View source for United States

{{Short description|Country primarily located in North America}}
{{Redirect-several|America|US|USA|The United States of America|United States}}
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{{Use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = United States of America
| common_name            = United States
| image_flag             = Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard).svg
| alt_flag               = {{nbsp}} <!--Used to denote purely decorative images-->
| flag_type_article      = Flag of the United States
| image_coat             = Greater coat of arms of the United States.svg
| coat_alt               = {{nbsp}} <!--Used to denote purely decorative images-->
| symbol_type_article    = Great Seal of the United States#Obverse
| national_motto         = "[[In God We Trust]]"<ref>{{USC|36|302}}</ref>{{collapsible list
|title={{nowrap|Other traditional mottos:<ref name="de facto Motto">{{cite web|publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]], [[Bureau of Public Affairs]]|year=2003|url= https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/27807.pdf|title=The Great Seal of the United States|access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref>}}
|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}}<br />"Out of many, one"
|{{native phrase|la|"[[Annuit cœptis]]"|italics=off}}<br />"Providence favors our undertakings"
|{{native phrase|la|"[[Novus ordo seclorum]]"|italics=off}}<br />"New order of the ages"
  }}
| national_anthem        = "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]"<ref>{{cite act|date=March 3, 1931|article=14|article-type=H.R.|legislature=[[71st United States Congress]]|title=An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America|url=https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=46&page=1508}}</ref><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:Star Spangled Banner instrumental.ogg]]</div>
<!-- Commented out, as not [[WP:DUE]] for lead.
| march                       = "[[The Stars and Stripes Forever]]"{{sfn|Kidder|Oppenheim|2007|p=91}}<ref name="urluscode.house.gov">{{cite web|url=https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=112&page=1263|title=uscode.house.gov|date=August 12, 1999|website=Public Law 105-225|publisher=uscode.house.gov|pages=112 Stat. 1263|quote=Section 304. "The composition by John Philip Sousa entitled 'The Stars and Stripes Forever' is the national march."|access-date=September 10, 2017}}</ref><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:March, "The Stars and Stripes Forever" · Colonel John R. Bourgeois, Director · John Philip Sousa · United States Marine Band.ogg]]</div>
-->
<!-- Consensus map, see talk page. -->| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File:USA orthographic.svg|frameless|alt=Orthographic map of the U.S. in North America]]|Show globe ([[U.S. state|states]] and [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] only)|[[File:US insular areas SVG.svg|upright=1.15|frameless|alt=World map showing the U.S. and its territories]]|Show the U.S. and [[Territories of the United States|its territories]]|[[File:NOAA Map of the US EEZ.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show territories with [[Exclusive economic zone of the United States|EEZ]]|default=1}}
| map_width              = 220px
| capital                = [[Washington, D.C.]]<br />{{coord|38|53|N|77|1|W|display=inline}}
| largest_city           = [[New York City]]<br />{{coord|40|43|N|74|0|W|display=inline}}
| official_languages     = None at the [[Federal government of the United States|federal level]]{{efn|name=officiallanguage|30 of 50 states recognize only English as an official language. The state of [[Hawaii]] recognizes both [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] and English as official languages, the state of [[Alaska]] officially recognizes 20 [[Alaska Native languages]] alongside English, and the state of [[South Dakota]] recognizes [[Sioux language|O'ceti Sakowin]] as an official language.}}
| languages_type         = [[National language]]
| languages              = [[English language|English]] (''[[de facto]]''){{Not verified in body|date=July 2023}}
<!-- NOTE: For English, don't add "American English" -->| ethnic_groups          = {{plainlist|
* 61.6% [[White Americans|White]]
* 12.4% [[African Americans|Black]]
* 6.0% [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
* 1.1% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
* 0.2% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
* 10.2% [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]
* 8.4% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other]]}}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2020
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref name="2020CensusData">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/improved-race-ethnicity-measures-reveal-united-states-population-much-more-multiracial.html|title=2020 Census Illuminates Racial and Ethnic Composition of the Country|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="2020InteractiveCensusData">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html?linkId=100000060666476|title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1014710483/2020-census-data-us-race-ethnicity-diversity|title=A Breakdown of 2020 Census Demographic Data|author=|date=August 13, 2021|website=NPR|publisher=|access-date=|quote=}}</ref>
| demonym                = [[Americans|American]]{{efn|name=demonym|The historical and informal demonym [[Yankee]] has been applied to Americans, New Englanders, or northeasterners since the 18th century.}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Compton's Pictured Encyclopedia and Fact-index: Ohio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uV5tvKPO684C&q=%22national+nicknames%22+Yankee|year=1963|page=336}}</ref>
| government_type        = [[Federalism in the United States|Federal]] [[presidential system|presidential]] [[republic|constitutional republic]]
<!-- Consensus is to list President, Vice President, Chief Justice, and House Speaker -->| leader_title1          = [[President of the United States|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Joe Biden]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Kamala Harris]]
| leader_title3          = [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]]
| leader_name3           = [[Kevin McCarthy]]
| 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       = [[History of the United States|Independence]]
| sovereignty_note       = from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| established_event1     = [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration]]
| established_date1      = {{Start date|1776|7|4}}
| established_event2     = [[Confederation Period|Confederation]]
| established_date2      = {{Start date|1781|3|1}}
| established_event3     = [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Recognized]]
| established_date3      = {{Start date|1783|9|3}}
| established_event4     = [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]]
| established_date4      = {{Start date|1788|6|21}}
| established_event5     = [[Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution|Last Amendment]]
| established_date5      = {{Start date|1992|5|5}}
| area_link              = Geography of the United States
| area_label             = Total area
| area_footnote          = <ref>Areas of the 50 states and the District of Columbia but not Puerto Rico nor other island territories per {{cite web| date = August 2010| title = State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates| work = [[Census.gov]]| url = https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html| access-date = March 31, 2020| quote = reflect base feature updates made in the MAF/TIGER database through August, 2010.}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 3rd{{efn|name=largestcountry}}
| area_sq_mi             = 3,796,742
| percent_water          = 4.66<ref>{{cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|access-date=October 11, 2020|publisher=[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD)|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#|date=2015}}</ref> (2015)
| area_label2            = Land area
| area_data2             = {{convert|3,531,905|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} (3rd)
| population_census      = 331,449,281{{efn|name="pop"}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2020-census-apportionment-results.htmlpid=2020CENSUS&src=pt|title=Census Bureau's 2020 Population Count|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}} The 2020 census is as of April 1, 2020.</ref>
| population_census_year = 2020
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 333,287,557<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bureau |first=US Census |title=Growth in U.S. Population Shows Early Indication of Recovery Amid COVID-19 Pandemic |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=Census.gov}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2022
| population_census_rank = 3rd
| population_density_sq_mi = 87<!-- Figure uses (population/land + water area) as of July 2019. -->
| population_density_rank = 185th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $26.855&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMF.WEO.US">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=512,914,612,171,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=NGDPD,&sy=2020&ey=2027&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2023 |date=April 10, 2023 |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-date=October 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011140637/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2021/October/weo-report?c=512,914,612,171,614,311,213,911,314,193,122,912,313,419,513,316,913,124,339,638,514,218,963,616,223,516,918,748,618,624,522,622,156,626,628,228,924,233,632,636,634,238,662,960,423,935,128,611,321,243,248,469,253,642,643,939,734,644,819,172,132,646,648,915,134,652,174,328,258,656,654,336,263,268,532,944,176,534,536,429,433,178,436,136,343,158,439,916,664,826,542,967,443,917,544,941,446,666,668,672,946,137,546,674,676,548,556,678,181,867,682,684,273,868,921,948,943,686,688,518,728,836,558,138,196,278,692,694,962,142,449,564,565,283,853,288,293,566,964,182,359,453,968,922,714,862,135,716,456,722,942,718,724,576,936,961,813,726,199,733,184,524,361,362,364,732,366,144,146,463,528,923,738,578,537,742,866,369,744,186,925,869,746,926,466,112,111,298,927,846,299,582,487,474,754,698,&s=NGDPD,&sy=2020&ey=2027&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2023
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 2nd
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $80,035<ref name="IMF.WEO.US"/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 8th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $26.855&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMF.WEO.US"/>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2023
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 1st
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $80,035<ref name="IMF.WEO.US"/>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 7th
| Gini                   = 39.4<!-- Number only. -->
| Gini_year              = 2020
| Gini_change            = increase
| Gini_ref               = {{efn|After adjustment for taxes and transfers}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/income-poverty/p60-273.html|title=Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020|first=US Census|last=Bureau|newspaper=Census.gov |page=48|access-date=July 26, 2022}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.921<!-- Number only. -->
| HDI_year               = 2021<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| HDI_change             = increase<!-- Increase/decrease/steady. -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2021/2022|language=en|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=September 8, 2022|access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 21st
| currency               = [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] ($)
| currency_code          = USD
| utc_offset             = −4 to −12, +10, +11
| utc_offset_DST         = −4 to −10{{efn|name="time"}}
| date_format            = mm/dd/yyyy{{efn|See [[Date and time notation in the United States]].}}
| drives_on              = Right{{efn|name="drive"}}
| calling_code           = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
| iso3166code            = US
| cctld                  = [[.us]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cozab.com/the-difference-between-us-vs-com/|title=The Difference Between .us vs .com|date=January 3, 2022|website=Cozab}}</ref>
| area_km2               = 
| today                  = 
| religion               = {{ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|{{Tree list}}
* 63% [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]]
** 40% [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
** 21% [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
** 2% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|29% [[Irreligion in the United States|irreligion]]
|1% [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]]
|1% [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]]
|1% [[Islam in the United States|Islam]]
|1% [[American Jews|Judaism]]
|2% [[Religion in the United States|other]]
|2% unanswered
  }}
| religion_year          = 2021
| religion_ref           = <ref name="Pew2021">{{cite web|title=About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/|website=Measuring Religion in Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=December 21, 2021|date=December 14, 2021}}</ref>
}}

The '''United States of America''' ('''U.S.A.''' or '''USA'''), commonly known as the '''United States''' ('''U.S.''' or '''US''') or '''America''', is a country, [[Continental United States|primarily located]] in [[North America]], that consists of 50 [[U.S. state|states]], a [[Washington, D.C.|federal district]], five major [[unincorporated territories]], nine [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|Minor Outlying Islands]],{{efn|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.<ref>U.S. State Department, [https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/179780.htm Common Core Document to U.N. Committee on Human Rights], December 30, 2011, Item 22, 27, 80. And U.S. General Accounting Office Report, [https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf U.S. Insular Areas: application of the U.S. Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103093032/https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf|date=November 3, 2013 }}, November 1997, pp. 1, 6, 39n. Both viewed April 6, 2016.</ref>}} and 326 [[Indian reservation]]s. It is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest]] country by both land and total area.{{efn|At {{cvt|9,147,590|km2|order=flip}}, the United States is the third-largest country in the world by land area, behind [[Russia]] and [[China]]. By total area (land and water), it is the third-largest behind Russia and [[Canada]], if its coastal and territorial water areas are included. However, if only its internal waters are included (bays, sounds, rivers, lakes, and the [[Great Lakes]]), the U.S. is the fourth-largest, after Russia, Canada, and China.
<br />
<br />
Coastal/territorial waters included: {{cvt|9,833,517|km2|order=flip}}<ref>{{cite web|title=China|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/|access-date=June 10, 2016|website=[[CIA World Factbook]]}}</ref>
<br />
Only internal waters included: {{cvt|9,572,900|km2|order=flip}}<ref name=":2a">{{cite web|title=United States|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/616563/United-States-quick-facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219194413/https://www.britannica.com/topic/616563/United-States-quick-facts|archive-date=December 19, 2013|access-date=January 31, 2010|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>|name=largestcountry}} It shares land borders [[Canada–United States border|with Canada]] to its north and [[Mexico–United States border|with Mexico]] to its south and has maritime borders with [[the Bahamas]], [[Cuba]], [[Russia]], and other nations.{{efn|The United States has a maritime border with the [[British Virgin Islands]], a British territory, since the BVI borders the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States-Virgin-Islands.|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|edition=Online|title=United States Virgin Islands|access-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429112829/https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States-Virgin-Islands|archive-date=April 29, 2020 |quote=[...]which also contains its near neighbor, the British Virgin Islands.}}</ref> BVI is a [[British Overseas Territory]] but itself is not a part of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/946074/UKOTs_Information_Paper.pdf|title=United Kingdom Overseas Territories - Toponymic Information|publisher=[[Present Committee on Geographic Names]]|access-date=2023-01-07}} - Hosted on the [[Government of the United Kingdom]] website.</ref> [[Puerto Rico]] has a maritime border with the [[Dominican Republic]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-RicoBritannica.com|title=Puerto Rico|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|edition=Online|access-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702120024/https://www.britannica.com/place/Puerto-Rico|archive-date=July 2, 2020 }}</ref> [[American Samoa]] has a maritime border with the [[Cook Islands]], maintained under the [[Cook Islands–United States Maritime Boundary Treaty]].<ref>Anderson, Ewan W. (2003). International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas. Routledge: New York. {{ISBN|9781579583750}}; OCLC 54061586</ref><ref>Charney, Jonathan I., David A. Colson, Robert W. Smith. (2005). International Maritime Boundaries, 5 vols. Hotei Publishing: Leiden.</ref> American Samoa also has maritime borders with [[Samoa|independent Samoa]] and [[Niue]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pacgeo.org/static/maritimeboundaries/Pacgeo.org.|title=Pacific Maritime Boundaries|website=pacgeo.org|access-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731224602/https://www.pacgeo.org/static/maritimeboundaries/|archive-date=July 31, 2020 }}</ref>}} With a population of over 333 million,{{efn|The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] provides a continuously updated but unofficial population clock in addition to [[United States census|its decennial census]] and [[Population Estimates Program|annual population estimates]]: [https://www.census.gov/popclock/]|name=pop clock}} it is the [[List of countries in the Americas by population|most populous]] country in the [[Americas]] and the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third-most populous]] in the world. The national capital of the United States is [[Washington, D.C.]], and its [[List of United States cities by population|most populous]] city and principal [[Financial centre|financial center]] is [[New York City]].

<!-- History -->
[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous peoples]] have inhabited the Americas for thousands of years. Beginning in 1607, [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] led to the establishment of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in what is now the [[Eastern United States]]. They quarreled with the [[The Crown|British Crown]] over taxation and [[No taxation without representation|political representation]], leading to the [[American Revolution]] and ensuing [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. The United States [[United States Declaration of Independence|declared independence]] on [[Independence Day (United States)|July 4, 1776]], becoming the first [[Nation state|nation-state]] founded on [[American Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] principles of [[Natural rights and legal rights|unalienable natural rights]], [[consent of the governed]], and [[liberal democracy]]. During the 19th century, the United States' political philosophy was influenced by the concept of [[manifest destiny]], as the country [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expanded across the continent]] in a number of wars, land purchases, and treaties, eventually reaching the [[Pacific Ocean]]. [[Slave states and free states|Sectional division]] over [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] led to the secession of the [[Confederate States of America]], which fought the remaining states of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865). With the Union's victory and preservation, slavery was abolished nationally by the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Thirteenth Amendment]].

By 1900, the United States had [[Spanish–American War|established itself]] as a [[great power]], becoming the world's [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|largest]] economy. After [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, the U.S. entered [[World War II]] on the [[Allies of World War II|Allied side]]. The aftermath of the war left the United States and the [[Soviet Union]] as the world's two [[superpower]]s and led to the [[Cold War]]. During the Cold War, both countries engaged in a struggle for ideological dominance but avoided direct military conflict. They also competed in the [[Space Race]], which culminated in the 1969 landing of [[Apollo 11]], making the U.S. the first and so far only nation to land humans on the [[Moon]]. With the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's collapse]] and the [[Revolutions of 1989|subsequent end of the Cold War in 1991]], the United States emerged as the world's sole superpower.<!-- Government and citizens -->

The [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]] is a [[federal republic]] and a [[representative democracy]] with [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|three separate branches of government]]. It has a [[Bicameralism|bicameral national legislature]] composed of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], a [[lower house]]; and the [[United States Senate|Senate]], an [[upper house]] based on equal representation for each [[U.S. state|state]]. Many policy issues are [[Decentralization|decentralized]], with [[Political ideology of states in the United States|widely differing laws]] by jurisdiction. The U.S. [[International rankings of the United States|ranks highly]] in international measures of [[Human Development Index|quality of life]], [[Income in the United States|income]] and [[Affluence in the United States|wealth]], [[Global Competitiveness Report#2022 rankings|economic competitiveness]], [[Human rights in the United States|human rights]], [[Global Innovation Index|innovation]], and [[Education in the United States|education]]; it has low levels of [[Corruption Perceptions Index|perceived corruption]] and the highest [[median income]] per person of any [[polity]] in the world. It also has high levels of [[United States incarceration rate|incarceration]] and [[Inequality in the United States (disambiguation)|inequality]] and lacks [[universal health care]]. As a [[melting pot]] of [[Culture of the United States|cultures]] and [[Race and ethnicity in the United States|ethnicities]], the U.S. has been shaped by the world's [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|largest]] [[History of immigration to the United States|immigrant population]].

<!-- Economy and global perspective -->
The U.S. is a [[developed country]]. [[Economy of the United States|Its economy]] accounts for approximately a quarter of global [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] and is the world's [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|largest]] by GDP at market exchange rates. The United States is the world's [[List of countries by imports|largest]] importer and [[List of countries by exports|second-largest]] exporter. The United States is a founding member of the [[United Nations]], [[World Bank]], [[International Monetary Fund]], [[Organization of American States]], [[NATO]], [[World Health Organization]], and is a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]]. The U.S. is the [[United States Armed Forces|foremost military power]] in the world and a dominant [[Politics of the United States|political]], cultural, and [[Science and technology in the United States|scientific]] force internationally.

==Etymology==
<!-- linked -->
{{Further|Names of the United States|Demonyms for the United States}}

The first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" dates back to a letter from January 2, 1776, written by [[Stephen Moylan]], a [[Continental Army]] aide to [[George Washington|General George Washington]], to [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]], Washington's [[aide-de-camp]]. Moylan expressed his desire to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] effort.<ref>DeLear, Byron (July 4, 2013) [https://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&nbsp;... This latest find comes in a letter that Stephen Moylan, Esq., wrote to Col. Joseph Reed from the Continental Army Headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., during the siege of Boston. The two men lived with Washington in Cambridge, with Reed serving as Washington's favorite military secretary and Moylan fulfilling the role during Reed's absence." ''Christian Science Monitor'' (Boston, MA).</ref><ref>Touba, Mariam (November 5, 2014) [https://blog.nyhistory.org/coined-phrase-united-states-america-may-never-guess/ Who Coined the Phrase 'United States of America'? You May Never Guess] "Here, on January 2, 1776, seven months before the Declaration of Independence and a week before the publication of Paine's ''Common Sense'', Stephen Moylan, an acting secretary to General George Washington, spells it out, 'I should like vastly to go with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain' to seek foreign assistance for the cause." ''New-York Historical Society Museum & Library''</ref><ref>Fay, John (July 15, 2016) [https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-forgotten-Irishman-who-named-the-United-States-of-America.html The forgotten Irishman who named the 'United States of America'] "According to the NY Historical Society, Stephen Moylan was the man responsible for the earliest documented use of the phrase 'United States of America'. But who was Stephen Moylan?" ''IrishCentral.com''</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|Williamsburg]], on April&nbsp;6, 1776.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Virginia Gazette|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=https://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|issue=1287|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219053616/https://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/VirginiaGazette/VGIssueThumbs.cfm?IssueIDNo=76.DH.16|archive-date=December 19, 2014|volume=5}}</ref>

By June 1776, the name "United States of America" appeared in drafts of the [[Articles of Confederation]] and [[Perpetual Union]], authored by [[John Dickinson]], a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]] from the [[Province of Pennsylvania]],{{sfn|Safire|2003|p=199}}{{sfn|Mostert|2005|p=18}} and in the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], written primarily by [[Thomas Jefferson]] and adopted by the [[Second Continental Congress]] in [[Philadelphia]], on July 4, 1776.{{sfn|Safire|2003|p=199}}

A [[Citizenship of the United States|citizen of the United States]] is called an "[[Americans|American]]". "United States", "American", and "U.S." refer to the country as an adjective, such as "American values" or "U.S. forces". The word "American" rarely refers to topics or subjects not directly connected with the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Kenneth G.|title=The Columbia guide to standard American English|url=https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0|url-access=registration|date=1993|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-231-06989-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0/page/27 27–28]}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of the United States}}
{{For outline|Outline of United States history}}

=== Beginnings (before 1630) ===
{{Further|Native Americans in the United States|Pre-Columbian era}}
[[File:Extreme_Makeover,_Mesa_Verde_Edition_-_panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Cliff Palace]], located in present-day [[Montezuma County, Colorado|Colorado]], was built by [[Ancestral Puebloans]] between 1190 AD and 1260 AD.|alt=Aerial view of the Cliff Palace]]
[[File:Indigenous American Nations, 16th century - 2022 edition.jpg|thumb|Map of the approximate locations of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] nations, {{Circa|16th century}}]]
The [[Paleo-Indians|first inhabitants of North America]] migrated from [[Siberia]], crossing the [[Bering land bridge]] and arriving in the present-day United States at least 12,000 years ago; some evidence suggests an even earlier date of arrival.{{sfn|Erlandson|Rick|Vellanoweth|2008|p=19}}{{sfn|Savage|2011|page= 55}}{{sfn|Haviland|Walrath|Prins|2013|page=219}} The [[Clovis culture]], which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to represent the first wave of human settlement in the [[Americas]].{{sfn|Waters|Stafford|2007|pages=1122–1126}}{{sfn|Flannery|2015|pages=173–185}} This was likely the first of three major waves of migration into [[North America]]; later waves brought the ancestors of present-day [[Alaskan Athabaskans|Athabaskans]], [[Aleut]]s, and [[Eskimo]]s.{{sfn|Gelo|2018|pages=79–80}}

Over time, indigenous cultures in North America grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the pre-Columbian [[Mississippian culture]] in the [[Southeastern United States|southeast]], developed advanced [[agriculture]], [[architecture]], and complex societies.{{sfn|Lockard|2010|page= 315}} The city-state of [[Cahokia]] was the largest, most complex pre-Columbian [[archaeological site]] in present-day United States.{{sfn|Martinez|Sage|Ono|2016|page= 4}} In the [[Four Corners]] region in present-day [[Southwestern United States]], the culture of [[Ancestral Puebloans]] developed over centuries of agricultural experimentation.{{sfn|Fagan|2016|page=390}} The [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]], including peoples who speak [[Algonquian languages]], were one of the most populous and widespread North American [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Stoltz|first=Julie Ann|date=2006|title=Book Review of "The Continuance—An Algonquian Peoples Seminar: Selected Research Papers 2000", edited by Shirley Dunn, 2004, New York State Education Department, Albany, New York, 144 pages, $19.95 (paper).|journal=Northeast Historical Archaeology|volume=35|issue=1|pages=201–202|doi=10.22191/neha/vol35/iss1/30|issn=0048-0738|doi-access=free}}</ref> These people were historically prominent along the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic Coast]] and ing the [[Saint Lawrence River]] and [[Great Lakes]] regions. Before European immigrants made contact with the Algonquian, most of the Algonquian survived by hunting and fishing, and many supplemented their diet by cultivating [[maize|corn]], [[bean]]s, and [[Cucurbita|squash]], known as the "[[Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters"]]. The [[Ojibwe]] cultivated [[wild rice]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Raster|first1=Amanda|last2=Hill|first2=Christina Gish|date=2016-05-24|title=The dispute over wild rice: an investigation of treaty agreements and Ojibwe food sovereignty|journal=Agriculture and Human Values|language=en|volume=34|issue=2|pages=267–281|doi=10.1007/s10460-016-9703-6|s2cid=55940408|issn=0889-048X|url=https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/language_pubs/154}}</ref> The [[Iroquois]] confederation Haudenosaunee, located in the southern Great Lakes region, was established between the 12th and 15th centuries.<ref name="Dean Snow">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P7e82KQoX6IC&q=iroquois+basque&pg=PA1|title=The Iroquois|first=Dean R.|last=Snow|publisher=Blackwell Publishers, Ltd.|year=1994|isbn=978-1-55786-938-8|access-date=July 16, 2010}}</ref>

[[Population history of Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Estimating the native population of North America]] following the arrival of European immigrants is difficult.{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}}{{sfn|Haines|Haines|Steckel|2000|page=12}} [[Douglas H. Ubelaker]] of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] estimated a population of 93,000 in the [[South Atlantic states]] and a population of 473,000 in the Gulf states,{{sfn|Thornton|1998|page=34}} but most academics regard this figure as too low.{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}} Anthropologist [[Henry F. Dobyns]] believed the populations were much higher, suggesting that approximately 1.1 million resided on the shores of the [[Gulf of Mexico]], 2.2 million people living between [[Florida]] and [[Massachusetts]], 5.2 million in the [[Mississippi Valley]] and tributaries, and around 700,000 in the [[Florida peninsula]].{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}}{{sfn|Haines|Haines|Steckel|2000|page= 12}}[[File:The_Mayflower_Compact_1620_cph.3g07155.jpg|thumb|The [[Mayflower Compact]], signed on the ''[[Mayflower]]'' in 1620, set an early precedent for the nation's commitment to [[self-government|self governance]] and [[constitutionalism|constitutional rule of law]].]]

The Italian explorer [[Giovanni da Verrazzano]], sent by [[Kingdom of France|France]] to the [[New World]] in 1525, encountered [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American inhabitants]] in the present-day [[New York Bay]] region.<ref>{{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link=Samuel Eliot Morison | title = The European Discovery of America: The Northern Voyages | url = https://archive.org/details/europeandiscover00moririch | url-access = registration | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1971 | location = New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/europeandiscover00moririch/page/490 490] | isbn = 0-19-215941-0}}</ref> The [[Spanish Empire]] set up their first settlements in [[Florida]] and [[New Mexico]], including in [[St. Augustine, Florida|Saint Augustine]], which is often considered the nation's oldest city,<ref>{{cite web|date=February 28, 2015|title=Not So Fast, Jamestown: St. Augustine Was Here First|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/02/28/389682893/not-so-fast-jamestown-st-augustine-was-here-first|access-date=March 5, 2021|website=NPR|language=en}}</ref> and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]]. The French [[New France|established]] their own settlements along the [[Mississippi River]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]], including in [[New Orleans]] and [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]].<ref name="Petto2007">{{cite book |author=Petto |first=Christine Marie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ZiaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA125 |title=When France Was King of Cartography: The Patronage and Production of Maps in Early Modern France |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7391-6247-7 |page=125}}</ref>

=== Colonization, settlement, and communities (1630–1763) ===
{{Main|Colonial history of the United States}}
{{Further|European colonization of the Americas|Slavery in the colonial history of the United States}}

[[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] of the [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]] of [[North America]] began with the [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia Colony]] in 1607, where [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]] settled in [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] and later established [[Plymouth Colony]] in 1620.<ref name="Jr.Selby2018">{{cite book |author1=Seelye |first=James E. Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgVnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA344 |title=Shaping North America: From Exploration to the American Revolution &#91;3 volumes&#93; |last2=Selby |first2=Shawn |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4408-3669-5 |page=344}}</ref><ref name="BellahSullivan2006">{{cite book|first1=Robert Neelly |last1=Bellah|first2=Richard|last2=Madsen|first3=William M.|last3=Sullivan|first4=Ann|last4=Swidler|first5=Steven M.|last5=Tipton|title=Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DQHmykT6u4C&pg=PA220|year=1985|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-05388-5|page=220|ol=7708974M}}</ref> 

The continent's first elected legislative assembly, the [[House of Burgesses]] in Virginia, was founded in 1619. In 1636, [[Harvard College]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] was founded as the first institution of higher education. The [[Mayflower Compact]] and the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut]] established precedents for representative [[self-government]] and [[constitutionalism]] that would develop throughout the American colonies.<ref name="Remini2–3">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Remini|2007|pp=2–3}}</ref><ref name="Johnson26–30">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Johnson|1997|pp=26–30}}</ref> Many [[English people|English]] settlers were [[English Dissenters|dissenting Christians]] who fled England seeking [[Freedom of religion|religious freedom]]. The [[Population history of indigenous peoples of the Americas|native population of America declined]] after European arrival,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cook|first1=Noble|title=Born to Die: Disease and New World Conquest, 1492–1650|date=1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-62730-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvjNyZTFrS4C|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Treuer |first=David |title=The new book 'The Other Slavery' will make you rethink American history |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-native-american-slavery-20160505-snap-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>[[#Stannard|Stannard, 1993]] p. [[iarchive:americanholocaus00stan|xii]]</ref> primarily as a result of [[infection|infectious]] diseases such as [[smallpox]] and [[measles]].<ref>"''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qubTdDk1H3IC&pg=PA205 The Cambridge encyclopedia of human paleopathology] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208032805/https://books.google.com/books?id=qubTdDk1H3IC&pg=PA205|date=February 8, 2016}}''". Arthur C. Aufderheide, Conrado Rodríguez-Martín, Odin Langsjoen (1998). [[Cambridge University Press]]. p. 205. {{ISBN|978-0-521-55203-5}}</ref><ref>[[#Bianchine|Bianchine, Russo, 1992]] pp. 225–232</ref>
By the mid-1670s, the British defeated and seized the territory of [[Dutch people|Dutch]] settlers in [[New Netherland]], in the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|mid-Atlantic]] region.

[[File:Thirteencolonies_politics_cropped.jpg|alt=Map of the U.S. showing the original Thirteen Colonies along the [eastern seaboard|thumb|The [[United Colonies]] in 1775:
* Dark Red = [[New England Colonies|New England colonies]].
* Bright Red = [[Middle Colonies|Middle Atlantic colonies]].
* Red-brown = [[Southern Colonies|Southern colonies]]]]

In the 17th century, during [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]], many European settlers experienced food shortages, disease, and conflicts with Native Americans, including in [[King Philip's War]]. In addition to fighting European settlers, Native Americans also often fought neighboring tribes. But in many cases, the natives and settlers came to develop a mutual dependency. Settlers [[Columbian exchange|traded]] for food and animal pelts, and Native Americans traded for guns, tools, and other European goods.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 6</ref> Native Americans taught many settlers to cultivate corn, beans, and other foodstuffs. European missionaries and others felt it was important [[Civilizing mission|to civilize the Native Americans]] and urged them to adopt European agricultural practices and lifestyles.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref> With the increased European colonization of North America, however, Native Americans were often displaced or killed during conflicts.{{sfn|Joseph|2016|page=590}}

European settlers also began [[human trafficking|trafficking]] [[Slavery in the colonial United States|African slaves]] into colonial America via the [[Atlantic slave trade|transatlantic slave trade]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Hugh |url=https://archive.org/details/slavetradestoryo00thom/page/516 |title=The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: 1440{{ndash}}1870 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1997 |isbn=0-684-83565-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/slavetradestoryo00thom/page/516 516] |url-access=registration}}</ref> By the turn of the 18th century, slavery supplanted [[indentured servitude]] as the main source of agricultural labor for the [[cash crop]]s in the [[Southern United States|American South]].<ref name="Quirk2011">[[#Quirk|Quirk, 2011]], p. 195</ref> Colonial society was divided over the religious and moral implications of slavery, and several colonies passed acts for or against it.<ref name="Lien522">[[#Lien|Lien, 1913]], p. 522</ref><ref name="Davis7">[[#Davis96|Davis, 1996]], p. 7</ref>

In what was then considered [[British America]], the [[Thirteen Colonies]]{{efn|[[Province of New Hampshire|New Hampshire]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]], [[Connecticut Colony|Connecticut]], [[Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations|Rhode Island]], [[Province of New York|New York]], [[Province of New Jersey|New Jersey]], [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]], [[Delaware Colony|Delaware]], [[Province of Maryland|Maryland]], [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]], [[Province of North Carolina|North Carolina]], [[Province of South Carolina|South Carolina]], and [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]]}} were administered as overseas dependencies by the British.<ref name="BilhartzElliott2007">{{cite book |author1=Bilhartz, Terry D. |url=https://archive.org/details/currentsinameric0000bilh |title=Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States |author2=Elliott, Alan C. |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7656-1817-7 |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies|All colonies had local governments]] with elections open to white male property owners except [[History of the Jews in Colonial America|Jews]] and, in some areas, [[History of the Catholic Church in the United States|Catholics]].<ref name="Wood1998">{{cite book |author=Wood |first=Gordon S. |url=https://archive.org/details/creationofameric0000wood_r7v4 |title=The Creation of the American Republic, 1776–1787 |publisher=UNC Press Books |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8078-4723-7 |page=263}}</ref>{{Sfn|Ratcliff|2013|p=220}} With very high birth rates, low death rates, and steadily growing settlements, the colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations.<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 colonial interest in both religion and [[Freedom of religion|religious liberty]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Foner|first1=Eric|title=The Story of American Freedom|date=1998|publisher=W.W. Norton|isbn=978-0-393-04665-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone/page/4 4]–5|edition=1st|url=https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone|url-access=registration|quote=story of American freedom.}}</ref> Excluding the Native Americans population, the Thirteen Colonies had a population of over 2.1&nbsp;million in 1770, representing then a population that was then roughly a third the size of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]]. By the 1770s, despite continuing new immigrant arrivals from Britain and other European regions, the natural increase of the population was was such that only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas.<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 35</ref> The colonies' distance from Britain had allowed for the development of self-governance in the colonies, but it encountered periodic efforts by [[The Crown|British monarchs]] to reassert royal authority.<ref>{{cite book |author=Otis |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_52678 |title=The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved |year=1763 |isbn=9780665526787}}</ref>

===Revolution and the new nation (1763–1815)===
{{Main|History of the United States (1776–1789)|History of the United States (1789–1849)|l2 = 1789–1849}}
{{further|American Revolution|American Revolutionary War|Confederation period}}
[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|thumb|''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', a portrait by [[John Trumbull]] depicting the [[Committee of Five]]{{efn|John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston}} presenting the draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration]] to the [[Second Continental Congress|Continental Congress]] on June 28, 1776 in [[Philadelphia]]|alt=See caption]]
[[File:Cotton gin harpers.jpg|thumb|''First Use of a Cotton Gin (1790–1800)'', an illustration of one of the nation's first [[cotton gin]]s published in the December 18, 1869 edition of ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'']]
[[File:U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png|thumb|A map of the [[Territorial evolution of the United States|territorial acquisitions of the United States]] between 1783 and 1917, reflecting the sizable geographic growth of the nation during this period, achieved through treaties with European powers and conquests]]
In 1774, the [[First Continental Congress]], meeting in [[Philadelphia]], passed the [[Continental Association]], which mandated a colony-wide boycott of British goods. The [[American Revolutionary War]] began the following year, on April 19, 1775, at the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]]. The colonies responded by again convening in Philadelphia in the [[Second Continental Congress]], where, in June 1775, they appointed [[George Washington]] as commander of the [[Continental Army]], which was initially comprised of various [[Patriot (American Revolution)|American patriot]] militias resisting the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British Army]].  

In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress charged [[Committee of Five|five of its delegates]], [[John Adams]], [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[Robert R. Livingston]], and [[Roger Sherman]], with writing a draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. The five delegates, in turn, asked Jefferson to author its first draft. While Jefferson consulted with the other four delegates, he largely authored its first draft in isolation over a period of two weeks from the second floor he was renting in a home on [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market Street]] in [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]].<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/independence-dechousehistory.htm "The Declaration House Through Time"], National Park Service</ref>. 

On July&nbsp;4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted and issued the Declaration of Independence, which famously stated: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that [[all men are created equal]], that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are [[Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness]]." Stephen Lucas, a professor of political communication at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], has called the phrase "one of the best-known sentences in the English language",<ref>{{cite book |last=Lucas |first=Stephen E. |title=American Rhetoric: Context and Criticism |date=1989 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |editor-last=Benson |editor-first=Thomas W. |location=Carbondale, Illinois |page=85 |chapter=Justifying America: The Declaration of Independence as a Rhetorical Document}}</ref> and [[Pulitzer Prize for History|Pulitzer Prize]]-winning historian [[Joseph Ellis]] has written that the document represents "the most potent and consequential words in American history".<ref name="American Creation">{{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Joseph |title=American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic |date=2007 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=978-0-307-26369-8 |location=New York |pages=55–56 |author-link=Joseph Ellis}}</ref> 

The closing paragraph of the Declaration of Independence stated that the colonies, "...are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved." The unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence is celebrated annually on July 4th in the United States as [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]].<ref name="YoungNash2011" />

The ensuing American Revolutionary War was fought over a period of years. France ultimately engaged in support of American independence and the Continental Army; and Britain, in turn, drew military support from [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian]] troops from present-day [[Germany]]. 

In 1777, the American victory at the [[Battles of Saratoga|Battle of Saratoga]] resulted in the capture of a British army, and led to [[France in the American Revolutionary War|France]] and their ally [[Spain in the American Revolutionary War|Spain]] joining in the war against them. After the surrender of a second British Army at the [[Siege of Yorktown (1781)|siege of Yorktown]] in 1781, Britain signed a [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|peace treaty]]. American sovereignty gained international recognition, and the new nation took possession of substantial territory east of the [[Mississippi River]], from what is present-day [[Canada]] in the north and [[Florida]] in the south.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp |title=British-American Diplomacy: The Paris Peace Treaty of September 30, 1783 |editor-first=Hunter |editor-last=Miller |publisher=The Avalon Project at Yale Law School}}</ref>

In 1781, the [[Articles of Confederation]] and [[Perpetual Union]] established a decentralized 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=https://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> As it became increasingly apparent that the Confederation was insufficient to govern the new country, [[American nationalism|nationalists]] advocated for and led the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Philadelphia Convention]] of 1787, where the [[Constitution of the United States|United States Constitution]] was authored and [[Ratification of the United States Constitution|ratified]] in state conventions in 1788.

The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force today.<ref>[http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2014/sep/22/bob-goodlatte/goodlatte-says-us-has-oldest-working-national-cons/ Goodlatte says U.S. has the oldest working national constitution], Politifact Virginia website, September 22, 2014.</ref> Going into force in 1789, it reorganized the government into a [[federation]] administered by [[Separation of powers|three branches]] (executive, judicial, and legislative), on the principle of creating salutary [[checks and balances]]. George Washington, who had led the [[Continental Army]] to victory and then willingly relinquished power, 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> During the [[British Empire|British Colonial]] era, slavery was legal [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|in the American colonies]], a [[history of slavery|longstanding institution in world history]], and "challenges to its moral legitimacy were rare". However, during the Revolution, many in the colonies began to question the practice.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Wright|2y=2022}} 

The 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]] almost doubled the nation's area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |url=https://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf |access-date=March 1, 2011 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>  [[Origins of the War of 1812|Tensions with Britain remained]], leading to the [[War of 1812]], which was fought to a draw.<ref name="Wait1999">{{cite book|last=Wait |first=Eugene M.|title=America and the War of 1812|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&pg=PA78|year=1999|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-56072-644-9|page=78}}</ref> [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain ceded Florida]] and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Klose, Nelson |url=https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150 |title=United States History to 1877 |author2=Jones, Robert F. |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-8120-1834-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150 150]}}</ref>

=== Expansion and reform (1815–1860) ===
{{Main|History of the United States (1789–1849)}}

Regional divisions over slavery grew in the ensuing decades. In [[Northern United States|the North]], several prominent [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Fathers]] such as [[John Adams#Slavery|John Adams]], [[Roger Sherman#Constitutional Convention|Roger Sherman]], [[Alexander Hamilton#Slavery|Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jay#Record on slavery|John Jay]], and [[Benjamin Franklin#Slavery|Benjamin Franklin]] advocated for the [[Abolitionism|abolition of slavery]], and by the 1810s every state in the region had, with these emancipations being the first in the [[Atlantic World]].{{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Rodriguez|2y=2015|2p=XXXIV|3a1=Wright|3y=2022}} The [[Missouri Compromise]] (1820) admitted [[Missouri]] as a slave state and [[Maine]] as a free state and declared a policy of prohibiting slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the [[Parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ parallel]]. The outcome ''de facto'' sectionalized the country into two factions: free states, which forbade slavery; and slave states, which protected the institution; it was controversial, widely seen as dividing the country along [[Sectarianism|sectarian]] lines.{{sfn|Walker Howe|2007|p=153–157}}

In [[Southern United States|the South]], the invention of the [[cotton gin]] spurred entrenchment of slavery, with regional elites and intellectuals increasingly viewing [[Slavery as a positive good in the United States|the institution as a positive good]] instead of a [[necessary evil]].{{sfn|Walker Howe|2007|p=478, 481–482, 587–588}} Although the federal government [[Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves|outlawed]] American participation in the [[Atlantic slave trade]] in 1807, after 1820, cultivation of the highly profitable cotton crop exploded in the [[Deep South]], and along with it, the use of [[Slavery in the United States|slave labor]].<ref name="Cogliano2008">{{cite book|author=Cogliano, Francis D.|title=Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy|url=https://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]], especially in the period 1800–1840, converted millions to [[Evangelicalism in the United States|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=https://archive.org/details/thenwellsingnews0000clar/page/47|date=May 2012|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-0881-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/thenwellsingnews0000clar/page/47 47] }}</ref> in the South, [[History of Methodism in the United States|Methodists]] and [[Baptists in the United States|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>

In the late 18th century, American [[Settler colonialism|settlers]] began to [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expand further westward]], some of them with a sense of [[manifest destiny]].<ref name="MD2007" /><ref name="Morrison1999" /> The 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]] almost doubled the nation's area,<ref>{{cite web|title=Louisiana Purchase|publisher=National Park Service|url=https://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf|access-date=March 1, 2011}}</ref> [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain ceded Florida]] 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=https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150|year=1994|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-8120-1834-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/unitedstateshist00klos_0/page/150 150] }}</ref> the [[Republic of Texas]] was [[Texas annexation|annexed]] in 1845 during a period of expansionism,<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=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTaxzMlkVEMC&pg=PA13|date=April 28, 1997|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-0-8078-4796-1|pages=13–21}}</ref> and 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=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA180|year=2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-4210-2|page=180|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> As it expanded further into land inhabited by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], the federal government often applied [[Federal Indian Policy|policies]] of [[Indian removal]] or [[Cultural assimilation of Native Americans|assimilation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frymer |first=Paul |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/981954623 |title=Building an American empire : the era of territorial and political expansion |date=2017 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=978-1-4008-8535-0 |location=Princeton, New Jersey |oclc=981954623}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Calloway |first=Colin G. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1035393060 |title=First peoples : a documentary survey of American Indian history |date=2019 |isbn=978-1-319-10491-7 |edition=6th |location=Boston |oclc=1035393060}}</ref> The [[Trail of Tears]] in the 1830s exemplified the [[Indian Removal Act|Indian removal policy]] that forcibly resettled Indians. The displacement prompted a long series of [[American Indian Wars]] west of the [[Mississippi River]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850–1890|last=Michno|first=Gregory|date=2003|publisher=Mountain Press Publishing|isbn=978-0-87842-468-9}}</ref> and eventually conflict with Mexico.<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=https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22|year=2001|publisher=UNM Press|isbn=978-0-8263-1981-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22 22] }}</ref> Most of these conflicts ended with the cession of Native American territory and their confinement to [[Indian reservation]]s. Victory in the [[Mexican–American War]] resulted in the 1848 [[Mexican Cession]] of [[California]] and much of the present-day [[Southwestern United States|American Southwest]], with the U.S. now spanning the continent.<ref name="MD2007">{{Cite book |last1=Carlisle |first1=Rodney P. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/659807062 |title=Manifest destiny and the expansion of America |last2=Golson |first2=J. Geoffrey |date=2007 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-834-7 |series=Turning Points in History Series |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |page=238 |oclc=659807062}}</ref><ref name="McIlwraithMuller2001">{{cite book|author1=McIlwraith, Thomas F.|author2=Muller, Edward K.|title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent|url=https://archive.org/details/northamericahist00mcil/page/61|year=2001|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-0019-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/northamericahist00mcil/page/61 61]|access-date=October 25, 2015 }}</ref> The [[California Gold Rush]] of 1848–1849 spurred migration to the Pacific coast, which led to the [[California genocide]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/revealing-the-history-of-genocide-against-californias-native-americans|title=Revealing the history of genocide against California's Native Americans|last=Wolf|first=Jessica|website=UCLA Newsroom|language=en|access-date=July 8, 2018}}</ref> 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=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPUsIaHZTm0C&pg=PA20|year=1999|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21771-3|page=20}}</ref>

===Civil War and Reconstruction (1860–1876)===
{{main|History of the United States (1849–1865)}}
{{Further|Slave states and free states|American Civil War|Reconstruction era}}
{{see also|Lost Cause of the Confederacy}}
[[File:US Secession map 1861.svg|thumb|{{center|'''Status of the states, 1861'''}} {{legend|#A40000| Slave states seceding before April 15, 1861}} {{legend|#EF2929| Slave states seceding after}} {{legend|#FCE94F| Union states permitting slavery}} {{legend|#204A87| Union states banning slavery}}
{{legend|#D3D7CF| Territories}}|alt=Map of U.S. showing two kinds of Union states, two phases of secession and territories]]

Irreconcilable sectional conflict regarding the [[Slavery in the United States|enslavement of those of black African descent]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Stuart|last=Murray|title=Atlas of American Military History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_sy7mmmxQC&pg=PA76|year=2004|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-3025-5|page=76|access-date=October 25, 2015}}<br />{{cite book|first=Harold T.|last=Lewis|title=Christian Social Witness|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr-xNru5vZkC&pg=PA53|year=2001|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-56101-188-9|page=53}}</ref> was the [[Origins of the American Civil War|primary cause of the American Civil War]].<ref name="Woods 2012 pp. 415–439">{{cite journal | last=Woods | first=Michael E. | title=What Twenty-First-Century Historians Have Said about the Causes of Disunion: A Civil War Sesquicentennial Review of the Recent Literature | journal=The Journal of American History | publisher=[Oxford University Press, Organization of American Historians] | volume=99 | issue=2 | year=2012 | issn=0021-8723 | jstor=44306803 | pages=415–439 | doi=10.1093/jahist/jas272 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44306803 | access-date=2023-04-29}}</ref> With the [[1860 United States presidential election|1860 election]] of Republican [[Abraham Lincoln]], conventions in eleven slave states, all in the [[Southern United States]], declared [[secession]] and formed the [[Confederate States of America]], while the federal government, known as the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]], maintained that [[Perpetual Union|secession was unconstitutional and illegitimate]].<ref name="Silkenat 2019 p. 25">{{cite book | last=Silkenat | first=D. | title=Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War | publisher=University of North Carolina Press | series=Civil War America | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-4696-4973-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHWKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 | access-date=2023-04-29 | page=25}}</ref> On April 12, 1861, the Confederacy initiated military conflict by [[Battle of Fort Sumter|bombarding Fort Sumter]], a federal garrison in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston harbor]] in South Carolina. 

The [[American Civil War]], the deadliest military conflict in American history, ensued and was fought between 1861 and 1865. The war resulted in the deaths of approximately 620,000 soldiers from both sides and upwards of 50,000 civilians, most of them in the South.<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=978-0-521-39559-5}}</ref> In early July 1863, the Civil War [[Turning point of the American Civil War|began to turn in the Union's favor]], following the [[Union Army]]'s victory in the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], where [[Union Army]] general [[George Meade]] halted [[Confederate Army]] general [[Robert E. Lee]]'s invasion of the North. In April 1965, following the Union Army's victory at the [[Battle of Appomattox Court House]], the Confederacy surrendered and soon collapsed. 

[[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] began in earnest following the defeat of the Confederates. While President Lincoln attempted to foster reconciliation between the Union and former Confederacy, [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|his assassination]] on April&nbsp;14, 1865 drove a wedge between North and South again. Republicans in the federal government made it their goal to oversee the rebuilding of the South and to [[Civil rights movement (1865–1896)|ensure the rights of African Americans]], and the so-called [[Reconstruction Amendments]] to the Constitution guaranteed the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|abolishment of slavery]], [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|full citizenship to Americans of African descent]], and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|suffrage for adult Black males]]. They persisted until the [[Compromise of 1877]]. Influential Southern whites, calling themselves "[[Redeemers]]", took local control of the South after the end of Reconstruction, beginning the [[nadir of American race relations]]. From 1890 to 1910, the Redeemers established so-called [[Jim Crow laws]], [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchising]] almost all blacks and some impoverished whites throughout the region. During this period, Blacks faced [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] nationwide, especially in the South,<ref>{{cite book|author=Shearer Davis Bowman|title=Masters and Lords: Mid-19th-Century U.S. Planters and Prussian Junkers|url=https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm|url-access=registration|year=1993|publisher=Oxford UP|page=[https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm/page/221 221]|isbn=978-0-19-536394-4 }}</ref> and lived under the threat of of [[Lynching in the United States|lynching]] and other vigilante violence.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jason E.|last=Pierce|title=Making the White Man's West: Whiteness and the Creation of the American West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJPgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT256|year=2016|publisher=University Press of Colorado|page=256|isbn=978-1-60732-396-9 }}</ref>

===Development of modern America (1876–1914)===
{{Main|History of the United States (1865–1918)}}
{{further|United States in World War I|Economic history of the United States|Immigration to the United States|Technological and industrial history of the United States|Gilded Age|Progressive Era}}
[[File:Emigrants (i.e. immigrants) landing at Ellis Island -.webm|thumb|An [[Edison Studios]] film showing immigrants arriving at [[Ellis Island]] in [[New York Harbor]], a major point of entry for European [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; between 1892 and 1954, 12 million immigrants were processed at Ellis Island.<ref name="PriceBenton-Short2008">{{cite book|first1=Marie|last1=Price|first2=Lisa|last2=Benton-Short|title=Migrants to the Metropolis: The Rise of Immigrant Gateway Cities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tb5HMB63xAC&pg=PA51|year=2008|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-3186-6|page=51}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2020 |title=Overview + History {{!}} Ellis Island |url=https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/ |access-date=September 10, 2021 |website=Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island |language=en}}</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]]. After the end of the [[American Civil War]] in 1865, 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|author-link=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519–1871|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIst_CSWOqIC&pg=PA275|year=2011|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-35660-4|page=275}}</ref>

Mainland expansion also included 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|access-date=December 23, 2014}}</ref> In 1893, pro-American elements in Hawaii [[Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii|overthrew]] the [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawaiian monarchy]] and formed the [[Republic of Hawaii]], which the U.S. [[Newlands Resolution|annexed]] in 1898. Puerto Rico, [[Guam]], and the [[Philippines]] were ceded by Spain in the same year, by the [[Treaty of Paris (1898)]] 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|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> Neither the [[Foraker Act]] (1900), nor the [[Insular Cases]] (1901) accorded US citizenship to Puerto Ricans. One month prior to [[American entry into World War I]], citizenship was extended to Puerto Ricans via the [[Jones–Shafroth Act]] (1917).<ref name=HoE>{{Cite book | title = Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America | first = Juan | last = Gonzalez | publisher = Penguin | date = 2011 }}</ref>{{rp|60–63}} In November 1903, the US acquired a perpetual lease of the [[Panama Canal Zone]] via the [[Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty]] after providing naval aid preventing [[Colombia]] from putting down the [[Separation of Panama from Colombia|rebellion]] which led to the creation of an independent Panama. The logistics of the November uprising were prepared in New York.<ref name=HoE />{{rp|67}} [[American Samoa]] was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the end of the [[Second Samoan Civil War]].<ref>Ryden, George Herbert. ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''. New York: Octagon Books, 1975.</ref> The [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] were purchased from [[Denmark]] in 1917.<ref>{{cite web|title=Virgin Islands History|url=https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/history/|publisher=Vinow.com|access-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Ford Motor Company assembly line.jpg|thumb|[[Ford Motor Company]] workers [[Mass production|mass producing]] [[Automotive industry in the United States|automobiles]] on an [[assembly line]] in 1928<ref>Rubin, A. (2021). Postindustrial America. In S. P. Holland (Ed.), ''Encyclopedia of American studies''. Johns Hopkins University Press. </ref>]]
[[Gilded Age|Rapid economic development]] during the late 19th and early 20th centuries fostered the rise of [[Robber baron (industrialist)|many prominent industrialists]]. [[Tycoon]]s like [[Cornelius Vanderbilt]], [[John D. Rockefeller]], and [[Andrew Carnegie]] led the nation's progress in the [[Railways|railroad]], [[Petroleum industry|petroleum]], and [[History of the steel industry (1850–1970)|steel]] industries. Banking became a major part of the economy, with [[J. P. Morgan]] playing a notable role. The United States also emerged as a pioneer of the [[Automotive industry in the United States|automotive industry]] in the early 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |author1=The Pit Boss |title=The Pit Stop: The American Automotive Industry Is Packed With History |url=https://pitstop.rumbleon.com/american-automotive-history |website=Rumble On |access-date=5 December 2021 |date=26 February 2021}}</ref> In the North, [[urbanization]] and an unprecedented [[History of immigration to the United States|influx of immigrants]] from [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]] supplied a surplus of labor for the country's industrialization.<ref name="Powell2009qwet">{{cite book|first=John|last=Powell|title=Encyclopedia of North American Immigration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VNCX6UsdZYkC&pg=PA74|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1012-7|page=74|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> [[Incandescent light bulb|Electric light]] and the [[telephone]] drastically changed communication and urban life.{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=351, 385}}

The American economy boomed, becoming 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> These dramatic changes were accompanied by significant increases in [[economic inequality]], [[Effects of immigration to the United States|immigration]], and [[List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States|social unrest]], which prompted the rise of [[Labor history of the United States|organized labor]] along with [[Populism in the United States|populist]], [[History of the socialist movement in the United States|socialist]], and [[Anarchism in the United States|anarchist]] movements.<ref>Tindall, George Brown and Shi, David E. (2012). ''America: A Narrative History (Brief Ninth Edition) (Vol. 2).'' [[W. W. Norton & Company]]. {{ISBN|978-0-393-91267-8}} p. 589</ref><ref>[[#Zinn|Zinn, 2005]], pp. 321–357</ref><ref name="Fraser">{{cite book |last=Fraser |first=Steve |title=The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-316-18543-1 |page=66}}</ref> This period eventually ended with the advent of the [[Progressive Era]], which was characterized by significant reforms, including [[Consumer protection|health and safety regulation]] of consumer goods, the rise of [[Labor unions in the United States|labor unions]], greater [[United States antitrust law|antitrust measures]] to ensure competition among businesses, and improvements in worker conditions. The [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], which began around 1910, resulted in millions of African Americans leaving the rural South for urban areas in the North.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration|title=The Great Migration (1910-1970)|date=May 20, 2021}}</ref>

=== Modern America and World Wars (1914–1945) ===
{{main|History of the United States (1918–1945)}}
{{Further|Roaring Twenties|Great Depression in the United States|United States home front during World War II|Military history of the United States during World War II}}
[[File:The center of New York 1932.jpg|thumb|The newly constructed [[Empire State Building]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] in 1932; until 1970, when it was eclipsed by the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world.]]

The last vestiges of the Progressive Era resulted in [[women's suffrage]] and [[Prohibition in the United States|alcohol prohibition]].<ref>Paige Meltzer, "The Pulse and Conscience of America" The General Federation and Women's Citizenship, 1945–1960,"&nbsp;''Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies''&nbsp;(2009), Vol. 30 Issue 3, pp. 52–76.</ref><ref>James Timberlake,&nbsp;''Prohibition and the Progressive Movement, 1900–1920''&nbsp;(Harvard UP, 1963)</ref><ref>George B. Tindall, "Business Progressivism: Southern Politics in the Twenties,"&nbsp;''South Atlantic Quarterly''&nbsp;62 (Winter 1963): 92–106.</ref> In 1869, [[Wyoming]] was the first state to grant women the right to vote followed by other states<ref>{{cite web | title=Timeline and Map of Woman Suffrage Legislation|website=Mapping American Social Movements Project|url=https://depts.washington.edu/moves/WomanSuffrage_map.shtml|publisher=University of Washington|access-date=25 September 2022}}</ref> before the women's rights movement won passage of a [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|constitutional amendment]] granting nationwide [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]] in 1920.<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=978-1-55861-139-9|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 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 [[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 (1919–1920)|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|978-0-7386-0070-3}}.</ref>

During the 1920s and 1930s, [[radio]] for [[mass communication]] and ultimately the invention of early [[television]] transformed communications in the United States.{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=410–411}} 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]] economic policies.<ref>{{cite book|title=Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need|first1=June|last1=Axinn|first2=Mark J.|last2=Stern|isbn=978-0-205-52215-6|edition=7th|publisher=Allyn & Bacon|location=Boston|year=2007}}</ref> The [[Dust Bowl]] of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.<ref>{{cite book|author=James Noble Gregory|title=American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qNdtGwnXYrIC|year=1991|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507136-8|access-date=October 25, 2015}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://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|access-date=October 5, 2014}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html|title=The Migrant Experience|last1=Fanslow|first1=Robin A.|date=April 6, 1997|website=American Folklore Center|publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=October 5, 2014}}<br />{{cite book|first=Walter J.|last=Stein|title=California and the Dust Bowl Migration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGuGAAAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-8371-6267-6|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:TrinityDetonation1945GIF.gif|thumb|A [[mushroom cloud]] arises from the [[Trinity (nuclear test)|Trinity nuclear test]] in the [[Jornada del Muerto]] desert in [[New Mexico]] in July 1945, the first detonation of a [[nuclear weapon]] in history, known as the [[Manhattan Project]].]]

At first [[United States non-interventionism before entering World War II|neutral during World War II]], the United States began supplying [[Lend-Lease|war {{not a typo|materiel}}]] to the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in March 1941. A total of [[United States dollar|$]]50.1 billion (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|50100000000|1941|r=-8}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) worth of supplies was shipped in 1941–1945, or 17% of the total war expenditures of the U.S.<ref name="McNeill 778">{{cite book|author= McNeill| title=America, Britain and Russia|page= 778}}</ref> On December&nbsp;7, 1941, the [[Empire of Japan]] launched a surprise [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], prompting the United States to militarily join the Allies against the [[Axis powers]], and in the following year, to [[Internment of Japanese Americans|intern]] about 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans.<ref>The official WRA record from 1946 state it was 120,000 people. See {{cite book |author=[[War Relocation Authority]] |url=https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-282-5/ |title=The Evacuated People: A Quantitative Study |year=1946 |page=8}} This number does not include people held in other camps such as those run by the DoJ or U.S. Army. Other sources may give numbers slightly more or less than 120,000.</ref><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=https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf|publisher=World War II Internment in Hawaii|access-date=January 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213122046/https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf|archive-date=December 13, 2014}}</ref> The U.S. pursued a "[[Europe first]]" defense policy,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stoler|first1=Mark A.|title=George C. Marshall and the "Europe-First" Strategy, 1939–1951: A Study in Diplomatic as well as Military History|url=https://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2014/04/EDStoler.pdf|access-date=April 4, 2016}}</ref> with the Philippines being [[Philippines campaign (1941–42)|invaded]] and [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|occupied by Japan]] until the country's [[Philippines campaign (1944–45)|liberation]] by the U.S.-led forces in 1944–1945. During the war, the United States was one of the "[[Four Policemen]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iup.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=37681|title=The Four Policemen and. Postwar Planning, 1943–1945: The Collision of Realist and. Idealist Perspectives|last=Kelly|first=Brian|access-date=June 21, 2014}}</ref> who met to plan the postwar world, along with Britain, the Soviet Union, and China.{{sfn|Hoopes|Brinkley|1997|p=100}}{{sfn|Gaddis|1972|p=25}} The United States emerged [[World War II casualties#Human losses by country|relatively unscathed]] from the war, and 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|978-0-679-72019-5}}</ref>

The United States played a leading role in the [[Bretton Woods Conference|Bretton Woods]] and [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]] conferences, during which agreements were signed on new international financial institutions and Europe's postwar reorganization. As an [[Victory in Europe Day|Allied victory was achieved 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=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/pubs/fs/55407.htm|title=The United States and the Founding of the United Nations, August 1941 – October 1945|date=October 2005|access-date=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 [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] in August 1945; the Japanese subsequently [[Surrender of Japan|surrendered]] on September 2, ending [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/06/commentary/japan-surrender-world-war-ii/|title=Why did Japan surrender in World War II? |newspaper=The Japan Times|access-date=February 8, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-4-7700-2887-7}}.</ref>

===Postwar America (1945–2000)===
{{Main|History of the United States (1945–1964)|History of the United States (1964–1980)|History of the United States (1980–1991)|l2 = 1964–1980|l3 = 1980–1991|History of the United States (1991–2008)|l4 = 1991–2008}}
[[File:LevittownPA.jpg|thumb|[[Post–World War II economic expansion]] in the U.S. led to [[Suburbanization|suburban development]] and [[urban sprawl]], as shown in this aerial photograph of [[Levittown, Pennsylvania]] in suburban [[Philadelphia]], {{Circa|1959}}.]]

After World War II, the United States financed and implemented the [[Marshall Plan]] to help rebuild and economically revive war-torn Europe; disbursements paid between 1948 and 1952 would total $13 billion ($115 billion in 2021).<ref>See {{cite journal |last=Frankenfeld |first=Peter |title=A Marshall Plan for Greece? The European Union and the Financial Crisis in Greece. A Theoretical and Political Analysis in the Global World Against a Background of Regional Integration: Table 1. European Recovery Programme – Marshall Plan ($ million) |date=2012 |pages=69 |url=http://bazekon.icm.edu.pl/bazekon/element/bwmeta1.element.ekon-element-000171238489 |journal=Prace i Materiały Instytutu Handlu Zagranicznego Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego |language=EN |issue=31/1 |issn=2300-6153}}</ref> Also at this time, [[Geopolitics|geopolitical]] tensions between the United States and Soviet Russia led to 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=https://books.google.com/books?id=qmjLR5YyUhEC&pg=PR11|year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-24167-5|page=11}}</ref> The two countries dominated the military affairs of Europe, with the U.S. and its [[NATO]] allies on one side and the Soviet Union and its [[Warsaw Pact]] [[Satellite state#Soviet satellite states|satellite states]] on the other.<ref name="Blakemore-2019">{{cite web|last=Blakemore|first=Erin|date=March 22, 2019|title=What was the Cold War?|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/cold-war/|access-date=August 28, 2020|website=National Geographic|language=en}}</ref> Unlike the US, the USSR concentrated on its own recovery, seizing and transferring most of Germany's industrial plants, and it exacted [[World War II reparations|war reparations]] from its [[Eastern Bloc|Soviet Bloc]] satellites using Soviet-dominated joint enterprises.{{efn|[The Soviet Union] instituted trading arrangements deliberately designed to favour the country. Moscow controlled the Communist parties that ruled the satellite states, and they followed orders from the Kremlin. Historian Mark Kramer concludes: "The net outflow of resources from eastern Europe to the Soviet Union was approximately $15 billion to $20 billion in the first decade after World War II, an amount roughly equal to the total aid provided by the United States to western Europe under the Marshall Plan."}}<ref>Mark Kramer, "The Soviet Bloc and the Cold War in Europe," in {{Cite book |editor-first=Klaus | editor-last=Larresm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EyNcCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT174 |title=A Companion to Europe Since 1945 |publisher=Wiley |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-118-89024-0 |page=79}}</ref> The U.S. sometimes opposed [[Third World]] movements that it viewed as Soviet-sponsored, occasionally pursuing direct action for [[United States involvement in regime change|regime change]] against [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] governments.<ref>[[#Blakeley|Blakeley, 2009]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=rft8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 p. 92]</ref> American troops fought the communist forces in the [[Korean War]] of 1950–1953,<ref name="Proxy">{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/liftoff00coll |title=Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space |publisher=Grove Press |year=1988 |isbn=9780802110114 |location=New York |author-link=Michael Collins (astronaut) |url-access=registration}}</ref> and the U.S. became increasingly involved in the [[Vietnam War]] (1955–1975), introducing combat forces in 1965.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Chapman |first=Jessica M. |title=Origins of the Vietnam War |date=August 5, 2016 |url=https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-353 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.353 |isbn=978-0-19-932917-5 |access-date=August 28, 2020}}</ref> Their competition to achieve superior [[spaceflight]] capability led to the [[Space Race]], which culminated in the U.S. becoming the first and only nation to [[Apollo 11|land people on the Moon]] in 1969.<ref name="Proxy" /> While both countries engaged in [[proxy war]]s and developed powerful [[nuclear weapon]]s, they avoided direct military conflict.<ref name="Blakemore-2019" />

At home, the United States experienced [[Post–World War II economic expansion|sustained economic expansion]], [[Urbanization in the United States|urbanization]], and a [[Post–World War II baby boom|rapid growth of its population]] and [[American middle class|middle class]] following World War II. Construction of an [[Interstate Highway System]] transformed the nation's transportation infrastructure in decades to come.{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=305–308}}<ref name="IntHighways">{{cite web|last1=Blas|first1=Elisheva|title=The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways|url=https://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/pdfs/N10_NHD_Blas_Junior.pdf|website=societyforhistoryeducation.org|publisher=Society for History Education|access-date=January 19, 2015}}</ref> In 1959, the United States admitted [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]] to become the 49th and 50th states, formally expanding beyond the [[contiguous United States]].<ref name="Lightner2004">{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Lightner|title=Hawaiian History: An Annotated Bibliography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yei4fDrecWsC&pg=PA141|year=2004|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28233-1|page=141}}</ref>

[[File:Martin_Luther_King_-_March_on_Washington_(cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Martin Luther King Jr.]] delivers his "[[I Have a Dream]]" speech at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] during the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|March on Washington]] on August 28, 1963.|alt=See caption]]

The growing [[civil rights movement]] used [[nonviolence]] to confront [[Racism in the United States|racism]]; [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] emerged as a prominent leader of the movement in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/4b.html|title=The Civil Rights Movement|website=PBS.org|access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref> President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] initiated legislation that led to a series of policies addressing poverty and racial inequalities, in what he termed the "[[Great Society]]". The launch of a "[[War on Poverty]]" expanded [[Social programs in the United States|entitlements and welfare]] spending, leading to the creation of the [[Food Stamp Program]], [[Aid to Families with Dependent Children]], along with national [[health insurance]] programs [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] and [[Medicaid]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssa.gov/history/lbjsm.html|title=Social Security|website=ssa.gov|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> A combination of court decisions and legislation, culminating in the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], made significant improvements.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dallek|first=Robert|year=2004|title=Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President|page=[https://archive.org/details/lyndonbjohnsonpo00dall/page/169 169]|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-515920-2|url=https://archive.org/details/lyndonbjohnsonpo00dall/page/169 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=old&doc=97|title=Our Documents—Civil Rights Act (1964)|publisher=United States Department of Justice|access-date=July 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://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|access-date=January 1, 2012|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516063650/https://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/Johnson/archives.hom/speeches.hom/651003.asp|archive-date=May 16, 2016|url-status=live }}</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]], mainstream [[Philosophy of psychedelics|experimentation with psychedelics]] and [[Cannabis culture|cannabis]], the [[Black Power movement]], and the [[sexual revolution]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5106608/protest-1968/?amp=true|title=Behind the Protests Against the Vietnam War in 1968|last=Levy|first=Daniel|date=January 19, 2018|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> The [[Women's Movement in the United States (1963-1982)|women's movement]] in the U.S. broadened the debate on women's rights and made [[gender equality]] a major social goal. The [[Sexual revolution in 1960s United States|1960s Sexual Revolution]] liberalized American attitudes to sexuality and eventually spread to the rest of the developed world,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://study.com/learn/lesson/sexual-liberation-movement-origin-timeline-impact-revolution.html |title=The Sexual Revolution Origins and Impact |website=study.com |author=Svetlana Ter-Grigoryan |date=February 12, 2022 |access-date=April 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2022 |title=Playboy: American Magazine |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Playboy |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |quote=...the so-called sexual revolution in the United States in the 1960s, marked by greatly more permissive attitudes toward sexual interest and activity than had been prevalent in earlier generations.}}</ref> and the 1969 [[Stonewall riots]] in New York City marked the beginning of the modern [[gay liberation|gay rights]] movement in the [[Western world|West]].<ref name="StonewallNYC1">{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/new-york/articles/why-new-york-city-is-a-major-destination-for-lgbt-travelers/|title=Why New York City Is a Major Destination for LGBT Travelers|first=Julia|last=Goicichea|publisher=The Culture Trip|date=August 16, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uky.edu/~lbarr2/gws250spring11_files/Page1186.htm|title=Brief History of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement in the U.S|publisher=University of Kentucky|access-date=July 15, 2022}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/06/28/feature-how-the-stonewall-riots-started-the-gay-rights-movement/|title=Feature: How the Stonewall riots started the LGBT rights movement|first=Nell|last=Frizzell|publisher=Pink News UK|date=June 28, 2013|access-date=July 15, 2022}}; {{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots|title=Stonewall riots|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref>

The United States supported [[Israel]] during the [[Yom Kippur War]]; in response, the country faced an oil [[embargo]] from [[OPEC]] nations, sparking the [[1973 oil crisis]]. The presidency of [[Richard Nixon]] saw the American withdrawal from Vietnam but also the [[Watergate scandal]], which led to [[Nixon resignation|his resignation]] and a decline in public trust of government that expanded for decades.<ref name="watergate_committee_final_report">[[Sam Ervin|Ervin, Sam]], et al., ''Final Report of the Watergate Committee''.</ref> After a surge in female labor participation around the 1970s, by 1985, the majority of women aged 16 and over were employed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Women in the Labor Force: A Databook|url=https://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2012.pdf|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|access-date=March 21, 2014|page=11|year=2013}}</ref> The 1970s and early 1980s also saw the onset of [[stagflation]].

[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev at the first Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.jpg|thumb|U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] (left) and Soviet General Secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] met at the [[Geneva Summit (1985)|Geneva Summit]] in November 1985, where they discussed [[Cold War]] tensions and the [[arms race]] between the two nations.]]

After his election in 1980, President [[Ronald Reagan]] responded to economic stagnation with [[Reaganomics|neoliberal reforms]] and accelerated the [[Rollback|rollback strategy]] towards the Soviet Union after its [[Soviet–Afghan War|invasion of Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Allen|first=Robert C.|date=November 2001|title=The rise and decline of the Soviet economy|journal=Canadian Journal of Economics|volume=34|issue=4|pages=859–881|doi=10.1111/0008-4085.00103|issn=0008-4085}}</ref>{{sfn|Gerstle|2022|pp=106–108, 121-128}}<ref>[[#Soss|Soss, 2010]], p. 277</ref><ref>[[#Fraser|Fraser, 1989]]</ref> During Reagan's presidency, the federal debt held by the public nearly tripled in nominal terms, from $738 billion to $2.1 trillion.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=k977|title=Federal Debt Held by the Public|publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |date=May 31, 2018|access-date=June 12, 2018}}</ref> This led to the United States moving from the world's largest international creditor to the world's largest debtor nation.<ref name="U.S. Debt">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26402-2004Jun8.html |title=Reagan Policies Gave Green Light to Red Ink |access-date= May 25, 2007 |newspaper= The Washington Post | date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> However, Reagan's presidency also saw the United States enter into its then-longest peacetime economic expansion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Martin |date=1990-01-17 |title=Opinion {{!}} The Reagan Boom - Greatest Ever |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/17/opinion/the-reagan-boom-greatest-ever.html |access-date=2023-07-10 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Revolutions of 1989|collapse]] of the USSR's [[Eastern Bloc|network of satellite states]] in Eastern Europe in 1989 and the subsequent [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the country itself]] in 1991 ended the Cold War with American victory,<ref name="Gaidar">{{cite book|last=Gaĭdar|first=E.T.|year=2007|title=Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia|url={{GBUrl|bDSfnxYjVwAC|pg=PA102}}|pages=190–205|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[Brookings Institution#Publications|Brookings Institution Press]]|isbn=978-0-815-73114-6}}</ref><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|year=2006|publisher=Texas A&M University|isbn=978-0-549-41658-6|page=352 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kissinger|first=Henry|author-link=Henry Kissinger|title=Diplomacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IZboamhb5EC&pg=PA731|year=2011|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-1-4391-2631-8|pages=781–784|access-date=October 25, 2015}}<br />{{cite book|last=Mann|first=James|title=The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgZyXNIrvB4C&pg=PT12|year=2009|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-1-4406-8639-9|page=432}}<br /></ref><ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref> ensuring a global [[unipolarity]]<ref>[[Charles Krauthammer]], "The Unipolar Moment", ''Foreign Affairs'', 70/1, (Winter 1990/1), 23–33.</ref> in which the U.S. was unchallenged as the world's sole [[superpower]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Judt|first1=Tony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVDHAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61|title=With Us Or Against Us: Studies in Global Anti-Americanism|last2=Lacorne|first2=Denis|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2005|isbn=978-1-4039-8085-4|page=61}}<br />{{cite book|first=Richard J.|last=Samuels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K751AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT666|title=Encyclopedia of United States National Security|publisher=Sage Publications|year=2005|isbn=978-1-4522-6535-3|page=666}}<br />{{cite book|first=Paul R.|last=Pillar|url=https://archive.org/details/terrorismusforei00pill|title=Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8157-0004-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/terrorismusforei00pill/page/57 57]|url-access=registration}}<br />{{cite book|first=Gabe T.|last=Wang|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CbPJ7KZ9FvIC&pg=PA179|title=China and the Taiwan Issue: Impending War at Taiwan Strait|publisher=University Press of America|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7618-3434-2|page=179}}<br />{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgdmiw4VUHsC&pg=PA1|title=Understanding the "Victory Disease", From the Little Bighorn to Mogadishu and Beyond|publisher=Diane Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-1-4289-1052-2|page=1}}<br />{{cite book|first1=Akis|last1=Kalaitzidis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzwYzL9KcwEC&pg=PA313|title=U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide|first2=Gregory W.|last2=Streich|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2011|isbn=978-0-313-38375-5|page=313}}<br />[[#Cohen|Cohen, 2004: History and the Hyperpower]]</ref>

Fearing the spread of [[Middle East|regional]] international instability from the [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]], in August 1991, President [[George H. W. Bush]] launched and led the [[Gulf War]] against Iraq, expelling Iraqi forces and dissolving the [[Republic of Kuwait|Iraqi-backed puppet state]] in Kuwait.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Halliday|first=Fred|title=The Gulf War and Its Aftermath: First Reflections|volume=67|number=2|pages=223–234|date=April 1991|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|journal=[[International Affairs (journal)|International Affairs]]|doi=10.2307/2620827|jstor=2620827|s2cid=154565052 }}</ref> During the administration of President [[Bill Clinton]] in 1994, the U.S. signed the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), causing trade among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to soar.<ref>{{cite web|title=North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) {{!}} United States Trade Representative|url=https://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta|website=Ustr.gov|access-date=January 11, 2015|archive-date=March 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317011855/https://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta|url-status=dead }}<br />{{cite book|author1=Thakur|author2=Manab Thakur Gene E Burton B N Srivastava|title=International Management: Concepts and Cases|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2SbAuVzHBMC&pg=PA334|year=1997|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=978-0-07-463395-3|pages=334–335|access-date=October 25, 2015 }}<br />{{cite book|first1=Akis|last1=Kalaitzidis|first2=Gregory W.|last2=Streich|title=U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9rhlt2Ke3gC&pg=PA201|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38376-2|page=201 }}</ref> Due to the [[dot-com bubble|dot-com boom]], stable monetary policy, and [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act|reduced social welfare spending]], the 1990s saw the [[1990s United States boom|longest economic expansion]] in modern U.S. history.<ref>{{cite news|title=Did Clinton Do It, or Was He Lucky?|author=Dale, Reginald|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/18/business/worldbusiness/18iht-think.2.t_2.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 18, 2000|access-date=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book|last=Mankiw|first=N. Gregory|title=Macroeconomics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=58KxPNa0hF4C&pg=PA463|year=2008|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-324-58999-3|page=559|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>

===New millennium (2000–present)===
{{Main|History of the United States (1991–2008)|History of the United States (2008–present)|l2 = 2008–present}}
[[File:Explosion following the plane impact into the South Tower (WTC 2) - B6019~11.jpg|thumb|The [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[Lower Manhattan]], [[New York City]] after the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001]]

On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], [[al-Qaeda]] terrorist hijackers flew passenger planes into the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|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=https://video.foxnews.com/v/1151859712001/flashback-911-as-it-happened/|access-date=March 6, 2013|work=Fox News}}<br />{{cite news|title=America remembers Sept. 11 attacks 11 years later|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57510234/america-remembers-sept-11-attacks-11-years-later/|work=CBS News|date=September 11, 2012|access-date=March 6, 2013|archive-date=October 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017215138/https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57510234/america-remembers-sept-11-attacks-11-years-later/|url-status=dead }}<br />{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/trade.center/multimedia.day.html|title=Day of Terror Video Archive|year=2005|work=CNN|access-date=March 6, 2013 }}</ref> In response, President [[George W. Bush]] launched the [[war on terror]], which included a nearly 20-year [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|war in Afghanistan]] from 2001 to 2021 and the 2003–2011 [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The 'War on Terror' Is Critical to President George W. Bush's Legacy|author=Walsh, Kenneth T.|url=https://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|access-date=March 6, 2013}}<br />{{cite book|last=Atkins|first=Stephen E.|title=The 9/11 Encyclopedia: Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PDDIgWRN_HQC&pg=PA210|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-921-9|page=872|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Overview: The Iraq War|last=Wong|first=Edward|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 15, 2008|access-date=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=https://books.google.com/books?id=SF7U27JsLC4C&q=iraq+invasion+removes+hussein|year=2005|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-4956-2|page=159|access-date=October 25, 2015 }}<br />{{cite news|title=Timeline: Key moments in the Iraq War|author=Durando, Jessica|author2=Green, Shannon Rae|agency=Associated Press|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1|newspaper=USA Today|date=December 21, 2011|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-date=September 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904084312/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1|url-status=dead }}</ref> Government policy designed to promote affordable housing,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hidden in Plain Sight: What Really Caused the World's Worst Financial Crisis and Why It Could Happen Again|last=Wallison|first=Peter|publisher=Encounter Books|year=2015|isbn=978-978-59407-7-0|author-link=Peter J. Wallison}}</ref> widespread failures in corporate and regulatory governance,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-FCIC/pdf/GPO-FCIC.pdf|title=Financial Crisis Inquiry Report|year=2011|author=Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission|isbn=978-1-60796-348-6|author-link=Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission }}</ref> and historically low interest rates set by the [[Federal Reserve]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Taylor|first=John B.|author-link=John B. Taylor|access-date=January 21, 2017|title=The Financial Crisis and the Policy Responses: An Empirical Analysis of What Went Wrong|url=https://www.nber.org/papers/w14631.pdf|journal=Hoover Institution Economics Paper Series|date=January 2009}}</ref> led to a [[United States housing bubble|housing bubble]] in 2006. This culminated in the [[financial crisis of 2007–2008]] and the [[Great Recession]], the nation's largest economic contraction since the Great Depression.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169431617549947|title=Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End Yet in Sight|last1=Hilsenrath|first1=Jon|last2=Ng|first2=Serena|last3=Paletta|first3=Damian|date=September 18, 2008|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[Barack Obama]], the first [[Multiracial American|multiracial]]<ref name="multiracial">{{cite news|author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. -->|title=Barack Obama: Face Of New Multiracial Movement?|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96916824| work=[[NPR]]|date=November 12, 2008}}</ref> President with [[African Americans|African American]] ancestry, [[2008 United States presidential election|was elected in 2008]] amid the financial crisis.<ref name="Washington-2011">{{cite news|title=African-American Economic Gains Reversed By Great Recession|agency=[[Associated Press]]| last1=Washington| first1=Jesse| last2=Rugaber| first2=Chris|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3584442/economic-gains-for-blacks-reversed-in-great-recession|date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616183529/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/10/black-recession-economy-african-americans_n_894046.html|archive-date=June 16, 2013}}</ref> His signature legislative accomplishment was the [[Affordable Care Act]] (ACA), popularly known as "Obamacare". It represented the [[Healthcare in the United States|U.S. health care system]]'s most significant regulatory overhaul and expansion of coverage since [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] in 1965. As a result, the uninsured share of the population was cut in half, while the number of newly insured Americans was estimated to be between 20 and 24 million.<ref name="HHS_ASPE16">{{Cite web |url=https://aspe.hhs.gov/pdf-report/health-insurance-coverage-and-affordable-care-act-2010-2016 |first1  =  Namrata|  first2 = Kenneth |first3 =Emily | last1= Uberoi |last2 =Finegold| last3=Gee |title=Health Insurance Coverage and the Affordable Care Act, 2010–2016|publisher =  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  |department= Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation |access-date=December 7, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211205091604/https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_legacy_files//142146/ACA2010-2016.pdf  | archive-date = December 5, 2011|date=March 2, 2016}}</ref>

After Obama served two terms, Republican [[Donald Trump]] was elected as the [[List of Presidents of the United States|45th president]] in 2016. [[2016 United States presidential election|His election]] is viewed as one of the biggest political upsets in American and world history.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Harrison|title=Donald Trump is elected president of the United States|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/donald-trump-is-elected-president-of-the-united-states/2016/11/09/58046db4-a684-11e6-ba59-a7d93165c6d4_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 27, 2020|date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> Trump held office through [[Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|the first waves]] of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and the resulting [[COVID-19 recession]] starting in 2020 that exceeded even the Great Recession earlier in the century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kochhar |first=Rakesh |title=Unemployment rose higher in three months of COVID-19 than it did in two years of the Great Recession |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/06/11/unemployment-rose-higher-in-three-months-of-covid-19-than-it-did-in-two-years-of-the-great-recession/ |access-date=October 1, 2022 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Political polarization in the United States|Political polarization]] increased beginning in the 2010s, with [[Abortion in the United States|abortion access]], [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]], the [[transgender rights movement]], [[Institutional racism|lingering systemic racism]], [[Police brutality in the United States|police brutality]], [[Illegal immigration to the United States|undocumented immigration]], [[Mass shootings in the United States|mass shootings]] and [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|recreational marijuana use]] becoming central topics of debate. [[List of protests and demonstrations in the United States by size|Several protests have since become among the largest]] in U.S. history, including the [[George Floyd protests]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamid |first=Shadi |date=January 8, 2022 |title=The Forever Culture War |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/republicans-democrats-forever-culture-war/621184/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hammond |first=Michael |date=2018 |title=Chapter 30: The Recent Past |url=https://www.americanyawp.com/text/30-the-recent-past/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=[[Stanford University Press]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On January 6, 2021, supporters of outgoing President Trump [[2021 United States Capitol attack|stormed the U.S. Capitol]] in an unsuccessful effort to disrupt the [[U.S. Electoral College|Electoral College]] vote count that would confirm Democrat [[Joe Biden]] as the 46th president.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peñaloza |first=Marisa |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Clash with Police |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/06/953616207/diehard-trump-supporters-gather-in-the-nations-capital-to-protest-election-resul |access-date=January 16, 2021 |website=NPR }}</ref>

In 2022, the Supreme Court [[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization|ruled that there is no constitutional right to an abortion]], causing [[2022–2023 United States abortion protests|another wave of protests]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Protests erupt in D.C., around the country as Roe v. Wade falls |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/24/supreme-court-abortion-protests-roe/ |access-date=September 28, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The United States responded to Russia and Belarus after their [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]], with the country applying [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|harsh sanctions]] on Russia and [[United States and the Russian invasion of Ukraine|sending tens of billions of dollars of military and humanitarian aid]] to Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Senate has approved roughly $40 billion in aid to Ukraine |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/05/19/1100228289/the-senate-has-approved-roughly-40-billion-in-aid-to-ukraine |access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of the United States}}
[[File:Uspaintedrelief.png|thumb|A [[topographic map]] of the United States]]

The [[List of states and territories of the United States|48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia]] occupy a combined area of {{convert|3,119,885|sqmi|km2|abbr=}}. Of this area, {{convert|2,959,064|sqmi|km2|abbr=}} is contiguous land, composing 83.65% of total U.S. land area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/279.html#as|work=The World Factbook|publisher=cia.gov|title=Field Listing: Area|access-date=April 21, 2020|archive-date=July 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707180005/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/279.html#as|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="urlState Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates—Geography—U.S. Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html|title=State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates—Geography—U.S. Census Bureau|website=State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref> About 15% is occupied by [[Alaska]], a state in northwestern North America, with the remainder in [[Hawaii]], a state and [[archipelago]] in the central [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], and the five populated but [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated]] insular territories of [[Puerto Rico]], [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2010 Census Area|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|website=census.gov|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|page=41|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, and 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|access-date=January 15, 2015|archive-date=January 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131115000/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html|url-status=dead }}</ref>

The United States is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest nation]] by land and total area behind [[Russia]] and [[Canada]].{{efn|name=largestcountry}}<ref name="WF">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/|title=United States|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|website=The World Factbook|date=January 3, 2018|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref>

The [[Atlantic coastal plain|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=https://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/geography/article/geographic-regions-of-georgia|website=Georgia Info|publisher=Digital Library of Georgia|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> The [[Appalachian Mountains]] and the [[Adirondack Mountains|Adirondack]] [[massif]] 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=https://www.geog.nau.edu/courses/alew/gsp220/text/chapters/ch2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409112252/https://www.geog.nau.edu/courses/alew/gsp220/text/chapters/ch2.html|archive-date=April 9, 2016|website=GSP 220—Geography of the United States|publisher=North Arizona University|access-date=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]], west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over {{convert|14000|ft}} in [[Colorado]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Harms|first=Nicole|title=Facts About the Rocky Mountain Range|url=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/rocky-mountain-range-11967.html|website=Travel Tips|publisher=USA Today|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> Farther west are the rocky [[Great Basin]] and deserts such as the [[Chihuahuan Desert|Chihuahua]], [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]], and [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tinkham|first=Ernest R.|title=Biological, Taxonomic and Faunistic Studies on the Shield-Back Katydids of the North American Deserts|jstor=2421073|doi=10.2307/2421073|journal=[[The American Midland Naturalist]]|volume=31|number=2|date=March 1944|pages=257–328|publisher=The [[University of Notre Dame]]}}</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 also reaching altitudes higher than {{convert|14000|ft}}. The [[Extreme points of the United States|lowest and highest points]] in the contiguous United States are in the state of California,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Whitney, California|url=https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2829|publisher=Peakbagger|access-date=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=https://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|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> At an elevation of {{convert|20310|ft|1}}, Alaska's [[Denali]] is the highest peak in the country and in North America.<ref>{{cite web|last=Poppick|first=Laura|title=US Tallest Mountain's Surprising Location Explained|date=August 28, 2013|url=https://www.livescience.com/39245-us-tallest-mountain-location-explained.html|publisher=LiveScience|access-date=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|last=O'Hanlon|first=Larry|title=America's Explosive Park|url=https://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html|date=March 14, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314034001/https://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html|archive-date=March 14, 2005|publisher=Discovery Channel|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of the United States|Climate change in the United States}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types US 50.png|thumb|The [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of the United States]]

With its large size and geographic variety, the United States 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=https://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-regions-united-states-21570.html|website=Travel Tips|publisher=USA Today|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref>

The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]]. Many mountainous areas of the American West have an [[alpine climate]]. The climate is [[Desert climate|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 climate|subarctic]] or [[Polar climate|polar]]. Hawaii and the southern tip of [[Florida]] are [[Tropical climate|tropical]], as well as its territories in the [[Caribbean]] and the Pacific.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Map of Köppen–Geiger Climate Classification|url=https://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A4.pdf|access-date=August 19, 2015|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126115149/http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

States bordering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] are prone to [[Tropical cyclone|hurricanes]], and most of the world's [[tornado]]es occur in the country, mainly in [[Tornado Alley]] areas in the Midwest and South.<ref>{{cite news|author=Perkins, Sid|url=https://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701131631/https://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020511/bob9.asp|archive-date=July 1, 2007|title=Tornado Alley, USA|access-date=September 20, 2006|date=May 11, 2002|work=Science News}}</ref> Overall, the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=USA has the world's most extreme weather|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/05/16/extreme-weather-north-america/2162501/|last=Rice|first=Doyle|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=May 17, 2020}}</ref>

Extreme weather has become more frequent in the U.S., with three times the number of reported [[heat waves]] as in the 1960s. Of the ten warmest years ever recorded in the 48 contiguous states, eight have occurred since 1998. In the [[Southwestern United States|American Southwest]], droughts have become more persistent and more severe.<ref>{{Cite web|last=US EPA|first=OAR|date=June 27, 2016|title=Climate Change Indicators: Weather and Climate|url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate|access-date=June 19, 2022|website=Epa.gov|language=en}}</ref>

===Biodiversity and conservation===
{{Anchor|Wildlife and conservation}}
{{Main|Fauna of the United States|Flora of the United States}}
[[File:Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.jpg|alt=A bald eagle|thumb|The [[bald eagle]] has been the [[National bird of the United States|national bird]] of the United States since 1782.<ref name="McDougall2004">{{cite book|first=Len|last=McDougall|title=The Encyclopedia of Tracks and Scats: A Comprehensive Guide to the Trackable Animals of the United States and Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XOc2_u7z6cC&pg=PA325|year=2004|publisher=Lyons Press|isbn=978-1-59228-070-4|page=325}}</ref>]]

The U.S. is one of 17 [[megadiverse countries]] containing large numbers of [[List of endangered species in North America|endemic species]]: about 17,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and more than 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=https://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724222726/https://www.fungaljungal.org/papers/National_Biological_Service.pdf|title=Vascular Plants of the United States|publisher=National Biological Service|website=Plants|access-date=October 27, 2008|archive-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref> The United States is home to 428 [[mammal]] species, 784 [[bird]]s, 311 [[reptile]]s, and 295 [[amphibian]]s,<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=https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-of-native-species-in-united-states.php|publisher=Current Results Nexus|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> and 91,000 [[insect]] species.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/bugnos.htm|title=Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals)|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=January 20, 2009}}</ref>

There are 63 [[List of national parks of the United States|national parks]] which are managed by the [[National Park Service]], and [[Federal lands|hundreds of other federally managed]] parks, forests, and [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness areas]] managed by it and other agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title= National Park FAQ|url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm/|last1=Park|first1=National|website=nps|access-date=May 8, 2015}}</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=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/us/romney-would-give-reins-to-states-on-drilling-on-federal-lands.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0|access-date=January 18, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 23, 2012}}</ref> mostly in the [[Western United States|western states]].<ref name="AKLeg CRS Federal Land">{{Cite report|url=https://www.akleg.gov/basis/get_documents.asp?session=31&docid=47224|title=Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=June 18, 2020|last1=Vincent|first1=Carol H.|last2=Hanson|first2=Laura A.|last3=Argueta|first3=Carla N.|page=2}}</ref> Most of this land is [[Protected areas of the United States|protected]], though some is [[Bureau of Land Management|leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching]], and 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=fas.org|publisher=Congressional Research Service|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Fed Land Uses">{{cite web|title=Chapter 6: Federal Programs to Promote Resource Use, Extraction, and Development|url=https://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/wetlands2/v2ch6.cfm|website=doi.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318005744/https://www.doi.gov/pmb/oepc/wetlands2/v2ch6.cfm|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|access-date=January 19, 2015|archive-date=March 18, 2015}}</ref>

[[Environmental issues in the United States|Environmental issues]] include debates on oil and [[nuclear binding energy|nuclear energy]], air and water pollution, protecting [[wildlife]], logging and [[deforestation]],<ref>{{cite web|author=The National Atlas of the United States of America|url=https://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html|title=Forest Resources of the United States|publisher=Nationalatlas.gov|date=January 14, 2013|access-date=January 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507195541/https://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_forest.html|archive-date=May 7, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://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|year=2003|access-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref> and [[Climate change in the United States|climate change]].<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> The most prominent environmental agency 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=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVPoqXeTYTwC&pg=PA1|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-33341-5|page=1|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</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=https://books.google.com/books?id=a8BEuUPJb58C&pg=PA1|publisher=General Accounting Office, Diane Publishing|isbn=978-1-4289-3997-4|page=1|access-date=October 25, 2015|year=2003 }}</ref>

As of 2020, the U.S. ranked 24th among 180 nations in the [[Environmental Performance Index]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What Is the Greenest Country in the World?|url=https://www.atlasandboots.com/greenest-country-in-the-world/|website=Atlas & Boots|date=June 6, 2020|publisher=Environmental Performance Index|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> The country joined the [[Paris Agreement]] on climate change in 2016, and has many other environmental commitments.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States of America|url=https://climateaction.unfccc.int/views/country.html?country=US|website=Global Climate Action – NAZCA|publisher=United Nations|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> It [[United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement|withdrew]] from the Paris Agreement in 2020<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nugent|first1=Ciara|title=The U.S. Just Officially Left the Paris Agreement. Can it Be a Leader in the Climate Fight Again?|url=https://time.com/5907210/us-leaves-paris-agreement-2020-election/|access-date=November 18, 2020|agency=Times|date=November 4, 2020}}</ref> but rejoined it in 2021.<ref>{{cite news|title=Biden announces return to global climate accord, new curbs on U.S. oil industry|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-biden-climate-idINKBN29P12S|date=January 20, 2021|work=Reuters|department=Money News|access-date=February 9, 2021}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of the United States|Government of the United States}}
{{Further|Political parties in the United States|Elections in the United States|Political ideologies in the United States|American patriotism|American civil religion}}
[[Image:US Capitol west side.JPG|thumb|The [[United States Capitol]] and its two legislative chambers, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] (on left) and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (on right)]]
[[File:White House lawn (long tightly cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[White House]] is the residence and workplace of the [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] and the offices of [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|U.S. presidential executive staff]].]]
[[Image:Panorama of United States Supreme Court Building at Dusk.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]], which houses the [[Supreme Court of the United States|nation's highest court]]]]

The United States is a [[federal republic]] of 50 [[U.S. state|states]], a [[District of Columbia|federal district]], [[Territories of the United States|five territories]] and several uninhabited [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|island possessions]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Core Document of the United States of America|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/179780.htm|date=December 30, 2011|publisher=[[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]]|access-date=July 10, 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|The New York Times|2007|p=670}}{{sfn|Onuf|2010|p=xvii}} It is the world's oldest surviving [[federation]], and, according to the [[World Economic Forum]], the oldest [[democracy]] as well.<ref>Desjardins, Jeff  (August 8, 2019) [https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/countries-are-the-worlds-oldest-democracies/ "Mapped: The world's oldest democracies"] [[World Economic Forum]]</ref> It is a [[Liberal democracy|liberal]] [[representative democracy]] "in which [[majority rule]] is tempered by [[minority rights]] protected by [[Law of the United States|law]]."<ref name="Scheb">Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, KY: Delmar, p. 6. {{ISBN|978-0-7668-2759-2}}.</ref> [[List of democracy indices|Major democracy indexes]] uniformly classify the country as a liberal democracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greenwood |first=Shannon |date=2022-12-06 |title=Appendix A: Classifying democracies |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/12/06/online-civic-engagement-spring-2022-appendix-a-classifying-democracies/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project |language=en-US}}</ref> The 2022 [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] and [[Global Corruption Barometer]] rank the United States as having low levels of both actual and perceived [[corruption]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Corruption Barometer |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/gcb |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=[[Transparency International]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 Corruption Perceptions Index |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022 |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=[[Transparency International]] |date=January 31, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

The federal government comprises three branches, which are headquartered in Washington, D.C. and regulated by a system of [[separation of powers|checks and balances]] defined by the Constitution.<ref>{{cite web |author=Killian, Johnny H. |title=Constitution of the United States |url=https://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm |access-date=February 11, 2012 |publisher=The Office of the Secretary of the Senate}}</ref>
* The [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]], a [[bicameral legislature]], 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=https://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012}}</ref> and has the power of [[impeachment]], by which it can remove sitting members of the federal government.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Process for impeachment|publisher=ThinkQuest|url=https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|access-date=August 20, 2012|archive-date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408102119/https://library.thinkquest.org/25673/process.htm|url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[President of the United States|The U.S. 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 through their respective [[List of federal agencies in the United States|agencies]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Executive Branch|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/|website=The White House|access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref>
*  [[Supreme Court of the United States|The U.S. 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|first1=Kermit L.|last1=Hall|first2=Kevin T.|last2=McGuire|title=Institutions of American Democracy: The Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rWCaMAdUzgC|year=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=https://books.google.com/books?id=8X1CzvBXHksC&pg=PA4|date=2013|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-091708-0|page=4}}<br />{{cite book|first=Bryon|last=Giddens-White|title=The Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbZw3bJsWtUC|year=2005|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4034-6608-2}}<br />{{cite book|first=Charles L.|last=Zelden|title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics|url=https://archive.org/details/judicialbranchof0000zeld|url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-702-9|access-date=October 25, 2015}}<br />{{cite web|url=https://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts.aspx|title=Federal Courts|author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. -->|publisher=United States Courts|access-date=October 19, 2014}}</ref>

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 District of Columbia.<ref name="Avaliktos2004">{{cite book |last=Avaliktos |first=Neal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XR21acqXy28C&pg=PA111 |title=The Election Process Revisited |publisher=Nova Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59454-054-7 |page=111}}</ref> The Supreme Court, led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice of the United States]], has nine members, who serve for life. They are appointed by the sitting President when a vacancy becomes available.<ref>{{cite news|title=Beyond politics: Why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life|first=Roger|last=Cossack|url=https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12/|work=CNN|date=July 13, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712085825/https://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/07/columns/cossack.scotus.07.12|archive-date=July 12, 2012 }}</ref>

The [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]] serves as the country's supreme legal document, establishing the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The Constitution has been amended 27 times;<ref>[[#Feldstein|Feldstein, Fabozzi, 2011]], p. 9</ref> the first ten amendments ([[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 can be voided if the courts determine that it violates the Constitution. The principle of [[Judicial review in the United States|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 the American [[federalism|federal]] system, sovereignty is shared between [[Political divisions of the United States|two levels of government]]: federal and state. Citizens of the states are also governed by local governments, which are administrative divisions of the states. The territories are administrative divisions of the federal government. Governance on many issues is [[Decentralization|decentralized]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Feldstein |first=Martin |date=March 2017 |title=Why is Growth Better in the United States Than in Other Industrial Countries? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w23221 |journal=[[National Bureau of Economic Research]] |location=Cambridge, MA|doi=10.3386/w23221 }}</ref>

[[File:Political Party Control of the 50 United States, July 2023.png|thumb|The political party alignment of the 50 [[U.S. state]]s, indicating which party holds the governorships and state legislature majorities as of July 2023<ref name="composition_2023_05_23_ncsl_org" /><ref name="statehouse_2023_01_18_nytimes" /><ref name="trifectas_2022_11_11_ap_foxnews" /><ref name="states_2023_07_01_gazette" /><ref name="trifectas_2023_01_18_nytimes" />]]
The United States has operated under an uncodified informal [[two-party system]] for most of its history, although [[List of political parties in the United States|other parties have run candidates]].<ref name="twsNovGe">{{cite news|author1=Etheridge, Eric|author2=Deleith, Asger|title=A Republic or a Democracy?|newspaper=The New York Times blogs|quote=The US system seems essentially a two-party system.&nbsp;...|date=August 19, 2009|url=https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/a-republic-or-a-democracy/|access-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> What the two  [[Major party|major parties]] are has changed over time: the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] presently are the two major parties, and the country is currently in either the [[Fifth Party System|Fifth]] or [[Sixth Party System]].<ref name="auto3">{{cite book|first1=David|last1=Mosler|first2=Robert|last2=Catley|title=America and Americans in Australia|date=1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|page=83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YungugjvIaQC&pg=PA83|access-date=April 11, 2016|isbn=978-0-275-96252-4 }}</ref> Both parties have no formal central organization at the national level that controls membership, elected officials or political policies; thus, each party has traditionally had factions and individuals who deviated from party positions.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://www.shmoop.com/political-parties/founding-fathers-political-parties.html |title=Political Parties - The Founding Fathers & Political Parties |website=Shmoop |date= |access-date=2022-02-25}}</ref>
The United States has operated under an uncodified informal [[two-party system]] for most of its history, although [[List of political parties in the United States|other parties have run candidates]].<ref name="twsNovGe"/> What the two  [[Major party|major parties]] are has changed over time: the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] presently are the two major parties, and the country is currently in either the [[Fifth Party System|Fifth]] or [[Sixth Party System]].<ref name="auto3"/> Both parties have no formal central organization at the national level that controls membership, elected officials or political policies; thus, each party has traditionally had factions and individuals who deviated from party positions.<ref name="auto2"/>

Since the 2000s, the country has [[Political polarization in the United States|suffered from significant political polarization]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=McCoy |first1=Jennifer |last2=Press |first2=Benjamin |date=January 18, 2022 |title=What Happens When Democracies Become Perniciously Polarized? |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/01/18/what-happens-when-democracies-become-perniciously-polarized-pub-86190 |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]}}</ref>  Presently (mid-2023), 39 of 50 state governments (not counting their courts) are entirely controlled by one political party or the other.<ref name="composition_2023_05_23_ncsl_org">[https://www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/state-partisan-composition "State Partisan Composition,"] May 23, 2023, [[National Conference of State Legislatures]], retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="statehouse_2023_01_18_nytimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/us/democrats-michigan-minnesota-maryland.html "Statehouse Democrats Embrace an Unfamiliar Reality: Full Power,"] January 18, 2023, ''[[New York Times]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="trifectas_2022_11_11_ap_foxnews">[[Associated Press]]: [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/midterm-election-trifectas-democrats-won-full-government-control-these-states "Midterm election trifectas: Democrats won full government control in these states,"] November 10, 2022, ''[[Fox News]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="states_2023_07_01_gazette">[[Thomas Cronin|Cronin, Tom]] and Bob Loevy: [https://gazette.com/news/american-federalism-states-veer-far-left-or-far-right-cronin-and-loevy/article_47b241d8-1604-11ee-a860-3383285a990d.html "American federalism: States veer far left or far right,"], July 1, 2023, updated July 2, 2023, ''[[Colorado Springs Gazette]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref><ref name="trifectas_2023_01_18_nytimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/us/politics/state-legislatures-democrats-trifectas.html "In the States, Democrats All but Ran the Table,"] November 11, 2022, ''[[New York Times]],'' retrieved July 4, 2023</ref>

===Political subdivisions===
{{Main|Political divisions of the United States|State government in the United States|Local government in the United States|U.S. state}}
{{Further|List of states and territories of the United States|Indian reservation|Territories of the United States}}
{{see also|Territorial evolution of the United States}}

Each of the 50 states has territory where it shares [[sovereignty]] with the federal government. States are subdivided into [[List of United States counties and county equivalents|counties or county equivalents]], and further divided into [[Municipality|municipalities]]. The District of Columbia is a [[federal district]] that contains the capital of the United States, the [[Washington, D.C.|city of Washington]].<ref>{{usc|8|1101}}(a)(36) and {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> Each state is entitled to [[presidential electors]] whose number equals the number of their representatives and senators in Congress, and the District of Columbia has three electors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Electoral College Fast Facts {{!}} U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Electoral-College/Electoral-College/|website=history.house.gov|access-date=August 21, 2015}}</ref> Territories of the United States do not have presidential electors, therefore people there cannot vote for the president.<ref name="Territories1">{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3736845/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-voting-rights/|title=Watch John Oliver Cast His Ballot for Voting Rights for U.S. Territories|last=Locker|first=Melissa|date=March 9, 2015|magazine=Time|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref>

[[Citizenship of the United States|United States citizenship]] is granted to those born in the 50 states, [[Washington, D.C.]], or any of the [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] except [[American Samoa]].{{efn|People born in American Samoa are non-citizen U.S. nationals unless one of their parents is a U.S. citizen.<ref name="AS_citizenship"/> In 2019, a court ruled that American Samoans are U.S. citizens, but the litigation is ongoing.<ref>{{cite news|last=Alvarez|first=Priscilla|title=Federal judge rules American Samoans are US citizens by birth|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/12/politics/american-samoa-citizenship/index.html|date=December 12, 2019|website=CNN|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Romboy|first=Dennis|title=Judge puts citizenship ruling for American Samoans on hold|url=https://www.ksl.com/article/46690822|date=December 13, 2019|website=KSL.com|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Keating |first=Joshua |date=June 5, 2015 |title=How Come American Samoans Still Don't Have U.S. Citizenship at Birth? |url=https://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/05/american_samoa_the_only_place_in_the_u_s_where_citizenship_isn_t_granted.html |journal=Slate}}</ref><ref name="AS_citizenship">{{cite web |title=American Samoa and the Citizenship Clause: A Study in Insular Cases Revisionism |url=https://harvardlawreview.org/2017/04/american-samoa-and-the-citizenship-clause/ |access-date=January 5, 2018 |website=harvardlawreview.org|date=April 10, 2017 }}</ref> Foreign-born persons who are not yet US citizens may acquire citizenship through the process of [[naturalization]], according to the requirements of the federal [[Immigration and Nationality Act]] (INA).<ref name="Legal-Almanac">Margaret C. Jasper, ''Legal Almanac: The Law of Immigration'' § 9:3</ref> Naturalized citizens have the same rights as those who became citizens at birth.<ref name="Legal-Almanac" />

The United States observes limited [[Tribal sovereignty in the United States|tribal sovereignty]] for American Indian nations. 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, tribes have some restrictions on their autonomy. They are prohibited from making war, engaging in foreign relations, and printing or issuing their own currency.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=https://www.bia.gov/FAQs/|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs|access-date=January 16, 2016}}</ref> [[Indian reservation]]s are usually contained within one particular state, but there are 12 reservations that cross state boundaries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/tribal/tribes-organizations-health/tribes/geography.html|title=Tribal Geography in Relation to State Boundaries|website=Cdc.gov|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref>
{{USA image map}}

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the United States|Foreign policy of the United States}}
[[File:67º_Período_de_Sesiones_de_la_Asamblea_General_de_Naciones_Unidas_(8020913157).jpg|thumb|The [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]] has been situated along the [[East River]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] since 1952; in 1945, the United States was a founding member of the UN.|alt=see caption]]

The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it had the world's second-largest diplomatic corps in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/country_rank.html |title=Global Diplomacy Index&nbsp;– Country Rank|publisher=[[Lowy Institute]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> It is a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member]] of the [[United Nations Security Council]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/current-members|title=Current Members|work=[[United Nations Security Council]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> and home to the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=United Nations Headquarters Agreement|journal=The American Journal of International Law |volume=42|number=2|date=April 1948|pages=445–447|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|doi=10.2307/2193692|jstor=2193692|s2cid=246008694 }}</ref> The United States is also a member of the [[G7]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/where-g7-headed|title=Where is the G7 Headed?|work=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|location=New York City|date=June 28, 2022}}</ref> [[G-20 major economies|G20]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-and-g20-building-a-more-peaceful-stable-and-prosperous-world-together/|title=The United States and G20: Building a More Peaceful, Stable, and Prosperous World Together|date=July 6, 2022|work=[[United States Department of State]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> and [[OECD]] intergovernmental organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/about/members-and-partners/|title=Our global reach|work=[[OECD]]|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Almost all countries have [[List of diplomatic missions in the United States|embassies]] and many have [[consul (representative)|consulates]] (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host formal [[diplomatic mission]]s with United States, except [[Iran–United States relations|Iran]],<ref>{{cite report |last1=Fialho |first1=Livia Pontes |last2=Wallin |first2=Matthew |title=Reaching for an Audience: U.S. Public Diplomacy Towards Iran |date=August 1, 2013 |publisher=American Security Project |jstor=resrep06070}}</ref> [[North Korea–United States relations|North Korea]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42351336|title=Which are the countries still talking to North Korea?|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|location=London|date=December 19, 2017|access-date=July 15, 2022|last1=Oliver|first1=Alex|last2=Graham|first2=Euan|quote=The United States has never established diplomatic relations with North Korea.}}</ref> and [[Foreign relations of Bhutan#Other countries|Bhutan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2014/12/the-case-for-a-stronger-bhutanese-american-relationship/|title=The Case for Stronger Bhutanese-American Ties|newspaper=[[The Diplomat]]|date=December 22, 2014|last=Ferraro|first=Matthew F.|quote=While Bhutan joined the United Nations in 1971, it does not have diplomatic relations with any of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States and China.|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Though [[Taiwan–United States relations|Taiwan]] does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close, if unofficial, relations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2022 |title=US will continue to strengthen 'unofficial ties' with Taiwan, says Harris |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194126/us-will-continue-strengthen-unofficial-ties-taiwan-vice |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref> The United States also regularly supplies Taiwan with [[Six Assurances|military equipment]] to deter potential Chinese aggression.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/22/915818283/formal-ties-with-u-s-not-for-now-says-taiwan-foreign-minister|title=Formal Ties With U.S.? Not For Now, Says Taiwan Foreign Minister|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=September 22, 2020|last=Ruwitch|first=John|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref>

The United States has a "[[Special Relationship]]" with the [[United Kingdom–United States relations|United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLy-NKnQitIC&q=uk+us+special+relationship&pg=PA45|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=978-0-203-87270-3|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</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|author1=Ek, Carl|first2=Ian F.|last2=Fergusson|name-list-style=amp|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=September 3, 2010|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> [[Australia–United States relations|Australia]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Australia: Background and U.S. Relations|author=Vaughn, Bruce|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=August 8, 2008|oclc = 70208969}}</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|access-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref> 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|access-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref> [[Japan–United States relations|Japan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33436.pdf|title=Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress|author=Chanlett-Avery, Emma|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=June 8, 2011|access-date=August 28, 2011|display-authors=etal}}</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|first1=Mark E.|last1=Manyin|first2=Emma|last2=Chanlett-Avery|first3=Mary Beth|last3=Nikitin|publisher=Congressional Research Service|date=July 8, 2011|access-date=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|access-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> and several [[European Union]] countries ([[France–United States relations|France]], [[Italy–United States relations|Italy]], [[Germany–United States relations|Germany]], [[Spain–United States relations|Spain]], and [[Poland–United States relations|Poland]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-poland/|title=U.S. Relations With Poland|website=State.gov|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> The U.S. works closely with its [[NATO]] allies on military and [[national security]] issues, and with nations in the Americas through the [[Organization of American States]] and the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement|United States–Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement]]. In [[South America]], [[Colombia]] is traditionally considered to be the closest ally of the United States.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Untapped Potential of the US-Colombia Partnership|url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/untapped-potential-us-colombia-partnership/|date=September 26, 2019|website=Atlantic Council|language=en|access-date=May 30, 2020|last1=Kimer |first1=James }}</ref> The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for [[Federated States of Micronesia|Micronesia]], the [[Marshall Islands]], and [[Palau]] through the [[Compact of Free Association]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Charles L. |last=Zelden |url=https://archive.org/details/judicialbranchof0000zeld |title=The Judicial Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-85109-702-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/judicialbranchof0000zeld/page/217 217] |access-date=October 25, 2015 |url-access=registration}}<br />{{cite book |first1=Loren |last1=Yager |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TfoBd7_KsZMC&pg=PA7 |title=Foreign Relations: Migration from Micronesian Nations Has Had Significant Impact on Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands |first2=Emil |last2=Friberg |first3=Leslie |last3=Holen |date=2003 |publisher=Diane Publishing |isbn=978-0-7567-3394-0 |page=7}}</ref> It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation [[India–United States relations|with India]],<ref>{{cite web |title=INDO- PACIFIC STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf |publisher=White House |access-date=3 February 2022}}</ref> and its [[China–United States relations|ties with China]] have steadily deteriorated.<ref>{{cite report |last=Meidan |first=Michal |title=US-China: The Great Decoupling |date=July 1, 2019 |publisher=[[Oxford Institute for Energy Studies]] |jstor=resrep33982}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bala |first=Sumathi |title=U.S.-China relations are going downhill with 'no trust' on either side, Stephen Roach says |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/28/us-china-ties-on-dangerous-path-with-no-trust-on-both-sides-roach-cohen.html |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=CNBC |date=March 28, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. has become a key ally of [[Ukraine]] since Russia [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexed Crimea in 2014]] and began an [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine in 2022]], significantly deteriorating relations with Russia in the process.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rumer|first1=Eugene|last2=Sokolsky|first2=Richard|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/06/20/thirty-years-of-u.s.-policy-toward-russia-can-vicious-circle-be-broken-pub-79323|title=Thirty Years of U.S. Policy Toward Russia: Can the Vicious Circle Be Broken?|newspaper=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 20, 2019|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Macias |first=Amanda |title=Here's a look at the $5.6 billion in firepower the U.S. has committed to Ukraine in its fight against Russia |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/17/russia-ukraine-war-summary-of-weapons-us-has-given-to-ukraine.html |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=CNBC |date=June 17, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|United States Armed Forces|Military history of the United States}}
[[File:B-2 Spirit.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]'s [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|B-2 Spirit]], a [[Stealth technology|stealth]] [[Heavy bomber|heavy]] [[strategic bomber]]]]
[[File:Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA (38285035892).jpg|thumb|[[The Pentagon]], based in [[Arlington County, Virginia]] near Washington, D.C., is home to the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]]. With roughly {{convert|6.5|e6ft2|acre ha}} of [[floor space]], the Pentagon is far and away the [[List of largest office buildings|world's largest building]].]]

The President is the [[Commander-in-Chief of the United States|commander-in-chief]] of the United States 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|Department of Defense]], which is headquartered at [[the Pentagon]] near Washington, D.C., administers five of the six service branches, which are made up of the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]]. The [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] is administered by the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] in peacetime and can be transferred to the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]] in wartime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/happy-231st-birthday-united-states-coast-guard|title=Happy 231st Birthday to the United States Coast Guard!|last=Lindsay|first=James M.|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|location=New York City|date=August 4, 2021|access-date=July 16, 2022|quote=During peacetime it is part of the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, or when the president or Congress so direct, it becomes part of the Department of Defense and is included in the Department of the Navy.}}</ref> The United States spent $877 billion on its military in 2022, 39% of global military spending, accounting for 3.5% of the country's GDP.'''''<ref name="SIPRI-20202">{{cite web |date=April 2023 |title=Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2022 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/2304_fs_milex_2022.pdf |access-date=29 April 2023 |publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref>'''''<ref>{{cite web| url=https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/Data%20for%20all%20countries%20from%201988%E2%80%932020%20in%20constant%20%282019%29%20USD%20%28pdf%29.pdf| title=Data for all countries from 1988–2020 in constant (2019) USD (pdf)| publisher=SIPRI| access-date=28 April 2021| archive-date=28 April 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428180002/https://sipri.org/sites/default/files/Data%20for%20all%20countries%20from%201988%E2%80%932020%20in%20constant%20(2019)%20USD%20(pdf).pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> The U.S. has [[Nuclear weapons of the United States|more than 40% of the world's nuclear weapons]], the second-largest amount after Russia.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reichmann|first=Kelsey|date=June 16, 2019|title=Here's how many nuclear warheads exist, and which countries own them|url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/2019/06/16/heres-how-many-nuclear-warheads-exist-and-which-countries-own-them/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://conifer.rhizome.org/mossypiglet/wikipedia-citations/20200923183006/https://www.defensenews.com/global/2019/06/16/heres-how-many-nuclear-warheads-exist-and-which-countries-own-them/|archive-date=September 23, 2020|access-date=September 23, 2020|website=defensenews.com|publisher=Sightline Media Group}}</ref>

In 2019, all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces reported 1.4&nbsp;million personnel on active duty.<ref name="IISS">{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=The Military Balance 2019|url=https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance/the-military-balance-2019|location=London|publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies|page=47|date=2019|isbn=978-1-85743-988-5|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922054426/https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance/the-military-balance-2019|access-date=September 23, 2020}}</ref> 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&nbsp;million.<ref name="IISS" /> The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including [[Military-industrial complex|contractors]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/politics/james-mattis-resignation-letter-doc/index.html| title=Read: James Mattis' resignation letter| date=December 21, 2018| work=[[CNN]]| access-date=January 8, 2020| url-status=dead| archive-date=December 4, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204140006/https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/politics/james-mattis-resignation-letter-doc/index.html}}</ref> Military service in the United States is voluntary, although [[Conscription in the United States|conscription]] may occur in wartime through the [[Selective Service System]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sss.gov/what.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915102215/https://www.sss.gov/what.htm|title=What does Selective Service provide for America?|publisher=Selective Service System|access-date=February 11, 2012|archive-date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces in the world, behind the [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese People's Liberation Army]] and [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref>[[#IISS2020|IISS 2020]], pp. 46</ref>

Today, American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of [[transport aircraft]], the Navy's 11 active [[aircraft carrier]]s, and [[Marine expeditionary unit]]s at sea with the Navy, and Army's [[XVIII Airborne Corps]] and [[75th Ranger Regiment]] deployed by Air Force transport aircraft. The Air Force can strike targets across the globe through its fleet of [[strategic bomber]]s, maintains the [[air defense]] across the United States, and provides [[close air support]] to Army and Marine Corps ground forces.<ref>{{cite web|title=Noble Eagle Without End|url=https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0205eagle/|access-date=February 1, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Ups and Downs of Close Air Support|url=https://www.airforcemag.com/article/the-ups-and-downs-of-close-air-support/|access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref>

The Space Force operates the [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS, also widespread in civilian use worldwide), the [[Eastern Range|Eastern]] and [[Western Range (USSF)|Western Range]]s for all space launches, and the United States's [[United States Space Surveillance Network|Space Surveillance]] and [[United States national missile defense|Missile Warning]] networks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airforcemag.com/article/building-the-space-range-of-the-future/|title=Building the Space Range of the Future|access-date=May 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.schriever.spaceforce.mil/GPS/#:~:text=The+GPS-dedicated+ground+system+consists+of+six+U.S.,passively+track+the+navigation+signals+on+all+satellites|title=Global Positioning System|website=Schriever.spaceforce.mil}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Space surveillance technologies a top need for U.S. military|date=November 22, 2020|url=https://spacenews.com/space-surveillance-technologies-a-top-need-for-u-s-military/|access-date=November 22, 2020}}</ref> The military operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2015/5/18/8600659/military-bases-united-states|title=Why does the US have 800 military bases around the world?|last=Harris|first=Johnny|date=May 18, 2015|website=Vox|access-date=September 23, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924114313/https://www.vox.com/2015/5/18/8600659/military-bases-united-states}}</ref> and maintains [[United States military deployments|deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel]] in 25 foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/history/hst1003.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724211511/https://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|access-date=October 7, 2010|archive-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref>

===Law enforcement and crime===
{{Main|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
[[File:US incarceration timeline-clean.svg|thumb|Total incarceration in the United States by year from 1920 to 2014|alt=Chart depicting a steep increase in the number of incarcerated Americans from the 1980s to the 2000s]]
There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to federal level in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Banks |first1=Duren |last2=Hendrix |first2=Joshua |last3=Hickman |first3=Mathhew |date=October 4, 2016 |title=National Sources of Law Enforcement Employment Data |url=https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/nsleed.pdf |journal=[[U.S. Department of Justice]] |pages=1}}</ref> Law in the United States is mainly [[Law enforcement in the United States|enforced]] by local police departments and [[sheriff]]'s offices. The [[state police]] provides broader services, and [[Federal law enforcement in the United States|federal agencies]] such as the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals Service]] have specialized duties, such as 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=https://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|access-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210040432/https://www.chiff.com/police/federal-police-agencies.htm|archive-date=February 10, 2014|url-status= }}</ref> [[State court (United States)|State court]]s conduct most civil and criminal trials,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Manweller|first1=Mathew|editor1-last=Hogan|editor1-first=Sean O.|title=The Judicial Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics|date=2006|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|isbn=978-1-851-09751-7|pages=37–96|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ong5k8n97P4C&pg=PA55|access-date=October 5, 2020|chapter=Chapter 2, The Roles, Functions, and Powers of State Courts}}</ref> and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals from the state criminal courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/federal-courts|title=Introduction To The Federal Court System|work=[[United States Attorney]]|date=November 7, 2014 |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]]|access-date=July 14, 2022|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

{{as of|2020}}, the United States has an [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate|intentional homicide rate]] of 7 per 100,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=US|title=Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) - United States|work=[[World Bank]]|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Grinshteyn|first1=Erin|last2=Hemenway|first2=David|date=March 2016|title=Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-income OECD Countries, 2010|url=https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)01030-X/fulltext|journal=[[The American Journal of Medicine]]|volume=129|issue=3|pages=226–273|doi=10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.10.025|pmid=26551975|access-date=June 18, 2017|doi-access=free}}</ref>

As of January 2023, the United States has the [[List of countries by incarceration rate|sixth highest per-capita incarceration rate]] in the world, at 531 people per 100,000; and the largest [[Incarceration in the United States|prison and jail population]] in the world at 1,767,200.<ref>[http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/united-states-america United States of America]. [[World Prison Brief]].</ref><ref name="WorldPrisonBrief">[http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest Highest to Lowest]. [[World Prison Brief]] (WPB). Use the dropdown menu to choose lists of countries by region or the whole world. Use the menu to select highest-to-lowest lists of prison population totals, prison population rates, percentage of pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners, percentage of female prisoners, percentage of foreign prisoners, and occupancy rate. Column headings in WPB tables can be clicked to reorder columns lowest to highest, or alphabetically. For detailed information for each country click on any country name in lists. See also the [http://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief-data WPB main data page] and click on the map links and/or the sidebar links to get to the region and country desired.</ref> In 2019, the total prison population for those sentenced to more than a year was 1,430,800, corresponding to a ratio of 419 per 100,000 residents and the lowest since 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/p19_pr.pdf|title=US Department of Justice, Oct. 22, 2020|website=Bjs.gov|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> Some [[think tank]]s place that number higher, such as [[Prison Policy Initiative]]'s estimate of 1.9 million.<ref name="WholePie2023">{{cite report|url=https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023.html|title=Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023|last1=Sawyer|first1=Wendy|last2=Wagner|first2=Peter|date=March 14, 2023|publisher=Prison Policy Initiative|issue=|doi=|volume=|pmid=|access-date=May 13, 2023}}</ref> Various states have attempted to [[Decarceration in the United States|reduce their prison populations]] via government policies and grassroots initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/decarceration-strategies-5-states-achieved-substantial-prison-population-reductions/|title=Decarceration Strategies: How 5 States Achieved Substantial Prison Population Reductions|date=September 5, 2018|access-date=July 16, 2022|last1=Schrantz|first1=Dennis|last2=DeBor|first2=Stephen|last3=Mauer|first3=Marc|publisher=[[The Sentencing Project]]|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}
{{Further|Economic history of the United States|Taxation in the United States|United States federal budget|Federal Reserve|Income in the United States|Poverty in the United States|Affluence in the United States|Income inequality in the United States}}
[[File:US one dollar bill, obverse, series 2009.jpg|thumb|alt=see caption|The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]], which features [[George Washington]] on its front, is the currency most used in [[international trade|international transactions]] and is the world's foremost [[reserve currency]].<ref name="federalreserve.gov"/>]]
[[File:Gaming-Wall-Street_BTS_Prodigium-266.jpg|thumb|The [[New York Stock Exchange]] on [[Wall Street]], the world's largest stock exchange based on the [[market capitalization]] of its listed companies<ref name=NYSEhighestcap>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/nyse-new-york-stock-exchange/|title=NYSE: What Is The New York Stock Exchange|author= Kat Tretina and Benjamin Curry|work=Forbes|date=April 9, 2021|access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref>]]
[[File:Midtown_Manhattan_from_Weehawken_September_2021_001.jpg|thumb|[[Midtown Manhattan]], the world's largest [[central business district]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/new-york-widens-lead-over-london-top-finance-centres-index-2022-03-24/ |title=New York widens lead over London in top finance centres index |website=Reuters.com |date= March 24, 2022|access-date=June 25, 2022|last1= Jones|first1= Huw}}</ref>]]

According to the [[International Monetary Fund]], the U.S. [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) is $25.5&nbsp;trillion, the largest of any nation in the world, constituting over 25% of the [[gross world product]] at market exchange rates and over 15% of the gross world product at [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP).<ref name="IMF-2023">{{cite web |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/April/weo-report?c=111,&s=NGDP_R,NGDP_RPCH,NGDP,NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDP_D,NGDPRPC,NGDPRPPPPC,NGDPPC,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,NGAP_NPGDP,PPPSH,PPPEX,NID_NGDP,NGSD_NGDP,PCPI,PCPIPCH,PCPIE,PCPIEPCH,FLIBOR6,TM_RPCH,TMG_RPCH,TX_RPCH,TXG_RPCH,LUR,LE,LP,GGR,GGR_NGDP,GGX,GGX_NGDP,GGXCNL,GGXCNL_NGDP,GGSB,GGSB_NPGDP,GGXONLB,GGXONLB_NGDP,GGXWDN,GGXWDN_NGDP,GGXWDG,GGXWDG_NGDP,NGDP_FY,BCA,BCA_NGDPD,&sy=2021&ey=2023&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |website=Imf.org}}</ref><ref name="IMF.WEO.US" /> 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 |first=Kip |last2=Ohanian |first2=Lee |date=August 1, 2012 |title=The Mismeasure of Inequality |url=https://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |url-status=dead |journal=Policy Review |volume= |issue=174 |pages= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012353/https://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=January 23, 2020 |via=}}</ref> The country ranks first in the world by [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|nominal GDP]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/news/2023/gross-domestic-product-fourth-quarter-and-year-2022-third-estimate-gdp-industry-and|title=Gross Domestic Product, Fourth Quarter and Year 2022 (Third Estimate), GDP by Industry, and Corporate Profits|publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce|U.S. Department of Commerce]]}}</ref> second by [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|GDP (PPP)]],<ref name="IMF.WEO.US"/> seventh by [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]],<ref name="IMF-2023"/> and eighth by [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP (PPP) per capita]].<ref name="IMF.WEO.US"/> As of 2022, the United States was ranked 25th out of 169 countries on the [[Social Progress Index]], which measures "the extent to which countries provide for the social and environmental needs of their citizens."<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore the 2022 Social Progress Index Map: United States |url=https://www.socialprogress.org/?tab=2&code=USA |website=Social Progress Imperative |access-date=April 18, 2023}}</ref> The U.S. has been the world's largest economy since at least 1900.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fordham |first=Benjamin |date=October 2017 |title=Protectionist Empire: Trade, Tariffs, and United States Foreign Policy, 1890–1914 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0898588x17000116 |journal=Studies in American Political Development |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=170–192 |doi=10.1017/s0898588x17000116 |s2cid=148917255 |issn=0898-588X}}</ref>

The United States is at or near the forefront of [[Science and technology in the United States|technological advancement]] and [[innovation]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2022, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2022/index.html |access-date=2023-02-25 |website=Wipo.int |series=Global Innovation Index |year=2022 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en}}</ref> in many economic fields, especially in [[artificial intelligence]]; [[computers]]; [[pharmaceuticals]]; and [[medical]], [[aerospace]] and [[military equipment]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/ |title=United States reference resource |work=[[The World Factbook]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=May 31, 2019}}</ref> The nation's economy is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.<ref name="Wright, Gavin 2007 p. 185">Wright, Gavin, and Jesse Czelusta, "Resource-Based Growth Past and Present", in ''Natural Resources: Neither Curse Nor Destiny'', ed. Daniel Lederman and William Maloney (World Bank, 2007), p. 185. {{ISBN|0821365452}}.</ref> It has the second-highest total-estimated value of natural resources, valued at [[United States dollar|US$]]44.98{{spaces}}trillion in 2019, although sources differ on their estimates. Americans have the highest average [[Household income|household]] and [[List of countries by average wage|employee]] income among [[OECD]] member states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/|title=Income|work=Better Life Index|publisher=OECD|access-date=September 28, 2019|quote=In the United States, the average household net adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 45 284 a year, much higher than the OECD average of USD 33 604 and the highest figure in the OECD.}}</ref> In 2013, they had the sixth-highest [[median household income]], down from fourth-highest in 2010.<ref name="Household Income">{{cite journal|title=Household Income|url=http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-at-a-glance-2014_soc_glance-2014-en|journal=Society at a Glance 2014: OECD Social Indicators|publisher=OECD Publishing|access-date=May 29, 2014|doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2014-en |date=March 18, 2014|series=Society at a Glance|isbn=9789264200722|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web |title=OECD Better Life Index |url= http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/11111111111 |publisher=OECD |access-date=November 25, 2012}}</ref>

The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the currency most used in [[international trade|international transactions]] and is the world's foremost [[reserve currency]], backed by the country's dominant economy, [[United States Armed Forces|its military]], the [[petrodollar|petrodollar system]], and its linked [[eurodollar]] and large [[U.S. Treasury|U.S. treasuries market]].<ref name="federalreserve.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_4.pdf |title=The Implementation of Monetary Policy – The Federal Reserve in the International Sphere|access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref> Several countries [[International use of the US dollar|use it as their official currency]] and in others it is the [[de facto currency|''de facto'' currency]].<ref name="Benjamin J. Cohen 2006, p. 17">Benjamin J. Cohen, ''The Future of Money'', Princeton University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0691116660}}; ''cf.'' "the dollar is the de facto currency in Cambodia", Charles Agar, ''[[Frommer's]] Vietnam'', 2006, {{ISBN|0471798169}}, p. 17</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.multpl.com/us-gdp-growth-rate/table/by-year|title = US GDP Growth Rate by Year |date=March 31, 2014 |access-date=June 18, 2014 |website = multpl.com|publisher = US Bureau of Economic Analysis}}</ref> [[New York City]] is the world's principal [[financial center]], with the [[List of cities by GDP|largest]] economic output, and the epicenter of the principal American metropolitan economy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/new-york-widens-lead-over-london-top-finance-centres-index-2022-03-24/|title=New York widens lead over London in top finance centres index |website=Reuters.com |date=March 24, 2022 |access-date=July 29, 2022|last1=Jones |first1=Huw }}{{SemiBareRefNeedsTitle|date=July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longfinance.net/programmes/financial-centre-futures/global-financial-centres-index/gfci-32-explore-the-data/gfci-32-rank/|title=The Global Financial Centres Index 32|date=September 22, 2022|publisher=Long Finance|access-date=September 22, 2022}}</ref><ref name=NYCEpicenterUSMetroEconomy>{{cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/united-states-america-economic-output-new-york-la/|title=This 3D map shows the U.S. cities with the highest economic output|author=Iman Ghosh|publisher=World Economic Forum|date=September 24, 2020|access-date=March 5, 2023|quote=The New York metro area dwarfs all other cities for economic output by a large margin.}}</ref> The [[New York Stock Exchange]] and [[Nasdaq]] are the world's [[List of stock exchanges|largest stock exchanges]] by [[market capitalization]] and [[trade volume]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.world-exchanges.org/our-work/statistics|title=Monthly Reports - World Federation of Exchanges|publisher=WFE}}</ref><ref name="sfc.hk">[http://www.sfc.hk/web/doc/EN/research/stat/a01.pdf Table A – Market Capitalization of the World's Top Stock Exchanges (As at end of June 2012)]. Securities and Exchange Commission (China).</ref>

The [[List of the largest trading partners of the United States|largest U.S. trading partners]] are the [[European Union]], [[Mexico]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Vietnam]], [[India]], and [[Taiwan]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |date=October 2022 |title=Top Trading Partners - October 2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1612yr.html |access-date=12 May 2023 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The United States is the world's [[List of countries by imports|largest]] importer and the [[List of countries by exports|second-largest]] exporter after China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts2019_e.pdf |title=World Trade Statistical Review 2019 |work=[[World Trade Organization]] |page=100 |access-date=May 31, 2019}}</ref> It has [[free trade agreements]] with [[Free trade agreements of the United States|several countries]], including the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement|USMCA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements |title=United States free trade agreements |work=[[Office of the United States Trade Representative]] |access-date=May 31, 2019}}</ref> The U.S. ranked second in the [[Global Competitiveness Report]] in 2019, after [[Singapore]].<ref name="World Economic Forum">{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_Rankings_2013-14.pdf |title=Rankings: Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=June 1, 2014}}</ref> Many of the world's [[List of largest companies by revenue|largest]] companies, such as [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet]] ([[Google]]), [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], [[AT&T]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]], [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[General Motors]], [[McDonald's]], [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Meta Platforms|Meta]], [[Microsoft]], [[PepsiCo|Pepsi]], and [[Walmart]], were founded and are headquartered in the United States.<ref name="Fortune-2022">{{Cite web |title=Global 500 |url=https://fortune.com/global500/2022/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref> Of the world's [[Fortune Global 500|500 largest companies]], 124 are headquartered in the U.S.<ref name="Fortune-2022"/>

While its economy has reached a [[post-industrial society|post-industrial]] level of development, the United States remains an industrial power.<ref name="Econ">{{cite web|title=USA Economy in Brief|url=https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html|publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html|archive-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref> As of 2018, the U.S. is the [[List of countries by manufacturing output|second-largest]] manufacturing nation after China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-25 |title=These are the top 10 manufacturing countries in the world |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/countries-manufacturing-trade-exports-economics/ |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref> Despite the fact that the U.S. only accounted for 4.24% of the [[World population|global population]], residents of the U.S. collectively [[List of countries by total wealth|possessed 31.5%]] of the world's total wealth as of 2021, the largest percentage of any country.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Shorrocks |first1=Anthony |url=https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf |title=Global Wealth Databook 2022 |last2=Davies |first2=James |last3=Lluberas |first3=Rodrigo |publisher=[[Credit Suisse]] Research Institute |year=2022 |author-link=Anthony Shorrocks}}</ref> The U.S. also ranks first in the number of dollar [[List of countries by number of billionaires|billionaires]] and [[List of countries by number of millionaires|millionaires]], with 724 billionaires (as of 2021)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Sarah |title=These 20 countries and territories are home to most of the world's 2,755 billionaires |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/these-20-countries-are-home-to-the-most-billionaires-forbes-2021-10 |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> and nearly 22 million millionaires (2021).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/22/heres-how-22-million-americans-became-millionaires.html|title=Nearly 22 million Americans are millionaires. Here's how they got wealthy|last=Exley|first=Robert Jr.|date=December 22, 2021|access-date=July 16, 2022|work=[[CNBC]]}}</ref>
[[File:US Wealth Inequality - v2.png|thumb|U.S. family [[Affluence in the United States|wealth]] between 1989 and 2013, reflected on a 2016 [[Congressional Budget Office]] chart<ref>{{cite news|title=Trends in Family Wealth, 1989 to 2013|url=https://www.cbo.gov/publication/51846|date=August 18, 2016|work=[[Congressional Budget Office]] }}</ref>]]
However, wealth in the United States is [[Wealth inequality in the United States|highly concentrated]]; the richest 10% of the adult population own 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom 50% own just 2%.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Piketty|first1=Thomas|title=Capital in the Twenty-First Century|title-link=Capital in the Twenty-First Century|date=2014|publisher=Belknap Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780674430006/page/257 257]|author-link1=Thomas Piketty}} {{ISBN|978-0-674-43000-6}}</ref> Income inequality in the U.S. remains at record highs,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/26/income-inequality-america-highest-its-been-since-census-started-tracking-it-data-show/ |title=Income inequality in America is the highest it's been since Census Bureau started tracking it, data shows |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref> with the top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all income<ref>{{Cite news|last=Long|first=Heather|date=September 12, 2017|title=U.S. middle-class incomes reached highest-ever level in 2016, Census Bureau says|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-middle-class-incomes-reached-highest-ever-level-in-2016-census-bureau-says/2017/09/12/7226905e-97de-11e7-b569-3360011663b4_story.html|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref> and giving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among [[OECD]] members.<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|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/81b4d972c7a40d051d9ee3ced2ab2ddfc221fbf9|journal=Social Science Quarterly|volume=86|pages=955–983|doi=10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00331.x|s2cid=154642286}}</ref> There were about 582,500 sheltered and unsheltered [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in 2022, with 60% staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress|last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development|access-date=June 16, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> In 2018 six million children experience food insecurity.<ref name="ers.usda.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx|title=USDA ERS - Key Statistics & Graphics|website=ers.usda.gov|access-date=2019-12-04}}</ref> [[Feeding America]] estimates that around one in seven children or approximately 11 million, [[Hunger in the United States#Children|children experience hunger]] and do not know where they will get their next meal or when.<ref name="FactsAbout">{{Cite web|title=Facts About Child Hunger in America {{!}} Feeding America|url=https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/child-hunger-facts|access-date=2019-12-04|website=feedingamerica.org}}</ref> {{as of|2018|June|post=,}} 40&nbsp;million people, roughly 12.7% of the U.S. population, were living in poverty, including 13.3&nbsp;million children.<ref name="OHCHR">{{cite news|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2018/06/contempt-poor-us-drives-cruel-policies-says-un-expert|title="Contempt for the poor in US drives cruel policies," says UN expert|date=June 4, 2018|work=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|OHCHR]]|access-date=June 5, 2018}}</ref>

The United States has a smaller [[welfare state]] and redistributes less income through government action than most other [[World Bank high-income economy|high-income]] countries.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Isabelle|last1=Joumard|first2=Mauro|last2=Pisu|first3=Debbie|last3=Bloch|title=Tackling income inequality The role of taxes and transfers|url=https://www.oecd.org/eco/public-finance/TacklingincomeinequalityTheroleoftaxesandtransfers.pdf|publisher=OECD|access-date=May 21, 2015|date=2012}}</ref> It is the only [[advanced economy]] that does not [[List of statutory minimum employment leave by country|guarantee its workers paid vacation]] nationally<ref>{{cite news |last=Min |first=Sarah |date=May 24, 2019 |title=1 in 4 workers in U.S. don't get any paid vacation time or holidays|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/one-in-four-workers-in-us-dont-get-any-paid-vacation-time-or-holidays/|work=CBS News |location= |access-date=July 15, 2022|quote=The United States is the only advanced economy that does not federally mandate any paid vacation days or holidays. }}</ref> and is one of a few countries in the world without federal [[paid family leave]] as a legal right.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernard |first=Tara Siegel |date=February 22, 2013 |title=In Paid Family Leave, U.S. Trails Most of the Globe |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/your-money/us-trails-much-of-the-world-in-providing-paid-family-leave.html |access-date=August 27, 2013}}</ref> The United States also has a higher percentage of low-income workers than almost any other developed nation, largely because of a weak [[collective bargaining]] system and lack of government support for at-risk workers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Van Dam|first=Andrew|date=July 4, 2018|title=Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/07/04/is-it-great-to-be-a-worker-in-the-u-s-not-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-developed-world/?noredirect=on|access-date=July 12, 2018}}</ref>

===Science, technology, and energy===
{{Main|Science and technology in the United States|Science policy of the United States|Energy in the United States}}
[[File:Buzz_salutes_the_U.S._Flag-crop.jpg|thumb|U.S. astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]] saluting the [[United States flag|flag]] on the [[lunar surface|Moon]] during the 1969 [[Apollo 11]] mission. The United States is the only country that has sent [[Moon landing|crewed missions to the lunar surface]].]]

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]] and the establishment of a [[machine tool]] industry enabled the [[American system of manufacturing|U.S. to have large-scale manufacturing]] of sewing machines, bicycles, and other items in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, factory [[electrification]], the introduction of the [[assembly line]], and other labor-saving techniques created the system of [[mass production]].<ref>{{Hounshell1984}}</ref> In the 21st century, approximately two-thirds of research and development funding comes from the private sector.<ref>{{cite web|title=Research and Development (R&D) Expenditures by Source and Objective: 1970 to 2004|url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0775.xls|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120210170338/https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008/tables/08s0775.xls|archive-date=February 10, 2012|access-date=June 19, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, the United States was the country with the [[List of countries by number of scientific and technical journal articles|second-highest]] number of published scientific papers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SJR - International Science Ranking|url=https://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php?order=itp&ord=desc&year=2020|access-date=2022-02-05|website=Scimagojr.com|language=en-uk}}</ref> As of 2021, the U.S. ranked second by the number of [[World Intellectual Property Indicators|patent applications]], and third by trademark and industrial design applications.<ref>{{cite book |title=World Intellectual Property Indicators 2021 |url=https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4571&plang=EN |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Wipo.int | doi=10.34667/tind.44461 |language=en | author1=World Intellectual Property Organization. | series=World IP Indicators (WIPI) | year=2021 | publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | isbn=9789280533293 }}</ref> In 2021, the United States launched a total of 51 [[spaceflights]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hines |first1=R. Lincoln |last2=Ben-Itzhak |first2=Svetla |title=NASA's head warned that China may try to claim the Moon – two space scholars explain why that's unlikely to happen |url=http://theconversation.com/nasas-head-warned-that-china-may-try-to-claim-the-moon-two-space-scholars-explain-why-thats-unlikely-to-happen-186614 |access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=The Conversation |date=July 8, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. had 2,944 active [[satellites]] in space in December 2021, the highest number of any country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Satellite Database|url=https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/satellite-database|access-date=July 14, 2022|website=[[Union of Concerned Scientists]]}}</ref> In 2022, the United States ranked 2nd in the [[Global Innovation Index]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2022, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2022/index.html |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=Wipo.int |series=Global Innovation Index |year=2022 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=9789280534320 |language=en}}</ref>

{{as of|2021}}, the United States receives approximately 79.1% of its energy from fossil fuels.<ref name="visu">{{cite web |date= |title=Energy Flow Charts: Charting the Complex Relationships among Energy, Water, and Carbon |url=https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/ |access-date=16 May 2023 |publisher=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory}}</ref> In 2021, the largest source of the country's energy came from [[petroleum]] (36.1%), followed by [[natural gas]] (32.2%), [[coal]] (10.8%), renewable sources (12.5%), and [[nuclear power]] (8.4%).<ref name="visu" /><!--Numbers do not add up to 100 due to rounding errors. --> The United States constitutes less than 5% of the [[world population|world's population]], but consumes 17% of the [[Energy use in the United States|world's energy]].<ref>{{cite news |date=November 5, 2021 |title=What is the United States' share of world energy consumption? |work=[[Energy Information Administration|U.S. Energy Information Administration]] |url=https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=87&t=1}}</ref> It accounts for about 25% of the world's [[Oil consumption|petroleum consumption]], while producing only 6% of the world's annual petroleum supply.<ref name="EIA">{{cite web |title=EIA – Petroleum Basic Data |url=https://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html |access-date=March 30, 2012 |publisher=Eia.doe.gov}}</ref> The U.S. ranks as second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases, exceeded only by China.<ref>{{cite web |last=US EPA |first=OAR |date=February 8, 2017 |title=Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks |url=https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks |access-date=December 3, 2020 |website=US EPA |language=en}}</ref>

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}
[[File:Atlanta_Hartsfield-Jackson.jpg|thumb|[[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], serving the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], is the world's busiest airport by [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|passenger traffic]] with over 93 million passengers annually in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-busiest-airports-2021/index.html|title=This US airport has reclaimed its title as the world's busiest|website=CNN.com|first=Marnie|last=Hunter|date=April 11, 2022}}</ref>]]

The United States's [[Rail transport in the United States|rail network]], nearly all [[Standard-gauge railway|standard gauge]], is the [[List of countries by rail transport network size|longest in the world]], and exceeds {{convert|293564|km|mi|-2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/railways/country-comparison|title=Railways – The World Factbook|work=[[The World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> It handles mostly [[Freight transport|freight]], with intercity passenger service primarily provided by [[Amtrak]], a government-managed company that took over services previously run by private companies, to all but four states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transtats.bts.gov/osea/seasonaladjustment/?PageVar=RAIL_PM|title=Seasonally Adjusted Transportation Data|publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics|location=Washington, D.C.|date=2021|access-date=February 16, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Emma G. |date=April 24, 2017 |title=Amtrak at a Junction: Invest in Improvements, or Risk Worsening Problems |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/nyregion/amtrak-infrastructure-crisis.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref>

Personal transportation in the United States is [[Car dependency|dominated by automobiles]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-19 |title=Cars still dominate the American commute |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/commute-america-sustainability-cars/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Humes |first=Edward |date=2016-04-12 |title=The Absurd Primacy of the Automobile in American Life |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/absurd-primacy-of-the-car-in-american-life/476346/ |access-date=2023-07-12 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> which operate on a network of {{convert|4|e6mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of public roads, making it the [[List of countries by road network size|longest network]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roadways - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/roadways/country-comparison |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712201909/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/roadways/country-comparison |archive-date=2021-07-12 |access-date=2021-07-15 |website=Cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Public Road and Street Mileage in the United States by Type of Surface|url=https://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|access-date=January 13, 2015|archive-date=January 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102141414/https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_04.html|url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash]] and the [[Ford Model T]], both American cars, are considered the first mass-produced<ref>{{Cite news |date=1986-01-26 |title=SOME MILESTONES OF THE AUTO AGE |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/26/automobiles/some-milestones-of-the-auto-age.html |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and mass-affordable<ref>{{Cite news |title=1926 Ford Model T Sports Touring Car |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/09/01/1926-ford-model-t-sports-touring-car/810e313f-4370-44b7-bb76-3282f9de945e/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> cars, respectively. As of 2022, the United States is the [[List of countries by motor vehicle production|second-largest]] manufacturer of motor vehicles<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 production statistics |url=https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2022-statistics/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers}}</ref> and is home to [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]], the world's most valuable car company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klebnikov |first=Sergei |title=Tesla Is Now The World's Most Valuable Car Company With A $208 Billion Valuation |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/07/01/tesla-is-now-the-worlds-most-valuable-car-company-with-a-valuation-of-208-billion/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> American automotive company [[General Motors]] held the title of the world's best-selling automaker from 1931 to 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bunkley |first=Nick |date=2009-01-21 |title=Toyota Ahead of G.M. in 2008 Sales |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/business/22auto.html |access-date=2023-04-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Currently, the [[American automotive industry]] is the world's second-largest automobile market by sales,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/jan/08/china-us-car-sales-overtakes|title=China overtakes US in car sales|newspaper=The Guardian|date=January 8, 2010|access-date=July 10, 2011|location=London}}</ref> and the U.S. has the [[List of countries by vehicles per capita|highest]] vehicle ownership per capita in the world, with 816.4 vehicles per 1,000 Americans (2014).<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=January 30, 2017|title=Fact #962: Vehicles per Capita: Other Regions/Countries Compared to the United States|url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-962-january-30-2017-vehicles-capita-other-regionscountries-compared-united-states|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=Energy.gov|language=en}}</ref> In 2017, there were 255 million non-two wheel motor vehicles, or about 910 vehicles per 1,000 people.<ref name="USBTS">{{cite web|url=https://capitol-tires.com/how-many-cars-per-capita-in-the-us.html|title=Vehicle Statistics: Cars Per Capita|date=August 2017 |publisher=Capitol Tires}}</ref>

The [[List of airlines of the United States|American 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|last=Edwards|first=Chris|date=July 12, 2020|title=Privatization|url=https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/privatization|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=Downsizing the Federal Government|publisher=Cato Institute|language=en}}</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=https://www.iata.org/publications/pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx|title=Scheduled Passengers Carried|publisher=International Air Transport Association (IATA)|year=2011|access-date=February 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102034843/https://www.iata.org/publications/pages/wats-passenger-carried.aspx|archive-date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> Of the [[List of the world's busiest airports by passenger traffic|world's 50 busiest passenger airports]], 16 are in the United States, including the top five and the busiest, [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]].<ref name="PANYNJ 2021 report">{{cite web|url=https://www.panynj.gov/content/dam/airports/statistics/statistics-general-info/annual-atr/ATR_2021.pdf|title=2021 Airport Traffic Report|work=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|date=April 2022|page=32}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401052319/https://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-|archive-date=April 1, 2014|date=March 31, 2014|access-date=May 17, 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2020}}, there are 19,919 airports in the United States, of which 5,217 are designated as "public use", including for [[general aviation]] and other activities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of U.S. Airports |url=https://www.bts.gov/content/number-us-airportsa |publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref>

Of the [[List of busiest container ports|fifty busiest container ports]], four are located in the United States, of which the busiest is the [[Port of Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldshipping.org/top-50-ports|title=The Top 50 Container Ports|work=[[World Shipping Council]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> The country's [[Inland waterways of the United States|inland waterways]] are the world's [[List of countries by waterways length|fifth-longest]], and total {{convert|41009|km|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/waterways/country-comparison |title=Waterways – The World Factbook |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Americans|Demographics of the United States|Race and ethnicity in the United States|Religion in the United States|Family structure in the United States}}

===Population===
{{See also|List of U.S. states by population}}
<!--As prose text is preferred, overly detailed statistical charts and diagrams such as economic trends, weather boxes, historical population charts, past elections results, etc. should be reserved for main sub articles on the topic as per WP:DETAIL as outlined at WP:NOTSTATS.-->
{{US Census population
|1790= 3929326
|1800= 5308483
|1810= 7239881
|1820= 9638453
|1830= 12866020
|1840= 17069453
|1850= 23191876
|1860= 31443321
|1870= 38925598
|1880= 50189209
|1890= 62979766
|1900= 76212168
|1910= 92228496
|1920= 106021537
|1930= 122775046
|1940= 132164569
|1950= 150697361
|1960= 179323175
|1970= 203392031
|1980= 226545805
|1990= 248709873
|2000= 281421906
|2010= 308745538
|2020= 331449281
|estimate= 333287557
|estyear= 2022
|estref= <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045222#PST045222|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= March 13, 2023}}</ref>
|footnote= U.S. Decennial Census
}}

The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] reported 331,449,281 residents as of April 1, 2020,{{efn|This figure, like most official data for the United States as a whole, excludes the five unincorporated territories ([[Puerto Rico]], [[Guam]], the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], [[American Samoa]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]]) and minor island possessions.}}<ref name=2020CENSUS>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2020-census-apportionment-results.htmlpid=2020CENSUS&src=pt|title=Census Bureau's 2020 Population Count|work=[[United States Census]]|access-date=April 26, 2021}}</ref> making the United States the [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third most populous]] nation in the world, after China and India.<ref name="CIA-2018">{{cite web|title=The World Factbook: United States|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/|access-date=November 10, 2018|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> According to the Bureau's [[U.S. and World Population Clock|U.S. Population Clock]], on January&nbsp;28, 2021, the U.S. population had a net gain of one person every 100 seconds, or about 864 people per day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Population Clock|url=https://www.census.gov/popclock/|website=Census.gov}}</ref> In 2018, 52% of Americans age 15 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 32% had never been married.<ref>{{cite web|title=Table MS-1. Marital Status of the Population 15 Years Old and Over, by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: 1950 to Present|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html|access-date=September 11, 2019|website=Historical Marital Status Tables|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> In 2021, the [[total fertility rate]] for the U.S. stood at 1.7 children per woman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=McPhillips |first=Deidre |date=2023-01-31 |title=Covid-19 'baby bump' brought an increased US fertility rate in 2021 -- but also record high preterm births |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/health/us-birth-rate-fertility-trends-2021/index.html |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> and it had the world's highest rate of children (23%) living in [[Single parents in the United States|single-parent]] households in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. has world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/|access-date=March 17, 2020|website=Pew Research Center|language=en}}</ref>

The United States has a diverse population; 37 [[American ancestries|ancestry groups]] have more than one million members.<ref name="An2000">{{cite web|title=Ancestry 2000|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|date=June 2004|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url-status=live|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041204015245/https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|archive-date=December 4, 2004|access-date=December 2, 2016}}</ref> [[Non-Hispanic whites|White Americans]] with ancestry from Europe, the Middle East or North Africa, form the largest [[race (human classification)|racial]] and [[ethnic group]] at 57.8% of the United States population.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/2020-united-states-population-more-racially-ethnically-diverse-than-2010.html | title=The Chance That Two People Chosen at Random Are of Different Race or Ethnicity Groups Has Increased Since 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Table 52. Population by Selected Ancestry Group and Region: 2009|url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf|date=2009|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225031832/https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0052.pdf|archive-date=December 25, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> [[Hispanic and Latino Americans]] form the second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population. [[African Americans]] constitute the nation's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total United States population.<ref name="An2000" /> [[Asian Americans]] are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of the United States population, while the country's 3.7 million [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] account for about 1%.<ref name="An2000" /> In 2020, the [[median age]] of the United States population was 38.5 years.<ref name="CIA-2018" />

===Immigration===
{{main|Immigration to the United States}}
The United States has by far the highest [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|number of immigrant population]] in the world, with 50,661,149 people.<ref name="UNdef">{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/docs/MigrationStockDocumentation_2019.pdf|title=INTERNATIONAL MIGRANT STOCK 2019 DOCUMENTATION|website=Un.org|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/data/UN_MigrantStockTotal_2019.xlsx|title=UN Migrant Stock Total 2019|website=Un.org|access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and [[Second-generation immigrants in the United States|U.S.-born children of immigrants]] in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall U.S. population.<ref>{{cite news|date=March 14, 2019|title=Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States|work=[[Migration Policy Institute]]|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states}}</ref> In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7&nbsp;million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3&nbsp;million) were lawful permanent residents, 6% (2.2&nbsp;million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5&nbsp;million) were unauthorized immigrants.<ref name="KeyFindings">{{cite web|date=June 17, 2019|title=Key findings about U.S. immigrants|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/06/17/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref>

The United States led the world in [[refugee resettlement]] for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined.<ref name="PewRefugees">{{cite web|title=Key facts about refugees to the U.S.|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/07/key-facts-about-refugees-to-the-u-s/|author=Jens Manuel Krogstad|date=October 7, 2019|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref>

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}

While many languages are spoken in the United States, English is the most common.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaur |first=Harmeet |date=2018-05-20 |title=FYI: English isn't the official language of the United States |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/20/us/english-us-official-language-trnd/index.html |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> 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, and most states have declared English as the official language.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 12, 2014|title=States Where English Is the Official Language|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/12/states-where-english-is-the-official-language/|access-date=September 12, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Three states and four U.S. territories have recognized local or indigenous languages in addition to English, including Hawaii ([[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]),<ref>{{cite web|date=November 7, 1978|title=The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4|url=https://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724231656/https://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html|archive-date=July 24, 2013|access-date=June 19, 2007|publisher=Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau}}</ref> Alaska ([[Alaska Native languages|twenty Native languages]]),{{efn|[[Inupiaq language|Inupiaq]], [[Central Siberian Yupik language|Siberian Yupik]], [[Central Alaskan Yup'ik language|Central Alaskan Yup'ik]], [[Alutiiq language|Alutiiq]], [[Aleut language|Unanga]] (Aleut), [[Denaʼina language|Denaʼina]], [[Deg Xinag language|Deg Xinag]], [[Holikachuk language|Holikachuk]], [[Koyukon language|Koyukon]], [[Upper Kuskokwim language|Upper Kuskokwim]], [[Gwichʼin language|Gwichʼin]], [[Lower Tanana language|Tanana]], [[Upper Tanana language|Upper Tanana]], [[Tanacross language|Tanacross]], [[Hän language|Hän]], [[Ahtna language|Ahtna]], [[Eyak language|Eyak]], [[Tlingit language|Tlingit]], [[Haida language|Haida]], and [[Coast Tsimshian dialect|Tsimshian]]}}<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chapel|first1=Bill|date=April 21, 2014|title=Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/21/305688602/alaska-oks-bill-making-native-languages-official|newspaper=NPR}}</ref> South Dakota ([[Sioux language|Sioux]]),<ref name="LakotaCommon">{{cite web|title=South Dakota recognizes official indigenous language|url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/22/south-dakota-recognizes-official-indigenous-language-governor-noem/3245113002/|access-date=March 26, 2019|publisher=[[Argus Leader]]}}</ref> American Samoa ([[Samoan language|Samoan]]), Puerto Rico ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]), Guam ([[Chamorro language|Chamorro]]), and the Northern Mariana Islands ([[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro).

In Puerto Rico, Spanish is more widely spoken than English.<ref name="PuertoRicoTranslation">{{cite web|title=Translation in Puerto Rico|url=https://www.puertorico.com/translation/|access-date=December 29, 2013|website=Puerto Rico Channel|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233259/http://www.puertorico.com/translation/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the [[American Community Survey]], in 2010 some 229 million people (out of the total U.S. population of 308 million) spoke only English at home. More than 37 million spoke [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] at home, making it the second most commonly used language in the United States. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (2.8 million), [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] (1.6 million), [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (1.4 million), [[French language|French]] (1.3 million), [[Korean language|Korean]] (1.1 million), and [[German language|German]] (1 million).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder—Results|first=U.S. Census|last=Bureau|access-date=May 29, 2017|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213140/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table|url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{See also|List of religious movements that began in the United States}}
{{collapse top|title=Self-identified religious affiliations}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Self-identified religious affiliations in the United States, based on a 2022 poll by ''[[The Wall Street Journal]] and [[NORC at the University of Chicago|NORC]]'':<ref name="WSJ-2022">{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=March 2023 NORC/AP poll |url=https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/WSJ_NORC_ToplineMarc_2023.pdf |access-date=March 27, 2023 |website=[[Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 26
| color1 = DarkBlue
| label2 = [[Catholicism in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 21
| color2 = Purple
| label3 = "Just [[Christians|Christian]]"
| value3 = 20
| color3 = Lightblue
| label4 = [[Mormonism]]
| value4 = 2
| color4 = Teal
| label5 = [[Unitarianism]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = Red
| label6 = [[Judaism in the United States|Judaism]]
| value6 = 2
| color6 = Pink
| label7 = [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]]
| value7 = 2
| color7 = Yellow
| label8 = Other religious affilation
| value8 = 2
| color8 = Salmon
| label9 = [[Islam in the United States|Islam]]
| value9 = 1
| color9 = Green
| label10 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Nothing in particular]]
| value10 = 12
| color10 = White
| label11 = [[Agnosticism]]
| value11 = 8
| color11 = LightGrey
| label12 = [[Atheism]]
| value12 = 4
| color12 = Black
}}
{{collapse bottom}}

Religious affiliation in the United States is among the [[List of countries ranked by ethnic and cultural diversity level|most diverse in the world]]<ref name="alesina1">{{cite journal |first=Alberto |last=Alesina |display-authors=etal |year=2003 |title=Fractionalization |url=http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/alesina/files/fractionalization.pdf |journal=Journal of Economic Growth |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=155–194 |doi=10.1023/a:1024471506938 |access-date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> and varies significantly [[List of regions of the United States|by region]]<ref name="Williams-2023">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Daniel |date=March 1, 2023 |title='Christian America' Isn't Dying. It's Dividing. |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/february-web-only/christianity-america-pew-research-statistics-minority.html |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=[[Christianity Today]] |language=en}}</ref> and age.<ref name="Burge-2023">{{Cite web |last=Burge |first=Ryan |author-link=Ryan Burge (political scientist) |date=2023-04-03 |title=Gen Z and Religion in 2022 |url=https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/03/gen-z-and-religion-in-2022/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Religion in Public |language=en}}</ref>

The [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] guarantees the [[Free Exercise Clause|free exercise]] of religion and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting its [[Establishment Clause|establishment]].<ref name="Donadio-2021">{{Cite web |last=Donadio |first=Rachel |date=2021-11-22 |title=Why Is France So Afraid of God? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/france-god-religion-secularism/620528/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date= |title=First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/#:~:text=Congress%20shall%20make%20no%20law,for%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances. |work=Constitution Annotated |publisher=[[United States Congress]]}}</ref> The country has the world's [[Christianity by country|largest Christian population]]<ref name="Global Christianity">{{cite web|author=ANALYSIS|url=https://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx|title=Global Christianity|publisher=Pewforum.org|date=December 19, 2011|access-date=August 17, 2012|archive-date=July 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730062627/http://www.pewforum.org/christian/global-christianity-exec.aspx|url-status=dead }}</ref> and a majority of Americans identify as [[Christians|Christian]], predominately [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[mainline Protestant]], or [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]]. According to Gallup, 58% and 17% reporting [[Prayer|praying]] often or sometimes, respectively, and 46% and 26% reporting that religion plays a very important or fairly important role, respectively, in their lives.<ref name="Gallup Poll">{{cite web |date=2022 |title=Religion Historical Trends |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/1690/religion.aspx |website=Gallup}}</ref> Most do not regularly attend religious services<ref name="WSJ-2022" /> and have low confidence in religious institutions.<ref name="McCarthy-2019">{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Justin |date=2019-07-08 |title=U.S. Confidence in Organized Religion Remains Low |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/259964/confidence-organized-religion-remains-low.aspx |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Gallup.com |language=en}}</ref> Until the 1990s, the country was a [[outlier|significant outlier]] among [[Developed country|highly developed]] countries, notably having [[Wealth and religion|a high level of religiosity and wealth]], although this has lessened since.<ref name="Nadeem-2022">{{Cite web |last=Nadeem |first=Reem |date=2022-09-13 |title=Modeling the Future of Religion in America |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/modeling-the-future-of-religion-in-america/ |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=[[Pew Research Center]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Thompson-2019">{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Derek |date=2019-09-26 |title=Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/atheism-fastest-growing-religion-us/598843/ |access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |quote=}}</ref>

According to Gallup and Pew 81–90% of Americans believe in a [[Higher Power|higher power]]<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jeffrey |date=2022-06-17 |title=Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspx |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Gallup |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Key findings about Americans' belief in God |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/25/key-findings-about-americans-belief-in-god/ |website=Pew Research Center |date=April 25, 2018 |quote= The vast majority of Americans (90%) believe in some kind of higher power, with 56% professing faith in God as described in the Bible and another 33% saying they believe in another type of higher power or spiritual force. Only one-in-ten Americans say they don’t believe in God or a higher power of any kind.}}</ref> while "31% report attending a church, synagogue, mosque or temple weekly or nearly weekly today."<ref name="Jones-2022">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jeffrey |date=2022-12-21 |title=In U.S., Childhood Churchgoing Habits Fade in Adulthood |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/467354/childhood-churchgoing-habits-fade-adulthood.aspx |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Gallup.com |language=en}}</ref> In the "[[Bible Belt]]", located within the [[Southern United States]], evangelical Protestantism plays a significant role culturally. [[New England]] and the [[Western United States]] tend [[Unchurched Belt|to be less religious]].<ref name="Williams-2023" /> Around 6% of Americans claim a non-Christian faith;<ref name="Nadeem-2022" /> the largest of which are [[Judaism]], [[Islam in the United States|Islam]], [[Hinduism in the United States|Hinduism]], and [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]].<ref name="pew2015">{{cite web |date=May 12, 2015 |title=America's Changing Religious Landscape |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]: Religion & Public Life}}</ref> The United States either has the [[American Jews|first or second-largest Jewish population]] in the world, the largest outside of [[Israel]].<ref name="JDB">{{cite report |editor1-last=Dashefsky |editor1-first=Arnold |editor-link1=Arnold Dashefsky |editor2-last=Della Pergola |editor2-first=Sergio |editor-link2=Sergio Della Pergola |editor3-last=Sheskin |editor3-first=Ira |date=2018 |title=World Jewish Population|url=https://www.jewishdatabank.org/content/upload/bjdb/2018-World_Jewish_Population_(AJYB,_DellaPergola)_DB_Final.pdf|publisher=[[Berman Jewish DataBank]]|access-date=22 June 2019}}</ref> "[[Ceremonial deism]]" is common in American culture.<ref name="Donadio-2021" /><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Merriam |first1=Jesse |last2=Lupu |first2=Ira |last3=Elwood |first3=F |last4=Davis |first4=Eleanor |date=August 28, 2008 |title=On Ceremonial Occasions, May the Government Invoke a Deity? |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/08/28/on-ceremonial-occasions-may-the-government-invoke-a-deity/ |access-date=March 31, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US}}</ref> Around 30% of Americans describe themselves as having [[irreligion|no religion]].<ref name="Nadeem-2022" /> Membership in a house of worship fell from 70% in 1999 to 47% in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Jeffrey M. |date=March 29, 2021 |title=U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time |language=en |work=[[Gallup Inc.]] |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx |access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref>

===Urbanization===
{{Main|Urbanization in the United States|List of United States cities by population}}
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=https://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|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090403024532/https://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|archive-date=April 3, 2009|access-date=September 23, 2008|url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, 273 [[List of United States cities by population|incorporated municipalities]] had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than one million residents, and four cities ([[New York City]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Chicago]], and [[Houston]]) had populations exceeding two million.<ref name="PopEstBigCities">{{cite web|url=https://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/copy_of_2008-subcounty-population-hawaii/SUB_EST2008_01.pdf|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJk99?url=https://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/census/popestimate/copy_of_2008-subcounty-population-hawaii/SUB_EST2008_01.pdf|archive-date=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|website=2008 Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division|date=July 1, 2009 }}</ref> Many U.S. metropolitan populations are growing rapidly, particularly in the South and West.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 18, 2019|title=Counties in South and West Lead Nation in Population Growth|url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/estimates-county-metro.html|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=The United States Census Bureau|language=en}}</ref>
{{Largest metropolitan areas of the United States}}

===Education===
{{Main|Education 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 many public colleges and universities in the United States.|alt=Photograph of the University of Virginia]]

American [[state school|public education]] is operated by state and local governments and 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 five or six (beginning with [[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=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d02/dt150.asp|title=Ages for Compulsory School Attendance ...|access-date=June 10, 2007|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics}}</ref> 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|title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf|access-date=August 1, 2006|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The basic [[literacy]] rate is approximately 99%.<ref name="WF" /><ref>For more detail on U.S. literacy, see [https://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 States has many private and public [[Lists of American institutions of higher education|institutions of higher education]]. There are local [[community college]]s with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pannoni|first1=Alexandra|last2=Kerr|first2=Emma|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/articles/2015/02/06/frequently-asked-questions-community-college|title=Everything You Need to Know About Community Colleges: FAQ|work=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=July 14, 2020|access-date=July 9, 2022}}</ref> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any nation in the world,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rushe|first=Dominic|date=September 7, 2018|title=The US spends more on education than other countries. Why is it falling behind?|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/us-education-spending-finland-south-korea|access-date=August 29, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> spending an average of $12,794 per year on public elementary and secondary school students in the 2016–2017 school year.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 2020|title=Fast Facts: Expenditures|url=https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=nces.ed.gov|language=EN}}</ref> As for [[public expenditure]]s on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the [[OECD]] average, and more than all nations in combined public and private spending.<ref name="education spending">{{cite news|date=June 25, 2013|title=U.S. education spending tops global list, study shows|publisher=CBS|agency=AP|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/|access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> Despite some student [[loan forgiveness]] programs in place,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Biden administration cancelled $9.5B in student loan debt. Here's who it affects. |url=https://usafacts.org/articles/the-biden-administration-cancelled-95b-in-student-loan-debt-heres-who-it-affects/ |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=USAFacts |language=en}}</ref> [[Student debt|student loan debt]] has increased by 102% in the last decade,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hess|first=Abigail Johnson|date=December 22, 2020|title=U.S. student debt has increased by more than 100% over the past 10 years|work=CNBC|location=|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/us-student-debt-has-increased-by-more-than-100percent-over-past-10-years.html|access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref> and exceeded 1.7&nbsp;trillion dollars as of 2022.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dickler|first1=Jessica|last2=Nova|first2=Annie|date=May 6, 2022|title=This is how student loan debt became a $1.7 trillion crisis|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/06/this-is-how-student-loan-debt-became-a-1point7-trillion-crisis.html|work=CNBC|location=|access-date=July 8, 2022}}</ref>

The large majority of the world's top universities, as listed by various ranking organizations, are in the United States, including 19 of the top 25.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fink |first=Jenni |date=2019-10-22 |title=U.S. Schools Take 8 of 10 Top Spots on U.S. News' Best Global Universities |url=https://www.newsweek.com/us-news-best-global-universities-american-schools-dominate-top-10-1466768 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nietzel |first=Michael T. |date=March 22, 2023 |title=U.S. Universities Dominate Latest QS World Rankings By Academic Field |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/03/22/us-universities-dominate-latest-qs-world-rankings-by-academic-field/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-education |title=Best Countries for Education: North American and European countries are seen as offering the best opportunities for education. |website=U.S. News & World Report |date=April 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings |title=2022-2023 Best Global Universities Rankings |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |access-date=April 27, 2023}}</ref> The country has by far the most [[List of Nobel laureates by country|Nobel Prize winners]] in history, with 403 (having won 406 awards).<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Nobel Prizes |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes |website=NobelPrize.org}}</ref>

===Health===
{{See also|Health care in the United States|Health care reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
[[File:Texas medical center.jpg|thumb|[[Texas Medical Center]] in [[Houston]] is the largest medical complex in the world, employing 106,000 people and treating 10 million patients annually as of 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newsweek.com/texas-medical-center-largest-medical-complex-world-reaches-98-percent-icu-capacity-1526180 | title=Texas Medical Center, largest medical complex in the world, reaches 98 percent ICU capacity | website=[[Newsweek]] | date=August 19, 2020 }}</ref> |alt=The Texas Medical Center, a cluster of contemporary skyscrapers, at night]]

In a preliminary report, the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC) announced that U.S. [[life expectancy]] at birth had dropped to 76.4 years in 2021 (73.2 years for men and 79.1 years for women), down 0.9 years from 2020. This was the second year of overall decline, and the chief causes listed were the [[COVID-19]] pandemic, accidents, drug overdoses, heart and liver disease, and suicides.<ref>{{cite web|title=Life Expectancy in the United States Declines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/20220831.htm|website=Cdc.gov|access-date=September 3, 2022|date=August 31, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Noguchi|first=Yuki |date=December 22, 2022 |title=American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/12/22/1144864971/american-life-expectancy-is-now-at-its-lowest-in-nearly-two-decades|work=[[NPR]] |location= |access-date=December 27, 2022}}</ref> Life expectancy was highest among Asians and Hispanics and lowest among Blacks and American Indian–Alaskan Native ([[AIAN (U.S. Census)|AIAN]]) peoples.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 29, 2018|title=Mortality in the United States, 2017|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db328.htm|access-date=December 27, 2018|website=Cdc.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bernstein|first1=Lenny|date=November 29, 2018|title=U.S. life expectancy declines again, a dismal trend not seen since World War I|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-life-expectancy-declines-again-a-dismal-trend-not-seen-since-world-war-i/2018/11/28/ae58bc8c-f28c-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html|access-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref> Starting in 1998, the [[List of countries by life expectancy|life expectancy]] in the U.S. fell behind that of other wealthy industrialized countries, and Americans' "health disadvantage" gap has been increasing ever since.<ref>{{cite news|last=Achenbach|first=Joel|date=November 26, 2019|title='There's something terribly wrong': Americans are dying young at alarming rates|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/theres-something-terribly-wrong-americans-are-dying-young-at-alarming-rates/2019/11/25/d88b28ec-0d6a-11ea-8397-a955cd542d00_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> The U.S. also has one of the highest [[Suicide in the United States|suicide]] rates among [[high-income countries]],<ref>{{cite web|date=January 30, 2020|title=New International Report on Health Care: U.S. Suicide Rate Highest Among Wealthy Nations {{!}} Commonwealth Fund|url=https://www.commonwealthfund.org/press-release/2020/new-international-report-health-care-us-suicide-rate-highest-among-wealthy|access-date=March 17, 2020|website=Commonwealthfund.org|language=en}}</ref> and approximately one-third of the U.S. adult population is obese and another third is overweight.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2003–2004|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_adult_03.htm|access-date=June 5, 2007|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics}}</ref> According to CDC data, mortality rates among children and adolescents increased by 20% from 2019 to 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.vcu.edu/article/2023/03/child-and-teen-mortality-in-the-us-experiences-largest-increase-in-decades|title=Child and teen mortality in the U.S. experiences largest increase in decades|last=Trani|first=Olivia |date=March 13, 2023 |website=[[Virginia Commonwealth University|VCU News]]|publisher= |access-date=June 15, 2023 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=de Visé|first=Daniel |date=March 22, 2023 |title=Child mortality is rising at the fastest rate in 50 years|url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3910940-child-mortality-is-rising-at-the-fastest-rate-in-50-years/|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |location= |access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> [[Poverty in the United States|Poverty]] was the 4th leading cause of death for 2019, according to a 2023 study published in ''[[JAMA]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Clyde |date=April 17, 2023|title=Poverty is fourth-largest cause of U.S. deaths, researchers say|url=https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/04/17/poverty-deaths-analysis-university-California/8711681741169/|work=[[United Press International]]|location= |access-date=June 26, 2023}}</ref>

In 2010, [[coronary artery disease]], [[lung cancer]], [[stroke]], [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]s, and traffic collisions 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 harmful [[risk factor]]s were poor diet, [[tobacco smoking]], obesity, [[Hypertension|high blood pressure]], [[Hyperglycemia|high blood sugar]], [[physical inactivity]], and [[Alcohol consumption and health|alcohol consumption]]. [[Alzheimer's disease]], [[substance use disorder]]s, [[kidney disease]], [[cancer]], and falls caused the most additional years of life lost over their age-adjusted 1990 per-capita rates.<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|doi=10.1001/jama.2013.13805|date=July 10, 2013|volume=310|issue=6|pages=591–608|pmid=23842577|pmc=5436627 }}</ref> [[Teenage pregnancy in the United States|Teenage pregnancy]] and [[Abortion in the United States|abortion]] rates in the U.S. are substantially higher than in other Western nations, especially among blacks and Hispanics.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Teen Pregnancy|url=https://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm|publisher=Center for Disease Control|access-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>

The U.S. health care system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends]] that of any other nation, measured both in per capita spending and as a percentage of GDP but attains worse health care outcomes when compared to peer nations.<ref>{{cite web|year=2001|title=The U.S. Healthcare System: The Best in the World or Just the Most Expensive?|url=https://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.+HCweb.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/20070309142240/https://dll.umaine.edu:80/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf|archive-date=March 9, 2007|access-date=November 29, 2006|publisher=University of Maine}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The United States is the only developed nation [[Healthcare reform in the United States|without a system of universal health care]], and a [[Health insurance coverage in the United States|significant proportion of the population that does not carry health insurance]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Vladeck|first=Bruce|title=Universal Health Insurance in the United States: Reflections on the Past, the Present, and the Future|date=January 2003|volume=93|number=1|pages=16–19|pmid=12511377|doi=10.2105/ajph.93.1.16|journal=[[American Journal of Public Health]]|pmc=1447684 }}</ref> The U.S., however, is a global leader in medical innovation, measured either in terms of revenue or the number of new drugs and devices introduced.<ref name="EFPIA">{{cite web|url=http://www.efpia.org/content/Default.asp?PageID=388|title=Improving Europe's competitiveness|publisher=[[European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations|EFPIA]]|access-date=November 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823030103/http://www.efpia.org/content/Default.asp?PageID=388|archive-date=August 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Europe">Stats from 2007 Europ.Fed.of Pharm.Indust.and Assoc. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from [http://212.3.246.100/Objects/2/Files/infigures2007.pdf]{{dead link|date=October 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

Government-funded health care coverage for the poor ([[Medicaid]], established in 1965) and for those age 65 and older ([[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]], begun in 1966) is available to Americans who meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, former President Obama passed the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] or ACA,{{efn|Also known less formally as Obamacare}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Oberlander|first=Jonathan|date=June 1, 2010| title=Long Time Coming: Why Health Reform Finally Passed|journal=Health Affairs|language=en|volume=29|issue=6|pages=1112–1116|doi=10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0447| pmid=20530339|issn=0278-2715|doi-access=free}}</ref> with the law roughly halving the uninsured share of the population according to the CDC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/earlyrelease201611_01.pdf|title=National Health Interview Survey, January to June 2016|website=CDC.gov|access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> Multiple studies have concluded that ACA had reduced the mortality of enrollees.<ref name="NYT20200323GoodnoughAbelsonetAl">{{cite news|first1=Abby|last1=Goodnough|first2=Reed|last2=Abelson|first3=Margot|last3=Sanger-Katz|first4=Sarah|last4=Kliff|title=Obamacare Turns 10. Here's a Look at What Works and Doesn't.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/health/obamacare-aca-coverage-cost-history.html|access-date=March 31, 2020|date=March 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330105840/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/health/obamacare-aca-coverage-cost-history.html|archive-date=March 30, 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Sarah|last2=Altekruse|first2=Sean|last3=Johnson|first3=Norman|last4=Wherry|first4=Laura|date=July 2019|title=Medicaid and Mortality: New Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data|location=Cambridge, MA|publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research|series=NBER Working Paper No. 26081|doi=10.3386/w26081|s2cid=164463149|url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w26081.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Goldin|first1=Jacob|last2=Lurie|first2=Ithai Z.|last3=McCubbin|first3=Janet|title=Health Insurance and Mortality: Experimental Evidence from Taxpayer Outreach|journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics|year=2020|volume=136|pages=1–49|language=en|doi=10.1093/qje/qjaa029|doi-access=free}}</ref> However, its legacy [[Criticism of Obamacare|remains controversial]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Mathews|first=Anna Wilde|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-is-aca-still-controversial-11-years-after-healthcare-law-known-as-obamacare-was-passed-11623962729|title=Why Is ACA Still Controversial 11 Years After Healthcare Law Known as Obamacare Was Passed?|work=[[Wall Street Journal]]|date=June 17, 2021|access-date=July 18, 2022}}</ref>

==Culture and society==
{{Main|Culture of the United States|Society of the United States}}
[[File:Liberty02.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Statue of Liberty]] (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') on [[Liberty Island]] in [[New York Harbor]] was an 1866 gift from [[France]] that has become an iconic symbol of the [[American Dream]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Statue of Liberty| website=World Heritage| publisher=UNESCO| url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307| access-date = January 4, 2022}}</ref>|alt=The Statue of Liberty, a large teal bronze sculpture on a stone pedestal]]

Americans have traditionally [[Stereotypes of Americans|been characterized]] by a unifying belief in an "[[American civil religion|American creed]]" emphasizing liberty, [[equality under the law]], democracy, [[social equality]], [[property rights]], and a preference for [[limited government]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Huntington |first=Samuel P. |url=https://archive.org/details/whoarewechalleng00hunt |title=Who are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-684-87053-3 |chapter=Chapters 2–4 |author-link=Samuel P. Huntington |access-date=October 25, 2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&q=core}}: also see [[American Creed]], written by [[William Tyler Page]] and adopted by Congress in 1918.</ref><ref>Hoeveler, J. David, ''Creating the American Mind: Intellect and Politics in the Colonial Colleges'', Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|978-0742548398}}, 2007, p. xi</ref> [[Individualism]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grabb |first1=Edward |last2=Baer |first2=Douglas |last3=Curtis |first3=James |year=1999 |title=The Origins of American Individualism: Reconsidering the Historical Evidence |journal=[[Canadian Journal of Sociology]] |publisher=[[University of Alberta]] |volume=24 |pages=511–533 |doi=10.2307/3341789 |issn=0318-6431 |jstor=3341789 |number=4}}</ref> having a strong [[work ethic]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Porter |first=Gayle |date=November 2010 |title=Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream |journal=[[Journal of Business Ethics]] |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=96 |pages=535–550 |doi=10.1007/s10551-010-0481-6 |jstor=29789736 |s2cid=143991044 |number=4}}</ref> [[Competition (economics)|competitiveness]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stephens |first=R.H. |date=September 1952 |title=The Role Of Competition In American Life |journal=[[The Australian Quarterly]] |publisher=[[Australian Institute of Policy and Science]] |volume=24 |pages=9–14 |jstor=41317686 |number=3}}</ref> and [[altruism]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://good2give.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-CAF-World-Giving-Index.pdf |title=World Giving Index 2022 |website=[[Charities Aid Foundation]] |access-date=April 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Country-level estimates of altruism |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cross-country-variation-in-altruism |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=Our World in Data}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Abigail |date=February 5, 2018 |title=Could A More Individualistic World Also Be A More Altruistic One? |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2018/02/05/581873428/could-a-more-individualistic-world-also-be-a-more-altruistic-one |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref> are also cited values. According to a 2016 study by the [[Charities Aid Foundation]], Americans donated 1.44% of total GDP to charity, the [[List of countries by charitable donation|highest]] in the world by a large margin.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2016 |title=GROSS DOMESTIC PHILANTHROPY: An international analysis of GDP, tax and giving |url=https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-policy-and-campaigns/gross-domestic-philanthropy-feb-2016.pdf |access-date=July 18, 2022 |publisher=[[Charities Aid Foundation]]}}</ref> The United States is home to a [[Multiculturalism|wide variety]] of ethnic groups, traditions, and values,<ref name="DD">{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=J.Q. |title=Dealing with diversity : the anthology |last2=Strother-Adams |first2=Pearlie |date=2001 |publisher=Kendall/Hunt Pub |isbn=978-0-7872-8145-8 |location=Chicago}}</ref><ref name="Society in Focus">{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=William E. |title=Society in focus : an introduction to sociology |last2=Hickey |first2=Joseph V. |date=2004 |publisher=Pearson/Allyn and Bacon |isbn=978-0-205-41365-2 |edition=5th |location=Boston}}</ref> and exerts major cultural influence on a global scale,<ref>[[#BBC18may|BBC, April 2008: Country Profile: United States of America]]</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Fergie |first1=Dexter |date=March 24, 2022 |title=How American Culture Ate the World |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/165836/american-culture-ate-world-righteous-smokescreen-globalization-review |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583 |access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref> with the phenomenon being termed ''[[Americanization]]''.<ref name="stead1901">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/stream/americanizationo01stea#page/392/mode/2up | title=The Americanization of the World | publisher=Horace Markley | author=Stead, W. T. | year=1901 | page=393}}</ref> As such, the U.S. is considered a [[cultural superpower]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Berghahn |first=Volker R. |date=2010-02-01 |title=The debate on 'Americanization' among economic and cultural historians |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/14682740903388566 |journal=Cold War History |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=107–130 |doi=10.1080/14682740903388566 |s2cid=144459911 |issn=1468-2745}}</ref>

Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from [[Afro-Eurasia|Eurafrasia]] ("the [[Old World]]") within the past five centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fiorina|first1=Morris P.|author-link1=Morris P. Fiorina|last2=Peterson|first2=Paul E.|title=The New American democracy|date=2010|publisher=Longman|location=London|isbn=978-0-205-78016-7|page=97|edition=7th}}</ref> [[wikt:mainstream|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>{{cite book|last1=Holloway|first1=Joseph E.|title=Africanisms in American culture|date=2005|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|isbn=978-0-253-21749-3|pages=18–38|edition=2nd}}<br />{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=Fern L.|title=Speaking culturally : language diversity in the United States|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-0-8039-5912-5|page=116|year=2000 }}</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 a homogenizing [[melting pot]], and a heterogeneous [[salad bowl (cultural idea)|salad bowl]], with immigrants contributing to, and often [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilating]] into, mainstream American culture.<ref name="DD" /> 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|url=https://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx|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.|last=Clifton|first=Jon|date=March 21, 2013|publisher=Gallup|access-date=January 10, 2014}}</ref> Whether this perception is accurate has been a topic of debate.<ref name="socialmobility">*{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/tax/public-finance/chapter%205%20gfg%202010.pdf|title=A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries|publisher=OECD|website=Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth|year=2010|access-date=September 20, 2010}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf|title=Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America|author1=Blanden, Jo|author2=Gregg, Paul|author3=Machin, Stephen|publisher=Centre for Economic Performance|date=April 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/https://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf|archive-date=June 23, 2006}}
* {{cite web|last1=Gould|first1=Elise|title=U.S. lags behind peer countries in mobility|url=https://www.epi.org/publication/usa-lags-peer-countries-mobility/|website=[[Economic Policy Institute]]|access-date=July 15, 2013|date=October 10, 2012}}
* {{cite journal|last=Winship|first=Scott|title=Overstating the Costs of Inequality|journal=National Affairs|date=Spring 2013|url=https://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Articles/2013/03/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024141452/https://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Articles/2013/03/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship/overstating%20inequality%20costs%20winship.pdf|archive-date=October 24, 2013|access-date=January 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="CAP">{{cite web|title=Understanding Mobility in America|url=https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2006/04/26/1917/understanding-mobility-in-america/|website=Center for American Progress|date=April 26, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Schneider">{{cite web|last=Schneider|first=Donald|title=A Guide to Understanding International Comparisons of Economic Mobility|url=https://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/07/a-guide-to-understanding-international-comparisons-of-economic-mobility|publisher=The Heritage Foundation|access-date=August 22, 2013|date=July 29, 2013}}</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=978-1-903900-08-6}}</ref> scholars identify significant differences between [[Social class in the United States|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=978-0-8014-8899-3}} {{cite web|url=https://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|access-date=January 27, 2007}}</ref> Americans tend to greatly value [[socioeconomics|socioeconomic]] achievement, but being [[Average Joe|ordinary or average]] is promoted by some as a noble condition.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Keefe|first=Kevin|year=2005|title=The Average American|publisher=PublicAffairs|location=New York|isbn=978-1-58648-270-1|url=https://archive.org/details/averageamericant00okee }}</ref>

The United States is considered to have the [[Freedom of speech by country|strongest protections of free speech of any country]] in the world under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coleman |first=Gabriella |title=Coding Freedom |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2013 |isbn=9780691144610 |pages=10, 201 |author-link=Gabriella Coleman}}</ref> with the Supreme Court ruling that [[flag desecration]], [[Hate speech laws by country|hate speech]], [[Blasphemy law|blasphemy]], and [[Lèse-majesté|lese-majesty]] are all forms of protected expression.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2012 |title=Held Dear In U.S., Free Speech Perplexing Abroad |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/09/19/161439562/held-dear-in-u-s-free-speech-perplexing-abroad |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Adam |date=11 June 2008 |title=Hate speech or free speech? What much of West bans is protected in U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/world/americas/11iht-hate.4.13645369.html |url-access=limited |access-date=February 21, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Durkee |first=Alison |date=April 25, 2018 |title=What if we didn't... have the First Amendment? |url=https://www.mic.com/articles/188402/what-if-we-didnt-have-the-first-amendment |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=Mic |language=en}}</ref> A 2016 [[Pew Research Center]] poll found that Americans were the most supportive of free expression of any polity measured.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wike |first=Richard |title=Americans more tolerant of offensive speech than others in the world |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/12/americans-more-tolerant-of-offensive-speech-than-others-in-the-world/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref> They are also the "most supportive of [[freedom of the press]] and the [[Right to Internet access|right to use the Internet]] without government censorship."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Alex |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Freedom of speech: which country has the most? |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/freedom-of-speech-country-comparison/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref> It is a [[Cultural liberalism|socially progressive]] country<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Pippa |author-link=Pippa Norris |date=February 2023 |title=Cancel Culture: Myth or Reality? |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00323217211037023 |journal=Political Studies |language=en |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=145–174 |doi=10.1177/00323217211037023 |s2cid=238647612 |issn=0032-3217 |quote=As predicted, in post-industrial societies, characterized by predominately liberal social cultures, like the US, Sweden, and UK...}}</ref> with [[Permissive society|permissive]] attitudes surrounding [[human sexuality]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite book |last1=Derks |first1=Marco |title=Public Discourses About Homosexuality and Religion in Europe and Beyond |last2=van den Berg |first2=Mariecke |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |year=2020 |isbn=9783030563264 |pages=338 |quote=...(the United States and [Western] Europe) as "already in crisis" for their permissive attitudes toward nonnormative sexualities...}}</ref> [[LGBT rights in the United States|LGBT rights in the U.S.]] are among the most advanced in the world.<ref name="auto1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leveille |first=Dan |date=December 4, 2009 |title=LGBT Equality Index: The most LGBT-friendly countries in the world |url=https://www.equaldex.com/equality-index |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=[[Equaldex]] |quote=13.) United States}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Garretson |first=Jeremiah |title=The Path to Gay Rights: How Activism and Coming Out Changed Public Opinion |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=9781479850075 |page= |chapter=A Transformed Society: LGBT Rights in the United States |quote=In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a dramatic wave began to form in the waters of public opinion: American attitudes involving homosexuality began to change... The transformation of America's response to homosexuality has been — and continues to be — one of the most rapid and sustained shifts in mass attitudes since the start of public polling.}}</ref>

===Literature and visual arts===
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy|Architecture of the United States|Visual art of the United States}}
[[File:Mark Twain by AF Bradley.jpg|thumb|upright|American author and [[humorist]] [[Mark Twain]], who [[William Faulkner]] called  "the father of [[American literature]]"<ref name="faulkner">{{cite book |last=Jelliffe |first=Robert A. |title=Faulkner at Nagano |year=1956 |publisher=Kenkyusha, Ltd |location=Tokyo}}</ref>|alt=Photograph of Mark Twain]]

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of their 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 recognized as an essential American poet.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Harold|first1=Bloom|author-link1=Harold Bloom|title=Emily Dickinson|date=1999|publisher=Chelsea House Publishers|location=Broomall, PA|isbn=978-0-7910-5106-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/emilydickinson00bloo/page/9 9]|url=https://archive.org/details/emilydickinson00bloo/page/9 }}</ref>

In the 1920s, the [[Harlem Renaissance|New Negro Movement]] coalesced in [[Harlem]], where many writers had migrated from the [[Southern United States|South]] and [[West Indies]]. Its pan-African perspective was a significant cultural export during the [[Jazz Age]] in Paris and as such was a key early influence on the ''[[négritude]]'' philosophy.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Philipson | first = Robert | title = The Harlem Renaissance as Postcolonial Phenomenon | journal = African American Review | volume = 40 | issue = 1 |  year = 2006 | pages = 145–160 |  jstor = 40027037}}</ref>

There have been a multitude of candidates for the "[[Great American Novel]]", which are works seen as embodying and examining the essence and character of the United States, including [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (1851), [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]]'s ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'' (1852), Twain's ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1885), [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]]'s ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' (1925), [[John Steinbeck]]'s ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1939), [[Harper Lee]]'s ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird]]'' (1960), [[Toni Morrison]]'s [[Beloved (novel)|''Beloved'']] (1987), and [[David Foster Wallace]]'s ''[[Infinite Jest]]'' (1996).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buell |first=Lawrence |title=The Dream of the Great American Novel |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=9780674051157 |pages=57 |oclc=871257583 |author-link=Lawrence Buell}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | first = Lawrence | last = Buell | title = The Rise and 'Fall' of the Great American Novel | journal = Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society | date =  October 1994 | volume = 104 | issue = 2 | pages = 261–283 }}</ref><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|s2cid=170250346|issn=0896-7148|url=https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:31740086 }}</ref>

Thirteen U.S. citizens have won the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]], most recently [[Louise Glück]], [[Bob Dylan]], and Toni Morrison.<ref>{{Cite web | title = All Nobel Prizes in Literature | website = NobelPrize.org | author = Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023 | access-date = 23 Mar 2023 | url = https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes-in-literature | language = en}}</ref> Earlier laureates [[William Faulkner]], [[Ernest Hemingway]] and John Steinbeck have also been recognized as influential 20th century writers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Edward|first1=Quinn|title=A dictionary of literary and thematic terms|date=2006|publisher=Facts On File|isbn=978-0-8160-6243-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoflite0002quin/page/361 361]|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoflite0002quin/page/361 }}</ref>

In the visual arts, the [[Hudson River School]] was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European [[Realism (arts)|naturalism]]. 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>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Milton W.|title=The Story of the Armory Show|date=1963|publisher=Abbeville Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-89659-795-2|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/storyofarmorysho00brow }}</ref> [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Marsden Hartley]], and others experimented with new, individualistic styles, which would become known as [[American modernism]].

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 global 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=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMYHuvhWBH4C&pg=PT955|year=2003|publisher=Prentice Hall Professional|isbn=978-0-13-182895-7|page=955}}</ref> Major photographers include [[Alfred Stieglitz]], [[Edward Steichen]], [[Dorothea Lange]], [[Edward Weston]], [[James Van Der Zee]], [[Ansel Adams]], and [[Gordon Parks]].<ref name="Davenport1991">{{cite book|last=Davenport|first=Alma|title=The History of Photography: An Overview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hca5H_rJZnUC&pg=PA67|year=1991|publisher=UNM Press|isbn=978-0-8263-2076-6|page=67}}</ref>

The most notable American architectural innovation has been the [[skyscraper]]. By some measures, what came to be known as a "skyscraper" in the modern world, first appeared in [[Chicago]] with the 1885 completion of the world's first largely steel-frame structure, the [[Home Insurance Building]]. One culturally significant early skyscraper was New York City's [[Woolworth Building]], which was designed by [[Cass Gilbert]]. At 793&nbsp;ft (233 m), the Woolworth Building was the world's tallest building from 1913 until 1930 when it was eclipsed as the world's tallest building by another New York City skyscraper, the [[Empire State Building]], which, in turn, was the world's tallest building until the 1973 opening of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in New York City.<ref name="WDL">{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11376/ |title = Study for Woolworth Building, New York |website = [[World Digital Library]] |date = 1910-12-10 |access-date = 2013-07-25 }}</ref>

===Cinema and theater===
{{Main|Cinema of the United States|Theater in the United States}}
[[File:Hollywood Sign (Zuschnitt).jpg|thumb|The iconic [[Hollywood Sign]], erected in 1923 in [[Los Angeles]]|alt=The Hollywood Sign, large white block letters on a hillside]]
The United States movie industry has a worldwide influence and following. [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], a district in northern [[Los Angeles]], the nation's second-most populous city, is the leader in motion picture production and the most recognizable movie industry in the world.<ref>{{cite book|title=Annual Report of the Controller of the City of Los Angeles, California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VbOAAAAMAAJ&q=Hollywood+merged+with+City+of+Los+Angeles+in+1910&pg=PA193|publisher=By[[Office controller|Office of Controller]] Los Angeles, CA (1914)|access-date=February 22, 2014|year = 1914}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Report of the Auditor of the City of Los Angeles California of the Financial Affairs of the Corporation in Its Capacity as a City for the Fiscal Year|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cPo2AQAAMAAJ&q=Hollywood+merged+with+City+of+Los+Angeles+in+1910&pg=PA173|publisher=By [[State auditor|Auditor's Office]] of Los Angeles, CA (1913)|access-date=February 22, 2014|year = 1913}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://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|access-date=February 17, 2013}}</ref> The [[major film studios]] of the United States are the primary source of the [[List of highest-grossing films|most commercially successful]] and most ticket selling movies in the world.<ref name="Kerrigan_Page_18">{{cite book |last1=Kerrigan |first1=Finola |title=Film Marketing |date=2010 |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |location=Oxford |isbn=9780750686839 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufMdvuuTQ7MC&pg=PA18 |access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="Davis">{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Glyn |last2=Dickinson |first2=Kay |last3=Patti |first3=Lisa |last4=Villarejo |first4=Amy |title=Film Studies: A Global Introduction |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon |isbn=9781317623380 |page=299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnXABgAAQBAJ&pg=PA299 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>

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 magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-landis-rails-studios-theyre-659222|title=John Landis Rails Against Studios: 'They're Not in the Movie Business Anymore'|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=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 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CecCHiI95dYC&pg=PA236 |title=The 1920s |last2=Huber |first2=Patrick |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-313-32013-2 |page=236}}</ref> and the [[Golden Globe Award]]s have been held annually since January 1944.<ref name="Kroon2014">{{cite book |last=Kroon |first=Richard W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjmNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA338 |title=A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms |publisher=McFarland |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-5740-3 |page=338}}</ref>

Director [[D. W. Griffith]], an 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 [[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=https://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, 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 "[[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age of Hollywood]]", from the early sound period until the early 1960s,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Matthews|first1=Charles|title=Book explores Hollywood 'Golden Age' of the 1960s-'70s|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-explores-hollywood-golden-age-of-the-1960s-70s/2011/02/10/AGh5xJIH_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> with screen actors such as [[John Wayne]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] becoming iconic figures.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Banner|first1=Lois|title=Marilyn Monroe, the eternal shape shifter|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/05/opinion/la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=August 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Rick|first1=Jewell|title=John Wayne, an American Icon|url=https://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/15465.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822102812/https://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/15465.html|archive-date=August 22, 2008|publisher=University of Southern California|access-date=August 6, 2015|date=August 8, 2008}}</ref> In the 1970s, "[[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=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIyNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|year=2013|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-74204-8|page=23}}</ref> was defined by grittier films influenced by French and Italian realist pictures of the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-war period]].<ref name="Morrison1998">{{cite book|last=Morrison|first=James|title=Passport to Hollywood: Hollywood Films, European Directors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dWRif68I3igC&pg=PA11|year=1998|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-3938-8|page=11}}</ref>

The 21st century has been marked by the rise of American streaming platforms, such as [[Netflix]], [[Disney+]], [[Paramount+]], and [[Apple TV+]], which came to rival traditional cinema.<ref name="RE">{{cite news |last=Seitz|first=Matt Zoller|author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz|title=What's Next: Avengers, MCU, Game of Thrones, and the Content Endgame|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/avengers-mcu-and-the-content-endgame|access-date=July 21, 2021|work=[[RogerEbert.com]]|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|date=April 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Hannah Avery |title=US streaming market growth continues, despite changes in the industry |url=https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/technology/us-streaming-market-growth-continues-despite-changes-in-the-industry |date=January 18, 2023 |website=[[Kantar Group]] |access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref>

Mainstream theater in the United States derives from the old European theatrical tradition and has been heavily influenced by the [[Theatre of the United Kingdom|British theater]].<ref name="Saxon2011">{{cite book| first = Theresa| last = Saxon| date = October 11, 2011| title = American Theatre: History, Context, Form| publisher = Edinburgh University Press| pages = 7–| isbn = 978-0-7486-3127-8| oclc = 1162047055| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2-AkDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA7}}</ref> The central hub of the American theater scene has been [[Manhattan]], with its divisions of [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], [[off-Broadway]], and [[off-off-Broadway]].<ref name="LondréWatermeier1998">{{cite book| first1 = Felicia Hardison | last1 = Londré| first2 = Daniel J.| last2 = Watermeier| date = 1998| title = The History of North American Theater: From Pre-Columbian Times to the Present| publisher = Continuum| pages =| isbn = 978-0-8264-1079-5| oclc = 1024855967}}</ref> Many movie and television [[Celebrity|stars]] have gotten their big break working in New York productions. Outside New York City, many cities have professional [[Regional theater in the United States|regional or resident theater companies]] that produce their own seasons. The biggest-budget theatrical productions are [[musical theatre|musicals]]. U.S. theater also has an active [[community theater]] culture.<ref>Stephen Watt, and Gary A. Richardson, ''American Drama: Colonial to Contemporary'' (1994).</ref>

===Music===
<!---Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini biographies.-->
{{Main|Music of the United States}}
[[File:Country_music_hall_of_fame2.jpg|thumb|The [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]]]

[[American folk music]] encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional [[folk music]], contemporary folk music, or roots music. Many traditional songs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back to such origins as the [[British Isles]], [[Mainland Europe]], or [[African-American music|Africa]].<ref name=afc>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/folklife/guide/folkmusicandsong.html|title=Folk Music and Song: American Folklife Center: An Illustrated Guide (Library of Congress)|website=Loc.gov}}</ref>

The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music have significantly influenced American music at large. The [[Smithsonian Institution]] states, "African-American influences are so fundamental to American music that there would be no American music without them."<ref>{{cite web |title=Musical Crossroads: African American Influence on American Music |url=https://music.si.edu/story/musical-crossroads |website=Smithsonian |date=September 22, 2016 |access-date=April 14, 2023}}</ref>  One instrument first mass-produced in the United States was the [[banjo]], which had originally been crafted from gourds covered by animal skins by African slaves.<ref name="boa">{{Cite web | last =  Sabatella | first = Matthew | website = Ballad of America | url = https://balladofamerica.org/banjo/ | title = Banjo: A Brief History}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first = Greg | last = Allen | website = NPR | url = https://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139880625/the-banjos-roots-reconsidered | date = August 23, 2011 | title = The Banjo's Roots, Reconsidered}}</ref> Banjos became widely popular in the 19th century due to their use in [[minstrel shows]].<ref name="boa" />  [[Country music]] developed in the 1920s, and [[rhythm and blues]] in the 1940s. Elements from folk idioms such as the [[blues]] and what is 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.<ref name="autogenerated2001">{{cite book|last1=Biddle|first1=Julian|title=What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America|date=2001|publisher=Citadel|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8065-2311-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/whatwashotroller00bidd/page/ ix]|url=https://archive.org/details/whatwashotroller00bidd/page/ }}</ref>

[[Elvis Presley]] and [[Chuck Berry]] were among the pioneers of [[rock and roll]] in the mid-1950s. Rock bands such as [[Metallica]], the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], and [[Aerosmith]] are among the [[List of best-selling music artists|highest grossing]] in worldwide sales.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hartman|first1=Graham|title=Metallica's 'Black album' is Top-Selling Disc of last 20 years|url=https://loudwire.com/metallica-black-album-top-selling-disc-last-20-years/|website=Loudwire|access-date=October 12, 2015|date=January 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Vorel|first1=Jim|title=Eagles tribute band landing at Kirkland|url=https://herald-review.com/entertainment/local/eagles-tribute-band-landing-at-kirkland/article_a8dcd506-08d0-11e2-82ac-001a4bcf887a.html|access-date=October 12, 2015|agency=Herald & Review|date=September 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Aerosmith will rock Salinas with July concert|url=https://www.ksbw.com/news/central-california/salinas/aerosmith-will-rock-salinas-with-july-concert/31042330|access-date=October 12, 2015|date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> In the 1960s, [[Bob Dylan]] emerged from the [[American folk music revival|folk revival]] to become one of the country's most celebrated songwriters.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 10, 2020 |title=No. 1 Bob Dylan |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/#bob-dylan |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 29, 2021}}</ref> Mid-20th-century American [[Popular music|pop stars]] such as [[Bing Crosby]], [[Frank Sinatra]],<ref>{{cite web|date=December 8, 2015|title=10 ways that Frank Sinatra changed the world|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/12/08/10-ways-frank-sinatra-changed-world/76381754/|access-date=June 24, 2021|website=USA Today}}</ref> and Elvis Presley became global celebrities,<ref name="autogenerated2001" /> as have artists of the late 20th century such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Michael Jackson]], [[Madonna]], [[Whitney Houston]], and [[Mariah Carey]].<ref>{{cite web |date=February 13, 2012 |title=Whitney Houston's Global Impact |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2012/02/13/exp-nr-bilchik-whitney-international-reaction.cnn |access-date=June 24, 2021 |website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How Prince and his music challenged the music industry |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2654768/how-prince-and-his-music-challenged-the-music-industry/ |access-date=June 25, 2016 |website=Global News}}</ref> The musical forms of [[Punk rock|punk]] and [[hip hop]] both originated in the United States.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/artandmusicbiographies/chapter/reading-9-neo-expressionism-and-music-reaching-into-the-1980s/|title=A Quick and Dirty Guide to Art, Music, and Culture|author=Clayton Funk|chapter=9. Neo-Expressionism, Punk, and Hip Hop Emerge|publisher=The Ohio State University|date=August 16, 2016}}</ref> American professional opera singers have reached the highest level of success in that form, including [[Renée Fleming]], [[Leontyne Price]], [[Beverly Sills]], [[Nelson Eddy]], and many others.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/2966#:~:text=The%20American%20Opera%20Boom%20of,1960s%3A%20History%20and%20Stylistic%20Analysis|title=The American Opera Boom of the 1950s and 1960s: History and Stylistic Analysis|author=Rachel Hutchins-Viroux|journal=Revue Lisa / Lisa e-Journal |year=2004 |issue=Vol. II - n°3 |pages=145–163 |publisher=OpenEdition Journals|doi=10.4000/lisa.2966 |access-date=April 28, 2023}}</ref>

[[American popular music]], as part of the wider U.S. pop culture, has a worldwide influence and following.<ref>{{cite book |author =Ewen, David|title=Panorama of American Popular Music|url =https://archive.org/details/panoramaofameric00ewen|url-access =registration|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=1957 |isbn=0-13-648360-7}} pg. 3 ''Of all the contributions made by Americans to world culture—automation and the assembly line, advertising, innumerable devices and gadgets, skyscrapers, supersalesmen, baseball, ketchup, mustard and hot dogs and hamburrgers—one, undeniably native has been taken to heart by the entire world. It is American popular music.''</ref> [[Beyoncé]], [[Taylor Swift]], [[Miley Cyrus]], [[Ariana Grande]], [[Eminem]], [[Lady Gaga]], [[Katy Perry]], and many other contemporary artists dominate [[List of most-streamed artists on Spotify|global streaming rankings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/spotify-wrapped-bad-bunny-taylor-swift-1235444491|title=Spotify Launches Wrapped 2022: Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift Are Most-Streamed Artists of the Year|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=November 30, 2022|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130153903/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/spotify-wrapped-bad-bunny-taylor-swift-1235444491/|archive-date=November 30, 2022|url-status=live|access-date=November 30, 2022}}</ref> The United States has the world's [[List of largest recorded music markets|largest music market]] with a total retail value of $4.9 billion in 2014.<ref name="RIAJ Yearbook 2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/riaj/pdf/issue/industry/RIAJ2015E.pdf|title=RIAJ Yearbook 2015: IFPI 2013, 2014 Report: 28. Global Sales of Recorded Music (Page 24)|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of Japan]]|access-date=2016-03-20}}</ref> Most of the world's [[Record label#Major labels|major record companies]] are based in the U.S.; they are represented by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://universitytimes.ie/2014/03/how-american-music-took-over-the-world/ |title=How American Music Took Over the World |author=Eoin Hennessy |website=[[The University Times]] |access-date=April 28, 2023 |date=March 27, 2014}}</ref>

===Mass media===
{{further|Mass media in the United States}}
{{see also|Newspapers in the United States|Television in the United States|Internet in the United States|Radio in the United States|Video games in the United States}}
[[File:Comcast_Philly.JPG|upright|thumb|[[Comcast Center]] in [[Philadelphia]], headquarters of [[Comcast]], the world's largest telecommunications and media conglomerate]]

The four major broadcasters in the U.S. are the [[National Broadcasting Company]] (NBC), [[Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS), [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC), and [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] (FOX). The four major broadcast [[television network]]s are all commercial entities. [[Cable television in the United States|Cable television]] offers hundreds of channels catering to a variety of niches.<ref>{{cite news|title=Streaming TV Services: What They Cost, What You Get|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/12/business/ap-us-streaming-tv-options.html|access-date=October 12, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=Associated Press|date=October 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015023520/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/12/business/ap-us-streaming-tv-options.html|archive-date=October 15, 2015}}</ref> {{as of|2021}}, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listen to [[radio broadcasting|broadcast radio]], while about 41% listen to [[podcast]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/audio-and-podcasting/|title=Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=June 29, 2021|access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref> {{As of|2014|09|30|df=US}}, there are 15,433 licensed full-power radio stations in the U.S. according to the U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{cite web|last=Waits|first=Jennifer|date=October 17, 2014|title=Number of U.S. Radio Stations on the Rise, Especially LPFM, according to New FCC Count|url=https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2014/10/17/number-u-s-radio-stations-rise-especially-lpfm-according-latest-fcc-count/|access-date=January 6, 2015|website=Radio Survivor}}</ref> Much of the public radio broadcasting is supplied by [[NPR]], incorporated in February 1970 under the [[Public Broadcasting Act of 1967]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 20, 2013|title=History: NPR|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/about-npr/192827079/overview-and-history|access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref>

Globally-recognized newspapers in the United States include ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and ''[[USA Today]]''.<ref name="Shaffer2006">{{cite book|first=Brenda|last=Shaffer|title=The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEOd-cDWVwQC&pg=PA116|year=2006|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-19529-4|page=116}}</ref> More than 800 publications are produced in Spanish, the second most commonly used language in the United States behind English.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish Newspapers in United States|url=https://www.w3newspapers.com/usa/spanish|access-date=August 5, 2014|publisher=W3newspapers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spanish Language Newspapers in the USA : Hispanic Newspapers : Periódiscos en Español en los EE.UU|url=https://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626114455/https://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/spanish-language-newspapers-usa.htm|archive-date=June 26, 2014|access-date=August 5, 2014|publisher=Onlinenewspapers.com}}</ref> 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 newspaper]]s to complement the mainstream daily papers, such as ''[[The Village Voice]]'' in New York City and ''[[LA Weekly]]'' in [[Los Angeles]]. The five most popular websites used in the U.S. are [[Google]], [[YouTube]], [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], [[Yahoo]], and [[Facebook]], with all of them being American companies.<ref name="alexa-topsitesus">{{cite web|year=2021|title=Top Sites in United States|url=https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US|access-date=October 6, 2021|publisher=Alexa|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621221154/https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The video game market of the United States is the world's second-largest by revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian countries make up 40% of the world's top 10 video gaming markets |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/which-countries-have-the-largest-video-gaming-markets/ |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=World Economic Forum |date=August 24, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Major publishers headquartered in the United States are [[Sony Interactive Entertainment]], [[Take-Two Interactive|Take-Two]], [[Activision Blizzard]], [[Electronic Arts]], [[Xbox Game Studios]], [[Bethesda Softworks]], [[Epic Games]], [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], [[Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment|Warner Bros.]], [[Riot Games]], and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian countries make up 40% of the world's top 10 video gaming markets |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/which-countries-have-the-largest-video-gaming-markets/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=World Economic Forum |date=August 24, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-13 |title=Top 10 gaming companies made $126bn revenue last year |language=en-gb |work=Eurogamer.net |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/top-10-gaming-companies-made-126bn-revenue-last-year |access-date=2022-12-14}}</ref> There are 444 publishers, developers, and hardware companies in [[California]] alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California (CA) |url=https://www.theesa.com/video-game-impact-map/state/california/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=ESA Impact Map |date=July 20, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|American cuisine}}
{{further|List of American regional and fusion cuisines}}
[[File:Cheeseburger with fries.jpg|thumb|A [[cheeseburger]] served with [[French fries|fries]] and [[coleslaw]]]]

Early settlers were introduced by Native Americans to such indigenous, non-European foods as [[Turkey as food|turkey]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[maize|corn]], [[Cucurbita|squash]], and [[maple syrup]]. They and later immigrants combined these with foods they had known, such as [[wheat flour]],<ref name="Wheat">{{cite web|title=Wheat Info|url=https://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-info/fast-facts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011012758/https://www.wheatworld.org/wheat-info/fast-facts/|archive-date=October 11, 2009|website=Wheatworld.org|access-date=January 15, 2015 }}</ref> beef, and milk to create a distinctive American cuisine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Traditional Indigenous Recipes|url=https://aihd.ku.edu/recipes/index.html|publisher=American Indian Health and Diet Project|access-date=September 15, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Akenuwa|first=Ambrose|title=Is the United States Still the Land of the Free and Home to the Brave?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7aw5CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT93|date=July 1, 2015|pages=92–94|publisher=Lulu Press|isbn=978-1-329-26112-9|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> Homegrown foods are part of a shared national menu on one of America's most popular holidays, [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]], when many Americans make or purchase 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=https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-4629-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0/page/134 134]–|access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>

The American [[fast food]] industry, the world's first and largest, is also often viewed as being a symbol of U.S. marketing dominance. Companies such as [[McDonald's]],<ref name="DeBres2005">Karen DeBres, "A Cultural Geography of McDonald's UK," Journal of Cultural Geography, 2005</ref> [[Burger King]], [[Pizza Hut]], [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]], and [[Domino's Pizza]] among others, have numerous outlets around the world,<ref>{{cite news|title=Why McDonald's in France Doesn't Feel Like Fast Food|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/24/145698222/why-mcdonalds-in-france-doesnt-feel-like-fast-food|last1=Breadsley|first1=Eleanor|website=NPR|date=January 24, 2012|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> and pioneered the [[drive-through]] format in the 1940s.<ref name="drivethru">{{cite web|title=When Was the First Drive-Thru Restaurant Created?|url=https://www.wisegeek.org/when-was-the-first-drive-thru-restaurant-created.htm|website=Wisegeek.org|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref> Characteristic American dishes such as [[apple pie]], [[fried chicken]], [[doughnuts]], [[french fries]], [[macaroni and cheese]], [[ice cream]], [[Pizza in the United States|pizza]], [[hamburgers]], and [[hot dogs]] derive from the recipes of various immigrants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2020/12/31/consumer-spending-data-kfc-is-the-most-popular.html|title=KFC is America's favorite fried chicken, data suggests|last=Cawthon|first=Haley|date=December 31, 2020|website=BizJournals.com|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/food/america/the-history-of-the-pizza/|title=How Pizza Became America's Favorite Food|last=Russell|first=Joan|date=May 23, 2016|website=PasteMagazine.com|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> [[Mexican cuisine|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=https://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|access-date=June 19, 2007}}</ref>
===Sports===
{{Main|Sports in the United States}}
{{See also|Professional sports leagues in the United States|National Collegiate Athletic Association|United States at the Olympics}}
[[File:Commanders vs. Jaguars (52379056543).jpg|thumb|[[American football]] is the most popular sport in the United States; in this September 2022 [[National Football League]] game, the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] play the [[Washington Commanders]] at [[FedExField]].]]

The most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are [[American football]], [[basketball]], [[baseball]], [[association football|soccer]], and [[ice hockey]], according to a 2017 ''[[Gallup, Inc.|Gallup]]'' poll.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sports |date=September 25, 2007 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/4735/sports.aspx |publisher=Gallup, Inc. |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved out of European practices, basketball, [[volleyball]], [[skateboarding]], and [[snowboarding]] are American inventions, some of which have become popular worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sarah Krasnoff|first=Lindsay|date=December 26, 2017|title=How the NBA went global|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/26/how-the-nba-went-global/|access-date=January 24, 2021}}</ref> [[Lacrosse]] and [[surfing]] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate European contact.<ref name="liss">Liss, Howard. ''Lacrosse'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) pg 13.</ref> The market for [[professional sports]] in the United States was roughly $69&nbsp;billion in July 2013, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 18, 2008|title=Global sports market to hit $141 billion in 2012|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pwcstudy-idUSN1738075220080618|access-date=July 24, 2013|website=Reuters}}</ref>

American football is by several measures the most popular spectator sport in the United States;<ref>{{cite web|author=Krane, David K.|title=Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport|url=https://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337|publisher=Harris Interactive|date=October 30, 2002|access-date=September 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709111448/https://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337|archive-date=July 9, 2010}} MacCambridge, Michael (2004). ''America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation''. New York: Random House. {{ISBN|978-0-375-50454-9}}.</ref> the [[National Football League]] (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world, and the [[Super Bowl]] is watched by tens of millions globally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27321898/how-nfl-took-america-100-years|title=How the NFL took over America in 100 years|last=Guliza|first=Anthony|date=August 14, 2019|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> Baseball has been regarded as the U.S. [[national sport]] since the late 19th century, with [[Major League Baseball]] being the top league. Basketball, soccer and [[ice hockey]] are the country's next three most popular professional team sports, with the top leagues being the [[National Basketball Association]] and the [[National Hockey League]], which are also the premier leagues worldwide for these sports. The most-watched [[individual sport]]s in the U.S. are [[golf]] and [[auto racing]], particularly [[NASCAR]] and [[IndyCar]].<ref>{{cite web|date=January 16, 2014|title=As American as Mom, Apple Pie and Football? Football continues to trump baseball as America's Favorite Sport|url=https://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309053431/https://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris%20Poll%205%20-%202014%20Fave%20Sport_1.16.14.pdf|archive-date=March 9, 2014|access-date=July 2, 2014|website=Harris Interactive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Cowen, Tyler|author2=Grier, Kevin|date=February 9, 2012|title=What Would the End of Football Look Like?|url=https://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football|access-date=February 12, 2012|publisher=Grantland/ESPN}}</ref> On the [[collegiate athletics|collegiate]] level, earnings for the member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,<ref name="si">{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/07/ncaa-1-billion-revenue|title=Sports Illustrated: NCAA Reports $1.1 Billion in Revenues|date=March 7, 2018 }}</ref> and [[college football]] and [[College basketball|basketball]] attract large audiences, as the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Final Four]] is one of the most watched national sporting events.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 19, 2013|title=Passion for College Football Remains Robust|url=https://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075223/https://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx|archive-date=April 7, 2014|access-date=April 1, 2014|publisher=National Football Foundation}}</ref>

Eight [[Olympic Games]] have taken place in the United States. The [[1904 Summer Olympics]] in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], were the first-ever Olympic Games held outside of Europe.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schaus|first=Gerald P.|last2=Wenn|first2=Stephen R.|title=Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games|date=February 9, 2007|publisher=[[Wilfrid Laurier University Press]]|page=224|isbn=978-0-889-20505-5}}</ref> The Olympic Games will be held in the U.S. for a ninth time when [[Los Angeles]] hosts the [[2028 Summer Olympics]]. [[United States at the Olympics|U.S. athletes]] have won a total of 2,959 medals (1,173 gold) at the [[Olympic Games]], by far the most of any country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greatestsportingnation.com/|title=Greatest Sporting Nation|website=greatestsportingnation.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/olympics/the-1000-medals-of-the-united-states/| title = 1,000 times gold – The thousand medals of Team USA – Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><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=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/winter-olympics-medal-count-sochi-all-time-facts/|access-date=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=https://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/06/sports/la-sp-a-history-of-the-winter-olympic-medals-20140206|access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

In international [[Association football|soccer]], the [[United States men's national soccer team|men's national soccer team]] qualified for [[United States at the FIFA World Cup|eleven World Cups]], and the [[United States women's national soccer team|women's national team]] has [[United States at the FIFA Women's World Cup|won]] the [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] and [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic soccer tournament]] four times each.<ref>{{cite web|last=Carlisle|first=Jeff|date=April 6, 2020|title=MLS Year One, 25 seasons ago: The Wild West of training, travel, hockey shootouts and American soccer|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/4082408/mls-year-one25-seasons-ago-the-wild-west-of-trainingtravelhockey-shootouts-and-american-soccer|access-date=May 5, 2021|publisher=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> The United States hosted the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] and will co-host, along with [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]], the [[2026 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Wamsley |first=Laurel |date=June 16, 2022 |title=The U.S. cities hosting the 2026 World Cup are announced |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105562734/us-cities-hosting-2026-world-cup-announcement |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Lists of U.S. state topics]]
* [[Outline of the United States]]
{{clear}} <!--For wide-screen monitors, prevent image above from punching through the ref section. -->

==Notes==
{{notelist
| colwidth =
| notes =
{{efn
| name = pop
| Excludes [[Puerto Rico]] and the other [[Unincorporated territories of the United States|unincorporated islands]] because they are counted separately in [[U.S. census]] statistics.
 }}
{{efn
| name = time
| See [[Time in the United States]] for details about laws governing time zones in the United States.
 }}
{{efn
| name = drive
| A single jurisdiction, the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], uses left-hand traffic.
 }}
}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em}}
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* {{cite book|first1=David S.|last1=Kidder|first2=Noah D.|last2=Oppenheim|title=The Intellectual Devotional: American History: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently about Our Nation's Past|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PF39tMiwmWcC&pg=PA91|year=2007|publisher=Rodale|isbn=978-1-59486-744-6}}
* {{cite book|first=Craig|last= Lockard|title=Societies, Networks, and Transitions, Volume B: From 600 to 1750|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k91sCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315|year=2010|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-111-79083-7}}
* {{cite book|first1=Donna|last1=Martinez|first2=Grace|last2=Sage|first3=Azusa|last3=Ono|title=Urban American Indians: Reclaiming Native Space: Reclaiming Native Space|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2HjEDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|date=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-4408-3208-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Lien|first=Arnold Johnson|title=Studies in History, Economics, and Public Law|volume=54|ref=Lien|publisher=Columbia University|location=New York|year=1913|page=604|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYpVAAAAYAAJ}}
* {{cite book|author=The New York Times|title=The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind|edition=2nd|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesguid00|year=2007|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-37659-8 }}
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* {{cite book|first=William|last=Safire|title=No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On Language" Column in The New York Times Magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/nouncertainterms00safi|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/nouncertainterms00safi/page/199 199]|year=2003|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-4955-3}}
* {{cite book|first= Candace|last= Savage|title=Prairie: A Natural History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1u9BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55|date=2011|publisher=Greystone Books|isbn=978-1-55365-899-3}}
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* {{cite book|last=Winchester|first=Simon|title=The men who United the States|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780062079602|url-access=registration|year=2013|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=978-0-06-207960-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780062079602/page/198 198], 216, 251, 253}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Wright |first=Gavin |year=2022 |title=Slavery and the Rise of the Nineteenth-Century American Economy |url=https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.36.2.123 |journal=[[Journal of Economic Perspectives]] |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=123–148 |doi=10.1257/jep.36.2.123 |s2cid=248716718 |via=}}
* {{cite book|last=Zinn|first=Howard|author-link=Howard Zinn|title=A People's History of the United States|ref=Zinn|year=2005|publisher=[[Harper Perennial]] Modern Classics|isbn=978-0-06-083865-2|title-link=A People's History of the United States }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Library resources box}}
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* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/ "United States"], ''[[The World Factbook]]'', [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=US Key Development Forecasts for the United States] from [[International Futures]]

'''Government'''
* [https://www.usa.gov/ Official U.S. Government web portal], a gateway to government sites
* [https://www.house.gov/ House]. Official site of the United States House of Representatives
* [https://www.senate.gov/ Senate]. Official site of the United States Senate
* [https://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'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080314143240/https://www.nationalcenter.org/HistoricalDocuments.html "Historical Documents"], the [[National Center for Public Policy Research]]
* [https://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm "U.S. National Mottos: History and Constitutionality"], Religious Tolerance {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119213422/http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_mott.htm |date=November 19, 2022 }}. Analysis by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
* [https://www.historicalstatistics.org/index2.html "Historical Statistics"], collected links to United States historical data

'''Maps'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091021182322/https://www.nationalatlas.gov/ "National Atlas of the United States"], official maps from the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]]
* {{wikiatlas|the United States}}
* {{osmrelation-inline|148838}}
* [https://www.measureofamerica.org/maps/ "Measure of America"], a variety of mapped information relating to health, education, income, and demographics in the United States

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

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