United States

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The United States of America (U.S.A.), also referred to as the United States (U.S.), America, or the States, is an imperial nation state in North America and the Pacific Ocean (the islands of Hawaii, and the Aleutians). It claims continental territory that extends from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in the north and Mexico in the south, shares a marine border with Russia in the west, and has a collection of districts, territories, and possessions around the world including Puerto Rico, Midway Atoll, and Guam. Much of this territory is still disputed by Native Americans, notably the U.S. claim to the island of Hawa'ii and much of the state of Nevada. There is a strong Puerto Rican independence movement which was recently repressed by U.S. authorities.

The country has fifty states, which have a level of local autonomy according to the system of federalism. A United States citizen is usually identified as an American¹.

The United States traces its national origin to the declaration by thirteen British colonies in 1776 that they were free and independent states. Before the British, and in terms of territory, the Dutch, Spanish and French had a stronger foothold on the New Continent where Native Americans (also called American Indians, Red Indians, or Indians, though the terms are inaccurate and now considered offensive) had lived for thousands of years.

1 History
2 Politics
3 Political divisions
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Related
9 Notes

[edit] History

The United States' history is a complex and layered one. Within the US most Americans are taught of the bravery the colonists showed in resisting the tyranny of the British Empire. The myth continues with the colonists then founding the country on principles of democracy, various freedoms and the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

In reality, Colonial America did not set out deliberately to be the land of the free. On the contrary, it began in a tangle of tyranny, special privilege, and vast land monopoly. Territories were carved out either as colonies subject directly to the English Crown, or as enormous land grabs for privileged companies or feudal proprietors. The nation-state has gone on to lead the bloody history of an empire. Still, within the belly of the beast are movements of resistance to these hierarchical forces.

While many colonists immigrated to North America to escape religious persecution, they carried with them imperial and white supremacist aspirations. The existence of the colonies came from the slaughter and eventual genocide of the people indigenous to the land. The country was also founded on a very deliberate and systematic form of slavery.

For more see History of United States Imperialism

[edit] Politics

The United States of America consists of 50 states with limited autonomy in which federal law takes precedence over state law. In general, matters that lie entirely within state borders are the exclusive concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities; the state criminal code; and working conditions within the state.

The various state constitutions differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. On such matters as the operation of businesses, banks, public utilities and charitable institutions, state constitutions are often more detailed and explicit than the federal Constitution. In recent years, the federal government has assumed broader responsibility in such matters as health, education, welfare, transportation, housing and urban development.

The federal government itself consists of three branches: the executive branch (headed by the President), the legislative branch (the Congress), and the judicial branch (headed by the Supreme Court). The President is elected to a four-year term by the Electoral College. The various legislators are in turn chosen primarily by the popular votes in the 50 states. Members of Congress are elected for terms of two years in the United States House of Representatives and six years in the Senate. This tripartite system is duplicated, with variations, (such as elected governors instead of a president) at the state level.

The federal and state government is dominated by two political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. The dominant political culture in the United States is, as a whole, somewhat to the right of the dominant political culture in European democracies. Given their complex support bases it is difficult to specifically categorize the two major parties' appeal. Within the United States political culture, the Republican Party is described as center-right and the Democratic Party is described as center-left. Minor party and independent candidates are very occasionally elected, usually to local or state office, but the United States political system has historically supported "catch all parties" rather than coalition governments. The ideology and policies of the sitting President of the United States commonly play a large role in determining the direction of his political party, as well as the platform of the opposition.

Political parties in the United States do not have formal "leaders" unlike many other countries, although there are complex hierarchies within the political parties that form various executive committees. Party ideology remains very individually-driven, with a diverse spectrum of moderates, centrists, and radicals within each party.

The two parties exist on both the state and federal level, although the parties' organization, platform, and ideologies are not necessarily uniform across all levels of government.

Both major parties draw some support from all the diverse socio-economic classes which compose the mature multi-ethnic capitalist society which makes up the United States. Business interests provide support to both parties. Funding and support to the Republican Party comes from morality and Christian groups, while labor unions and minority ethnic groups provide support to the Democrats. However the major source of funding to both parties comes from the business community. Because elections in the United States are among the most expensive in the world access to funds is vital in the political system due to the financial costs of mounting political campaigns. Thus, through lobbying, corporations, unions, and other organized groups that provide funds and political support to parties and politicians play the largest role in determining political agendas and government decision-making.

The immense cultural, economic, and military influence of the United States has made foreign relations an especially important topic in its politics, with considerable concern about the image of the United States throughout the world.

[edit] Political divisions

At the time of the United States Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies transformed themselves into states, initially connected in a loose confederation, and later united as a unified country (cf. the United States). In the following years, the number of states within the U.S. grew steadily, due to western expansion, the conquest and purchase of lands by the national government, and the subdivision of existing states, resulting in the current total of fifty. The states are generally divided into smaller administrative regions: counties, cities and townships.

The United States also holds several other territories, districts and possessions, notably the federal district of the District of Columbia, which is the nation's capital, and several overseas insular areas, the most significant of which are Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the United States Virgin Islands. The United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or United States abandonment of the area can terminate the lease.

The United States has made no territorial claim in Antarctica but has reserved the right to do so.

[edit] Geography

As the world's third largest nation (total area), the United States landscape varies greatly: temperate forestland on the East coast, mangrove forests in Florida, the Great Plains in the center of the country, the Mississippi-Missouri river system, the Rocky Mountains west of the plains, deserts and temperate coastal zones west of the Rocky Mountains and temperate rainforests in the Pacific Northwest. The arctic regions of Alaska and the volcanic islands of Hawaii only increase the geographic and climatic diversity.

The climate varies along with the landscape, from sub-tropical in Florida to tundra in Alaska. Large parts of the country have a continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Some parts of the United States, particularly parts of California, have a Mediterranean climate.

[edit] Economy

The economy of the United States is described as "mixed" because, while it is organized primarily on a capitalist model (entrepreneurship is encouraged, and most enterprises are privately owned), it also uses states resources to support capitalism through funding of the military, police forces, transportation networks, direct subsidies and low taxation, and a variety of state planning of the private sector.

The U.S. economy is marked by excess for the ruling class and elites, widespread unemployment and underemployment, stagnant wages, a widespread gap between the rich and poor, a large trade deficit and rapid advances in technology. Its economy is regarded as the most important in the world. Several countries have coupled their currency with the dollar, or even use it as a currency, and the U.S. stock markets are globally seen as an indicator of world economy.

The country has mineral resources, with extensive gold, oil, coal and uranium deposits. The government-supported agribusiness sector ranks the country among the top producers of, among others, corn, wheat, sugar and tobacco. The U.S. manufacturing sector produces cars, airplanes and electronics. The biggest industry is now service; about three-quarters of U.S. residents are employed in that sector.

The largest trading partner of the United States is its northern neighbor, Canada. Other major partners are Mexico, the European Union and the industrialized nations in Asia, such as Japan, India and South Korea. Trade with China is also significant.

[edit] Demographics

Most of the 290 million people currently living in the United States descend from European immigrants who have arrived since the establishment of the first colonies. Major components of the European segment of the United States population are descended from immigrants from Germany, England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Ireland and Italy, with many immigrants also coming from Scandinavian or Slavic countries. Other significant immigrant populations came from eastern and southern Europe and French Canada; few immigrants came directly from France. Likewise, while there were few immigrants directly from Spain,

Latinos from Mexico and South and Central America are considered the largest minority group in the country, comprising 13.4 percent of the population in 2002. This has brought increasing use of the Spanish language in the United States.

About 12.9 percent (2000 census) of the American people are African Americans who largely descend from the African slaves brought to the U.S. between the 1620s and the 1820s.

A third significant minority is the Asian American population (3.6 percent).

The aboriginal population of Native Americans, such as American Indians and Inuit, make up less than one percent of the population.

The United States, as a developed nation, is noteworthy for its high level of Christian fundamentalism. However, the percentage of Americans calling themselves Christian has declined somewhat in recent years from 86.2 percent in 1990 to 76.5 percent in 2001.

As of 2001, the distribution for major religions in the United States was Protestant (52 percent), Roman Catholic (24.5 percent), "none" (13.2 percent), Jewish (1.3 percent) and between 0.3 and 0.5 percent each for Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Unitarian Universalist. An additional 0.3 to 0.5 percent, each, are professed Agnostics and Atheists.

The social structure of the United States is highly stratified, with a large proportion of the wealth of the country controlled by a small fraction of the population which exerts disproportionate cultural and political influence on the rest of the nation. (Its Gini coefficient of 40.8 percent is the highest of all developed nations.)

[edit] Culture

U.S. culture has a large influence on the rest of the world, especially the Western world. This influence is often criticized as cultural imperialism. U.S. music is heard all over the world, and it is the sire of such forms as blues and jazz and had a primary hand in the shaping of modern rock and roll and popular music culture. Many great Western classical musicians and forums find their home in the U.S. and New York City is a hub for international operatic and instrumental music as well as the world-famed Broadway plays and musicals. U.S. movies (primarily embodied in Hollywood) and television shows can be seen almost anywhere. This is in stark contrast to the early days of the republic, when the country was viewed by Europeans as an agricultural backwater with little to offer the culturally "advanced" world centers of Asia and Europe. Nearing the end of its third century of nationhood, the U.S. plays host to the gamut of human intellectual and artistic endeavor in nearly every major city, offering classical and popular music; historical, scientific and art research centers and museums; dance performances, musicals and plays; outdoor art projects and internationally significant architecture. This development is a result of both contributions by private philanthropists and government funding.

The United States is also a great center of higher education, boasting more than 1,500 universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning, the top tier of which may be considered to be among the most prestigious and advanced in the world.

[edit] Related

Anarchism in the United States

[edit] Notes

¹ In Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Central and South America, the word América is used not to denote the U.S. but what English-speakers would term the Americas. Thus, some people of the Americas find it off-putting for the U.S. to be referred to as America and inhabitants of the U.S. as Americans.

This page is part of the World Guide.