve]], who hold the majority of the debt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Who Holds Our Debt?|url=http://www.factcheck.org/2013/11/who-holds-our-debt/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The TRUTH About Who Really Owns All Of America's Debt |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/who-owns-us-debt-2011-7?op=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=This surprising chart shows which countries own the most U.S. debt|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/10/10/this-surprising-chart-shows-which-countries-own-the-most-u-s-debt/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=National debt: Whom does the US owe?|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Buzz/2011/0204/National-debt-Whom-does-the-US-owe}}</ref>

The [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]], SIPRI, found that the United States' [[arms industry]] was the world's biggest exporter of major weapons from 2005-2009,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=World's Top 5 arms exporters  |url=http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/Features/Worlds-Top-5-arms-exporters/fp/3105/ |newspaper=United Press International |access-date=March 18, 2015 }}</ref> and remained the largest exporter of major weapons during a period between 2010-2014, followed by Russia, China (PRC), and Germany.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=China becomes the world's third largest arms exporter |url=http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31901493 |newspaper=BBC News |date=March 15, 2015 |access-date=March 18, 2015 }}<br/>{{cite news |last=Shankar |first=Sneha |title=US Remains World's Largest Exporter Of Arms While India Leaps Ahead To Become Largest Importer: Study |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/us-remains-worlds-largest-exporter-arms-while-india-leaps-ahead-become-largest-importer-study |newspaper=International Business Times |date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=March 18, 2015 }}</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 the economy|service sector]] constitutes 67.8% of GDP, the United States remains an industrial power.<ref name=Econ>{{cite web |url= http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archivedate=March 12, 2008 |title=USA Economy in Brief |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs}}</ref> The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009/tables/09s0724.xls |title=Table 724—Number of Tax Returns, Receipts, and Net Income by Type of Business and Industry: 2005 |format=XLS |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=October 12, 2009}}</ref> 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>

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 largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its second largest importer.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. surges past Saudis to become world's top oil supplier -PIRA|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/us-oil-pira-idUSL1N0I51IX20131015|website=Reuters}}</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]]. The [[National Mining Association]] provides data pertaining to [[coal]] and [[mineral]]s that include [[beryllium]], [[copper]], [[lead]], [[magnesium]], [[zinc]], [[titanium]] and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nma.org/index.php/coal-statistics |title=Coal Statistics |publisher=National Mining Association |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nma.org/index.php/minerals-statistics/minerals-production |title=Minerals Production |publisher=National Mining Association |accessdate=January 13, 2014}}</ref>

[[Agriculture in the United States|Agriculture]] accounts for just under 1% of GDP,<ref name=Econ/> the United States is the world's top producer of corn<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112182404/http://www.grains.org/page.ww?section=Barley,+Corn+%26+Sorghum&name=Corn|archivedate=January 12, 2008|title=Corn|publisher=U.S. Grains Council|accessdate=March 13, 2008}}</ref> and soybeans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5442|title=Soybean Demand Continues to Drive Production|publisher=Worldwatch Institute|date=November 6, 2007|accessdate=March 13, 2008}}</ref> The [[National Agricultural Statistics Service]] maintains [http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_Subject/index.php?sector=CROPS agricultural statistics] for products that include [[peanuts]], [[oat]]s, [[rye]], [[wheat]], [[rice]], [[cotton]], [[maize|corn]], [[barley]], [[hay]], [[Helianthus|sunflowers]], and [[Vegetable oil|oilseeds]]. In addition, the [[United States Department of Agriculture|United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)]] provides [http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ANIMAL_PRODUCTION livestock statistics] regarding [[beef]], [[poultry]], [[pork]], and [[Milk|dairy products]]. The 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>

[[Consumer spending]] comprises 68% of the U.S. economy in 2015.<ref>[http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=hh3 "Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE)/Gross Domestic Product (GDP)"] ''FRED Graph'', Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis</ref> In August 2010, the American labor force consisted of 154.1 million people. With 21.2 million people, government is the leading field of employment. The largest private employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 16.4 million people. About 12% of workers are [[Labor unions in the United States|unionized]], compared to 30% in Western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |first=Thomas |last=Fuller |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php |title =In the East, many EU work rules don't apply |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050616015106/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/14/news/europe.php |archivedate=June 16, 2005 |date =June 15, 2005 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.<ref name="EDBI">{{cite web |url= http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreEconomies/?economyid=197 |accessdate=June 28, 2007 |title= Doing Business in the United States |year=2006 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref> The United States is ranked among the top three in the [[Global Competitiveness Report]] as well. It has a smaller welfare state and redistributes less income through government action than European nations tend to.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Isabelle Joumard|author2=Mauro Pisu|author3=Debbie Bloch|title=Tackling income inequality The role of taxes and transfers|url=http://www.oecd.org/eco/public-finance/TacklingincomeinequalityTheroleoftaxesandtransfers.pdf|publisher=OECD|accessdate=21 May 2015|date=2012}}</ref> The United States is the only advanced economy that does not [[List of statutory minimum employment leave by country|guarantee its workers paid vacation]]<ref>Ray, Rebecca; Sanes, Milla; Schmitt, John (May 2013). [http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/no-vacation-update-2013-05.pdf No-Vacation Nation Revisited]. ''[[Center for Economic and Policy Research]].'' Retrieved September 8, 2013.</ref> and is one of just a few countries in the world without [[paid family leave]] as a legal right, with the others being [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Suriname]] and [[Liberia]].<ref>Bernard. Tara Siegel (February 22, 2013). [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/your-money/us-trails-much-of-the-world-in-providing-paid-family-leave.html "In Paid Family Leave, U.S. Trails Most of the Globe"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved August 27, 2013.</ref> However, 74% of full-time American workers get paid sick leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, although only 24% of part-time workers get the same benefits.<ref name=SLCNN>{{cite web|last1=Vasel|first1=Kathryn|title=Who doesn't get paid sick leave?|url=http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/20/news/economy/paid-sick-leave/|website=CNN}}</ref> While federal law currently does not require sick leave, it's a common benefit for government workers and full-time employees at corporations.<ref name=SLCNN /> In 2009, the United States had the third highest [[workforce 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 [[Great Recession|2008-2012 global recession]] had a significant impact on the United States, with output still below potential according to the [[Congressional Budget Office]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3252 |title=Chart Book: The Legacy of the Great Recession |publisher=Center on Budget and Policy Priorities |date=March 12, 2013 |accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref> It brought high [[unemployment]] (which has been decreasing but remains above pre-recession levels), along with low [[Consumer confidence index|consumer confidence]], the [[United States housing bubble|continuing decline in home values and increase in foreclosures and personal bankruptcies]], an escalating federal debt crisis, [[inflation]], and [[2000s energy crisis|rising petroleum and food prices]]. There remains a record proportion of [[Long-term unemployment|long-term unemployed]], continued decreasing [[Household income in the United States|household income]], and tax and [[Budget sequestration in 2013|federal budget increases]].<ref name=SchwartzJobless>{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Nelson |title=Recovery in U.S. Is Lifting Profits, but Not Adding Jobs |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/business/economy/corporate-profits-soar-as-worker-income-limps.html?pagewanted=all |accessdate=March 18, 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McKinnon |first=John D. |title=Analysis: 77% of Households to See Tax Increase |url= http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/01/01/tax-bill-analysis-77-of-households-to-see-tax-increase/ |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal (blog) |date=January 1, 2013 |location =New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Gongloff, Mark |date=September 17, 2013 |title= Median Income Falls For 5th Year, Inequality At Record High |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/median-income-falls-inequality_n_3941514.html |newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]] |accessdate=October 4, 2013}}</ref>

===Income, poverty and wealth===
{{Unbalanced|section|date=April 2015}}
[[File:Productivity and Real Median Family Income Growth 1947-2009.png|right|275px|[[Productivity]] and real median [[Household income in the United States|family income]] growth 1947–2009]]
[[File:South San Jose (crop).jpg|thumb|A [[tract housing]] development in [[San Jose, California]]]]
{{Further|Income in the United States|Poverty in the United States|Affluence in the United States|United States counties by per capita income|Income inequality in the United States}}

Americans have the highest average [[Household income|household]] and [[List of countries by average wage|employee]] income among OECD nations, and in 2007 had the second highest [[median household income]].<ref name="Household Income">{{cite web|title=Household Income|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-at-a-glance-2014_soc_glance-2014-en|work=Society at a Glance 2014: OECD Social Indicators|publisher=OECD Publishing|accessdate=May 29, 2014|doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2014-en |date=March 18, 2014}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web |title=OECD Better Life Index |url= http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111 |publisher=OECD |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> According to the Census Bureau real median household income was $50,502 in 2011, down from $51,144 in 2010.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acsbr11-02.pdf "Household Income for States: 2010 and 2011"] ''United States Census, American Community Survey Briefs'', September 2012, Appendix Table 1, p. 5</ref> The [[Global Food Security Index]] ranked the U.S. number one for food affordability and overall food security in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Food Security Index |url= http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Country/Details#United%20States |publisher=The Economist Intelligence Unit |location= London |accessdate=April 8, 2013|date=March 5, 2013}}</ref> Americans on average have over twice as much living space per dwelling and per person as [[European Union]] residents, and more than every EU nation.<ref name="Heritage Poor">{{cite web |title= Understanding Poverty in the United States: Surprising Facts About America's Poor |url= http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/09/understanding-poverty-in-the-united-states-surprising-facts-about-americas-poor |publisher=Heritage Foundation|accessdate=April 8, 2013 |author=Rector, Robert |last2=Sheffield|first2=Rachel |date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> For 2013 the [[United Nations Development Programme]] ranked the United States 5th among 187 countries in its [[Human Development Index#2014 report|Human Development Index]] and 28th in its [[Human Development Index#Inequality-adjusted HDI|inequality-adjusted HDI]] (IHDI).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-report-en-1.pdf |title=Human Development Report 2014 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |page=168 |accessdate=July 26, 2014}}</ref>

There has been a widening gap between productivity and median incomes since the 1970s.<ref>Mishel, Lawrence (April 26, 2012). [http://www.epi.org/publication/ib330-productivity-vs-compensation/ The wedges between productivity and median compensation growth]. ''[[Economic Policy Institute]].'' Retrieved October 18, 2013.</ref> While [[inflation]]-adjusted ("real") [[Household income in the United States|household income]] had been increasing almost every year from 1947 to 1999, it has since been flat on balance and has 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}}<br/>{{cite news|last1=Casselman|first1=Ben|title=The American Middle Class Hasn't Gotten A Raise In 15 Years|url=http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-american-middle-class-hasnt-gotten-a-raise-in-15-years/|accessdate=April 23, 2015|work=FiveThirtyEightEconomics|date=September 22, 2014}}<br/>{{cite news|last1=Parlapiano|first1=Alicia|last2=Gebeloff|first2=Robert|last3=Carter|first3=Shan|title=The Shrinking American Middle Class|url=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/01/25/upshot/shrinking-middle-class.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0|accessdate=April 23, 2015|work=The Upshot|publisher=New York Times|date=January 26, 2013}}</ref> According to [[Congressional Research Service]], during this same period, [[immigration to the United States]] increased, while the lower 90% of tax filers incomes became stagnant, and eventually decreasing since 2000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bedard |first=Paul |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Congress: Middle class incomes drop as immigration surges |url=http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/congress-middle-class-incomes-drop-as-immigration-surges/article/2563515 |newspaper=Washington Examiner |access-date=April 27, 2015 }}</ref> The rise in the share of total annual income received by the top 1 percent, which has more than doubled from 9 percent in 1976 to 20 percent in 2011, has had a significant impact on [[Income inequality in the United States|income inequality]],<ref name="PikettySaez">Alvaredo, Facundo; [[Tony Atkinson|Atkinson, Anthony B.]]; [[Thomas Piketty|Piketty, Thomas]]; [[Emmanuel Saez|Saez, Emmanuel]] (2013). [http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.27.3.3 "The Top 1 Percent in International and Historical Perspective"]. ''Journal of Economic Perspectives.'' Retrieved August 16, 2013.</ref> leaving the United States with one of the widest income distributions among OECD nations.<ref name="Sme">{{cite journal |last1= Smeeding |first1= T.M. |year=2005 |title= Public Policy: Economic Inequality and Poverty: The United States in Comparative Perspective| journal= Social Science Quarterly |volume=86 |pages=955–983 |doi= 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00331.x}}<br/>{{cite web|last1=Tcherneva|first1=Pavlina R.|title=When a rising tide sinks most boats: trends in US income inequality|url=http://www.levyinstitute.org/pubs/pn_15_4.pdf|website=levyinstitute.org|publisher=Levy Economics Institute of Bard College|accessdate=April 10, 2015|date=April 2015}}<br/>{{cite web |url= http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/TabFig2005prel.xls |author=Saez, E. |title=Table A1: Top Fractiles Income Shares (Excluding Capital Gains) in the U.S., 1913–2005 |publisher=UC Berkeley |date=October 2007 |accessdate=July 24, 2008}}<br/>{{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}}<br/>[http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/OECD2014-FocusOnTopIncomes.pdf Focus on Top Incomes and Taxation in OECD Countries: Was the crisis a game changer?] ''[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]],'' May 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.</ref> The post-recession income gains have been very uneven, with the top 1 percent capturing 95 percent of the income gains from 2009 to 2012.<ref>[[Emmanuel Saez|Saez, Emmanuel]] (September 3, 2013). [http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2012.pdf "Striking it Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States"]. ''[[University of California, Berkeley]].'' Retrieved September 11, 2013.</ref> The extent and relevance of income inequality is a matter of debate.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens |author=Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page|journal=[[Perspectives on Politics]] |date=2014 |volume=12 |issue=3|pages=564–581 |doi=10.1017/S1537592714001595 |url=http://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/mgilens/files/gilens_and_page_2014_-testing_theories_of_american_politics.doc.pdf}}<br/>{{cite journal |title=Economic Inequality and Political Representation |author=[[Larry Bartels]]|journal=The Unsustainable American State |date=2009 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195392135.003.0007 |url=http://www.princeton.edu/~bartels/economic.pdf |pages=167–196}}<br/>{{cite journal |title= Responsiveness in an Era of Inequality: The Case of the U.S. Senate |author=Thomas J. Hayes|journal=[[Political Research Quarterly]] |date=2012 |volume=66 |issue=3|pages=585–599 |doi=10.1177/1065912912459567 | url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1900856}}</ref>{{disputed-inline|Trends in local vs global inequality|date=April 2015}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Winship|first1=Scott|title=Overstating the Costs of Inequality|journal=National Affairs|date=Spring 2013|issue=15|url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/articles/2013/03/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship.pdf|accessdate=April 29, 2015}}<br/>{{cite web|title=Income Inequality in America: Fact and Fiction|url=http://www.economics21.org/files/e21ib_1.pdf|publisher=Manhattan Institute|accessdate=April 29, 2015|date=May 2014}}</ref>

[[Wealth in the United States|Wealth]], like income and taxes, is [[Wealth inequality in the United States|highly concentrated]]; the richest 10% of the adult population possess 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom half claim only 2%.<ref>[[Thomas Piketty|Piketty, Thomas]] (2014). ''[[Capital in the Twenty-First Century]]''. [[Harvard University Press|Belknap Press]]. ISBN 067443000X p. 257</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 was down $14&nbsp;trillion, but has since increased $14&nbsp;trillion over 2006 levels.<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><ref>[http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/TNWBSHNO St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank data series]</ref> At the end of 2008,{{update inline|date=April 2015}} household debt amounted to $13.8&nbsp;trillion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE52B58720090312|title=U.S. household wealth falls $11.2&nbsp;trillion in 2008|work=Reuters|accessdate=October 4, 2014}}</ref>

There were about 643,000 sheltered and unsheltered [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in January 2009, with almost two-thirds staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. In 2011 [[Hunger in the United States#Children|16.7 million children lived in food-insecure households]], about 35% more than 2007 levels, though only 1.1% of U.S. children, or 845,000, saw reduced food intake or disrupted eating patterns at some point during the year, and most cases were not chronic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Household Food Security in the United States in 2011 |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/884525/err141.pdf |publisher=USDA |accessdate=April 8, 2013 |date=September 2012}}</ref> According to a 2014 report by the Census Bureau, one in five young adults lives in [[Poverty in the United States|poverty]] today, up from one in seven in 1980.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2014/cb14-219.html New Census Bureau Statistics Show How Young Adults Today Compare With Previous Generations in Neighborhoods Nationwide]. [[United States Census Bureau]], December 4, 2014.</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in the United States}}
{{See also|Educational attainment in the United States|Higher education in the United States}}
[[File:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819, is one of the many public universities in the United States.]]
American [[state school|public education]] is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the [[United States Department of Education]] through restrictions on federal grants. In most states, children are required to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, [[kindergarten]] or [[first grade]]) until they turn 18 (generally bringing them through [[twelfth grade]], the end of [[high school]]); some states allow students to leave school at 16 or 17.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp |title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance&nbsp;... |accessdate = June 10, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> About 12% of children are enrolled in [[parochial school|parochial]] or [[nonsectarian]] [[private school]]s. Just over 2% of children are [[homeschooling|homeschooled]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/statistics.html |title=Statistics About Non-Public Education in the United States |accessdate = June 5, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Non-Public Education}}</ref> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any nation in the world, spending more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high school student.<ref name="education spending">{{cite news|last=AP|title=U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/|publisher=CBS|accessdate=October 5, 2013|date=June 25, 2013}}</ref> Some 80% of U.S. college students attend [[public university|public universities]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Education for the Common Good |author=Rosenstone, Steven J. |publisher=University of Minnesota |url=http://cla.umn.edu/news/clatoday/summer2002/dean.php |date=December 17, 2009 |accessdate=March 6, 2009}}{{dead link|date=March 2015}}</ref>

The United States has many competitive private and public [[Lists of American institutions of higher education|institutions of higher education]]. The majority of world's top universities listed by different ranking organizations are located in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010 |title=QS World University Rankings |publisher=Topuniversities |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html |title=Top 200&nbsp;– The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010–2011 |publisher=Times Higher Education |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2014.html|title=Academic Ranking of World Universities 2014|publisher=Shanghai Ranking Consultancy |accessdate=May 29, 2015}}</ref> There are also local [[community college]]s with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition. Of Americans 25 and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a [[bachelor's degree]], and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate = August 1, 2006}}</ref> The basic [[literacy|literacy rate]] is approximately 99%.<ref name="WF" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see [http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/2006470.PDF A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st century], U.S. Department of Education (2003).</ref> The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Development Indicators|year=2005|publisher=United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports|accessdate = January 14, 2008|url=http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620235428/http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_HDI.pdf|archivedate=June 20, 2007}}</ref>

As for public expenditures on higher education, the U.S. trails some other [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|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|Alaska Natives#Cultures|Native American cultures in the United States|Culture of the Native Hawaiians|Social class in the United States|Public holidays in the United States|Tourism in the United States}}
The United States is home to [[Multiculturalism|many cultures]] and a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.<ref name="DD"/><ref name="Society in Focus">Thompson, William; Hickey, Joseph (2005). ''Society in Focus''. Boston: Pearson. ISBN 0-205-41365-X.</ref> Aside from the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Native Alaskan]] 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 [[Protestantism|Protestant]] British colonists and shaped by the [[frontier]] settlement process, with the traits derived passed down to descendants and transmitted to immigrants through assimilation. Americans have traditionally been characterized by a strong [[work ethic]], competitiveness, and individualism, as well as a unifying belief in an "American [[creed]]" emphasizing liberty, equality, private property, democracy, rule of law, and a preference for limited government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Huntington|first=Samuel P.|authorlink= Samuel P. Huntington| title=Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity|year=2004|publisher=Simon & Schuster|url=http://books.google.com/?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&vq=core|chapter=Chapters 2–4|isbn=0684870533}}: also see [[American's Creed]], written by [[William Tyler Page]] and adopted by Congress in 1918.</ref> Americans are extremely charitable by global standards. According to a 2006 British study, Americans gave 1.67% of GDP to charity, more than any other nation studied, more than twice the second place British figure of 0.73%, and around twelve times the French figure of 0.14%.<ref>{{cite news|last=AP|title=Americans give record $295B to charity|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-25-charitable_N.htm?POE=click-refer|accessdate=October 4, 2013|newspaper=USA Today|date=June 25, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=International comparisons of charitable giving|url=http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/International%20Comparisons%20of%20Charitable%20Giving.pdf|publisher=Charities Aid Foundation|accessdate=October 4, 2013|date=November 2006}}</ref>

The [[American Dream]], or the perception that Americans enjoy high [[Socio-economic mobility in the United States|social mobility]], plays a key role in attracting immigrants.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clifton|first=Jon|title=More Than 100 Million Worldwide Dream of a Life in the U.S. More than 25% in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic want to move to the U.S.|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx|publisher=Gallup|accessdate=January 10, 2014|date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> Whether this perception is realistic has been a topic of debate.<ref name="socialmobility">{{cite web |url= http://www.oecd.org/tax/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf |title=A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries |publisher=OECD| work = Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth|year=2010 |accessdate=September 20, 2010}} {{cite web |url= http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |title=Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America|author=Blanden, Jo; Gregg, Paul; Machin, Stephen |publisher= Centre for Economic Performance |date=April 2005 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf |archivedate= June 23, 2006}}</ref><ref>Gould, Elise (October 10, 2012). [http://www.epi.org/publication/usa-lags-peer-countries-mobility/ "U.S. lags behind peer countries in mobility."] ''[[Economic Policy Institute]].'' Retrieved July 15, 2013.</ref><ref name=CAP>CAP: ''[https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2006/04/26/1917/understanding-mobility-in-america/ Understanding Mobility in America]''. April 26, 2006</ref><ref name=Schneider>{{cite web |last=Schneider |first=Donald |title=A Guide to Understanding International Comparisons of Economic Mobility |url= http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/07/a-guide-to-understanding-international-comparisons-of-economic-mobility |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |accessdate=August 22, 2013 |date=July 29, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Hagopian /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Winship|first=Scott|title=Overstating the Costs of Inequality|journal=National Affairs|date=Spring 2013|url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Articles/2013/03/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship.pdf|accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> While mainstream culture holds that the United States is a [[classless society]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Gutfeld |first=Amon |year=2002 |title=American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |location=Brighton and Portland |page=65 |isbn=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>

===Food===
{{Main|Cuisine of the United States}}
[[File:Motherhood and apple pie.jpg|thumb|[[Apple pie]] is a food commonly associated with American cuisine.]]
Mainstream American cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries. [[Wheat]] is the primary cereal grain with about three-quarters of grain products made of wheat flour<ref name=Wheat>{{cite web|title=Wheat Info|url=http://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-info/fast-facts/|website=Wheatworld.org|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref> and many dishes use indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup which were consumed by [[Native Americans]] and early European settlers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Traditional Indigenous Recipes|url=http://aihd.ku.edu/recipes/index.html|publisher=http://aihd.ku.edu|accessdate=September 15, 2014}}</ref> These home grown foods are part of a shared national menu on one of America's most popular holidays; [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]], when some Americans make traditional foods to celebrate the occasion.<ref name="Mintz1996">{{cite book|author=Sidney Wilfred Mintz|title=Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions Into Eating, Culture, and the Past|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6emmgneaE50C&pg=PA134|year=1996|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-4629-6|pages=134–}}</ref>
[[File:Roast turkey.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Roasted turkey is a traditional menu item of an American [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] dinner.<ref name="GillespieMechling1995">{{cite book|author1=Angus K. Gillespie|author2=Jay Mechling|title=American Wildlife in Symbol and Story|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QWRm9QEhpZYC&pg=PA31|date=January 1, 1995|publisher=Univ. of Tennessee Press|isbn=978-1-57233-259-1|pages=31–}}</ref>]]

Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] sources are widely consumed.<ref name="IFT">{{cite web |url=http://www.newswise.com/articles/what-when-and-where-americans-eat-in-2003|author=Klapthor, James N. |title=What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003 |publisher=Newswise/Institute of Food Technologists |date=August 23, 2003|accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref> Americans generally prefer coffee to tea.<ref name=coffeeandtea>{{cite news|last1=H|first1=D|title=The coffee insurgency|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/12/daily-chart-17|website=The Economist|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref> Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous [[breakfast]] beverages.<ref>[[#Smith2004|Smith, 2004]], pp. 131–132</ref><ref>[[#Levenstein|Levenstein, 2003]], pp. 154–55</ref>

American eating habits owe a great deal to that of their [[British cuisine|British culinary]] roots with some variations. Even though American lands could grow newer vegetables England could not, most colonist would not eat these new foods until accepted by Europeans.<ref name="Levenstein1988">{{cite book|author=Harvey A. Levenstein|title=Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=NXULJejXRWoC|year=1988|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-23439-0}}</ref> Over time American foods changed to a point that food critic, [[John L. Hess]] stated in 1972: ''"Our founding fathers were as far superior to our present political leaders in the quality of their food as they were in the quality of their prose and intelligence"''.<ref name="Wallach2013">{{cite book|author=Jennifer Jensen Wallach|title=How America Eats: A Social History of U.S. Food and Culture|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mnuSNvXeqLAC|year=2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|page= xi|isbn=978-1-4422-0874-2}}</ref>

The American [[fast food]] industry, the world's largest,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Breadsley|first1=Eleanor|title=Why McDonald's In France Doesn't Feel Like Fast Food|url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/24/145698222/why-mcdonalds-in-france-doesnt-feel-like-fast-food|website=NPR|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref> pioneered the [[drive-through]] format in the 1940s.<ref name=drivethru>{{cite web|title=When Was the First Drive-Thru Restaurant Created?|url=http://www.wisegeek.org/when-was-the-first-drive-thru-restaurant-created.htm|website=Wisegeek.org|accessdate=January 15, 2015}}</ref> Fast food consumption has sparked health concerns. During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%;<ref name="IFT" /> frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what public health officials call the American "[[Obesity in the United States|obesity epidemic]]".<ref>Boslaugh, Sarah (2010). "Obesity Epidemic", in ''Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices'', ed. Roger Chapman. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, pp. 413–14. ISBN 978-0-7656-1761-3.</ref> Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular, and sugared beverages account for nine percent of American caloric intake.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity |publisher=American Heart Association |year=2005 |work=[[Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology]] |url=http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |accessdate=June 9, 2007}} {{cite web |title=Let's Eat Out: Americans Weigh Taste, Convenience, and Nutrition |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Agriculture |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib19/eib19_reportsummary.pdf|accessdate=June 9, 2007}}</ref>

===Literature, philosophy, and the arts===
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy|Visual art of the United States|American classical music}}
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues from Europe. Writers such as [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]], [[Edgar Allan Poe]], and [[Henry David Thoreau]] established a distinctive American literary voice by the middle of the 19th century. [[Mark Twain]] and poet [[Walt Whitman]] were major figures in the century's second half; [[Emily Dickinson]], virtually unknown during her lifetime, is now recognized as an essential American poet.<ref>[[Harold Bloom|Bloom, Harold]]. 1999. ''Emily Dickinson''. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House. p. 9. ISBN 0-7910-5106-4.</ref> A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—such as [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (1851), Twain's ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1885), and [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' (1925)—may be dubbed the "[[Great American Novel]]".<ref>{{cite journal|author=Buell, Lawrence|title=The Unkillable Dream of the Great American Novel: ''Moby-Dick'' as Test Case |date=Spring–Summer 2008|volume=20|issue=1–2|pages=132–155|doi=10.1093/alh/ajn005|journal=American Literary History |issn=0896-7148}}</ref>

[[File:Mark Twain, Brady-Handy photo portrait, Feb 7, 1871, cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Mark Twain]], American author and [[Comedy|humorist]]]]
Eleven U.S. citizens have won the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]], most recently [[Toni Morrison]] in 1993. [[William Faulkner]] and [[Ernest Hemingway]] are often named among the most influential writers of the 20th century.<ref>Quinn, Edward (2006). ''A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms''. Infobase, p. 361. ISBN 0-8160-6243-9. Seed, David (2009). ''A Companion to Twentieth-Century United States Fiction''. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, p. 76. ISBN 1-4051-4691-5. Meyers, Jeffrey (1999). ''Hemingway: A Biography''. New York: Da Capo, p. 139. ISBN 0-306-80890-0.</ref> Popular literary genres such as the [[Western fiction|Western]] and [[hardboiled|hardboiled crime fiction]] developed in the United States. The [[Beat Generation]] writers opened up new literary approaches, as have [[postmodern literature|postmodernist]] authors such as [[John Barth]], [[Thomas Pynchon]], and [[Don DeLillo]].<ref name="Lesher2000">{{cite book|last=Lesher|first=Linda Parent|title=The Best Novels of the Nineties: A Reader's Guide|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fSiXAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA109|date=February 1, 2000|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0389-6|page=109}}</ref>

The [[transcendentalism|transcendentalists]], led by Thoreau and [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], established the first major [[American philosophy|American philosophical movement]]. After the Civil War, [[Charles Sanders Peirce]] and then [[William James]] and [[John Dewey]] were leaders in the development of [[pragmatism]]. In the 20th century, the work of [[Willard Van Orman Quine|W. V. O. Quine]] and [[Richard Rorty]], and later [[Noam Chomsky]], brought [[analytic philosophy]] to the fore of American philosophical academia. [[John Rawls]] and [[Robert Nozick]] led a revival of [[political philosophy]]. [[Cornel West]] and [[Judith Butler]] have led a continental tradition in American philosophical academia. Globally influential [[Chicago school of economics|Chicago school economists]] like [[Milton Friedman]], [[James M. Buchanan]], and [[Thomas Sowell]] have transcended discipline to impact various fields in social and political philosophy.<ref>{{cite news|last=Summers|first=Lawrence H.|title=The Great Liberator|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/opinion/19summers.html?_r=0|accessdate=May 17, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 19, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|title=James M. Buchanan, Economic Scholar and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 93|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/business/economy/james-m-buchanan-economic-scholar-dies-at-93.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=May 17, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 9, 2013}}</ref>

In the visual arts, the [[Hudson River School]] was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European [[Realism (arts)|naturalism]]. The realist paintings of [[Thomas Eakins]] are now widely celebrated. The 1913 [[Armory Show]] in New York City, an exhibition of European [[modern art|modernist art]], shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.<ref>Brown, Milton W. (1988 1963). ''The Story of the Armory Show''. New York: Abbeville. ISBN 0-89659-795-4.</ref> [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Marsden Hartley]], and others experimented with new, individualistic styles. Major artistic movements such as the [[abstract expressionism]] of [[Jackson Pollock]] and [[Willem de Kooning]] and the [[pop art]] of [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Roy Lichtenstein]] developed largely in the United States. The tide of modernism and then [[postmodernism]] has brought fame to American architects such as [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], [[Philip Johnson]], and [[Frank Gehry]].<ref name="JansonJanson2003">{{cite book|last1=Janson|first1=Horst Woldemar|last2=Janson|first2=Anthony F.|title=History of Art: The Western Tradition|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=MMYHuvhWBH4C&pg=PT955|year=2003|publisher=Prentice Hall Professional|isbn=978-0-13-182895-7|page=955}}</ref>

[[File:Times Square 1-2.JPG|thumb|[[Times Square]] in [[New York City]], the hub of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway theater]] [[Theater District, Manhattan|district]]<ref name="Bloom2004">{{cite book|author=Ken Bloom|title=Broadway: Its History, People, and Places : an Encyclopedia|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=fYbYyQjHwdsC&pg=PA322|year=2004|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93704-7|pages=322–}}</ref>]]
One of the first major promoters of [[Theater of the United States|American theater]] was impresario [[P. T. Barnum]], who began operating a lower [[Manhattan]] entertainment complex in 1841. The team of [[Edward Harrigan|Harrigan and Hart]] produced a series of popular [[musical theatre|musical]] comedies in New York starting in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the modern musical form emerged on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]; the songs of musical theater composers such as [[Irving Berlin]], [[Cole Porter]], and [[Stephen Sondheim]] have become [[Traditional pop music|pop standards]]. Playwright [[Eugene O'Neill]] won the Nobel literature prize in 1936; other acclaimed U.S. dramatists include multiple [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama|Pulitzer Prize]] winners [[Tennessee Williams]], [[Edward Albee]], and [[August Wilson]].<ref name="Moran2002">{{cite book|last=Moran|first=Eugene V.|title=A People's History of English and American Literature|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=32BbXzfaUxoC&pg=PA228|date=January 1, 2002|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59033-303-7|page=228}}</ref>

Though little known at the time, [[Charles Ives]]'s work of the 1910s established him as the first major U.S. composer in the classical tradition, while experimentalists such as [[Henry Cowell]] and [[John Cage]] created a distinctive American approach to classical composition. [[Aaron Copland]] and [[George Gershwin]] developed a new synthesis of popular and classical music. [[Choreography|Choreographers]] [[Isadora Duncan]] and [[Martha Graham]] helped create [[modern dance]], while [[George Balanchine]] and [[Jerome Robbins]] were leaders in 20th-century ballet. Americans have long been important in the modern artistic medium of [[photography]], with major photographers including [[Alfred Stieglitz]], [[Edward Steichen]], and [[Ansel Adams]].<ref name="Davenport1991">{{cite book|last=Davenport|first=Alma|title=The History of Photography: An Overview|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hca5H_rJZnUC&pg=PA67|year=1991|publisher=UNM Press|isbn=978-0-8263-2076-6|page=67}}</ref>

===Music===
{{Main|Music of the United States}}

The rhythmic and lyrical styles of [[African-American music]] have deeply influenced [[Music of the United States|American music]] at large, distinguishing it from European traditions. Elements from [[folk music|folk]] idioms such as the [[blues]] and what is now known as [[old-time music]] were adopted and transformed into [[popular music|popular genres]] with global audiences. [[Jazz]] was developed by innovators such as [[Louis Armstrong]] and [[Duke Ellington]] early in the 20th century. [[Country music]] developed in the 1920s, and [[rhythm and blues]] in the 1940s.<ref name="autogenerated2001">Biddle, Julian (2001). ''What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America''. New York: Citadel, p. ix. ISBN 0-8065-2311-5.</ref>

[[Elvis Presley]] and [[Chuck Berry]] were among the mid-1950s pioneers of [[rock and roll]]. In the 1960s, [[Bob Dylan]] emerged from the [[American folk music revival|folk revival]] to become one of America's most celebrated songwriters and [[James Brown]] led the development of [[funk]]. More recent American creations include [[hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[house music]]. American pop stars such as Presley, [[Michael Jackson]], and [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] have become global celebrities,<ref name="autogenerated2001"/> as have contemporary musical artists such as [[Lady Gaga]], [[Taylor Swift]], [[Katy Perry]], [[Rihanna]], and [[Beyoncé]].

===Cinema===
{{Main|Cinema of the United States}}

[[File:PB050006.JPG|thumb|The [[Hollywood Sign]] in [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]]]]
[[Hollywood]], a northern district of [[Los Angeles]], California, is one of the leaders in motion picture production.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30707 |title=Nigeria surpasses Hollywood as world's second largest film producer |publisher=United Nations |date=May 5, 2009 |accessdate=February 17, 2013}}</ref> The world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City in 1894, using [[Thomas Edison]]'s [[Kinetoscope]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=igwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT68|date=April 29, 1944|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|page=68|id={{ISSN|00062510}}}}</ref> The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the United States was in the forefront of [[sound film]]'s development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, although in the 21st century an increasing number of films are not made there, and film companies have been subject to the forces of globalization.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-landis-rails-studios-theyre-659222|title=John Landis Rails Against Studios: 'They're Not in the Movie Business Anymore'|publisher=''The Hollywood Reporter''|accessdate=January 24, 2015}}</ref>
Director [[D. W. Griffith]], American's top filmmaker during the silent film period, was central to the development of [[film grammar]], and producer/entrepreneur [[Walt Disney]] was a leader in both [[animation|animated film]] and movie [[merchandising]].<ref name="KrasniewiczDisney2010">{{cite book|last1=Krasniewicz|first1=Louise|last2=Disney|first2=Walt|title=Walt Disney: A Biography|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=lZ3vTgpHgFoC&pg=PR10|year=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35830-2|page=10}}</ref> Directors such as [[John Ford]] redefined the image of the American Old West and history, and, like others such as [[John Huston]], broadened the possibilities of cinema with location shooting, with great influence on subsequent directors. The industry enjoyed its golden years, in what is commonly referred to as the "[[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age of Hollywood]]", from the early sound period until the early 1960s, with screen actors such as [[John Wayne]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] becoming iconic figures. In the 1970s, film directors such as [[Martin Scorsese]], [[Francis Ford Coppola]] and [[Robert Altman]] were a vital component in what became known as "[[New Hollywood]]" or the "Hollywood Renaissance",<ref name="Greven2013">{{cite book|last=Greven|first=David|title=Psycho-Sexual: Male Desire in Hitchcock, De Palma, Scorsese, and Friedkin|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QIyNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|date=January 2, 2013|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-74204-8|page=23}}</ref> grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist pictures of the post-war period.<ref name="Morrison1998">{{cite book|last=Morrison|first=James|title=Passport to Hollywood: Hollywood Films, European Directors|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=dWRif68I3igC&pg=PA11|date=September 11, 1998|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-3938-8|page=11}}</ref> Since, directors such as [[Steven Spielberg]], [[George Lucas]] and [[James Cameron]] have gained renown for their blockbuster films, often characterized by high production costs, and in return, high earnings at the box office, with Cameron's ''[[Avatar]]'' (2009) earning more than $2 billion.<ref name="Turow2011">{{cite book|last=Turow|first=Joseph|title=Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=MZsSMKQZoYwC&pg=PA434|date=September 22, 2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-86402-5|page=434}}</ref> Notable films topping the [[American Film Institute]]'s [[AFI 100]] list include [[Orson Welles]]'s ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' (1941), which is frequently cited as the greatest film of all time,<ref>[http://www.filmsite.org/villvoice.html ''Village Voice'': 100 Best Films of the 20th century (2001)]. Filmsite.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html |title =Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 |publisher =British Film Institute |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20021105130210/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/critics-long.html|archivedate=November 5, 2002 |year =2002 |deadurl= yes}}</ref> ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' (1942), ''[[The Godfather]]'' (1972), ''[[Gone with the Wind (1939 film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939), ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962), ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' (1939), ''[[The Graduate]]'' (1967), ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' (1954), ''[[Schindler's List]]'' (1993), ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' (1952), ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946) and ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'' (1950).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx|title=AFI's 100 Years|publisher=American Film Institute|accessdate=January 24, 2015}}</ref> The [[Academy Awards]], popularly known as the Oscars, have been held annually by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] since 1929,<ref name="DrowneHuber2004">{{cite book|last1=Drowne|first1=Kathleen Morgan|last2=Huber|first2=Patrick|title=The 1920's|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CecCHiI95dYC&pg=PA236|date=January 1, 2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32013-2|page=236}}</ref> and the [[Golden Globe Awards]] have been held annually since January 1944.<ref name="Kroon2014">{{cite book|last=Kroon|first=Richard W.|title=A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HjmNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA338|date=April 30, 2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5740-3|page=338}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in the United States}}
[[File:Michael Phelps with President Bush - 20080811.jpeg|upright|thumb|Swimmer [[Michael Phelps]] and then-President [[George W. Bush]] August 10, 2008 at the National Aquatic Center in [[Beijing]]. Phelps is the most decorated [[Olympic Games|Olympic athlete]] of all time.<ref name="FindleyRothney2011">{{cite book|author1=Carter Vaughn Findley|author2=John Alexander Rothney|title=Twentieth-Century World|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=1WQIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|page= 4|isbn=1-133-16880-9}}</ref><ref name="Biographies2012">{{cite book|author=Belmont and Belcourt Biographies|title=Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte: Unauthorized Biographies|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TB1ZJl603IwC&pg=PT8|date=September 1, 2012|publisher=Price World Publishing|isbn=978-1-61984-221-2|pages=8–}}</ref>]]
While most major U.S. sports have evolved out of European practices, [[basketball]], [[volleyball]], [[skateboarding]], and [[snowboarding]] are American inventions, some of which have become popular in other countries. [[Lacrosse]] and [[surfing]] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact.<ref name=liss>Liss, Howard. ''Lacrosse'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 13.</ref> The [[Iroquois]] field their own separate national team, the [[Iroquois Nationals]], in recognition of the confederacy's creation of lacrosse. Eight [[Olympic Games]] have [[United States at the Olympics|taken place in the United States.]] The United States has won 2,400 medals at the [[Summer Olympic Games]], more than any other country, and 281 in the [[Winter Olympic Games]], the second most behind [[Norway]].<ref>{{cite news |title= The 10 most fascinating facts about the all-time Winter Olympics medal standings |first= Chris |last= Chase |date= February 7, 2014 |work= [[USA Today]] |url= http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/winter-olympics-medal-count-sochi-all-time-facts/ |accessdate= February 28, 2014}} {{cite news |title= With Sochi Olympics approaching, a history of Winter Olympic medals |date= February 6, 2014 |first= Dan |last= Loumena |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |url= http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/06/sports/la-sp-a-history-of-the-winter-olympic-medals-20140206 |accessdate= February 28, 2014}}</ref>

The market for professional sports in the United States is roughly $69 billion, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/18/us-pwcstudy-idUSN1738075220080618 Global sports market to hit $141 billion in 2012]. Reuters. Retrieved on July 24, 2013.</ref> [[Baseball]] has been regarded as the [[national sport]] since the late 19th century, with [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) being the top league, while [[American football]] is now by several measures the most popular spectator sport,<ref>{{cite web |author=Krane, David K. |title=Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport |url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337 |publisher=Harris Interactive |date=October 30, 2002|accessdate=September 14, 2007}} MacCambridge, Michael (2004). ''America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation''. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.</ref> with the [[National Football League]] (NFL) having the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and a [[Super Bowl]] watched by millions globally. [[Basketball]] and [[ice hockey]] are the country's next two leading professional team sports, with the top leagues being the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) and the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). These four major sports, when played professionally, each occupy a season at different, but overlapping, times of the year. [[College football]] and [[College basketball|basketball]] attract large audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|title=Passion for College Football Remains Robust|publisher=National Football Foundation|date=March 19, 2013|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref> [[Boxing]] and [[horse racing]] were once the most watched [[individual sport]]s,<ref>{{cite web |author=Cowen, Tyler; Grier, Kevin |title=What Would the End of Football Look Like?|url= http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football |publisher=Grantland/ESPN |date=February 9, 2012 |accessdate=February 12, 2012}}</ref> but they have been eclipsed by [[golf]] and [[auto racing]], particularly [[NASCAR]].<ref>{{cite web|title=As American as Mom, Apple Pie and Football? Football continues to trump baseball as America's Favorite Sport|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|website=Harris Interactive|accessdate=July 2, 2014|date=January 16, 2014}}</ref> In the 21st century, televised [[mixed martial arts]] has also gained a strong following of regular viewers.<ref>{{cite news|last=McCauley |first=Adam |url= http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/mixed_martial_arts/index.html |title=Mixed Martial Arts News |publisher=''The New York Times'' |accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Oakes|first=Kalle|title=Mixed Martial Arts: Its popularity is no contest|url=http://www.sunjournal.com/news/local-sports/2013/04/28/mixed-martial-arts-its-popularity-no-contest/1352423|accessdate=October 1, 2013|newspaper=Sun Journal|date=April 28, 2013|quote=Pay-per-view cards play out to captive audiences in millions of American homes, attracting more consumers than professional wrestling and boxing at the same price. An adrenaline-sports television network, Fuel, devotes more than half its 24-hour broadcast day to a single sport. Other, more popular cable or satellite stops furnish daily or weekly shows devoted to it.}}</ref> While [[Association football|soccer]] is less popular in the United States than in many other nations, the country hosted the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]], the [[United States men's national soccer team|men's national soccer team]] has been to the past six World Cups and the [[United States women's national soccer team|women]] are first in the [[FIFA Women's World Rankings|women's world rankings]].

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}
[[File:Map of current Interstates.svg|thumb|250px|The [[Interstate Highway System]], which extends {{convert|46876|mi|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Interstate FAQ (Question #3) |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |year=2006 |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/faq.htm#question3 |accessdate=March 4, 2009}}</ref>]]
Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network of 4 million miles of public roads,<ref>{{cite web|title=Public Road and Street Mileage in the United States by Type of Surface|url=http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_04.html|website=United States Department of Transportation|accessdate=January 13, 2015}}</ref> including one of the world's [[National Highway System (United States)|longest highway systems]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.newgeography.com/content/002003-china-expressway-system-exceed-us-interstates |title=China Expressway System to Exceed US Interstates |work=New Geography |location =Grand Forks, ND |date=January 22, 2011 |accessdate=September 16, 2011}}</ref> The world's second largest automobile market,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/08/china-us-car-sales-overtakes |title=China overtakes US in car sales |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 8, 2010 |accessdate=July 10, 2011 |location=London}}</ref> the United States has the highest rate of per-capita vehicle ownership in the world, with 765 vehicles per 1,000 Americans.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tra_mot_veh-transportation-motor-vehicles |title=Motor vehicles statistics&nbsp;– countries compared worldwide |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref> About 40% of [[Passenger vehicles in the United States|personal vehicles]] are vans, [[Sport utility vehicle|SUVs]], or light trucks.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_01.html| title =Household, Individual, and Vehicle Characteristics |publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics |work =2001 National Household Travel Survey |accessdate= August 15, 2007}}</ref> The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling {{convert|29|mi|km|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_02.html |title =Daily Passenger Travel |publisher =U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics|work =2001 National Household Travel Survey|accessdate = August 15, 2007}}</ref>

[[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}}{{dead link|date=March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/natgeo_surveys_countries_trans.html |title=NatGeo surveys countries' transit use: guess who comes in last|last=Benfield|first=Kaid|publisher=Natural Resources Defense Council |date=May 18, 2009 |accessdate=January 6, 2015}}</ref> [[Rail transportation in the United States|Transport of goods by rail]] is extensive, though relatively low numbers of passengers (approximately 31 million annually) use rail to travel, partly because of the low population density throughout much of the U.S. interior. <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><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/08/economist-explains-18 |title= The Economist Explains: Why Americans Don't Ride Trains |date=August 29, 2013 |publisher= ''[[The Economist]]'' |accessdate= May 12, 2015}}</ref> However, ridership on [[Amtrak]], the national intercity passenger rail system, grew by almost 37% between 2000 and 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amtrak Ridership Records |url= http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249227805921&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobhead |publisher=Amtrak |date=June 8, 2011|accessdate=February 29, 2012}}</ref> Also, [[Light rail in the United States|light rail development]] has increased in recent years.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.metaefficient.com/trains/master-2.html |title=3 Reasons Light Rail Is an Efficient Transportation Option for U.S. Cities |author=McGill, Tracy |work= MetaEfficient |date=January 1, 2011 |accessdate=June 14, 2013}}</ref> Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal.<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=McKenzie |url =http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/acs-25.pdf |title =Modes Less Traveled—Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008–2012 |publisher =U.S. Census Bureau |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140517011216/http://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/acs-25.pdf |archivedate=May 17, 2014 |date =May 2014 |deadurl= no}}</ref>

The [[List of airlines of the United States|civil airline industry]] is entirely privately owned and has been largely [[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulated since 1978]], while [[List of airports in the United States|
most major airports]] are publicly owned.<ref>{{cite web|title=Privatization|url=http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/privatization|website=http://www.downsizinggovernment.org|publisher=Cato Institute|accessdate=December 27, 2014}}</ref> The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; [[American Airlines]] is number one after its 2013 acquisition by [[US Airways]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.iata.org/publications/pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx| title =Scheduled Passengers Carried |publisher= International Air Transport Association (IATA) |year=2011 |accessdate=February 17, 2012}}</ref> Of the world's 30 busiest passenger airports, 12 are in the United States, including the busiest, [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport- |title =Preliminary World Airport Traffic and Rankings 2013 - High Growth Dubai Moves Up to 7th Busiest Airport&nbsp;— Mar 31, 2014 |publisher =Airports Council International |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140401052319/http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2014/03/31/Preliminary-World-Airport-Traffic-and-Rankings-2013--High-Growth-Dubai-Moves-Up-to-7th-Busiest-Airport- |archivedate=April 1, 2014 |date =March 31, 2014 |accessdate=May 17, 2014 |deadurl= no}}</ref>

===Energy===
[[File:Hoovernewbridge.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Hoover Dam]] when completed in 1936 was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest [[concrete]] structure.]]
{{See also|Energy policy of the United States}}
The [[Energy in the United States|United States energy]] market is about 29,000 [[Kilowatt hour|terawatt hours]] per year.<ref name=IEA2013>IEA Key World Energy Statistics Statistics [http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/KeyWorld2013.pdf 2013],  [http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/kwes.pdf 2012], [http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2011/key_world_energy_stats.pdf 2011], [http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2010/key_stats_2010.pdf 2010], [http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2009/key2009.pdf 2009], [http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2006/key2006.pdf 2006] [[International Energy Agency|IEA]] October, crude oil p.11, coal p. 13 gas p. 15</ref> [[List of countries by energy consumption per capita|Energy consumption per capita]] is 7.8&nbsp;tons of oil equivalent per year, the 10th highest rate in the world. In 2005, 40% of this energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 22% from natural gas. The remainder was supplied by nuclear power and [[renewable energy]] sources.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec1_3.pdf |title= Diagram 1: Energy Flow, 2007 |work=EIA Annual Energy Review |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration |accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref> The United States is the world's largest consumer of petroleum.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2246rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Refined Petroleum Products&nbsp;— Consumption |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |work=The World Factbook |accessdate=May 18, 2014}}</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 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20130724221536/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|archivedate=July 24, 2013|title=BP Statistical Review of World Energy |publisher= British Petroleum |format= XLS |date=June 2007 |accessdate= February 22, 2010}}</ref> It is the world's largest producer of natural gas and crude oil.<ref>{{Cite news |author= Ames, Paul |date=May 30, 2013 |title=Could fracking make the Persian Gulf irrelevant? |url= http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/could_fracking_make_the_persian_gulf_irrelevant_partner/ |work= Salon |accessdate=May 30, 2012 |quote=Since November, the United States has replaced Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer of crude oil. It had already overtaken Russia as the leading producer of natural gas.}}</ref>

==Science and technology==
{{Main|Science and technology in the United States}}
{{See also|Technological and industrial history of the United States}}
[[File:Apollo 15 flag, rover, LM, Irwin cropped.jpg|thumb| Astronaut [[James Irwin]] walking on the [[Moon]] next to [[Apollo 15]]'s [[Apollo Lunar Module|landing module]] and [[lunar rover]] in 1971. The effort to reach the Moon was triggered by the [[Space Race]].]]
The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, [[Alexander Graham Bell]] was awarded the first U.S. [[Invention of the telephone|patent for the telephone]]. [[Thomas Edison]]'s [[Research institute|research laboratory]], one of the first of its kind, developed the [[phonograph]], the first [[Incandescent light bulb|long-lasting light bulb]], and the first viable [[Kinetoscope|movie camera]].<ref name=Edison>{{cite web|title=Thomas Edison's Most Famous Inventions|url=http://www.thomasedison.org/index.php/education/inventions/|website=Thomas A Edison Innovation Foundation|accessdate=January 21, 2015}}</ref> The latter lead to emergence of the worldwide [[Show business|entertainment industry]]. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of [[Ransom E. Olds]] and [[Henry Ford]] popularized the [[assembly line]]. The [[Wright brothers]], in 1903, made the [[Wright Flyer|first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Benedetti, François| url =http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20070912065254/http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/000295.asp| archivedate =September 12, 2007| title =100 Years Ago, the Dream of Icarus Became Reality| publisher =Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)|date=December 17, 2003|accessdate=August 15, 2007}}</ref>

The rise of [[Nazism]] in the 1930s led many European scientists, including [[Albert Einstein]], [[Enrico Fermi]], and [[John von Neumann]], to immigrate to the United States.<ref name=fraser>{{cite book|last1=Fraser|first1=Gordon|title=The Quantum Exodus: Jewish Fugitives, the Atomic Bomb, and the Holocaust|date=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-959215-9|url=http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Quantum_Exodus.html?id=-NYknwEACAAJ}}</ref> During World War II, the [[Manhattan Project]] developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the [[Atomic Age]], while the [[Space Race]] produced rapid advances in rocketry, [[materials science]], and [[aeronautics]].<ref>{{cite book | url =http://books.google.com/books?id=qYZmj7Us3m8C&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=Space+Race++rapid+advances+in+rocketry,+materials+science,+and+computers&source=bl&ots=6JtLGVR3aO&sig=4T65DV86zKTpHNjcMV3lIk1fkL8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rFwXVIbBLMvt8AXWm4LADQ&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Space%20Race%20%20rapid%20advances%20in%20rocketry%2C%20materials%20science%2C%20and%20computers&f=false| title =10 Little Americans| publisher = Google Books | accessdate = September 15, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.computerworld.com/article/2525898/app-development/nasa-s-apollo-technology-has-changed-history.html| title =NASA's Apollo technology has changed the history| publisher = Sharon Gaudin| accessdate =September 15, 2014 }}</ref>

The invention of the [[transistor]] in the 1950s, a key active component in practically all modern [[electronics]], led to many technological developments and a significant expansion of the U.S. technology industry.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/weekinreview/02goodheart.html Goodheart] July 2, 2006</ref><ref>Silicon Valley: 110 Year Renaissance, McLaughlin, Weimers, Winslow 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Roadmap to Entrepreneurial Success|author=Robert W. Price|publisher=AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn|year=2004|isbn=978-0-8144-7190-6|page=42|url=http://books.google.com/?id=q7UzNoWdGAkC&pg=PA42&dq=transistor+inventions-of-the-twentieth-century}}</ref> This in turn lead to the establishment of many new technology companies and regions around the county such as [[Silicon Valley]] in California. 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 [[Adobe Systems]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]], [[IBM]], [[Linux|GNU-Linux]], [[Microsoft]], and [[Sun Microsystems]] created and popularized the [[personal computer]]. The [[ARPANET]] was developed in the 1960s to meet [[United States Department of Defense|Defense Department]] requirements, and became the first of a [[history of the Internet|series of networks which evolved]] into the [[Internet]].<ref name="Sawyer2012">{{cite book|last=Sawyer|first=Robert Keith|title=Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QyJjyZ_YBAkC&pg=PA256|year=2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-973757-4|page=256}}</ref>

These advancements then lead to greater [[personalization]] of technology for individual use.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bennett|first1=W. Lance|last2=Segerberg|first2=Alexandra|title=Digital Media and the Personalization of Collective Action|journal=Information, Communication & Society|date=September 2011|volume=14|issue=6|pages=770–799|doi=10.1080/1369118X.2011.579141}}</ref> {{As of|2010|04}}, 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|lc=y}}.<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 United States ranks highly with regard to freedom of use of the internet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Freedom on the Net 2014|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net-2014/freedom-net-2014-graphics#.VQ9Itu7F9aw|website=Freedom House}}</ref>

In the 21st century, 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>

==Health==
{{See also|Health care in the United States|Health care reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
[[File:Total health expenditure per capita, US Dollars PPP.png|thumb|right|300px|Health spending per capita, in US$ [[Purchasing power parity|PPP-adjusted]], compared amongst various first world nations.]]
The United States has a life expectancy of 79.8 years at birth, up from 75.2 years in 1990.<ref name=who>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688?lang=en |title=WHO Life expectancy data by country | publisher=WHO | date=2012|accessdate=June 1, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Life Expectancy at Birth |publisher=CIA |work=The World Factbook|accessdate=October 25, 2011}}</ref><ref name=Murray2013>{{cite journal |first= Christopher J.L. |last= Murray |title= The State of US Health, 1990–2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors |journal= Journal of the American Medical Association |url= http://jama.jamanetwork.com/data/Journals/JAMA/0/joi130037.pdf |doi= 10.1001/jama.2013.13805 |date= July 10, 2013 |volume= 310 |issue= 6 |pages= 591–608 |pmid= 23842577 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6IN1kHmaR |archivedate=July 25, 2013 |deadurl=yes}}</ref> Increasing obesity in the United States and health improvements elsewhere have contributed to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy from 1987, when it was 11th in the world.<ref>{{cite news |author= MacAskill, Ewen |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/aug/13/usa.ewenmacaskill |title=US Tumbles Down the World Ratings List for Life Expectancy |date=August 13, 2007 |work= The Guardian |accessdate = August 15, 2007 |location=London}}</ref> Obesity rates in the United States are among the [[Obesity in the United States|highest in the world]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico Obesity Rate Surpasses The United States', Making It Fattest Country In The Americas|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_3567772.html|website=Huffington Post}}</ref> Approximately [[Obesity in the United States|one-third of the adult population is obese]] and an additional third is overweight;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm |title= Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003–2004 |accessdate= June 5, 2007 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> the obesity rate, the highest in the industrialized world, has more than doubled in the last quarter-century.<ref>{{cite book |author= Schlosser, Eric |year= 2002 |title= Fast Food Nation |publisher= Perennial |location=New York |isbn= 0-06-093845-5 |page= 240}}</ref> Obesity-related [[diabetes mellitus type 2|type 2 diabetes]] is considered epidemic by health care professionals.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329 |title=Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity |year=2005 |accessdate= June 17, 2007 |work= [[Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology]] |publisher=American Heart Association}}</ref> The infant mortality rate of 6.17 per thousand places the United States 169th highest out of 224 countries, with the 224th country having the lowest mortality rate.<ref>{{cite web |url =https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |title =Country Comparison: Infant Mortality Rate |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |work=The World Factbook |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140411044300/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html |archivedate=April 11, 2014 |accessdate=May 17, 2014 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

In 2010, [[coronary artery disease]], [[lung cancer]], [[stroke]], [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]s, and traffic accidents caused the most years of life lost in the U.S. Low back pain, [[major depressive disorder|depression]], [[musculoskeletal disorder]]s, neck pain, and [[anxiety]] caused the most years lost to disability. The most deleterious [[risk factor]]s were poor diet, tobacco smoking, obesity, [[Hypertension|high blood pressure]], [[Hyperglycemia|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, especially among blacks and Hispanics.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Teen Pregnancy|url=http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm|publisher=Center for Disease Control|accessdate=January 24, 2015}}</ref> U.S. underage drinking among teenagers is among the lowest in industrialized nations.<ref>{{cite web|title=A nation of bad parents: Britain's youngsters amongst world's worst for drinking, smoking and teenage pregnancy, warns the OECD|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210438/UK-teenage-girls-worst-drunks-world-despite-billions-spent-welfare.html|website=Daily Mail}}</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.<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>  Since 1966, more Americans have received the [[List of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize 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> The U.S. health-care system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends]] any other nation, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP.<ref>''OECD Health Data 2000: A Comparative Analysis of 29 Countries'' [CD-ROM] (OECD: Paris, 2000). See also {{cite web |url=http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20061118234952/http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.+HCweb.pdf |title=The U.S. Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive? |year=2001|accessdate= November 29, 2006 |publisher=University of Maine}}</ref> Health-care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts and is not [[universal health care|universal]]. In 2014, 13.4% of the population did not carry [[health insurance]].<ref>{{cite web|title=In U.S., Uninsured Rate Holds at 13.4%|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/178100/uninsured-rate-holds.aspx|website=Gallup}}</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 |date=December 2006 |volume=63|issue=6|pages=663–700 |doi=10.1177/1077558706293634 |pmid=17099121 |issn=1077-5587 |journal=Medical Care Research and Review}}</ref> In 2006, [[Massachusetts]] became the first state to mandate universal health insurance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Fahrenthold, David A. |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401937.html |title= Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage |date= April 5, 2006 |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=June 19, 2007}}</ref> [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Federal legislation]] passed in early 2010 would ostensibly create a near-universal health insurance system around the country by 2014, though the bill and its ultimate impact are issues of controversy.<ref>{{cite web |title= Health Care Law 54% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law |url= http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/health_care_law |publisher=Rasmussen Reports |accessdate=October 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Debate on ObamaCare to intensify in the wake of landmark Supreme Court ruling |url= http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/29/debate-on-obamacare-to-intensify-in-wake-landmark-supreme-court-ruling/ |work=Fox News |date=June 29, 2012 |accessdate=October 14, 2012}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|Media of the United States|Television in the United States}}
[[File:ABC 77 W66 jeh.JPG|thumb|Corporate headquarters of the [[American Broadcasting Company]] in New York City]]
The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are the [[NBC|National Broadcasting Company]] (NBC), [[CBS|Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS), the [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC) and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].
Americans are the heaviest television viewers in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_vie-media-television-viewing |title=Media Statistics > Television Viewing by Country |publisher=NationMaster |accessdate=June 3, 2007}}</ref> and the average viewing time continues to rise, reaching five hours a day in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005003 |title=Broadband and Media Consumption |date=June 7, 2007|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate=June 10, 2007}}</ref> The four major broadcast [[television network]]s are all commercial entities. Americans listen to radio programming, also largely commercial, on average just over two-and-a-half hours a day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1004830 |title=TV Fans Spill into Web Sites |date=June 7, 2007|publisher=eMarketer |accessdate = June 10, 2007}}</ref>

In 1998, the number of U.S. commercial radio stations had grown to 4,793 AM stations and 5,662 FM stations. In addition, there are 1,460 public radio stations. Most of these stations are run by universities and public authorities for educational purposes and are financed by public or private funds, subscriptions and corporate underwriting. Much public-radio broadcasting is supplied by [[NPR]] (formerly National Public Radio). NPR was incorporated in February 1970 under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967; its television counterpart, PBS, was also created by the same legislation. (NPR and PBS are operated separately from each other.) {{As of|2014|09|30|df=US}}, there are 15,433 licensed full-power radio stations in the US according to the [[U.S. Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{cite web|last = Waits | first = Jennifer | title = Number of U.S. Radio Stations on the Rise, Especially LPFM, according to New FCC Count | website = Radio Survivor | date = October 17, 2014 | accessdate = January 6, 2015 | url = http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2014/10/17/number-u-s-radio-stations-rise-especially-lpfm-according-latest-fcc-count/}}</ref>

Well-known newspapers are ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'' and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''. Although the cost of publishing has increased over the years, the price of newspapers has generally remained low, forcing newspapers to rely more on advertising revenue and on articles provided by a major wire service, such as the Associated Press or Reuters, for their national and world coverage. With very few exceptions, all the newspapers in the U.S. are privately owned, either by large chains such as [[Gannett Company|Gannett]] or [[The McClatchy Company|McClatchy]], which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by small chains that own a handful of papers; or in a situation that is increasingly rare, by individuals or families. Major cities often have "alternative weeklies" to complement the mainstream daily papers, for example, New York City's ''[[The Village Voice]]'' or Los Angeles' ''[[LA Weekly]]'', to name two of the best-known. Major cities may also support a local business journal, trade papers relating to local industries, and papers for local ethnic and social groups. Early versions of the American newspaper [[comic strip]] and the [[American comic book]] began appearing in the 19th century. In 1938, [[Superman]], the comic book [[superhero]] of [[DC Comics]], developed into an American icon.<ref>{{cite book | last=Daniels | first=Les | authorlink=Les Daniels | year=1998 | title=Superman: The Complete History | page=11 | edition=1st | publisher=[[Titan Books]] | isbn=1-85286-988-7}}</ref> Aside from [[web portal]]s and [[web search engine|search engines]], the most popular websites are [[Facebook]], [[YouTube]], [[Wikipedia]], [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[eBay]], and [[Twitter]].<ref name="alexa-topsitesus">{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US |title=Top Sites in United States |year=2014 |publisher=Alexa |accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref>

In Spanish, the second most widely spoken mother tongue behind English, more than 800 publications are published.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3newspapers.com/usa/spanish |title=Spanish Newspapers in United States |publisher=W3newspapers |accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm |title=Spanish Language Newspapers in the USA : Hispanic Newspapers : Periódiscos en Español en los EE.UU |publisher=Onlinenewspapers.com |accessdate=August 5, 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|North America}}
{{Wikipedia books}}
* [[Index of United States-related articles]]
* [[Outline of the United States]]
* [[List of states and territories of the United States]]
* [[List of metropolitan areas of the United States]]
* [[List of United States cities by population]]
* [[List of wars involving the United States]]
* [[National symbols of the United States]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=fn}}

==References==
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{{Reflist|22em}}

==Bibliography and further reading==
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* {{cite book |title= The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism.| first1= Edward E.|last1= Baptist|publisher= [[Basic Books]]|year= 2014|isbn=046500296X}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Barth |first1=James |first2=John |last2=Jahera |title=US Enacts Sweeping Financial Reform Legislation |ref=Barth10 |journal=Journal of Financial Economic Policy |volume=2 |issue=3 |year=2010 |pages=192–195 |doi=10.1108/17576381011085412}}
* {{cite book |last=Berkin |first=Carol |last2=Miller |first2=Christopher L. |last3=Cherny |first3=Robert W. |last4=Gormly |first4=James L. |title=Making America: A History of the United States, Volume I: To 1877 |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2007 |ref=Berkin |page=75}}, [http://books.google.com/books/about/Making_America_Volume_1_To_1877_A_Histor.html?id=cyEI21RClZkC Book]
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* {{cite book |author1=Boyer, Paul S. |author2=Clark, Clifford E. Jr. |author3=Kett, Joseph F. |last4=Salisbury|first4=Neal|last5=Sitkoff|first5= Harvard|last6=Woloch|first6=Nancy |title=The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People |ref=Boyer |year=2007|publisher=Cengage Learning |page=588 |isbn=978-0-618-80161-9}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=9KT3lI76-0cC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]
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* {{cite book |last=Davis |first=Kenneth C. |title=Don't know much about the Civil War |ref=Davis96 |publisher=William Marrow and Co. |location=New York |year=1996 |isbn=0-688-11814-3 |page=518}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=Dphzw2cbaoQC&vq=1670&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]
* {{cite book |last=Daynes |first=Byron W. |last2=Sussman |first2=Glen (eds.) |title=White House Politics and the Environment: Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush |ref=Daynes |publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]] |year=2010 |page=320 |isbn=978-1-60344-254-1 |quote=Presidential environmental policies, 1933–2009}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=HIOQ1FYHtcYC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]
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* {{cite book |last=Gold |first=Susan Dudley |title=United States V. Amistad: Slave Ship Mutiny |ref=Gold2006 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |year=2006 |page=144 |isbn=978-0-7614-2143-6}}, [http://books.google.com/books?id=mbV6kPGO4OAC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Book]
* {{cite journal |last1=Ferguson |first1=Thomas |last2=Rogers |first2=Joel |ref=Ferguson |year=1986 |title=The Myth of America's Turn to the Right |journal=[[The Atlantic]] |volume=257 |issue=5 |pages=43–53 |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/95dec/conbook/fergrt.htm |accessdate=March 11, 2013}}
* {{cite book |last=Fraser |first=Steve |first2=Gary |last2=Gerstle |ref=Fraser |title=The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order: 1930–1980 |series=American History: Political science |url=http://books.google.com/?id=yd4GqkP5XYgC&lpg=PA229|year=1989 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-00607-9 |page=311}}
* {{cite book |last=Gordon |first=John Steele |ref=Gordon |title=An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power |year=2004 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]]}}, [http://books.google.com/books/about/An_Empire_of_Wealth.html?id=rmsUs_KDgHAC Book]
* {{cite book |last=Graebner |first=Norman A. |last2=Burns |first2=Richard Dean |last3=Siracusa |first3=Joseph M. |ref=Burns2008 |title=Reagan, Bush, Gorbachev: Revisiting the End of the Cold War |url=http://books.google.com/?id=r71u_AgE7iYC&lpg=PA142 |year=2008 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |series=Praeger Security International Series |isbn=978-0-313-35241-6 |page=180}}
* {{cite book |title= [http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415673440/ The Routledge Handbook of Poverty in the United States]|editor1-first=Stephen|editor1-last=Haymes|editor2-first= Maria|editor2-last=Vidal de Haymes|editor3-first= Reuben|editor3-last= Miller|publisher= [[Routledge]]|year= 2014|isbn=0415673445}}
* {{cite book |last=Hughes |first=David |title=The British Chronicles |volume=1 |page=347 |year=2007 |publisher=Heritage Books |location=[[Westminster, Maryland|Westminster]], [[Maryland]]}}
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* {{cite book |last=Smith |first= Andrew F. |year=2004 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America'' |ref=Smith2004 |publisher=New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 131–32. ISBN 0-19-515437-1}}
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* {{cite book |last=Thornton |first=Russell |title=American Indian Holocaust and Survival: A Population History Since 1492 |series=Volume 186 of Civilization of the American Indian Series |year=1987 |ref=Thornton |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-2220-5 |page=49}}, [http://books.google.com/?id=9iQYSQ9y60MC&lpg=PA49 Book]
* {{cite book|last=Tooze|first=Adam|authorlink=Adam Tooze|year=2006|title=[[The Wages of Destruction|The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy]]|location=London|publisher=Allen Lane|isbn=978-0-7139-9566-4|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Alden T. |ref=Vaughan |title=New England Encounters: Indians and Euroamericans Ca. 1600–1850 |publisher=North Eastern University Press |page= |year=1999}}
* {{cite book |last=Walton |first=Gary M. |last2=Rockoff |first2=Hugh |title=History of the American Economy |year=2009 |ref=Walton |publisher=Cengage Learning}}, [http://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_American_Economy_With_Acc.html?id=lyhI1q_E4G0C Book]
* {{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Daniel K. |year=2012 |ref=Williams |title=Questioning Conservatism's Ascendancy: A Reexamination of the Rightward Shift in Modern American Politics; {Reviews in American History} |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=325–331 |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |doi=10.1353/rah.2012.0043 |url=http://courses.ttu.edu/secunnin/40.2.williams.pdf |accessdate=March 11, 2013 |journal=Reviews in American History}}
* {{cite book | author=Winchester, Simon |title=The men who United the States |url= | year=2013|publisher=Harper Collins | isbn=978-0-06-207960-2 |pages=198, 216, 251, 253 }}
* {{cite book |last=Zinn |first=Howard |authorlink=Howard Zinn |title=[[A People's History of the United States]] |ref=Zinn |year=2005 |publisher=[[Harper Perennial|Harper Perennial Modern Classics]]|location= |isbn=0-06-083865-5 |pages=321–357}}
{{refend}}

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

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=United States}}
<!--Please:
1)Follow the [[WP:EL]] guideline where possible and consider discussing on the talk page;
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* {{CIA World Factbook link|us|United States}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16761057 United States], from the [[BBC News]]
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=US Key Development Forecasts for the United States] from [[International Futures]]
;Government
* [http://www.usa.gov/ Official U.S. Government Web Portal] Gateway to government sites
* [http://www.house.gov/ House] Official site of the United States House of Representatives
* [http://www.senate.gov/ Senate] Official site of the United States Senate
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ White House] Official site of the President of the United States
* [{{SCOTUS URL}} Supreme Court] Official site of the Supreme Court of the United States
;History
* [http://www.nationalcenter.org/HistoricalDocuments.html Historical Documents] Collected by the National Center for Public Policy Research
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm U.S. National Mottos: History and Constitutionality] Analysis by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
* [http://www.historicalstatistics.org/index2.html USA] Collected links to historical data
;Maps
* [http://nationalatlas.gov/ National Atlas of the United States] Official maps from the U.S. Department of the Interior
* {{wikiatlas|the United States}}
* [http://www.measureofamerica.org/maps/ Measure of America] A variety of mapped information relating to health, education, income, and demographics for the U.S.

{{Anchor|Related information}}<!-- target for Navbox link at See also section -->

{{United States topics}}<!-- Pls see [[Wikipedia:Template limits]]
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