United States - Introduction
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in
1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States
of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th
and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13
as the nation expanded across the North American continent and
acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic
experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65)
and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in
World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US
remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is
marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid
advances in technology.
The United States of America is a federal democratic republic
situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states
and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also
referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the
U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America.
The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776,
when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen
British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence.
However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed
in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation
with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of
the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded
as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part
of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World
War II in alliance with Great Britain, the United States has emerged
as the dominant global influence in economic, political, military,
scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.
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