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United States
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"America", "US", "USA", and "United States of America" redirect here. For the landmass
comprising North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean, see Americas. For other
uses, see America (disambiguation), US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation),
and United States (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 40°N 100°W
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Flag
Coat of arms
Motto:
Anthem:
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
MENU
0:00
March:
"The Stars and Stripes Forever"[3][4]
MENU
0:00
Great Seal:
Ethnic groups By race:
(2018) [7]
76.5% White
13.4% Black
5.9% Asian
2.7% Other/multiracial
1.3% Native American
0.2% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity:
18.3% Hispanic or Latino
81.7% non-Hispanic or Latino
Demonym(s) American[b][8]
Legislature Congress
Independence
from Great Britain
• Declaration July 4, 1776
• Articles of March 1, 1781
Confederation
• Treaty of Paris September 3, 1783
• Current constitution June 21, 1788
• Bill of Rights September 25, 1789
• Last state admitted August 21, 1959 (Hawaii)
• Last amendment May 5, 1992
Area
• Total area 3,796,742 sq mi (9,833,520 km2)[c]
[9]
(3rd/4th)
• Water (%) 6.97
• Total land area 3,531,905 sq mi (9,147,590 km2)
Population
• 2019 estimate 328,239,523[7] (3rd)
• 2010 census 308,745,538[d][10] (3rd)
• Density 87/sq mi (33.6/km2) (146th)
GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate
• Total $22.321 trillion[11] (2nd)
GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate
• Total $22.321 trillion[11] (1st)
Gini (2017) 39.0[12]
medium · 56th
HDI (2018) 0.920[13]
very high · 15th
Calling code +1
[hide]
Timeline
v
t
e
Contents
1Etymology
2History
o 2.1Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian history
o 2.2Effects on and interaction with native populations
o 2.3European settlements
o 2.4Independence and expansion (1776–1865)
o 2.5Civil War and Reconstruction era
o 2.6Further immigration, expansion, and industrialization
o 2.7World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
o 2.8Cold War and civil rights era
o 2.9Contemporary history
3Geography, climate, and environment
o 3.1Wildlife and conservation
4Demographics
o 4.1Population
o 4.2Language
o 4.3Religion
o 4.4Family structure
o 4.5Health
o 4.6Education
4.6.1Higher education
5Government and politics
o 5.1Political divisions
o 5.2Parties and elections
o 5.3Foreign relations
o 5.4Government finance
o 5.5Military
6Law enforcement and crime
7Economy
o 7.1Science and technology
o 7.2Income, poverty and wealth
8Infrastructure
o 8.1Transportation
o 8.2Energy
o 8.3Water supply and sanitation
9Culture
o 9.1Food
o 9.2Literature, philosophy, and visual art
o 9.3Music
o 9.4Cinema
o 9.5Sports
o 9.6Mass media
10See also
11Notes
12References
13Further reading
14External links
Etymology
See also: Naming of the Americas, Names for United States citizens, and American
(word)
The first known use of the name "America" dates back to 1507, when it appeared on a
world map created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. On this map, the
name applied to South America in honor of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
[34]
After returning from his expeditions, Vespucci first postulated that the West Indies did
not represent Asia's eastern limit, as initially thought by Columbus, but instead were part
of an entirely separate landmass thus far unknown to the Europeans.[35] In 1538, the
Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator used the name "America" on his own world
map, applying it to the entire Western Hemisphere.[36]
The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" dates from a
January 2, 1776 letter written by Stephen Moylan, Esq., to Lt. Col. Joseph
Reed, George Washington's aide-de-camp and Muster-Master General of
the Continental Army. Moylan expressed his wish to go "with full and ample powers
from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the revolutionary
war effort.[37][38][39] 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.[40]
The second draft of the Articles of Confederation, prepared by John Dickinson and
completed no later than June 17, 1776, declared "The name of this Confederation shall
be the 'United States of America'".[41] The final version of the Articles sent to the states
for ratification in late 1777 contains the sentence "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be
'The United States of America'".[42] 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 Declaration of Independence.[41] This draft of the document did not
surface until June 21, 1776, and it is unclear whether it was written before or after
Dickinson used the term in his June 17 draft of the Articles of Confederation.[41]
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", a name popular in poetry and songs of the late 18th century,
derives its origin from Christopher Columbus; it appears in the name "District of
Columbia". Many landmarks and institutions in the Western Hemisphere bear his name,
including the country of Colombia.[43]
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.[44] 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". The
difference is more significant than usage; it is a difference between a collection of states
and a unit.[45]
A citizen of the United States is an "American". "United States", "American" and "U.S."
refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S. forces"). In English, the word
"American" rarely refers to topics or subjects not directly connected with the United
States.[46]
History
Main articles: History of the United States, Timeline of United States history, American
business history, Economic history of the United States, and Labor history of the United
States
Indigenous peoples and pre-Columbian history
Further information: Native Americans in the United States and Pre-Columbian era
The Cliff Palace, built by ancient Native American Puebloans around 1190 AD
With the progress of European colonization in the territories of the contemporary United
States, the Native Americans were often conquered and displaced.[61] The native
population of America declined after European arrival for various reasons,[62][63] primarily
diseases such as smallpox and measles.[64][65]
Estimating the native population of North America at the time of European contact is
difficult.[66][67] Douglas H. Ubelaker of the Smithsonian Institution estimated that there was
a population of 92,916 in the south Atlantic states and a population of 473,616 in the
Gulf states[68], but most academics regard this figure as too low.[66] Anthropologist Henry
F. Dobyns believed the populations were much higher, suggesting 1,100,000 along the
shores of the gulf of Mexico, 2,211,000 people living
between Florida and Massachusetts, 5,250,000 in the Mississippi Valley and tributaries
and 697,000 people in the Florida peninsula.[66][67]
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. In
many cases, however, natives and settlers came to depend on each other. Settlers
traded for food and animal pelts; natives for guns, ammunition and other European
goods.[69] Natives taught many settlers to cultivate corn, beans, and squash. European
missionaries and others felt it was important to "civilize" the Native Americans and
urged them to adopt European agricultural techniques and lifestyles.[70][71]
European settlements
Further information: Colonial history of the United States, European colonization of the
Americas, and Thirteen Colonies
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall
A large-scale slave trade with English privateers began.[78] Because of less disease and
better food and treatment, the life expectancy of slaves was much higher in North
America than further south, leading to a rapid increase in the numbers of slaves.[79]
[80]
Colonial society was largely divided over the religious and moral implications of
slavery, and colonies passed acts for and against the practice.[81][82] But by the turn of the
18th century, African slaves were replacing indentured servants for cash crop labor,
especially in the South.[83]
With the establishment of the Province of Georgia in 1732, the 13 colonies that would
become the United States of America were administered by the British as overseas
dependencies.[84] All nonetheless had local governments with elections open to most free
men.[85] With extremely high birth rates, low death rates, and steady settlement, the
colonial population grew rapidly. Relatively small Native American populations were
eclipsed.[86] The Christian revivalist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as
the Great Awakening fueled interest both in religion and in religious liberty.[87]
During the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as 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, who were being conquered and displaced, the 13 British colonies had a
population of over 2.1 million in 1770, about a 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.[88] The colonies' distance from Britain
had allowed the development of self-government, but their unprecedented success
motivated monarchs to periodically seek to reassert royal authority.[89]
In 1774, the Spanish Navy ship Santiago, under Juan Pérez, entered and anchored in
an inlet of Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, in present-day British Columbia. Although
the Spanish did not land, natives paddled to the ship to trade furs for abalone shells
from California.[90] At the time, the Spanish were able to monopolize the trade
between Asia and North America, granting limited licenses to the Portuguese. When
the Russians began establishing a growing fur trading system in Alaska, the Spanish
began to challenge the Russians, with Pérez's voyage being the first of many to
the Pacific Northwest.[91][h]
During his third and final voyage, Captain James Cook became the first European to
begin formal contact with Hawaii.[93] Captain Cook's last voyage included sailing along
the coast of North America and Alaska searching for a Northwest Passage for
approximately nine months.[94]
Independence and expansion (1776–1865)
Further information: American Revolutionary War, United States Declaration of
Independence, American Revolution, and Territorial evolution of the United States
Ellis Island, in New York Harbor, was a major entry point for European immigration into the U.S.[125]
The Statue of Liberty in New York City, symbol of the United States as well as its ideals[134]
Rapid economic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries fostered the
rise of many prominent industrialists. Tycoons like Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D.
Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie led the nation's progress in railroad, petroleum,
and steel industries. Banking became a major part of the economy, with J. P.
Morgan playing a notable role. The American economy boomed, becoming the world's
largest, and the United States achieved great power status.[135] These dramatic changes
were accompanied by social unrest and the rise of populist, socialist,
and anarchist movements.[136] This period eventually ended with the advent of
the Progressive Era, which saw significant reforms including women's suffrage, alcohol
prohibition, regulation of consumer goods, greater antitrust measures to ensure
competition and attention to worker conditions.[137][138][139]
World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
Further information: World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world when completed in 1931, during the Great
Depression.
The United States remained neutral from the outbreak of World War I in 1914 until
1917, when it joined the war as an "associated power", alongside the formal Allies of
World War I, helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers. In 1919,
President Woodrow Wilson took a leading diplomatic role at the 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.[140]
In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a constitutional
amendment granting women's suffrage.[141] The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise
of radio for mass communication and the invention of early television.[142] The prosperity
of the Roaring Twenties ended with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the onset of
the Great Depression. After his election as president in 1932, Franklin D.
Roosevelt responded with the New Deal.[143] The Great Migration of millions of African
Americans out of the American South began before World War I and extended through
the 1960s;[144] whereas the Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming
communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.[145]
At first effectively neutral during World War II, the United States began supplying
materiel to the 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.[146] Although Japan attacked the
United States first, the U.S. nonetheless pursued a "Europe first" defense policy.[147] The
United States thus left its vast Asian colony, the Philippines, isolated and fighting a
losing struggle against Japanese invasion and occupation, as military resources were
devoted to the European theater. During the war, the United States was referred to as
one of the "Four Policemen"[148] of Allies power who met to plan the postwar world, along
with Britain, the Soviet Union and China.[149][150] Although the nation lost around 400,000
military personnel,[151] it emerged relatively undamaged from the war with even greater
economic and military influence.[152]
Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on
Washington, 1963
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union competed for power,
influence, and prestige during what became known as the Cold War, driven by an
ideological divide between capitalism and communism[158]. 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 towards the expansion of communist influence. While the U.S. and Soviet
Union engaged in proxy wars and developed powerful nuclear arsenals, the two
countries avoided direct military conflict.
The United States often opposed Third World movements that it viewed as Soviet-
sponsored, and occasionally pursued direct action for regime change against left-wing
governments, even supporting right-wing authoritarian governments at times.
[159]
American troops fought communist Chinese and North Korean forces in the Korean
War of 1950–53.[160] The Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the first artificial satellite and its
1961 launch of the first manned spaceflight initiated a "Space Race" in which the United
States became the first nation to land a man on the moon in 1969.[160] A proxy war in
Southeast Asia eventually evolved into full American participation, as the Vietnam War.
At home, the U.S. experienced sustained economic expansion and a 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 cities to large suburban housing developments.[161][162] In 1959 Hawaii became
the 50th and last U.S. state added to the country.[163] The growing 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 1968, sought to end
racial discrimination.[164][165][166] Meanwhile, a counterculture movement grew which was
fueled by opposition to the Vietnam war, black nationalism, and the sexual revolution.
After the Cold War, the conflict in the Middle East triggered a crisis in 1990,
when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded and attempted to annex Kuwait, an ally of
the United States. Fearing the instability would spread to other regions,
President George H. W. Bush launched Operation Desert Shield, a defensive force
buildup in Saudi Arabia, and Operation Desert Storm, in a staging titled the Gulf War;
waged by coalition forces from 34 nations, led by the United States against Iraq ending
in the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait and restoration of the monarchy.[179]
Originating within U.S. military defense networks, the Internet spread to international
academic platforms and then to the public in the 1990s, greatly affecting the global
economy, society, and culture.[180] Due to the dot-com boom, stable monetary policy
under Alan Greenspan, and reduced social welfare spending, the 1990s saw
the longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history, ending in 2001.[181] Beginning in
1994, the U.S. entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), linking
450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services. The goal of the
agreement was to eliminate trade and investment barriers among the U.S., Canada,
and Mexico by January 1, 2008. Trade among the three partners has soared since
NAFTA went into force.[182]
On 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.[183] In
response, the United States launched the War on Terror, which included war in
Afghanistan and the 2003–11 Iraq War.[184][185]
Government policy designed to promote affordable housing,[186] widespread failures in
corporate and regulatory governance,[187] and historically low interest rates set by the
Federal Reserve[188] led to the mid-2000s housing bubble, which culminated with
the 2008 financial crisis, the nation's largest economic contraction since the Great
Depression.[189] Barack Obama, the first African-
American[190] and multiracial[191] president, was elected in 2008 amid the crisis,[192] and
subsequently passed stimulus measures and the Dodd–Frank Act in an attempt to
mitigate its negative effects and ensure there would not be a repeat of the crisis. The
stimulus facilitated infrastructure improvements[193] and a relative decline in
unemployment.[194] Dodd–Frank improved financial stability and consumer protection,
[195]
although there has been debate about its effects on the economy.[196]
In 2010, the Obama administration passed the Affordable Care Act, which made the
most sweeping reforms to the nation's healthcare system in nearly five decades,
including mandates, subsidies and insurance exchanges. The law caused a significant
reduction in the number and percentage of people without health insurance, with 24
million covered during 2016,[197] but remains controversial due to its impact on healthcare
costs, insurance premiums, and economic performance.[198] Although the recession
reached its trough in June 2009, voters remained frustrated with the slow pace of the
economic recovery. The Republicans, who were opposed to Obama's policies, won
control of the House of Representatives with a landslide in 2010 and control of the
Senate in 2014.[199]
American forces in Iraq were withdrawn in large numbers in 2009 and 2010, and the
war in the region was declared formally over in December 2011.[200] But months earlier,
operation Operation Neptune Spear led to the death of the leader of Al-
Qaeda in Pakistan.[201] The withdrawal caused an escalation of sectarian insurgency,
[202]
leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al-
Qaeda in the region.[203] In 2014, Obama announced a restoration of full diplomatic
relations with Cuba for the first time since 1961,[204] though in June 2019, the Trump
administration announced new restrictions on American travel to Cuba.[205] In 2015, the
United States as a member of the P5+1 countries signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action, an agreement aimed to slow the development of Iran's nuclear program,
[206]
though the U.S. withdrew from the deal in May 2018.[207] In the presidential election of
2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States,
making him both the oldest and wealthiest person elected president in the country's
history.[208]
The Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the
country, peaking around 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado.[216] Farther west are the
rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua and Mojave.[217] The Sierra
Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast, both ranges
reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The lowest and highest points in
the contiguous United States are in the state of California,[218] and only about 84 miles
(135 km) apart.[219] At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the
highest peak in the country and in North America.[220] Active volcanoes are common
throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic
islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the
continent's largest volcanic feature.[221]
The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate
types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in
the north to humid subtropical in the south.[222] 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 in coastal
California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. Most
of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida are tropical, as
well as its territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific.[223] States bordering the Gulf of
Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur in the country,
mainly in Tornado Alley areas in the Midwest and South.[224] Overall, the United States
has the world's most violent weather, receiving more high-impact extreme weather
incidents than any other country in the world. [225]
Wildlife and conservation
Main articles: Fauna of the United States and Flora of the United States
See also: Category:Biota of the United States
The U.S. ecology is megadiverse: about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the
contiguous United States and Alaska, and more than 1,800 species of flowering
plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[226] The United States is
home to 428 mammal species, 784 bird species, 311 reptile species, and 295
amphibian species,[227] as well as about 91,000 insect species.[228]
The bald eagle has been the national bird of the United States since 1782.[229]
There are 62 national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests,
and wilderness areas.[230] Altogether, the government owns about 28% of the country's
land area.[231] Most of this is protected, though some is leased for oil and gas drilling,
mining, logging, or cattle ranching, and about .86% is used for military purposes.[232][233]
Environmental issues include debates on oil and nuclear energy, dealing with air and
water pollution, the economic costs of protecting wildlife, logging and deforestation,[234]
[235]
and international responses to global warming.[236][237] The most prominent
environmental agency is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), created by
presidential order in 1970.[238] The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of
public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act.[239] 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.[240]
Demographics
Main articles: Americans, Demographics of the United States, and Race and ethnicity
in the United States
Population
See also: List of U.S. states by population and List of United States cities by population
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the country's population to be 329,686,270 as of
May 23, 2020, and to be adding one person (net gain) every 19 seconds, or about 4,547
people per day.[28] The United States is the third most populous nation in the world,
after China and India. In 2018 the median age of the United States population was 38.1
years.[241]
In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants
(second-generation Americans) in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall
U.S. population.[242] The United States has a very diverse population; 37 ancestry
groups have more than one million members.[243] German Americans are the largest
ethnic group (more than 50 million)—followed by Irish Americans (circa 37
million), Mexican Americans (circa 31 million) and English Americans (circa 28 million).
[244][245]
Minorities (as defined by the Census Bureau as all those beside non-Hispanic, non-
multiracial whites) constituted 37% of the population in 2012[248] and over 50% of children
under age one,[249][250] and are projected to constitute the majority by 2044.[249]
In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were
naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanent residents (including
many eligible to become citizens), 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and
23% (10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants.[251] Among current living immigrants to
the U.S., the top five countries of birth are Mexico, China, India, the Philippines and El
Salvador. Until 2017 and 2018, the United States led the word in refugee
resettlement for decades, admitted more refugees than the rest of the world combined.
[252]
From fiscal year 1980 until 2017, 55% of refugees came from Asia, 27% from
Europe, 13% from Africa, and 4% from Latin America.[252]
A 2017 Gallup poll concluded that 4.5% of adult Americans identified as LGBT with
5.1% of women identifying as LGBT, compared with 3.9% of men.[253] The highest
percentage came from the District of Columbia (10%), while the lowest state was North
Dakota at 1.7%.[254]
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 3,929,214 —
A 2017 United Nations report projected that the U.S. would be one of nine countries in
which world population growth through 2050 would be concentrated.[258] A 2020 U.S.
Census Bureau report projected the population of the country could be anywhere
between 320 million and 447 million by 2060, depending on the rate of in-migration; in
all projected scenarios, a lower fertility rate and increases in life expectancy would result
in an aging population.[259]
The population growth of Hispanic and Latino Americans is a major demographic trend.
The 50.5 million Americans of Hispanic descent[247] are identified as sharing a distinct
"ethnicity" by the Census Bureau; 64% of Hispanic Americans are of Mexican descent.
[260]
Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the
non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%.[261]
The United States has a birth rate of 13 per 1,000, which is five births below the world
average.[262] Its population growth rate is positive at 0.7%, higher than that of many
developed nations.[263] In fiscal year 2017, more than a million immigrants (most of whom
entered through family reunification) were granted legal residence.[264] In absolute
numbers, the number of foreign-born U.S. residents is at a record high (44.4 million in
2017); however as a proportion of the overall population, the current foreign-born share
(13.6% of the total population) is lower than the share at the peak in 1890 (14.8% of the
total population).[251]
Languages spoken at home by more than one million persons in the U.S. (2016) [281][282][i]
Number who
Number who
Number speak
Percent of speak
Language of English
population English
speakers less than
very well
very well
Spanish
(including Spanish Creole but excluding Puerto 13% 40,489,813 23,899,421 16,590,392
Rico)
Religion
Main article: Religion in the United States
Religion in the United States (2017)[283]
Protestantism (48.5%)
Catholicism (22.7%)
Mormonism (1.8%)
No religion (21.3%)
Judaism (2.1%)
Islam (0.8%)
Other non-Abrahamic religion (e.g. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism) (2.9%)
The Texas Medical Center in downtown Houston is the largest medical complex in the world.
The United States had a life expectancy of 78.6 years at birth in 2017, which was the
third year of declines in life expectancy following decades of continuous increase. The
recent decline, primarily among the age group 25 to 64, is largely due to sharp
increases in the drug overdose and suicide rates; the country has one of the highest
suicide rates among wealthy countries.[310][311] Life expectancy was highest among Asians
and Hispanics and lowest among blacks.[312][313] According to CDC and Census Bureau
data, deaths from suicide, alcohol and drug overdoses hit record highs in 2017.[314]
Increasing obesity in the United States and health improvements elsewhere contributed
to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy from 11th in the world in 1987, to 42nd
in 2007, and as of 2017 the country had the lowest life expectancy among Japan,
Canada, Australia, the UK, and seven countries of western Europe.[315][316] Obesity rates
have more than doubled in the last 30 years and are the highest in the industrialized
world.[317][318] Approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and an additional
third is overweight.[319] Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is considered epidemic by health
care professionals.[320]
In 2010, coronary artery disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary
diseases, and traffic accidents caused the most years of life lost in the U.S. Low back
pain, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, neck pain, and anxiety caused the most
years lost to disability. The most harmful risk factors were poor diet, tobacco smoking,
obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, physical inactivity, and alcohol
use. Alzheimer's disease, drug abuse, kidney disease, cancer, and falls caused the
most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 1990 per-capita rates.[321] U.S.
teenage pregnancy and abortion rates are substantially higher than in other Western
nations, especially among blacks and Hispanics.[322]
The U.S. is a global leader in medical innovation.[323] Since 1966, more Americans have
received the Nobel Prize in Medicine than the rest of the world combined. The U.S.
health-care system far outspends any other nation, measured both in per capita
spending and as percentage of GDP.[324]
Health-care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts
and is not universal. In 2017, 12.2% of the population did not carry health insurance.
[325]
The subject of uninsured and underinsured Americans is a major political issue.[326]
[327]
Federal legislation, passed in early 2010, roughly halved the uninsured share of the
population, though the bill and its ultimate effect are issues of controversy.[328][329]
In 2020 the United States became affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first
case reported on January 20, 2020.[330] The United States became the world's most
affected country, with more than 85,500 confirmed cases, on March 27, 2020, when it
overtook China and Italy.[331]
Education
Main article: Education in the United States
The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, is one of the many public universities in the
United States. Universal government-funded education exists in the United States, while there are also many
privately funded institutions.
The United States is a federal republic of 50 states, a federal district, five territories and
several uninhabited island possessions.[346][347][348] It is the world's oldest
surviving federation. It is a federal republic and a representative democracy, "in
which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law".[349] For 2018, the
U.S. ranked 25th on the Democracy Index.[350] On Transparency International's
2019 Corruption Perceptions Index its public sector position deteriorated from a score of
76 in 2015 to 69 in 2019.[351]
In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of
government: federal, state, and local. The local government's duties are commonly split
between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and
legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district.
The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S.
Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.[352] The original text
of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal
government and its relationship with the individual states. Article One protects the right
to the "great writ" of habeas corpus. The Constitution has been amended 27 times;
[353]
the first ten amendments, which make up the Bill of Rights, and the 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)[354] in a decision handed down by Chief Justice John
Marshall.[355]
The federal government comprises three branches:
The states and territories are the principal administrative districts in the country. These
are further subdivided into independent cities. The District of Columbia is a federal
district that contains the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C.[364] The states and
the District of Columbia choose the president of the United States. Each state has
presidential electors equal to the number of their representatives and senators in
Congress; the District of Columbia has three (because of the 23rd Amendment).
[365]
Territories of the United States such as Puerto Rico do not have presidential electors,
and so people in those territories cannot vote for the president.[360]
The United States also observes tribal sovereignty of the American Indian nations to a
limited degree, as it does with the states' sovereignty. American Indians are U.S.
citizens and tribal lands are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress and the
federal courts. Like the states they have a great deal of autonomy, but also like the
states, tribes are not allowed to make war, engage in their own foreign relations, or print
and issue currency.[366]
Citizenship is granted at birth in all states, the District of Columbia, and all major U.S.
territories except American Samoa.[367][368]
show
(listed alphabetically)
show
(listed chronologically)
Statehood date is the date of ratifying the Constitution (for the first 13) or being admitted to the Union (for subsequent states)
show
(listed alphabetically)
show
(listed chronologically)
Territory date is the date the territory was acquired by the United States, except for the District of Columbia, which was founded separately
Donald Trump
45th President
Mike Pence
48th Vice President
The United States has operated under a two-party system for most of its history.[369] For
elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major
party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since the general election of 1856,
the major parties have been the Democratic Party, founded in 1824, and the Republican
Party, founded in 1854. Since the Civil War, only one third-party presidential candidate
—former president Theodore Roosevelt, running as a Progressive in 1912—has won as
much as 20% of the popular vote. The president and vice president are elected by
the Electoral College.[370]
In American political culture, the center-right Republican Party is considered
"conservative" and the center-left Democratic Party is considered "liberal".[371][372] The
states of the Northeast and West Coast and some of the Great Lakes states, known as
"blue states", are relatively liberal. The "red states" of the South and parts of the Great
Plains and Rocky Mountains are relatively conservative.
Republican Donald Trump, the winner of the 2016 presidential election, is serving as the
45th president of the United States.[373] Leadership in the Senate includes Republican
vice president Mike Pence, Republican president pro tempore Chuck Grassley, Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.[374] Leadership in the
House includes Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.[375]
Taxes in the United States are levied at the federal, state, and local government levels.
These include taxes on income, payroll, property, sales, imports, estates and gifts, as
well as various fees. Taxation in the United States is based on citizenship, not
residency.[392] Both non-resident citizens and Green Card holders living abroad are taxed
on their income irrespective of where they live or where their income is earned. It is one
of the only countries in the world to do so.[393]
In 2010 taxes collected by federal, state and municipal governments amounted to
24.8% of GDP.[394] During fiscal year 2012, the federal government collected
approximately $2.45 trillion in tax revenue, up $147 billion or 6% versus 2011 revenues
of $2.30 trillion. Primary receipt categories included individual income taxes (47%),
Social Security/Social Insurance taxes (35%), and corporate taxes (10%).[395] Based on
CBO estimates,[396] under 2013 tax law the top 1% will be paying the highest average tax
rates since 1979, while other income groups will remain at historic lows.[397] For 2018, the
effective tax rate for the wealthiest 400 households was 23%, compared to 24.2% for
the bottom half of U.S. households.[398]
U.S. federal debt held by the public as a percentage of GDP, from 1790 to 2013[399]
U.S. taxation has historically been generally progressive, especially the federal income
taxes, though by most measures it became noticeably less progressive after 1980.[400]
[401]
It has sometimes been described as among the most progressive in the developed
world, but this characterization is controversial.[402][403][404][405][401] As of 2015, the highest 10%
of income earners pay a majority of federal taxes,[406] and about half of all taxes.
[407]
Payroll taxes for Social Security are a flat regressive tax, with no tax charged on
income above $118,500 (for 2015 and 2016) and no tax at all paid on unearned
income from things such as stocks and capital gains.[408][409] The historic reasoning for the
regressive nature of the payroll tax is that entitlement programs have not been viewed
as welfare transfers.[410][411] However, according to the Congressional Budget Office the
net effect of Social Security is that the benefit to tax ratio ranges from roughly 70% for
the top earnings quintile to about 170% for the lowest earning quintile, making the
system progressive.[412]
The military budget of the United States in 2011 was more than $700 billion, 41% of
global military spending. At 4.7% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the
top 15 military spenders, after Saudi Arabia.[426] Defense spending plays a major role in
science and technology investment, with roughly half of U.S. federal research and
development funded by the Department of Defense.[427] Defense's share of the overall
U.S. economy 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.[428]
The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the
second largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.[429] More than 90% of world's
14,000 nuclear weapons are owned by Russia and the United States.[430]
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police
departments and sheriff's offices, with state police providing broader services. Federal
agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals
Service have specialized duties, including protecting civil rights, national security and
enforcing U.S. federal courts' rulings and federal laws.[431] State courts conduct most
criminal trials while federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain
appeals from the state criminal courts.
A cross-sectional analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from
2010 showed that United States "homicide rates were 7.0 times higher than in other
high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25.2 times higher."[432] In
2016, the US murder rate was 5.4 per 100,000.[433] Gun ownership rights, guaranteed by
the Second Amendment, continue to be the subject of contention.
Of those arrested for serious violent crimes in 2017, 58.5% were white, 37.5% were
black, 2.1% were American Indian or Alaska Native and 1.5% Asian. Ethnically, 23.5%
were Hispanic and 76.5% were non-Hispanic.[434] From 1980 through 2008 males
represented 77% of homicide victims and 90% of offenders. Blacks committed 52.5% of
all homicides during that span, at a rate almost eight times that of whites, and were
victimized at a rate six times that of whites. Most homicides were intraracial, with 93% of
black victims killed by blacks and 84% of white victims killed by whites.[435] In 2012,
Louisiana had the highest rate of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in the U.S.,
and New Hampshire the lowest.[436] 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 more than nine million total crimes.[437]
Violent crime rose sharply in the 1960s until the early 1990s and declined in the late
1990s and 2000s.[438] In 2014, the murder rate fell to the lowest level since 1957.[439] The
violent crime rate increased by 5.9% between 2014 and 2017 and the murder rate by
20.5%. Non-gun murders reached a peak in 1980 of 8,340 and declined in most years
until the early 2010s with 4,668 in 2017.[440] The rate of robberies declined 62% between
1990 and 2017.[438]
Between 1972 and 2009, there was nearly a 700% increase in the U.S. prison
population,[441] due largely to changes in sentencing guidelines and drug policies.[442] State
and local spending on prisons and jails grew three times as much as that spent on
public education during the period 1980 to 2013.[443] Since the peak in 2009, there has
been a modest trend against incarceration, at the end of 2017, an estimated 1.4 million
people were imprisoned in the United States, a decline of 7% from 2009.[441]
The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate and largest prison
population in the world.[444] As of 2020, the Prison Policy Initiative reported that there
were some 2.3 million people incarcerated.[445] The imprisonment rate for all prisoners
sentenced to more than a year in state or federal facilities is 478 per 100,000 in 2013.
[446]
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the majority of inmates held in federal
prisons are convicted of drug offenses.[447] About 9% of prisoners are held in privatized
prisons,[445] the practice of privately operated prisons began in the 1980s and has been a
subject of contention.[448]
Capital punishment is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military
crimes, and at the state level in 30 states.[449][450] No executions took place from 1967 to
1977, owing in part to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down arbitrary imposition of
the death penalty. Since the decision there have been more than 1,300 executions, a
majority of these taking place in three states: Texas, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
[451]
Meanwhile, several states have either abolished or struck down death penalty laws.
In 2019, the country had the sixth-highest number of executions in the world, following
China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt.[452]
Economy
Main article: Economy of the United States
See also: Economic history of the United States
Economic indicators
2.1% (2017) [453]
CPI inflation 2.2% (November 2018) [454]
ratio
2018)
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).[460] The United States is the largest
importer of goods and second-largest exporter, though exports per capita are relatively
low. In 2010, the total U.S. trade deficit was $635 billion.
[461]
Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.[462]
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.[463] The country ranks ninth in the world
in nominal GDP per capita[464] and sixth in GDP per capita at PPP.[460] The U.S. dollar is
the world's primary reserve currency.[465]
In 2009, the private sector was estimated to constitute 86.4% of the economy.[469] While
its economy has reached a postindustrial level of development, the United States
remains an industrial power.[470]Consumer spending comprised 68% of the U.S. economy
in 2015.[471] In August 2010, the American labor force consisted of 154.1 million people
(50%). 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 unionized, compared to 30% in Western Europe.
[472]
The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.
[473]
It has a smaller welfare state and redistributes less income through government
action than European nations tend to.[474]
Science and technology
Main articles: Science and technology in the United States and Science policy of the
United States
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, 1969
The United States has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th
century and scientific research since the mid-20th century. Methods for
producing interchangeable parts were developed by the U.S. War Department by the
Federal Armories during the first half of the 19th century. This technology, along with
the establishment of a machine tool industry, enabled the U.S. to have large-scale
manufacturing of sewing machines, bicycles, and other items in the late 19th century
and became known as the American system of manufacturing. Factory electrification in
the early 20th century and introduction of the assembly line and other labor-saving
techniques created the system of mass production.[475] In the 21st century, approximately
two-thirds of research and development funding comes from the private sector.[476] The
United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor.[477][478]
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the
telephone. Thomas Edison's research laboratory, one of the first of its kind, developed
the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera.[479] The
latter led to emergence of the worldwide 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 first sustained and controlled
heavier-than-air powered flight.[480]
The rise of fascism and Nazism in the 1920s and 30s led many European scientists,
including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and John von Neumann, to immigrate to the
United States.[481] 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.[482][483]
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.[484][485][486] This, in turn, led to the establishment
of many new technology companies and regions around the country 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 hardware companies that include Adobe Systems, Apple
Inc., IBM, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems created and popularized the personal
computer. The ARPANET was developed in the 1960s to meet Defense
Department requirements, and became the first of a series of networks which
evolved into the Internet.[487]
Income, poverty and wealth
Further information: Income in the United States, Poverty in the United
States, Affluence in the United States, United States counties by per capita income,
and Income inequality in the United States
Accounting for 4.24% of the global population, Americans collectively possess 29.4% of
the world's total wealth, and Americans make up roughly half of the world's population
of millionaires.[488] The Global Food Security Index ranked the U.S. number one for food
affordability and overall food security in March 2013.[489] Americans on average have
more than twice as much living space per dwelling and per person as European
Union residents, and more than every EU nation.[490] For 2017 the United Nations
Development Programme ranked the United States 13th among 189 countries in
its Human Development Index and 25th among 151 countries in its inequality-adjusted
HDI (IHDI).[491]
Wealth, like income and taxes, is highly concentrated; the richest 10% of the adult
population possess 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom half claim
only 2%.[492] According to a September 2017 report by the Federal Reserve, the top 1%
controlled 38.6% of the country's wealth in 2016.[493] According to a 2018 study by the
OECD, the United States has a larger percentage of low-income workers than almost
any other developed nation. This is largely because at-risk workers get almost no
government support and are further set back by a very weak collective
bargaining system.[494] The top one percent of income-earners accounted for 52 percent
of the income gains from 2009 to 2015, where income is defined as market income
excluding government transfers.[495] In 2018, U.S. income inequality reached the highest
level ever recorded by the Census Bureau.[496]
After years of stagnant growth, in 2016, according to the Census, median household
income reached a record high after two consecutive years of record growth, although
income inequality remains at record highs with top fifth of earners taking home more
than half of all overall income.[498] The rise in the share of total annual income received by
the top one percent, which has more than doubled from nine percent in 1976 to 20
percent in 2011, has significantly affected income inequality,[499] leaving the United States
with one of the widest income distributions among OECD nations.[500] The extent and
relevance of income inequality is a matter of debate.[501][502][503]
United States' families median net worth
1998 2013 change
in 2013 dollars
All families $102,500 $81,200 -20.8%
Bottom 20% of incomes $8,300 $6,100 -26.5%
2nd lowest 20% of incomes $47,400 $22,400 -52.7%
Middle 20% of incomes $76,300 $61,700 -19.1%
Top 10% $646,600 $1,130,700 +74.9%
Source: Fed Survey of Consumer Finances[504]
Between June 2007 and November 2008 the global recession led to falling asset prices
around the world. Assets owned by Americans lost about a quarter of their value.
[505]
Since peaking in the second quarter of 2007, household wealth was down $14 trillion,
but has since increased $14 trillion over 2006 levels.[506][507] At the end of 2014, household
debt amounted to $11.8 trillion,[508] down from $13.8 trillion at the end of 2008.[509]
There were about 578,424 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in the U.S. in
January 2014, with almost two-thirds staying in an emergency shelter or transitional
housing program.[510] In 2011, 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.[511] As of June 2018, 40 million people, roughly 12.7% of
the U.S. population, were living in poverty, with 18.5 million of those living in deep
poverty (a family income below one-half of the poverty threshold) and over five million
live "in 'Third World' conditions." In 2016, 13.3 million children were living in poverty,
which made up 32.6% of the impoverished population.[512]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in the United States
Amtrak (passenger) rail speeds[518]
The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated
since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned.[519] 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.[520] Of the world's 50 busiest passenger airports, 16
are in the United States, including the busiest, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International
Airport.[521] In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks of 2001, the Transportation Security
Administration was created to police airports and commercial airliners.
Energy
Further information: Energy policy of the United States
The United States energy market is about 29,000 terawatt hours per year.[522] 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.[523] The
United States is the world's largest producer of natural gas and crude oil.[524]
For decades, nuclear power has played a limited role relative to many other developed
countries, in part because of public perception following the Three Mile Island
accident in 1979. In 2007, several applications for new nuclear plants were filed.[525]
Since 2007, the total greenhouse gas emissions by the United States are the second
highest by country, exceeded only by China.[526][527] The United States has historically
been the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, and greenhouse gas emissions
per capita remain high.[528] According to the Index of Geopolitical Gains and Losses After
Energy Transition (GeGaLo), the United States ranks low (110th out of 156) among
nations that would gain considerable advantages from a marked transition to
renewables.[529]
Water supply and sanitation
Main article: Drinking water supply and sanitation in the United States
Issues that affect water supply in the United States include droughts in the West, water
scarcity, pollution, a backlog of investment, concerns about the affordability of water for
the poorest, and a rapidly retiring workforce. Increased variability and intensity of rainfall
as a result of climate change is expected to produce both more severe droughts and
flooding, with potentially serious consequences for water supply and for pollution
from combined sewer overflows.[530][531][k]
Culture
Main article: Culture of the United States
The United States is home to many cultures and a wide variety of ethnic groups,
traditions, and values.[534][535] Aside from the Native American, Native Hawaiian,
and Native Alaskan populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors settled or
immigrated within the past five centuries.[536] Mainstream American culture is a Western
culture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants with influences from
many other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa.[534][537] More recent
immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has
been described as both a homogenizing melting pot, and a heterogeneous salad bowl in
which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.[534]
Americans have traditionally been characterized by a strong work ethic,
competitiveness, and individualism,[538] 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.[539] 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.[540][541][542]
The American Dream, or the perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays
a key role in attracting immigrants.[543] Whether this perception is realistic has been a
topic of debate.[544][545][546][547][463][548] While mainstream culture holds that the United States is
a classless society,[549] scholars identify significant differences between the country's
social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values.[550] While Americans tend
greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being ordinary or average is generally
seen as a positive attribute.[551]
Food
Main article: Cuisine of the United States
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues
from Europe. Writers such as Washington Irving, 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.[561] A work seen as capturing fundamental
aspects of the national experience and character—such as Herman Melville's Moby-
Dick (1851), Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), F. Scott
Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)—
may be dubbed the "Great American Novel".[562]
Twelve U.S. citizens have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, most recently Bob Dylan in
2016. William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck are often named
among the most influential writers of the 20th century.[563] Popular literary genres such as
the Western and hardboiled crime fiction developed in the United States. The Beat
Generation writers opened up new literary approaches, as have postmodernist authors
such as John Barth, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo.[564]
The transcendentalists, led by Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, established the first
major 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 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 also led a revival of political philosophy.
In the visual arts, the Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century movement in the
tradition of European naturalism. The 1913 Armory Show in New York City, an
exhibition of European modernist art, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art
scene.[565] 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.[566] Americans have long been
important in the modern artistic medium of photography, with major photographers
including Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Edward Weston, and Ansel Adams.[567]
Music
Main articles: Music of the United States and American classical music
Although 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.
The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music have deeply
influenced American music at large, distinguishing it from European and African
traditions. Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and what is now known as old-
time music were adopted and transformed into 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.[568]
Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry were among the mid-1950s pioneers of rock and roll.
Rock bands such as Metallica, the Eagles, and Aerosmith are among the highest
grossing in worldwide sales.[569][570][571] In the 1960s, Bob Dylan emerged from the 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 and house music. American pop stars
such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna have become global celebrities,
[568]
as have contemporary musical artists such as Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Katy
Perry, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West, and Ariana Grande.[572]
Cinema
Main article: Cinema of the United States
The Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles, California
Hollywood, a northern district of Los Angeles, California, is one of the leaders in motion
picture production.[573] The world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in
New York City in 1894, using Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope.[574] 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.[575]
Director D. W. Griffith, the top American filmmaker during the silent film period, was
central to the development of film grammar, and producer/entrepreneur Walt
Disney was a leader in both animated film and movie merchandising.[576] Directors such
as John Ford redefined the image of the American Old West, and, like others such
as John Huston, broadened the possibilities of cinema with location shooting. The
industry enjoyed its golden years, in what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age
of Hollywood", from the early sound period until the early 1960s,[577] with screen actors
such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe becoming iconic figures.[578][579] In the 1970s,
"New Hollywood" or the "Hollywood Renaissance"[580] was defined by grittier films
influenced by French and Italian realist pictures of the post-war period.[581] In more recent
times, directors such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron have
gained renown for their blockbuster films, often characterized by high production costs
and earnings, with the Russo brothers' Avengers: Endgame (2019) being the highest-
grossing film of all time.[582]
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,[583]
[584]
Casablanca (1942), The Godfather (1972), Gone with the Wind (1939), Lawrence of
Arabia (1962), 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 (1950).[585] The Academy Awards, popularly known as
the Oscars, have been held annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences since 1929,[586] and the Golden Globe Awards have been held annually since
January 1944.[587]
Sports
Main article: Sports in the United States
The most popular American sports are American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey.[588]
The headquarters of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City
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. NPR was incorporated in February 1970
under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967; its television counterpart, PBS, was created
by the same legislation. As of September 30, 2014, there are 15,433 licensed full-power
radio stations in the U.S. according to the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC).[600]
Well-known newspapers include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,
and USA Today.[601] Although the cost of publishing has increased over the years, the
price of newspapers has generally remained low, forcing newspapers to rely more on
advertising revenue and on articles provided by a major wire service, such as
the Associated Press or Reuters, for their national and world coverage. With very few
exceptions, all the newspapers in the U.S. are privately owned, either by large chains
such as Gannett or McClatchy, which own dozens or even hundreds of newspapers; by
small chains that own a handful of papers; or in a situation that is increasingly rare, by
individuals or families. Major cities often have "alternative weeklies" to complement the
mainstream daily papers, such as New York City's The Village Voice or Los
Angeles' LA Weekly. 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.[602] Aside from web portals and search
engines, the most popular websites
are Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon, and Twitter.[603]
More than 800 publications are produced in Spanish, the second most commonly used
language in the United States behind English.[604][605]
See also
United States portal
Notes
1. ^ English is the official language of 32 states; English
and Hawaiianare both official languages in Hawaii, and English and 20
Indigenous languages are official in Alaska. Algonquian, Cherokee,
and Siouxare among many other official languages in Native-
controlled lands throughout the country. French is a de facto, but
unofficial, language in Maine and Louisiana, while New Mexico law
grants Spanish a special status. In five territories, English as well as
one or more indigenous languages are official: Spanish in Puerto
Rico, Samoanin American Samoa, Chamorro in both Guam and the
Northern Mariana Islands. Carolinian is also an official language in the
Northern Mariana Islands.[5][6]
2. ^ The historical and informal demonym Yankee has been applied to
Americans, New Englanders, or northeasterners since the 18th
century.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c The Encyclopædia Britannica lists China as the world's
third-largest country (after Russia and Canada) with a total area of
9,572,900 km2 (3,696,100 sq mi),[15] and the United States as fourth-
largest at 9,526,468 km2 (3,678,190 sq mi). This figure for the United
States is less than the one cited in the CIA World Factbookbecause it
excludes coastal and territorial waters.[16]
The CIA World Factbook lists the United States as the third-largest
country (after Russia and Canada) with total area of
9,833,517 km2(3,796,742 sq mi),[17] and China as fourth-largest at
9,596,960 km2(3,705,410 sq mi).[18] This figure for the United States is
greater than in the Encyclopædia Britannica because
it includes coastal and territorial waters.
4. ^ Excludes Puerto Rico and the other unincorporated islands.
5. ^ See Time in the United States for details about laws governing time
zones in the United States.
6. ^ Except the U.S. Virgin Islands.
7. ^ The five major territories are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.
There are eleven smaller island areas without permanent
populations: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston
Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, and Palmyra Atoll. U.S. sovereignty
over Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, and Wake
Island is disputed.[14]
8. ^ Spain sent several expeditions to Alaska to assert its long-held claim
over the Pacific Northwest, which dated back to the 16th century.
During the decade 1785–1795 British merchants, encouraged by Sir
Joseph Banks and supported by their government, made a sustained
attempt to develop this trade despite Spain's claims and navigation
rights. The endeavors of these merchants did not last long in the face
of Spain's opposition. The challenge was also opposed by a Japanese
holding obdurately to national seclusion.[92]
9. ^ Source: 2015 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau.
Most respondents who speak a language other than English at home
also report speaking English "well" or "very well". For the language
groups listed above, the strongest English-language proficiency is
among speakers of German (96% report that they speak English "well"
or "very well"), followed by speakers of French (93.5%), Tagalog
(92.8%), Spanish (74.1%), Korean (71.5%), Chinese (70.4%), and
Vietnamese (66.9%).
10. ^ 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.[416][417] By 2012, total federal debt had surpassed
100% of U.S. GDP.[418] The U.S. has a credit rating of AA+
from Standard & Poor's, AAA from Fitch, and AAA from Moody's.[419]
11. ^ Droughts are likely to particularly affect the 66 percent of Americans
whose communities depend on surface water.[532] As for drinking water
quality, there are concerns about disinfection by-
products, lead, perchlorates and pharmaceutical substances, but
generally drinking water quality in the U.S. is good.[533]
References
1. ^ 36 U.S.C. § 302
2. ^ Jump up to: "The Great Seal of the United States" (PDF). U.S.
a b
Further reading
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