View source for United States

{{Short description|Country primarily in North America}}
{{Hatnote|Several terms redirect here. For the totality of North and South America, see [[Americas]]. For other uses, see [[America (disambiguation)]], [[United States (disambiguation)]], [[US (disambiguation)]], [[USA (disambiguation)]], and [[The United States of America (disambiguation)]].}}
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{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = United States of America
| common_name            = United States
| image_flag             = Flag of the United States (Web Colors).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;color:inherit;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]]"<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:"The Star-Spangled Banner" - Choral with band accompaniment - United States Army Field Band.oga]]</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., territories, and freely associated sovereign states]]|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 boundaries of [[Exclusive economic zone of the United States|U.S. exclusive economic zone]]|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     = [[English language|English]]{{efn|name=officiallanguage|Per [[Executive Order 14224]].<ref name="EOWP">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/03/01/trump-english-official-language-explainer/ |title=A Trump order made English the official language of the U.S. What does that mean? |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |author1=Vivian Ho |author2=Rachel Pannett |date=March 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="EONYT">{{Cite news |last=Broadwater |first=Luke |date=March 1, 2025 |title=Trump Signs Order to Designate English as Official Language of the U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/us/politics/trump-order-english-official-language.html |access-date=March 1, 2025 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302005819/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/us/politics/trump-order-english-official-language.html |url-status=live }}</ref> States and territories variously recognize English only, English plus one or more local languages, or no language at all. See [[#Language|§ Language]].}}
<!-- NOTE: For English, don't add "American English" -->| ethnic_groups          = {{plainlist|''By race:''
*61.6% [[White Americans|White]]
*12.4% [[African Americans|Black]]
*6% [[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]]
}}
{{plainlist|''By origin:''
* 81.3% non-[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
* 18.7% Hispanic or Latino
}}
| 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 |date=August 13, 2021 |publisher=NPR }}</ref>
| demonym                = [[Americans|American]]<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>{{efn|name=demonym|The historical and informal demonym [[Yankee]] has been applied to Americans, New Englanders, and northeasterners since the 18th century.}}
| government_type        = Federal [[Presidential system|presidential republic]] <!-- Please establish a consensus before adding "under a dictatorship" or anything similar here. -->
<!-- Consensus is to list President, Vice President, Chief Justice, and Speaker of the House -->| leader_title1          = [[President of the United States|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Donald Trump]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[JD Vance]]
| leader_title3          = [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]]
| leader_name3           = [[Mike Johnson]]
| 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)|Recognition]]
| established_date3      = {{Start date|1783|9|3}}
| established_event4     = [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]]
| established_date4      = {{Start date|1788|6|21}}
| area_link              = Geography of the United States
| area_label             = Total area
| area_footnote          = <ref name="CensusGov2010HTML">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>{{efn|name=largestcountry}}
| area_rank              = 3rd
| area_sq_mi             = 3,796,742
| percent_water          = 7.0<ref>{{cite web |title=The Water Area of Each State |access-date=January 29, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |url=https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/how-wet-your-state-water-area-each-state |year=2018}}</ref> (2010)
| area_label2            = Land area
| area_data2             = {{convert|3,531,905|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} (3rd)
| population_census      = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 331,449,281<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/2020-census-data-release.html |title=U.S. Census Bureau Today Delivers State Population Totals for Congressional Apportionment |work=[[United States Census]] |access-date=April 26, 2021}} The 2020 census was held on April 1, 2020.</ref>{{efn|name="pop"}}
| population_census_year = 2020
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 340,110,988<ref name="Vintage2024">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-total.html |title=National Population Totals and Components of Change: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2024
| population_census_rank = 3rd
| population_density_sq_mi = 96.3 <!-- Figure based on (population/land + water area) in July 2019. -->
| population_density_rank = 180th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $30.507&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.US">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april/weo-report?c=111,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2023&ey=2030&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 Edition. (United States) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=www.imf.org |date=April 22, 2025 |access-date=May 26, 2025}}</ref>{{efn|name=PPP}}
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2025
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 2nd
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $89,105<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 9th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $30.507&nbsp;trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2025
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 1st
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $89,105<ref name="IMFWEO.US" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 7th
| Gini                   = 41.6 <!-- Number only. -->
| Gini_year              = 2023
| Gini_change            = decrease
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-282.html |title=Income in the United States: 2023 |newspaper=Census.gov |page=53 |access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>{{efn|After adjustment for taxes and transfers}}
| HDI                    = 0.938 <!-- Number only. -->
| HDI_year               = 2023 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| HDI_change             = increase <!-- Increase/decrease/steady. -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=May 6, 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=May 6, 2025 |access-date=May 6, 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 17th
| currency               = [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] ([[$]])
| 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 |access-date=August 11, 2023 |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416200528/https://cozab.com/the-difference-between-us-vs-com/ }}</ref>
| religion               = {{ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|{{Tree list}}
*67% [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]]
**33% [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
**22% [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
**11% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
**1% [[Mormonism]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|22% [[Irreligion in the United States|unaffiliated]]
|2% [[American Jews|Judaism]]
|6% [[Religion in the United States|other religion]]
|3% unanswered
}}
| religion_year          = 2023
| religion_ref           = <ref name="Staff-2007">{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=June 8, 2007 |title=In Depth: Topics A to Z (Religion) |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/1690/Religion.aspx |access-date=July 1, 2024 |website=[[Gallup, Inc.]] |language=en}}</ref>
}}
The '''United States of America''' ('''USA'''), also known as the '''United States''' ('''U.S.''') or '''America''', is a country primarily located in [[North America]]. It is a [[federal republic]] of 50 [[U.S. state|states]] and a federal capital district, [[Washington, D.C.]] The 48 [[contiguous states]] border [[Canada]] to the north and [[Mexico]] to the south, with the [[semi-exclave]] of [[Alaska]] in the northwest and the [[archipelago]] of [[Hawaii]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The United States also asserts sovereignty over five [[Territories of the United States|major island territories]] and [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|various uninhabited islands]] in [[Oceania]] and the [[Caribbean]].{{efn|The five major territories outside the union of states are [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]]. The seven undisputed island areas without permanent populations are [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]], [[Midway Atoll]], and [[Palmyra Atoll]]. U.S. sovereignty over the unpopulated [[Bajo Nuevo Bank]], [[Navassa Island]], [[Serranilla Bank]], and [[Wake Island]] is disputed.<ref name="HRI-2012"/>}} It is a [[megadiverse country]], with the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest land 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 />
Coastal/territorial waters included: {{cvt|9,833,517|km2|order=flip}}<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 }}</ref>
<br />
Only internal waters included: {{cvt|9,572,900|km2|order=flip}}<ref>{{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}} and [[List of countries and dependencies by population|third-largest population]], exceeding 340 million.{{efn|The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]]'s latest official population estimate of 340,110,988 residents (2024) is for the 50 states and the District of Columbia; it excludes the 3.6 million residents of the five major [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] and outlying islands. The Census Bureau also provides a continuously updated but unofficial population clock: [https://www.census.gov/popclock/ www.census.gov/popclock]|name=pop clock}}

[[Paleo-Indians]] migrated from North Asia to North America over 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations. [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonization]] established [[Spanish Florida]] in 1513, the first European colony in what is now the continental United States. [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] followed with the 1607 settlement of [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]], the first of the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. [[Middle Passage|Forced migration]] of [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved Africans]] supplied the labor force to sustain the [[Southern Colonies]]' [[plantation economy]]. Clashes with the [[The Crown|British Crown]] over taxation and lack of [[No taxation without representation|parliamentary representation]] sparked the [[American Revolution]], leading to the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] on July 4, 1776. Victory in the 1775–1783 [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] brought international recognition of U.S. sovereignty and fueled [[Territorial evolution of the United States|westward expansion]], dispossessing [[Native Americans in the United States|native inhabitants]]. As more states [[Admission to the Union|were admitted]], a North–South [[slave states and free states|division over slavery]] led the [[Confederate States of America]] to attempt secession and fight [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]] in the 1861–1865 [[American Civil War]]. With the United States' victory and reunification, [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|slavery was abolished nationally]]. By 1900, the country had established itself as a [[great power]], a status solidified after its involvement in [[World War I]]. Following [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, the U.S. [[American entry into World War II|entered World War II]]. [[Aftermath of World War II|Its aftermath]] left the U.S. and the [[Soviet Union]] as rival [[superpower]]s, competing for [[ideological dominance]] and [[international influence]] during the [[Cold War]]. The [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's collapse]] in 1991 ended the Cold War, leaving the U.S. as the world's sole superpower.

The [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. national government]] is a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[Constitution of the United States|constitutional]] federal republic and [[representative democracy]] with [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|three separate branches]]: [[United States Congress|legislative]], [[United States federal executive departments|executive]], and [[Federal judiciary of the United States|judicial]]. It has a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] national legislature composed of the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (a [[lower house]] based on population) and the [[United States Senate|Senate]] (an [[upper house]] based on equal representation for each state). [[Federalism in the United States|Federalism grants substantial autonomy]] to the 50 states. In addition, 574 Native American tribes have [[Tribal sovereignty in the United States|sovereignty rights]], and there are 326 [[Native American reservations]]. Since the 1850s, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties have dominated [[American politics]], while [[Americanism (ideology)|American values]] are based on a democratic tradition inspired by the [[American Enlightenment]] movement.

A [[developed country]], the [[International rankings of the United States|U.S. ranks]] high in economic competitiveness, innovation, and [[Higher education in the United States|higher education]]. Accounting for [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|over a quarter]] of nominal global economic output, [[Economy of the United States|its economy]] has been the world's largest [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|since about 1890]]. It is the [[List of countries by total wealth|wealthiest country]], with the [[Disposable household and per capita income#Household disposable income per capita (OECD)|highest disposable household income per capita]] among [[OECD]] members, though [[Wealth inequality in the United States|its wealth inequality]] is one of the most pronounced in those countries. Shaped by centuries of immigration, the [[culture of the United States|culture of the U.S.]] is diverse and [[Americanization|globally influential]]. Making up [[List of countries with highest military expenditures|more than a third]] of global military spending, the country has [[United States Armed Forces|one of the strongest militaries]] and is a recognized [[nuclear state]]. A member of [[International organization membership of the United States|numerous international organizations]], the U.S. plays a major role in global political, cultural, economic, and military affairs.

== Etymology ==
{{Further|Names of the United States|Demonyms for the United States|United Colonies|Naming of the Americas}}
Documented use of the phrase "United States of America" dates back to January 2, 1776. On that day, [[Stephen Moylan]], a [[Continental Army]] aide to General [[George Washington]], wrote a letter to [[Joseph Reed (politician)|Joseph Reed]], Washington's [[aide-de-camp]], seeking 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 name="DeLear-20132">{{cite news |last=DeLear |first=Byron |date=July 4, 2013 |title=Who coined 'United States of America'? Mystery might have intriguing answer |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0704/Who-coined-United-States-of-America-Mystery-might-have-intriguing-answer |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fay |first=John |date=July 15, 2016 |title=The forgotten Irishman who named the 'United States of America' |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-forgotten-Irishman-who-named-the-United-States-of-America.html |work=[[IrishCentral]]}}</ref> The first known public usage is an [[Anonymous work|anonymous essay]] published in the [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] newspaper ''[[The Virginia Gazette]]'' on April 6, 1776.<ref name="DeLear-20132" /> Sometime on or after June 11, 1776, [[Thomas Jefferson]] wrote "United States of America" in a rough draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]],<ref name="DeLear-20132" /> which was adopted by the [[Second Continental Congress]] on July 4, 1776.<ref name="Davis72">[[#Davis96|Davis 1996]], p. 7.</ref>

The term "United States" and its initialism "U.S.", used as nouns or as adjectives in English, are common short names for the country. The initialism "USA", a noun, is also common.<ref>{{cite web |title=Is USA A Noun Or Adjective? |url=https://www.dictionary.com/e/is-usa-a-noun/ |website=Dictionary.com |date=March 9, 2017 |access-date=July 3, 2025 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920175638/https://www.dictionary.com/e/is-usa-a-noun/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> "United States" and "U.S." are the established terms throughout the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]], with prescribed rules.{{efn|The official [[U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual]] has prescribed specific usages for "U.S." and "United States" as part of official names. In "formal writing (treaties, Executive orders, proclamations, etc.); congressional bills; legal citations and courtwork; and covers and title pages",<ref name="gpo-stylemanual" /> "United States" is always used. In a sentence containing the name of another country, "United States" must be used. Otherwise, "U.S." is used preceding a government organization or as an adjective, but "United States" is used as an adjective preceding non-governmental organizations (e.g. [[United States Steel Corporation]]).<ref name="gpo-stylemanual">{{cite book |title=U.S. Government Publishing Office Style Manual |date=January 12, 2017 |pages=222–223 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/ |access-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref>}} "The States" is an established colloquial shortening of the name, used particularly from abroad;<ref>{{cite dictionary |dictionary=Longman dictionary |title="The States" |url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/the-states |access-date=September 27, 2024}}</ref> "stateside" is the corresponding adjective or adverb.<ref>{{Cite dictionary |date=September 27, 2024 |title=Stateside |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stateside |access-date=October 4, 2024 |dictionary=Merriam-Webster}}</ref>

"{{vanchor|America}}" is the feminine form of the first word of {{lang|la|Americus Vesputius}}, the Latinized name of Italian explorer [[Amerigo Vespucci]] (1454–1512); it was first used as a place name by the German cartographers [[Martin Waldseemüller]] and [[Matthias Ringmann]] in 1507.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/626894/Amerigo-Vespucci |title=Amerigo Vespucci |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=July 7, 2011 |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710004308/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/626894/Amerigo-Vespucci |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|''Americus'' comes from the [[Medieval Latin]] name {{Lang|la-x-medieval|Emericus}} (for [[Saint Emeric of Hungary]]), itself derived from the Old High German name [[Emmerich (name)|Emmerich]].}} Vespucci first proposed that the [[West Indies]] discovered by [[Christopher Columbus]] in 1492 were part of a previously unknown landmass and not among the Indies at the eastern limit of Asia.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sandra |last=Sider |title=Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JtYy67FsRosC&pg=PA226 |page=226 |year=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533084-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Szalay |first1=Jessie |title=Amerigo Vespucci: Facts, Biography & Naming of America |url=https://www.livescience.com/42510-amerigo-vespucci.html |publisher=[[Live Science]] |access-date=June 23, 2019 |date=September 20, 2017}}</ref><ref name="locnamingofamerica">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Erin |title=How Did America Get Its Name? |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2016/07/how-did-america-get-its-name/#:~:text=America%20is%20named%20after%20Amerigo,part%20of%20a%20separate%20continent |website=Library of Congress Blog |access-date=September 3, 2020 |date=July 4, 2016}}</ref> In English, [[Americas (terminology)|the term "America"]] usually does not refer to topics unrelated to the United States, despite the usage of "the [[Americas]]" to describe the totality of the continents of [[North America|North]] and [[South America]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Kenneth G. |publisher=Columbia University Press |title=The Columbia guide to standard American English |location=New York |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-231-06989-2 |pages=27–28}}</ref>

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

=== Indigenous peoples ===
{{Main|History of Native Americans in the United States|Pre-Columbian era}}
[[File:Extreme Makeover, Mesa Verde Edition - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cliff Palace]], a settlement of [[Ancestral Puebloans|ancestors of]] the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[Pueblo peoples]] in present-day [[Montezuma County, Colorado]], built between {{Circa|1200 and 1275}}<ref>[https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cliff-palace "Cliff Palace"] at Colorado Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 31, 2024.</ref>]]
The [[Paleo-Indians|first inhabitants of North America]] migrated from [[Siberia]] over 12,000 years ago, either across the [[Bering land bridge]] or along the [[Coastal migration (Americas)|now-submerged Ice Age coastline]].{{sfn|Erlandson|Rick|Vellanoweth|2008|p=19}}{{sfn|Savage|2011|pages=55-58}} The [[Clovis culture]], which appeared around 11,000 BC, is believed to be the first widespread culture in the Americas.{{sfn|Waters|Stafford|2007|pages=1122–1126}}{{sfn|Flannery|2015|pages=173–185}} Over time, Indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the [[Mississippian culture]], developed [[Eastern Agricultural Complex|agriculture]], [[Southeastern Ceremonial Complex|architecture]], and [[complex societies]].{{sfn|Lockard|2010|page=315}} In the [[History of Native Americans in the United States#Post-Archaic stage|post-archaic period]], the Mississippian cultures were located in the [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]], [[Eastern United States|eastern]], and [[Southern United States|southern]] regions, and the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] in the [[Great Lakes region]] and along the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]], while the [[Hohokam culture]] and [[Ancestral Puebloans]] inhabited the [[American Southwest|southwest]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Johansen |first=Bruce |title=The Native Peoples of North America: A History, Volume 1 |year=2006 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |isbn=978-0-8135-3899-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yiKgBuSUPUIC&dq=native+american+history+archaic+period&pg=PA51}}</ref> [[Population history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native population estimates]] of what is now the United States before the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000{{sfn|Thornton|1998|page=34}}{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}} to nearly 10 million.{{sfn|Perdue|Green|2005|page=40}}{{sfn|Haines|Haines|Steckel|2000|page=12}}

=== European exploration, colonization and conflict (1513&ndash;1765) ===
{{Main|Colonial history of the United States|Colonial American military history}}
[[File:Nouvelle-France map-en.svg|thumb|The [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial possessions]] of [[British colonization of the Americas|Britain]] (the Thirteen Colonies in pink and others in purple), [[New France|France]] (in blue), and [[Kingdom of Spain|Spain]] (in orange) in North America, 1750|upright=1.3]]

[[Christopher Columbus]] began exploring the [[Caribbean]] for Spain in 1492, leading to [[Spanish Empire|Spanish-speaking settlements and missions]] from what are now [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Spanish Florida|Florida]] to [[Santa Fe de Nuevo México|New Mexico]] and [[Alta California|California]]. The first Spanish colony in the present-day continental United States was [[Spanish Florida]], chartered in 1513.<ref name="Galloway2006">{{cite book |author=Ralph H. Vigil |editor=Patricia Kay Galloway |title=The Hernando de Soto Expedition: History, Historiography, and "discovery" in the Southeast |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zzGphaI83EUC&pg=PA329 |date=January 1, 2006 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=0-8032-7132-8 |page=329 |chapter=The Expedition and the Struggle for Justice}}</ref><ref name="Hudson2018">{{cite book |author=Charles M. Hudson |title=Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun: Hernando de Soto and the South's Ancient Chiefdoms |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eapFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA130 |date=January 15, 2018 |publisher=University of Georgia Pres|isbn=978-0-8203-5290-9 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Frederick T. |year=1932 |title=The Record of Ponce de Leon's Discovery of Florida, 1513 |url=http://palmm.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/ucf%3A21231 |journal=The QUARTERLY Periodical of THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY |volume=XI |issue=1 |pages=5–6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Florida Center for Instructional Technology |url=https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/menendz/menendz1.htm |title=A Short History of Florida |date=2002 |publisher=University of South Florida |chapter=Pedro Menendez de Aviles Claims Florida for Spain}}<!--Online textbook for Florida public schools.--></ref> After several settlements failed there due to hunger and disease, Spain's first permanent town, [[Saint Augustine, Florida|Saint Augustine]], was founded in 1565.<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 |publisher=NPR |language=en}}</ref> France established its own settlements in [[French Florida]] in 1562, but they were either abandoned (Charlesfort, 1578) or destroyed by Spanish raids ([[Fort Caroline]], 1565); [[New France|permanent French settlements]] would be founded much later along the [[Great Lakes]] ([[Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit|Fort Detroit]], 1701), the [[Mississippi River]] (Saint Louis, 1764) and especially the [[Gulf of Mexico]] ([[New Orleans]], 1718).<ref name="Petto20072">{{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> Early European colonies also included the thriving Dutch colony of [[New Nederland]] (settled 1626, present-day New York) and the small Swedish colony of [[New Sweden]] (settled 1638 in what is now Delaware). [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] of the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] began with the [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia Colony]] (1607) and the [[Plymouth Colony]] (Massachusetts, 1620).<ref name="Jr.Selby20182">{{cite book |last1=Seelye |first1=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="BellahSullivan20062">{{cite book |last1=Bellah |first1=Robert Neelly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DQHmykT6u4C&pg=PA220 |title=Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life |last2=Madsen |first2=Richard |last3=Sullivan |first3=William M. |last4=Swidler |first4=Ann |last5=Tipton |first5=Steven M. |publisher=University of California Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-520-05388-5 |page=220 |ol=7708974M}}</ref> 

The [[Mayflower Compact]] in Massachusetts and the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut]] established precedents for representative [[self-governance]] and [[constitutionalism]] that would develop throughout the American colonies.<ref name="Remini2–32">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Remini|2007|pp=2–3}}.</ref><ref name="Johnson26–302">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Johnson|1997|pp=26–30}}.</ref> While European settlers in what is now the United States experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]], p. 6.</ref>{{efn|From the late 15th century, the [[Columbian exchange]] had been catastrophic for native populations throughout the Americas. It is estimated [[Virgin soil epidemic|that up to 95 percent of the Indigenous populations]], especially in the Caribbean, [[Native American disease and epidemics|perished from infectious diseases during the years following European colonization]];<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ehrenpreis |first1=Jamie E. |last2=Ehrenpreis |first2=Eli D. |date=April 2022 |title=A Historical Perspective of Healthcare Disparity and Infectious Disease in the Native American Population |journal=The American Journal of the Medical Sciences |volume=363 |issue=4 |pages=288–294 |doi=10.1016/j.amjms.2022.01.005 |issn=0002-9629 |pmc=8785365 |pmid=35085528}}</ref> remaining populations were often displaced by European expansion.{{sfn|Joseph|2016 |page=590}}<ref>[[#Stannard|Stannard, 1993]] p. [[iarchive:americanholocaus00stan|xii]]</ref>}} Relations ranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonial authorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity.<ref>[[#Ripper2008|Ripper, 2008]] p. 5</ref><ref>[[#Calloway1998|Calloway, 1998]], p. 55</ref> Along the eastern seaboard, settlers [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|trafficked African slaves]] through the [[Atlantic 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>

The original [[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]]}} that would later found the United States were administered as possessions of the [[British Empire]] by Crown-appointed governors,[[Category:Governors of the Thirteen Colonies]]<ref name="BilhartzElliott20072">{{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> though [[Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies|local governments held  elections open to most white male property owners]].<ref name="Wood19982">{{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><ref>{{cite journal |last=Ratcliffe |first=Donald |year=2013 |title=The Right to Vote and the Rise of Democracy, 1787–1828 |journal=Journal of the Early Republic |volume=33 |issue=2 |page=220 |doi=10.1353/jer.2013.0033 |s2cid=145135025 |issn=0275-1275}}</ref> The colonial population grew rapidly from Maine to Georgia, eclipsing Native American populations;<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], pp. 38–39.</ref> by the 1770s, the natural increase of the population 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 facilitated the entrenchment of self-governance,<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=1764}}</ref> and the [[First Great Awakening]], a series of [[Christian revival]]s, fueled colonial interest in guaranteed [[Freedom of religion|religious liberty]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Foner |first1=Eric |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone |title=The Story of American Freedom |date=1998 |publisher=W.W. Norton |isbn=978-0-393-04665-6 |edition=1st |pages=[https://archive.org/details/storyofamericanf00fone/page/4 4]–5 |quote=story of American freedom. |url-access=registration}}</ref>

===American Revolution and the early republic (1765&ndash;1800)===
{{Main|History of the United States (1776–1789)|History of the United States (1789–1815)|American Revolution}}
[[File:Declaration independence.jpg|alt=See caption|thumb|The ''[[Declaration of Independence (painting)|Declaration of Independence]]'' portrait depicts the 
[[Committee of Five]] presenting [[United States Declaration of Independence|the Declaration]] to the [[Second Continental Congress|Continental Congress]] on June 28, 1776, in [[Philadelphia]].]]
Following their victory in the [[French and Indian War]], Britain began to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, resulting in [[American Revolution|colonial political resistance]]; one of the primary colonial grievances was a denial of their [[Rights of Englishmen|rights as Englishmen]], particularly the right to [[No taxation without representation|representation in the British government that taxed them]]. To demonstrate their dissatisfaction and resolve, the [[First Continental Congress]] met in 1774 and passed the [[Continental Association]], a colonial boycott of British goods that proved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted in the 1775 [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], igniting the [[American Revolutionary War]]. At the [[Second Continental Congress]], the colonies appointed [[George Washington]] commander-in-chief of the [[Continental Army]], and created [[Committee of Five|a committee]] that named [[Thomas Jefferson]] to draft the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. Two days after passing the [[Lee Resolution]] to create an independent nation the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.<ref name="YoungNash20112">{{cite book |author1=Fabian Young, Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEzaLJ4u_MEC&pg=PA4 |title=Revolutionary Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation |author2=Nash, Gary B. |author3=Raphael, Ray |publisher=Random House Digital |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-307-27110-5 |pages=4–7}}</ref> The [[American Enlightenment|political values of the American Revolution]] included [[liberty]], [[Natural rights and legal rights|inalienable individual rights]]; and the [[Popular sovereignty|sovereignty of the people]];<ref>Yick Wo vs. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 370</ref> supporting [[Republicanism in the United States|republicanism]] and rejecting [[monarchy]], [[aristocracy]], and all hereditary political power; [[civic virtue]]; and vilification of [[political corruption]].<ref>Richard Buel, ''Securing the Revolution: Ideology in American Politics, 1789–1815'' (1972)</ref> The [[Founding Fathers of the United States]], who included Washington, Jefferson, [[John Adams]], [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Jay]], [[James Madison]], [[Thomas Paine]], and many others, were inspired by [[Classical republicanism#Classical antecedents|Classical]], [[Renaissance philosophy|Renaissance]], and [[Age of Enlightenment#Politics|Enlightenment]] philosophies and ideas.<ref>Becker et al (2002), ch 1</ref><ref name="SEoP-2006">{{cite web |date=June 19, 2006 |title=Republicanism |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/republicanism/ |access-date=September 20, 2022 |website=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref>

Though in practical effect since its drafting in 1777, the [[Articles of Confederation]] [[Perpetual Union|and Perpetual Union]] was ratified in 1781 and formally established a decentralized government that operated until 1789.<ref name="YoungNash20112" /> After the British surrender at the [[siege of Yorktown]] in 1781, American sovereignty was internationally recognized by the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] (1783), through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada, and south to [[Spanish Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |editor-last=Miller |editor-first=Hunter |title=British-American Diplomacy: The Paris Peace Treaty of September 30, 1783 |url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp |publisher=The Avalon Project at Yale Law School}}</ref> The [[Northwest Ordinance]] (1787) established the precedent by which the country's territory would expand with the [[Admission to the Union|admission of new states]], rather than the expansion of existing states.<ref>Shōsuke Satō, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=PY0VAAAAYAAJ History of the land question in the United States]'', Johns Hopkins University, (1886), p. 352</ref> The [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]] was drafted at the 1787 [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] to overcome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creating a [[federal republic]] governed by [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|three separate branches]] that together ensured a system of [[checks and balances]].{{sfn|Foner|2020|p=524}} George Washington [[1788–89 United States presidential election|was elected]] the country's first president under the Constitution, and the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] was adopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the more centralized government.{{sfn|Foner|2020|pp=538-540}} [[George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief|His resignation as commander-in-chief]] after the Revolutionary War and his later refusal to run for a third term as the country's first president established a precedent for the supremacy of civil authority in the United States and the [[Peaceful transition of power|peaceful transfer of power]].<ref name="BoyerJr.20072">[[#Boyer|Boyer, 2007]], pp. 192–193</ref>

===Westward expansion and Civil War (1800&ndash;1865)===
{{Main||History of the United States (1815–1849)|History of the United States (1849–1865)}}
[[File:U.S. Territorial Acquisitions.png|upright=1.3|thumb|[[Territorial evolution of the United States|Territorial expansion of the United States]]|alt=Historical territorial expansion of the United States]]
In the late 18th century, American settlers began to [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expand westward]] in larger numbers, many with a sense of [[manifest destiny]].<ref name="MD20072">{{Cite book |last1=Carlisle |first1=Rodney P. |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>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|p=41–46}} The [[Louisiana Purchase]] of 1803 from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana Purchase |url=https://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf |access-date=March 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329214632/https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/upload/louisiana_purchase.pdf |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |url-status=dead |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harriss |first=Joseph A. |title=How the Louisiana Purchase Changed the World |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-louisiana-purchase-changed-the-world-79715124/ |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> [[Origins of the War of 1812|Lingering issues with Britain remained]], leading to the [[War of 1812]], which was fought to a draw.<ref name="Wait19992">{{cite book |last=Wait |first=Eugene M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&pg=PA78 |title=America and the War of 1812 |publisher=Nova Publishers |year=1999 |isbn=978-1-56072-644-9 |page=78}}</ref> [[Adams–Onís Treaty|Spain ceded Florida]] and its Gulf Coast territory in 1819.<ref name="KloseJones19942">{{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>

The [[Missouri Compromise]] of 1820, which admitted [[Missouri]] as a [[Slave states and free states|slave state]] and [[Maine#Statehood|Maine]] as a free state, attempted to balance the desire of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories with that of southern states to extend it there. Primarily, the compromise prohibited slavery in all other lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of the [[parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ parallel]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hammond |first=John Craig |date=March 2019 |title=President, Planter, Politician: James Monroe, the Missouri Crisis, and the Politics of Slavery |journal=Journal of American History |volume=105 |issue=4 |pages=843–867 |doi=10.1093/jahist/jaz002}}</ref>

As Americans expanded further into territory inhabited by Native Americans, the [[Federal Indian Policy|federal government implemented policies]] of [[Indian removal]] or [[Cultural assimilation of Native Americans|assimilation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Frymer |first=Paul |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. |title=First peoples: a documentary survey of American Indian history |date=2019 |publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning |isbn=978-1-319-10491-7 |edition=6th |location=Boston |oclc=1035393060}}</ref> The most significant such legislation was the [[Indian Removal Act|Indian Removal Act of 1830]], a key policy of President [[Andrew Jackson]]. It resulted in the [[Trail of Tears]] (1830–1850), in which an estimated 60,000 Native Americans living east of the [[Mississippi River]] were forcibly removed and displaced to lands far to the west, causing 13,200 to 16,700 deaths along the forced march.{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|p=45}} Settler expansion as well as this influx of Indigenous peoples from the East resulted in the [[American Indian Wars]] west of the Mississippi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michno |first=Gregory |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850–1890 |date=2003 |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing |isbn=978-0-87842-468-9}}</ref><ref name="BillingtonRidge2001j2">{{cite book |author1=Billington, Ray Allen |url=https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22 |title=Westward Expansion: A History of the American Frontier |author2=Ridge, Martin |publisher=UNM Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8263-1981-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/westwardexpansio00bill/page/22 22] |author-link2=Martin Ridge (historian)}}</ref>

The United States [[Texas annexation|annexed the Republic of Texas]] in 1845,<ref name="Morrison19992">{{cite book |author=Morrison, Michael A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTaxzMlkVEMC&pg=PA13 |title=Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War |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]] led to U.S. control of the present-day [[Northwestern United States|American Northwest]].<ref name="Kemp20102">{{cite book |author=Kemp, Roger L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA180 |title=Documents of American Democracy: A Collection of Essential Works |publisher=McFarland |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7864-4210-2 |page=180 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> Dispute with Mexico over Texas led to the [[Mexican–American War]] (1846&ndash;1848). After the victory of the U.S., Mexico recognized U.S sovereignty over Texas, [[New Mexico]], and [[California]] in the 1848 [[Mexican Cession]]; the cession's lands also included the future states of [[Nevada]], [[Colorado]] and [[Utah]].<ref name="MD20072" /><ref name="McIlwraithMuller20012">{{cite book |author1=McIlwraith, Thomas F. |url=https://archive.org/details/northamericahist00mcil/page/61 |title=North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent |author2=Muller, Edward K. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2001 |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 a huge migration of white settlers to the Pacific coast, leading to even more confrontations with Native populations. One of the most violent, the [[California genocide]] of thousands of Native inhabitants, lasted into the mid-1870s.<ref>
* {{harvnb|Meyer|Snow|Snow|Cohen|Meyer|Thornton|Grinde|Dilworth|2001|loc=From 1800 to 1900}}: "The discovery of gold in California in 1848 proved a momentous watershed for native people in the West. Hordes of single men stampeded to find fortune. Unrestrained by family, community, or church, they decimated the native population near the goldfields. California natives suffered the most complete genocide in U.S. history."
* {{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}}
* {{Cite book |last=Madley |first=Benjamin |date=2016 |title=An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873. |publisher=Yale University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/americangenocide0000madl |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-300-23069-7}}
* {{harvnb|Smithers|2012|p=339}}: "The genocidal intent of California settlers and government officials was acted out in numerous battles and massacres (and aided by technological advances in weaponry, especially after the Civil War), in the abduction and sexual abuse of Indian women, and in the economic exploitation of Indian child labourers"
* {{harvnb|Blackhawk|2023|p=38}}: "With these works, a near consensus emerged. By most scholarly definitions and consistent with the UN Convention, these scholars all asserted that genocide against at least some Indigenous peoples had occurred in North America following colonisation, perpetuated first by colonial empires and then by independent nation-states"</ref> Additional western territories and states were created.<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>

[[File:US SlaveFree1858.gif|thumb|[[Slave states and free states]] in 1858]]
During the colonial period, [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|slavery had been legal in the American colonies]], becoming the main labor force in the [[Plantation complexes in the Southern United States|large-scale]], [[Antebellum South#Economic structure|agriculture-dependent economies]] of the [[Southern Colonies]] from Maryland to Georgia. The practice began to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution, {{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Wright|2y=2022}} and spurred by an active [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist movement]] that had reemerged in the 1830s, states in [[Northern United States|the North]] enacted laws to prohibit slavery within their boundaries.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker Howe|1y=2007|1p=52–54|2a1=Rodriguez|2y=2015|2p=XXXIV|3a1=Wright|3y=2022}} At the same time, [[Pro-slavery ideology in the United States|support for slavery had strengthened in Southern states]], with widespread use of inventions such as the [[cotton gin]] (1793) having made slavery immensely profitable for [[Planter class|Southern elites]].<ref>[[#Walton|Walton, 2009]], p. 43</ref><ref>[[#Gordon|Gordon, 2004]], pp. 27, 29</ref>{{sfn|Walker Howe|2007|p=478, 481–482, 587–588}} Throughout the 1850s, this [[Slave states and free states|sectional conflict regarding slavery]] was further inflamed by national legislation in the U.S. Congress and decisions of the Supreme Court. In Congress, the [[Fugitive Slave Act of 1850]] mandated the forcible return to their owners in the South of slaves taking refuge in non-slave states, while the [[Kansas&ndash;Nebraska Act]] of 1854 effectively gutted the anti-slavery requirements of the Missouri Compromise.<ref>{{cite web |title=Milestone documents: Kansas&ndash;Missouri Act (1854) |date=July 12, 2021 |url=https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/kansas-nebraska-act |agency=National Archives (Washington, D.C.) |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref> In its [[Dred Scott v. Sandford|Dred Scott decision]] of 1857, the Supreme Court ruled against a slave brought into non-slave territory, simultaneously declaring the entire Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. These and other [[Origins of the American Civil War|events exacerbated tensions between North and South]] that would culminate in the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865).<ref>{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Stuart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJ_sy7mmmxQC&pg=PA76 |title=Atlas of American Military History |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-4381-3025-5 |page=76 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Harold T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr-xNru5vZkC&pg=PA53 |title=Christian Social Witness |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-56101-188-9 |page=53}}</ref><ref name="Woods 2012 pp. 415–4392">{{cite journal |last=Woods |first=Michael E. |year=2012 |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 |volume=99 |issue=2 |pages=415–439 |doi=10.1093/jahist/jas272 |issn=0021-8723 |jstor=44306803}}</ref>

Beginning with [[South Carolina]], 11 slave-state governments voted to [[Secession in the United States|secede from the United States]] in 1861, joining to create the [[Confederate States of America]]. All other state governments remained loyal to [[Union (American Civil War)|the Union]].{{efn|The Confederate States of America was formed by the following states, each state government of which formally declared its [[Secession in the United States|secession]] from the United States: [[South Carolina in the American Civil War|South Carolina]], [[Mississippi in the American Civil War|Mississippi]], [[Florida in the American Civil War|Florida]], [[Alabama in the American Civil War|Alabama]], [[Georgia in the American Civil War|Georgia]], [[Louisiana in the American Civil War|Louisiana]], [[Texas in the American Civil War|Texas]], [[Virginia in the American Civil War|Virginia]], [[Arkansas in the American Civil War|Arkansas]], [[Tennessee in the American Civil War|Tennessee]], and [[North Carolina in the American Civil War|North Carolina]].}}<ref name="Silkenat 2019 p. 252">{{cite book |last=Silkenat |first=D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHWKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 |title=Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4696-4973-3 |series=Civil War America |page=25 |access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|p=236}} War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederacy [[Battle of Fort Sumter|bombarded Fort Sumter]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Vinovskis |first=Maris |title=Toward A Social History of the American Civil War: Exploratory Essays |date=1990 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-39559-5 |location=Cambridge; New York |page=4}}</ref>{{Sfn|McPherson|1988|pp=273–274}} Following the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] on January 1, 1863, many freed slaves joined the [[Union army]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/ |title=The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War |work=[[National Archives and Records Administration|U.S. National Archives and Records Administration]] |date=August 15, 2016 |quote=By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy.}}</ref> The war [[Turning point of the American Civil War|began to turn in the Union's favor]] following the 1863 [[Siege of Vicksburg]] and [[Battle of Gettysburg]], and the Confederates surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the [[Battle of Appomattox Court House]].<ref>Davis, Jefferson. [https://archive.org/stream/ashorthistoryco00davigoog#page/n544/mode/2up/search/surrender+at+Appomattox ''A Short History of the Confederate States of America''], 1890, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-175-82358-8}}. Available free online as an ebook. Chapter LXXXVIII, "Re-establishment of the Union by force", p. 503. Retrieved March 14, 2012.</ref>

=== Reconstruction, Gilded Age, and Progressive Era (1863&ndash;1917) ===
{{Main|History of the United States (1865–1917)}}
[[File:Emigrants (i.e. immigrants) landing at Ellis Island -.webm|thumb|left|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<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>]]

Efforts toward [[Reconstruction era|reconstruction in the secessionist South]] had begun as early as 1862,{{sfn|Dubois|1935|p=163}} but it was only after [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|President Lincoln's assassination]] that the three [[Reconstruction Amendments]] to the Constitution were ratified [[Civil rights movement (1865–1896)|to protect civil rights]]. The amendments codified nationally the abolition of slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for crimes, promised equal protection under the law for all persons, and prohibited discrimination on the basis of race or previous enslavement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/CivilWarAmendments.htm|title=U.S. Senate: Landmark Legislation: Thirteenth, Fourteenth, & Fifteenth Amendments|website=www.senate.gov|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=December 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230082340/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/CivilWarAmendments.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Foner|1988|p=66-7, 251-261, 446-449}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xv|title=The 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution|website=National Constitution Center – The 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution|language=en|access-date=January 3, 2020|archive-date=December 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230082444/https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xv|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, African Americans took an active political role in ex-Confederate states in the decade following the Civil War.{{sfn|Foner|1988|p=xxv}}{{sfn|Dubois|1935|p=381-727}} The former Confederate states were readmitted to the Union, beginning with Tennessee in 1866 and ending with Georgia in 1870.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glass |first1=Andrew |title=Tenn. is readmitted to the Union July 24, 1866 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2008/07/tenn-is-readmitted-to-the-union-july-24-1866-011990 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |work=Politico |date=July 24, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Glass |first1=Andrew |title=Georgia is readmitted to Union July 15, 1870|date=July 15, 2014|work=Politico|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/georgia-civil-war-108886|access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref>

National infrastructure, including [[First transcontinental telegraph|transcontinental telegraph]] and [[First transcontinental railroad|railroads]], spurred growth in the [[American frontier]]. This was accelerated by the [[Homestead Acts]], through which nearly 10 percent of the total land area of the United States was given away free to some 1.6 million homesteaders.<ref name="Black2011kj2">{{cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIst_CSWOqIC&pg=PA275 |title=Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519–1871 |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-253-35660-4 |page=275 |author-link=Jeremy Black (historian)}}</ref><ref>[https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/homestead-act/ ''The Homestead Act of 1862'']; Archives.gov</ref> From 1865 through 1917, an unprecedented stream of [[immigrants]] arrived in the United States, including 24.4 million from Europe.<ref>U.S. Bureau of the Census, ''Historical Statistics of the United States'' (1976) series C89–C119, pp.&nbsp;105–109</ref> Most came through the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|port of New York City]], and New York City and other large cities on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] became home to large [[History of the Jews in the United States|Jewish]], [[Irish Americans|Irish]], and [[Italian Americans|Italian]] populations, while many [[German Americans|Germans]] and Central Europeans moved to the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]. At the same time, about one million [[French-Canadian Americans|French Canadians]] migrated from [[Quebec]] to [[New England]].<ref>Stephan Thernstrom, ed., ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups'' (1980) covers the history of all the main groups</ref> During the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], millions of African Americans [[Jim Crow economy|left the rural South]] for urban areas in the North.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2021 |title=The Great Migration (1910–1970) |url=https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration |publisher=National Archives}}</ref> [[Alaska Purchase|Alaska was purchased]] from [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1867.<ref>{{cite web |title=Purchase of Alaska, 1867 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/alaska-purchase |access-date=December 23, 2014 |website=Office of the Historian |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

The [[Compromise of 1877]] is generally considered the end of the Reconstruction era, as it resolved the electoral crisis following the [[1876 United States presidential election|1876 presidential election]] and led President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] to reduce the role of federal troops in the South.{{sfn|Foner|1988|p=xxvii, 575-587}} Immediately, the [[Redeemers]] began evicting the [[Carpetbaggers]] and quickly regained local control of Southern politics in the name of [[white supremacy]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Woodward |first=C. Vann |title=Reunion and Reaction: The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction |date=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=United Kingdom |pages=237–246}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Drew Gilpin Faust |author-link=Drew Gilpin Faust |author2=Eric Foner |author2-link=Eric Foner |author3=Clarence E. Walker |author3-link=Clarence E. Walker |title=White Southern Responses to Black Emancipation |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reconstruction-white-southern-responses-black-emancipation/ |work=[[American Experience]]}}</ref> African Americans endured a period of heightened, overt racism following Reconstruction, a time often called the [[nadir of American race relations]].<ref name="ReferenceA2">{{cite book |last=Trelease |first=Allen W. |title=White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1979 |isbn=0-313-21168-X |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Shearer Davis Bowman |url=https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm |title=Masters and Lords: Mid-19th-Century U.S. Planters and Prussian Junkers |publisher=Oxford UP |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-19-536394-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/masterslordsmid10000bowm/page/221 221] |url-access=registration}}</ref> A series of Supreme Court decisions, including ''[[Plessy v. Ferguson]]'', emptied the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth]] and [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifteenth Amendment]]s of their force, allowing [[Jim Crow laws]] in the South to remain unchecked, [[sundown town]]s in the Midwest, and [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregation in communities across the country]], which would be reinforced by the policy of [[redlining]] later adopted by the federal [[Home Owners' Loan Corporation]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Plessy's Legacy: The Government's Role in the Development and Perpetuation of Segregated Neighborhoods |last=Ware |first=Leland |journal=RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences |date=February 2021 |pages=92–109 |volume=7 |issue=1 |doi=10.7758/rsf.2021.7.1.06 |s2cid=231929202|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Second Industrial Revolution|An explosion of technological advancement]] accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hirschman |first1=Charles |last2=Mogford |first2=Elizabeth |date=December 1, 2009 |title=Immigration and the American Industrial Revolution From 1880 to 1920 |journal=Social Science Research |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=897–920 |doi=10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.04.001 |issn=0049-089X |pmc=2760060 |pmid=20160966}}</ref> led to [[Gilded Age|rapid economic expansion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries]], allowing the United States to outpace the economies of England, France, and Germany combined.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carson |first1=Thomas |last2=Bonk |first2=Mary |title=Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History |date=1999 |publisher=Gale |chapter=Industrial Revolution}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Riggs |first1=Thomas |title=Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History Vol. 3 |date=2015 |publisher=Gale |page=1179 |edition=2}}</ref> This fostered the amassing of power by [[Robber baron (industrialist)|a few prominent industrialists]], largely by their formation of [[Trust (business)|trusts]] and [[Monopoly|monopolies]] to prevent competition.<ref name="Atlantic2">{{Cite journal |last=Dole |first=Charles F. |year=1907 |title=The Ethics of Speculation |journal=[[The Atlantic Monthly]] |volume=C |issue=December 1907 |pages=812–818}}</ref> [[Tycoon]]s led the nation's expansion in the [[History of rail transportation in the United States|railroad]], [[History of the petroleum industry in the United States|petroleum]], and [[History of the steel industry (1850–1970)|steel]] industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of the [[Automotive industry in the United States|automotive industry]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=The Pit Boss |date=February 26, 2021 |title=The Pit Stop: The American Automotive Industry Is Packed With History |url=https://pitstop.rumbleon.com/american-automotive-history |access-date=December 5, 2021 |website=Rumble On |archive-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425053945/https://pitstop.rumbleon.com/american-automotive-history }}</ref> These changes resulted in significant increases in [[economic inequality]], [[How the Other Half Lives|slum conditions]], and [[List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States|social unrest]], creating the environment for [[Labor history of the United States|labor unions]] and [[History of the socialist movement in the United States|socialist movements]] to begin to flourish.<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="Fraser2">{{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.<ref name="Aldrich2">Aldrich, Mark. ''Safety First: Technology, Labor and Business in the Building of Work Safety, 1870-1939.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-8018-5405-9}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Progressive Era to New Era, 1900-1929 {{!}} U.S. History Primary Source Timeline {{!}} Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/progressive-era-to-new-era-1900-1929/overview/ |access-date=November 11, 2023 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>

Pro-American elements in Hawaii [[Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom|overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy]]; the islands [[Newlands Resolution|were annexed]] in 1898. That same year, [[Puerto Rico]], [[the Philippines]], and [[Guam]] were ceded to the U.S. by Spain after the latter's defeat in the [[Spanish–American War]]. (The Philippines was granted full independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946, following World War II. Puerto Rico and Guam have remained U.S. territories.)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Spanish–American War, 1898 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/spanish-american-war |access-date=December 24, 2014 |website=Office of the Historian |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> [[American Samoa]] was acquired by the United States in 1900 after 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/ |access-date=January 5, 2018 |publisher=Vinow.com}}</ref>

=== World War I, Great Depression, and World War II (1917&ndash;1945) ===
{{Main|History of the United States (1917–1945)}}
[[File:Trinity shot color (4x3 cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|The 1945 American [[Trinity (nuclear test)|Trinity test]], the first-ever detonation of a [[nuclear weapon]]]]

The United States [[American entry into World War I|entered World War I]] alongside the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] in 1917 helping to turn the tide against the [[Central Powers]].<ref>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> In 1920, [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|a constitutional amendment]] granted nationwide [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Larson |first1=Elizabeth C. |last2=Meltvedt |first2=Kristi R. |year=2021 |title=Women's suffrage: fact sheet |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45805 |journal=CRS Reports (Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service) |series=Report / Congressional Research Service |access-date=August 9, 2023}}</ref> During the 1920s and 1930s, radio for [[mass communication]] and early television transformed communications nationwide.{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=410–411}} The [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] triggered the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], to which President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] responded with the [[New Deal]] plan of "reform, recovery and relief", a series of unprecedented and sweeping [[Alphabet agencies|recovery programs]] and [[Works Progress Administration|employment relief projects]] combined with [[Regulatory economics|financial reforms and regulations]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Axinn |first1=June |title=Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need |last2=Stern |first2=Mark J. |publisher=Allyn & Bacon |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-205-52215-6 |edition=7th |location=Boston}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=James Noble Gregory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qNdtGwnXYrIC |title=American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-19-507136-8 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite web |author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. --> |year=2013 |title=Mass Exodus From the Plains |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/surviving-the-dust-bowl-mass-exodus-plains/ |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=American Experience |publisher=WGBH Educational Foundation}} {{cite web |last1=Fanslow |first1=Robin A. |date=April 6, 1997 |title=The Migrant Experience |url=https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html |access-date=October 5, 2014 |website=American Folklore Center |publisher=Library of Congress}} {{cite book |last=Stein |first=Walter J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGuGAAAAIAAJ |title=California and the Dust Bowl Migration |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-8371-6267-6 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref>

[[United States non-interventionism before entering World War II|Initially neutral]] during [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]], the U.S. began [[Lend-Lease|supplying war materiel]] to the [[Allies of World War II]] in March 1941 and [[American entry into World War II|entered the war]] in December after the [[Empire of Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].<ref name="Pearl Harbor2">{{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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213122046/https://www.hawaiiinternment.org/static/ush_yamasaki_documentary_history.pdf |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |access-date=January 14, 2015 |publisher=World War II Internment in Hawaii}}</ref> The U.S. [[Manhattan Project|developed the first nuclear weapons]] and [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|used them against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] in August 1945, ending the war.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why did Japan surrender in World War II? |language=en |newspaper=The Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/08/06/commentary/japan-surrender-world-war-ii/ |access-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>Pacific War Research Society (2006). ''Japan's Longest Day''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-4-7700-2887-7}}.</ref> The United States was one of the "[[Four Policemen]]" who met to plan the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-war world]], alongside the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Soviet Union]], and [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]].{{sfn|Hoopes|Brinkley|1997|p=100}}{{sfn|Gaddis|1972|p=25}} The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater [[economic power]] and [[Sphere of influence|international political 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>

=== Cold War and social revolution (1945&ndash;1991) ===
{{Main|History of the United States (1945&ndash;1964)|History of the United States (1964–1980)|History of the United States (1980–1991)}}
[[File:Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial) - NARA - 542010.jpg|thumb|Civil rights activists during the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] in August 1963]]
[[File:Reagan and Gorbachev signing.jpg|thumb|Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and President [[Ronald Reagan]] sign the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]] at the [[White House]] in 1987.  |alt=Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House in 1987. Gorbachev was the final leader of the Soviet Union before its dissolution in 1991.]]
The end of [[World War II]] in 1945 left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as [[superpower]]s, each with its own political, military, and economic [[sphere of influence]]. Geopolitical tensions between the two superpowers soon led to the [[Cold War]].<ref name="Blakemore-20192">{{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/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401192349/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/cold-war/ |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref><ref>Mark Kramer, "The Soviet Bloc and the Cold War in Europe," in {{Cite book |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 |editor-last=Larresm |editor-first=Klaus |page=79}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sempa |first=Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Px4uDwAAQBAJ |title=Geopolitics: From the Cold War to the 21st Century |date=July 12, 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-51768-3}}</ref> The U.S. utilized the policy of [[containment]] to limit the USSR's sphere of influence, engaged in [[United States involvement in regime change#1945–1991: Cold War|regime change]] against governments perceived to be aligned with Moscow, and prevailed in the [[Space Race]], which culminated with the [[Apollo 11|first crewed Moon landing]] in 1969.<ref>[[#Blakeley|Blakeley, 2009]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=rft8AgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA92&pg=PA85#v=onepage&q&f=false pp. 85-96]</ref><ref name="Proxy2">{{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=978-0-8021-1011-4 |location=New York |author-link=Michael Collins (astronaut) |url-access=registration}}</ref>

Domestically, the U.S. [[Post–World War II economic expansion|experienced economic growth]], [[Urbanization in the United States|urbanization]], and [[Mid-20th century baby boom|population growth following World War II]].{{sfn|Winchester|2013|pp=305–308}} The [[civil rights movement]] emerged, with [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] becoming a prominent leader in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Civil Rights Movement |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eyesontheprize-milestones-civil-rights-movement/ |access-date=January 5, 2019 |publisher=PBS}}</ref> The [[Great Society]] plan of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s administration resulted in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies and [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|a constitutional amendment]] to counteract some of the worst effects of lingering [[institutional racism]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Alan |last=Brinkley |chapter=Great Society |title=The Reader's Companion to American History |date=January 24, 1991 |editor1=Eric Foner |editor2=John Arthur Garraty |isbn=0-395-51372-3 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Books |page=472}}</ref>

The [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture movement]] in the U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes toward [[recreational drug use]] and [[Sexual revolution|sexuality]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2022 |title=Playboy: American Magazine |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Playboy |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=[[Encyclopædia 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><ref>{{cite web |author=Svetlana Ter-Grigoryan |date=February 12, 2022 |title=The Sexual Revolution Origins and Impact |url=https://study.com/learn/lesson/sexual-liberation-movement-origin-timeline-impact-revolution.html |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=study.com}}</ref> It also encouraged [[Draft evasion in the Vietnam War|open defiance of the military draft]] (leading to the [[Conscription in the United States|end of conscription]] in 1973)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-15 |title=Selective Service Records |url=https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/selective-service |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=National Archives |language=en}}</ref> and [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|wide opposition]] to [[United States in the Vietnam War|U.S. intervention in Vietnam]], with the U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Daniel |date=January 19, 2018 |title=Behind the Protests Against the Vietnam War in 1968 |url=https://time.com/5106608/protest-1968/?amp=true |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> [[Women's liberation movement in the United States|A societal shift in the roles of women]] was significantly responsible for the large increase in female paid labor participation during the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of American women aged 16 and older 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 [[Revolutions of 1989|Fall of Communism]] and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] from 1989 to 1991 marked the [[end of the Cold War]] and [[Superpower#After the Cold War|left the United States as the world's sole superpower]].<ref name="Gaidar2">{{cite book |last=Gaĭdar |first=E.T. |url={{GBUrl|bDSfnxYjVwAC |pg=PA102}} |title=Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia |publisher=[[Brookings Institution#Publications|Brookings Institution Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8157-3114-6 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=190–205}}</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 |publisher=Texas A&M University |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-549-41658-6 |page=352}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kissinger |first=Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IZboamhb5EC&pg=PA731 |title=Diplomacy |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4391-2631-8 |pages=781–784 |author-link=Henry Kissinger |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite book |last=Mann |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgZyXNIrvB4C&pg=PT12 |title=The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War |publisher=Penguin |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4406-8639-9 |page=432}}</ref><ref>[[#Hayes|Hayes, 2009]]</ref> This cemented the United States' global influence, reinforcing the concept of the "[[American Century]]" as the U.S. dominated international political, cultural, economic, and military affairs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frum |first=David |date=December 24, 2014 |title=The Real Story of How America Became an Economic Superpower |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/the-real-story-of-how-america-became-an-economic-superpower/384034/ |access-date=December 10, 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2014/jun/13/ken-paxton/us-army-was-smaller-army-portugal-world-war-ii/|title=U.S. army was smaller than the army for Portugal before World War II|work=Politifact|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>

=== Contemporary (1991&ndash;present) ===
{{Main|History of the United States (1991–2016)|History of the United States (2016–present)}}
[[File:Explosion following the plane impact into the South Tower (WTC 2) - B6019~11.jpg|thumb|The [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers]] in New York City during the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001]]
[[File:2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC09254-2 (50820534063) (retouched).jpg|thumb|Supporters of then-[[Donald Trump|President Trump]] attempting to stop the counting of [[electoral votes]] on [[January 6, 2021]]]]

The 1990s saw the [[1990s United States boom|longest recorded economic expansion in American history]], a dramatic [[Crime in the United States#Crime over time|decline in U.S. crime rates]], and [[Technological and industrial history of the United States#Computers and information networks|advances in technology]]. Throughout this decade, technological innovations such as the [[World Wide Web]], the evolution of the [[Pentium (original)|Pentium]] microprocessor in accordance with [[Moore's law]], rechargeable [[Lithium-ion battery|lithium-ion batteries]], the first [[gene therapy]] trial, and [[cloning]] either emerged in the U.S. or were improved upon there. The [[Human Genome Project]] was formally launched in 1990, while [[Nasdaq]] became the first stock market in the United States to trade online in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((CFI Team)) |title=NASDAQ |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career-map/sell-side/capital-markets/nasdaq/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211163114/https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career-map/sell-side/capital-markets/nasdaq/ |archive-date=December 11, 2023 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=Corporate Finance Institute |language=en-US}}</ref>
 
In the [[Gulf War]] of 1991, [[Coalition of the Gulf War|an American-led international coalition of states]] expelled an [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraqi]] invasion force that had occupied neighboring [[Kuwait]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Holsti |first=Ole R. |author-link=Ole R. Holsti |title=American Public Opinion on the Iraq War |page=20 |chapter=The United States and Iraq before the Iraq War |date=November 7, 2011 |publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |isbn=978-0-472-03480-2}}</ref> The [[September 11 attacks]] on the United States in 2001 by the [[Pan-Islamism|pan-Islamist]] militant organization [[al-Qaeda]] led to the [[war on terror]] and subsequent [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|military interventions in Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq War|in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Walsh, Kenneth T. |date=December 9, 2008 |title=The 'War on Terror' Is Critical to President George W. Bush's Legacy |newspaper=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/09/the-war-on-terror-is-critical-to-president-george-w-bushs-legacy |access-date=March 6, 2013}} {{cite book |last=Atkins |first=Stephen E. |author-link=Stephen E. Atkins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PDDIgWRN_HQC&pg=PA210 |title=The 9/11 Encyclopedia: Second Edition |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-59884-921-9 |page=872 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=February 15, 2008 |title=Overview: The Iraq War |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html |access-date=March 7, 2013}} {{cite book |last=Johnson |first=James Turner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SF7U27JsLC4C&q=iraq+invasion+removes+hussein |title=The War to Oust Saddam Hussein: Just War and the New Face of Conflict |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7425-4956-2 |page=159 |access-date=October 25, 2015}} {{cite news |author=Durando, Jessica |author2=Green, Shannon Rae |date=December 21, 2011 |title=Timeline: Key moments in the Iraq War |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |access-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904084312/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/story/2011-12-21/iraq-war-timeline/52147680/1 |archive-date=September 4, 2020}}</ref> 
 
The [[2000s United States housing bubble|U.S. housing bubble]] culminated in 2007 with the [[Great Recession]], the largest economic contraction since the Great Depression.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hilsenrath |first1=Jon |last2=Ng |first2=Serena |last3=Paletta |first3=Damian |date=September 18, 2008 |title=Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End Yet in Sight |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169431617549947 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225040616/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122169431617549947 |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |issn=1042-9840 |oclc=781541372}}</ref> In the 2010s and early 2020s, the United States has experienced increased [[Political polarization in the United States|political polarization]] and [[Democratic backsliding in the United States|democratic backsliding]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geiger |first=Abigail |date=June 12, 2014 |title=Political Polarization in the American Public |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/ |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Mark |last2=Marquez |first2=Alexandra |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Here's what's driving America's increasing political polarization |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/s-s-driving-americas-increasing-political-polarization-rcna89559 |access-date=June 30, 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lührmann|first1=Anna|authorlink=Anna Lührmann|last2=Lindberg|first2=Staffan I.|author2-link=Staffan I. Lindberg|title=A third wave of autocratization is here: what is new about it?|journal=Democratization|date=2019|volume=26|issue=7|page=1097|doi=10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029|s2cid=150992660|doi-access=free|quote=Now evidence is mounting that a global reversal is challenging a series of established democracies, including the United States who were downgraded by both Freedom House and V-Dem in 2018.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1-last=Grumbach|author1-first=Jacob M.|date=December 1, 2021|title=Laboratories of Democratic Backsliding|journal=[[American Political Science Review]]|publisher=Published by [[Cambridge University Press]] on behalf of the [[American Political Science Association]]|volume=117|issue=3|pages=967-984|doi=10.1017/S0003055422000934|doi-access=free|issn=0003-0554|quote=Prominent cross-national measures of democracy from the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem), Bright Line Watch, and Freedom House, which had once ranked the country as a global leader, show a U.S. democracy slipping toward "mixed regime" or "illiberal democracy" status.}}</ref> The country's polarization was violently reflected in the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 2021 Capitol attack]],<ref name="Kleinfeld-2023">{{cite web |last1=Kleinfeld |first1=Rachel |title=Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/09/polarization-democracy-and-political-violence-in-the-united-states-what-the-research-says?lang=en |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |access-date=September 13, 2024 |date=September 5, 2023}}</ref> when a mob of insurrectionists<ref name="Pape-2022">{{cite web |last1=Pape |first1=Robert |author1-link=Robert Pape |title=American Face of Insurrection: Analysis of Individuals Charged for Storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 |url=https://cpost.uchicago.edu/publications/american_face_of_insurrection/ |website=cpost.uchicago.edu |publisher=University of Chicago, Chicago Project on Security and Threats |access-date=September 13, 2024 |date=January 5, 2022}}</ref> entered the [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]] and sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rutenberg |first1=Jim |last2=Becker |first2=Jo |last3=Lipton |first3=Eric |last4=Haberman |first4=Maggie |last5=Martin |first5=Jonathan |last6=Rosenberg |first6=Matthew |last7=Schmidt |first7=Michael S. |title=77 Days: Trump's Campaign to Subvert the Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/us/trump-election-lie.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220618170015/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/us/trump-election-lie.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> in an [[Self-coup#Notable events described as attempted self-coups|attempted self-coup d'état]].<ref name="Multiple Sources">{{multiref2|{{Cite book |last=Harvey |first=Michael |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003110361-1/introduction-michael-harvey |title=Donald Trump in Historical Perspective |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-11036-1 |editor-last=Harvey |editor-first=Michael |chapter=Introduction: History's Rhymes |doi=10.4324/9781003110361-1 |quote=As with the Beer Hall Putsch, a would-be leader tried to take advantage of an already scheduled event (in Hitler's case, Kahr's speech; in Trump's, Congress's tallying of the electoral votes) to create a dramatic moment with himself at the center of attention, calling for bold action to upend the political order. Unlike Hitler's coup attempt, Trump already held top of office, so he was attempting to hold onto power, not seize it (the precise term for Trump's intended action is a 'self-coup' or 'autogolpe'). Thus, Trump was able to plan for the event well in advance, and with much greater control, including developing the legal arguments that could be used to justify rejecting the election's results.}} (p. 3)|{{cite journal |last1=Pion-Berlin |first1=David |last2=Bruneau |first2=Thomas |last3=Goetze |first3=Richard B. Jr. |date=April 7, 2022 |title=The Trump self-coup attempt: comparisons and civil–military relations |journal=Government and Opposition |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=789–806 |doi=10.1017/gov.2022.13 |s2cid=248033246 |doi-access=free}}|{{cite journal |author1-last=Castañeda |author1-first=Ernesto |author2-last=Jenks |author2-first=Daniel |date=April 17, 2023 |title=January 6th and De-Democratization in the United States |editor-last1=Costa |editor-first1=Bruno Ferreira |editor-last2=Parton |editor-first2=Nigel |journal=Social Sciences |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=12 |issue=4 |page=238 |doi=10.3390/socsci12040238 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-0760 |quote=What the United States went through on January 6th was an attempt at a self-coup, where Trump would use force to stay as head of state even if abandoning democratic practices in the U.S. Some advised Trump to declare martial law to create a state of emergency and use that as an excuse to stay in power.}}|{{Cite report |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/trump-on-trial/ |title=Trump on Trial: A Guide to the January 6 Hearings and the Question of Criminality |last1=Eisen |first1=Norman |last2=Ayer |first2=Donald |date=June 6, 2022 |publisher=Brookings Institution |language=en-US |quote=[Trump] tried to delegitimize the election results by disseminating a series of far fetched and evidence-free claims of fraud. Meanwhile, with a ring of close confidants, Trump conceived and implemented unprecedented schemes to{{snd}}in his own words{{snd}}"overturn" the election outcome. Among the results of this "Big Lie" campaign were the terrible events of January 6, 2021{{snd}}an inflection point in what we now understand was nothing less than an attempted coup. |last3=Perry |first3=Joshua |last4=Bookbinder |first4=Noah |last5=Perry |first5=E. Danya |access-date=December 16, 2023}}|{{cite court |litigants=Eastman v Thompson, et al. |opinion=8:22-cv-00099-DOC-DFM Document 260 |pinpoint=44 |court=S.D. Cal. |date=May 28, 2022 |url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840.260.0.pdf |access-date=December 16, 2023 |quote=Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower{{snd}}it was a coup in search of a legal theory. The plan spurred violent attacks on the seat of our nation's government, led to the deaths of several law enforcement officers, and deepened public distrust in our political process... If Dr. Eastman and President Trump's plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution. If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6 will repeat itself.}}|{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=David A. |date=January 6, 2021 |title=This Is a Coup |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106224049/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/attempted-coup/617570/ |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=[[The Atlantic]]}}|{{Cite web |last=Musgrave |first=Paul |date=January 6, 2021 |title=This Is a Coup. Why Were Experts So Reluctant to See It Coming? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/06/coup-america-capitol-electoral-college-2020-election/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106235812/https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/06/coup-america-capitol-electoral-college-2020-election/ |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=Foreign Policy}}|{{Cite web |last=Solnit |first=Rebecca |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Call it what it was: a coup attempt |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/06/trump-mob-storm-capitol-washington-coup-attempt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107000436/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/06/trump-mob-storm-capitol-washington-coup-attempt |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=The Guardian}}|{{Cite web |last=Coleman |first=Justine |date=January 6, 2021 |title=GOP lawmaker on violence at Capitol: 'This is a coup attempt' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/532944-gop-lawmaker-on-violence-at-capitol-this-is-a-coup-attempt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106212600/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/532944-gop-lawmaker-on-violence-at-capitol-this-is-a-coup-attempt |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}|{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Louis |date=January 6, 2021 |title=Is this a coup? Here's some history and context to help you decide |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jan/06/coup-heres-some-history-and-context-help-you-decid/ |access-date=January 7, 2021 |website=[[PolitiFact]] |quote=A good case can be made that the storming of the Capitol qualifies as a coup. It's especially so because the rioters entered at precisely the moment when the incumbent's loss was to be formally sealed, and they succeeded in stopping the count.}}|{{Cite news |last1=Barry |first1=Dan |last2=Frenkel |first2=Sheera |date=January 7, 2021 |title='Be There. Will Be Wild!': Trump All but Circled the Date |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-mob-trump-supporters.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-mob-trump-supporters.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |access-date=December 16, 2023}}|{{cite encyclopedia |last=Duignan |first=Brian |date=August 4, 2021 |title=January 6 U.S. Capitol attack |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/January-6-U-S-Capitol-attack |url-status=live |access-date=September 22, 2021 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |quote=Because its object was to prevent a legitimate president-elect from assuming office, the attack was widely regarded as an insurrection or attempted coup d'état. |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117232629/https://www.britannica.com/event/January-6-U-S-Capitol-attack |archive-date=January 17, 2023}}}}</ref>

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

The United States is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|third-largest country]] by total area behind Russia and Canada.{{efn|name=largestcountry}} The 48 [[Contiguous United States|contiguous states and the District of Columbia]] have a combined area of {{convert|3,119,885|sqmi|km2|abbr=}}.<ref name="CensusGov2010HTML"/><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 }}</ref> In 2021, the United States had 8% of the Earth's permanent meadows and pastures and 10% of its cropland.<ref name="Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-2023">{{Cite book |title=World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en |access-date=December 13, 2023 |date=2023 |language=en |doi=10.4060/cc8166en |isbn=978-92-5-138262-2}}</ref>

Starting in the east, [[Atlantic Plain|the coastal plain]] of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] seaboard gives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] plateau region.<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]] separate the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] from the [[Great Lakes]] and the grasslands of [[Midwestern United States|the 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 System]], the world's [[List of rivers by length|fourth-longest river system]], runs predominantly north–south through the center of the country. The flat and 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" />

[[File:Grand Canyon (52931490880).jpg|thumb|The [[Grand Canyon]] in Arizona]]

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 |work=USA Today |access-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212094150/https://traveltips.usatoday.com/rocky-mountain-range-11967.html }}</ref> The [[supervolcano]] underlying [[Yellowstone National Park]] in the Rocky Mountains, the [[Yellowstone Caldera]], 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> Farther west are the rocky [[Great Basin]] and the [[Chihuahuan Desert|Chihuahuan]], [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]], and [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]] deserts.<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> In the northwest corner of [[Arizona]], carved by the [[Colorado River]], is the [[Grand Canyon]], a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination<ref>
{{cite web |title=Executive Summary of Grand Canyon Tourism |publisher=Northern Arizona University |url=http://www.nau.edu/hrm/ahrrc/reports/G_C_EXEC_SUMMARY.pdf#search=grandcanyon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928184338/http://www.nau.edu/hrm/ahrrc/reports/G_C_EXEC_SUMMARY.pdf#search=grandcanyon |archive-date=September 28, 2010 |format=PDF |access-date=January 4, 2007}}</ref> known for its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape. The [[Cascade Range|Cascade]] and [[Sierra Nevada]] mountain ranges run close to the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]]. 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> 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]] (also called Mount McKinley) is the highest peak in the country and on the continent.<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 [[List of volcanoes in the United States|volcanoes in the U.S.]] are common throughout Alaska's [[Alexander Archipelago|Alexander]] and [[Aleutian Islands]]. Located entirely outside North America, the archipelago of Hawaii consists of volcanic islands, [[Physical geography|physiographically]] and [[Ethnology|ethnologically]] part of the [[Polynesia]]n subregion of [[Oceania]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Is Hawaii a Part of Oceania or North America? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-hawaii-a-part-of-oceania-or-north-america.html |url-status=live |website=WorldAtlas |date=January 12, 2018 |access-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711143815/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-hawaii-a-part-of-oceania-or-north-america.html |archive-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of the United States}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types US 50.png|thumb|upright=1.4|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. 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 |work=USA Today |access-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212094152/https://traveltips.usatoday.com/climate-regions-united-states-21570.html }}</ref> The western Great Plains are [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=McGranahan, Devan Allen |author2=Wonkka, Carissa L. |title=Pyrogeography of the Western Great Plains: A 40-Year History of Fire in Semi-Arid Rangelands |journal=Fire |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=32 |year=2024 |doi=10.3390/fire7010032 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024Fire....7...32M}}</ref> Many mountainous areas of the American West have an [[alpine climate]]. The climate is [[Desert climate|arid]] in the Southwest, [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] in [[coastal California]], and [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] in coastal [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and southern [[Alaska]]. Most of Alaska is [[Subarctic climate|subarctic]] or [[Polar climate|polar]]. [[Hawaii]], the [[South Florida|southern tip of Florida]] and U.S. territories in the [[Caribbean]] and [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] are [[Tropical climate|tropical]].<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 }}</ref>

The United States receives more high-impact [[extreme weather]] incidents than any other country.<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><ref>{{Cite web |last=Borenstein |first=Seth |date=April 2, 2023 |title=Why the U.S. is leading the world in extreme weather catastrophes |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-the-u-s-is-leading-the-world-in-extreme-weather-catastrophes |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref> States bordering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes [[Tornadoes in the United States|occur in the country]], mainly in [[Tornado Alley]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Perkins, Sid |date=May 11, 2002 |title=Tornado Alley, USA |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 |access-date=September 20, 2006 |work=Science News}}</ref> Due to [[Climate change in the United States|climate change in the country]], extreme weather has become more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of reported [[heat waves]] compared to the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Environmental Protection Agency |date=26 March 2025 |title=Climate Change Indicators: Weather and Climate |url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530120153/https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate |archive-date=30 May 2025 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=US Environmental Protection Agency |date=18 April 2025 |title=Climate Change Indicators: Heat Waves |url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heat-waves |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=US Global Change Research Program |title=Heat Waves |url=http://www.globalchange.gov/indicators/heat-waves |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250630043645/https://globalchange.gov/indicators/heat-waves |archive-date=June 30, 2025 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=www.globalchange.gov |language=en |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> Since the 1990s, droughts in the [[Southwestern United States|American Southwest]] have become more persistent and more severe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US EPA |first=OAR |date=December 2024 |title=A Closer Look: Temperature and Drought in the Southwest |url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/southwest |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=www.epa.gov |language=en}}</ref> The regions considered as the most attractive to the population are the most vulnerable.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Waldron |first1=Lucas |last2=Lustgarten |first2=Abrahm |title=Climate Change Will Make Parts of the U.S. Uninhabitable. Americans Are Still Moving There. |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-change-will-make-parts-of-the-u-s-uninhabitable-americans-are-still-moving-there |website=Propublica |date=November 10, 2020 |publisher=Rhodium Group |access-date=November 25, 2024}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity and conservation ===
{{Main|Fauna of the United States|Flora of the United States}}
{{Anchor|Wildlife and conservation}}
[[File:Bald eagle about to fly in Alaska (2016).jpg|alt=A bald eagle|thumb|The [[bald eagle]], the [[Bald eagle#National symbol of the United States|national emblem of the United States]] since 1782 and officially declared the national bird in 2024<ref>{{cite web |last=Koch |first=Alexandra |title=It's official: Biden signs new law, designates bald eagle as 'national bird' |publisher=FOX 13 Seattle |date=December 25, 2024 |url=https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/its-official-biden-signs-new-law-designates-bald-eagle-national-bird |access-date=December 25, 2024}}</ref>]]

The U.S. is one of 17 [[megadiverse countries]] containing large numbers of [[List of endangered animals of North America|endemic species]]: about 17,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of [[flowering plant]]s are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web |author=Morin, Nancy |url=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 |website=Plants |publisher=National Biological Service |access-date=October 27, 2008 |archive-date=July 24, 2013}}</ref> The United States is home to 428 [[mammal]] species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 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 around 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 [[List of national parks of the United States|63 national parks]], and [[Federal lands|hundreds of other federally managed]] parks, forests, and [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness areas]], administered by the [[National Park Service]] and other agencies.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Park FAQ |url=https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm/index.htm |website=nps |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 8, 2015}}</ref> About 28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed,<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> primarily 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> [[Protected areas of the United States|Most of this land is protected]], though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent 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]] include debates on [[non-renewable resource]]s and [[Nuclear power debate|nuclear energy]], [[Pollution prevention in the US|air and water pollution]], [[biodiversity]], logging and [[Deforestation in the United States|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 [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) is the federal agency charged with [[Environmental policy of the United States|addressing most environmental-related issues]].<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 [[National Wilderness Preservation System|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'', pp. 29&ndash;32</ref> The [[Endangered Species Act of 1973]] provides a way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] implements and enforces the Act.<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 |pages=1–3, 42 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |year=2003}}</ref> In 2024, the U.S. ranked 35th among 180 countries in the [[Environmental Performance Index]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2024 |title=Environmental Performance Index |url=https://epi.yale.edu/measure/2024/EPI |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=epi.yale.edu}}</ref>

== Government and politics ==
{{Main|Politics of the United States}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction = vertical
| total_width       = 225
| image1            = Capitol Washington October 2016-1.jpg
| caption1 = The [[United States Capitol|Capitol Building]], seat of legislative government, houses both chambers of [[U.S. Congress|Congress]].
| image2            = White House lawn (long tightly cropped).jpg
|caption2 = The [[White House]], residence and workplace of the president, includes offices for [[Executive Office of the President of the United States|the executive staff]].
|image3 = Panorama of United States Supreme Court Building at Dusk.jpg
|caption3= The [[United States Supreme Court Building|Supreme Court Building]] 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]] and a federal capital district, [[Washington, D.C.]] The U.S. asserts sovereignty over five [[Territories of the United States|unincorporated territories]] and [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|several uninhabited island possessions]].<ref name="HRI-2012">{{multiref2|{{Cite web |publisher=U.S. State Department |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/179780.htm |title=Common Core Document to U.N. Committee on Human Rights |date=December 30, 2011 |at=Item 22, 27, 80 |access-date=April 6, 2016}}|{{Cite web |publisher=U.S. General Accounting Office Report |url=https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf |title=U.S. Insular Areas: application of the U.S. Constitution |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103093032/https://www.gao.gov/archive/1998/og98005.pdf |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |date=November 1997 |pages=1, 6, 39n |access-date=April 6, 2016}}
}}</ref>{{sfn|Onuf|2010|p=xvii}} It is the world's oldest surviving federation,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desjardins |first=Jeff |date=August 8, 2019 |title=Mapped: The world's oldest democracies |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/countries-are-the-worlds-oldest-democracies/ |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=[[World Economic Forum]]}}</ref> and its [[presidential system]] of national government has been adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent states worldwide following their [[decolonization]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=David |editor-first1=David |editor-first2=Victor |editor-last1=Ryan |editor-last2=Pungong |title=The United States and Decolonization |year=2000 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1057/9780333977958 |hdl=1887/72726 |isbn=978-1-349-40644-9 |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780333977958}}</ref> The [[Constitution of the United States]] serves as [[Supremacy Clause|the country's supreme legal document]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Burnham |first=William |title=Introduction to the Law and Legal System of the United States |edition=4th |date=2006 |publisher=Thomson West |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |page=41 |isbn=978-0-314-06661-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontola0000burn}}</ref> Most scholars describe the United States as a [[liberal democracy]].<ref name="Scheb">Scheb, John M.; Scheb, John M. II (2002). ''An Introduction to the American Legal System''. Florence, Kentucky: Delmar, p. 6. {{ISBN|978-0-7668-2759-2}}.</ref>{{efn|Some scholars have used descriptions such as [[Oligarchy#United States|oligarchy]] or [[Plutocracy#Post-World War II|plutocracy]] instead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020604015016/http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_phillips.html Transcript. Bill Moyers Interviews Kevin Phillips]. ''[[NOW with Bill Moyers]]'' 4.09.04 | PBS</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Viereck|title=Conservative thinkers: from John Adams to Winston Churchill|year=2006|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|isbn=978-1412805261|pages=[https://archive.org/details/conservativethin00pete/page/103 103]|url=https://archive.org/details/conservativethin00pete/page/103}}</ref><ref name="Kroll 2010-12-02">{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Kroll |title=The New American Oligarchy |date=December 2, 2010 |publisher=[[Truthout]] |url=http://archive.truthout.org/andy-kroll-the-new-american-oligarchy65597 |work=TomDispatch |access-date=August 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122032008/http://archive.truthout.org/andy-kroll-the-new-american-oligarchy65597 |archive-date=January 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.tnr.com/article/magazine/books-and-arts/106430/money-politics-inequality-power-one-percent-move-on-effect |title=America on the Brink of Oligarchy |magazine=The New Republic |date=August 24, 2012 |last1=Starr |first1=Paul}}</ref><ref name="TAI 11-12/2011"> {{cite journal |title=Oligarchy and Democracy |url=http://www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2011/09/28/oligarchy-and-democracy/ |journal=[[The American Interest]] |date=November–December 2011 |orig-year=September 28, 2011 |first=Jeffrey A. |last=Winters |volume=7 |issue=2 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref><ref name="NYT-19980719">{{cite news |last=Herbert |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Herbert |title=The Donor Class |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/19/opinion/in-america-the-donor-class.html |date=July 19, 1998 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20151010">{{cite news |last1=Confessore |first1=Nicholas |last2=Cohen |first2=Sarah |last3=Yourish |first3=Karen |title=The Families Funding the 2016 Presidential Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/11/us/politics/2016-presidential-election-super-pac-donors.html |date=October 10, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20151010-el">{{cite news |last1=Lichtblau |first1=Eric |last2=Confessore |first2=Nicholas |title=From Fracking to Finance, a Torrent of Campaign Cash – Top Donors List |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/us/politics/wealthy-families-presidential-candidates.html#donors-list |date=October 10, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 11, 2016}}</ref><ref name="CS-20141226">{{cite news |last=McCutcheon |first=Chuck |title=Why the 'donor class' matters, especially in the GOP presidential scrum |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Politics-Voices/2014/1226/Why-the-donor-class-matters-especially-in-the-GOP-presidential-scrum |date=December 26, 2014 |work="[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>[[Thomas Piketty|Piketty, Thomas]] (2014). ''[[Capital in the Twenty-First Century]].'' [[Belknap Press]]. {{ISBN|067443000X}} p. 514 "The risk of a drift towards oligarchy is real and gives little reason for optimism about where the United States is headed."</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated -->|date=January 17, 2025|title=Is the U.S. witnessing the rise of oligarchy?|url=https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic-justice/is-the-us-witnessing-the-rise-of-oligarchy/|website= |location= |publisher=[[Oxfam]] |access-date=July 22, 2025|quote=}}</ref>}}

=== National government ===
{{Main|Federal government of the United States}}
Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is the national government of the United States. The [[U.S. Constitution]] establishes a [[separation of powers]] intended to provide a system of [[checks and balances]] to prevent any of the three branches from becoming supreme.<ref>{{cite web |author=Killian, Johnny H. Ed |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]] is a [[bicameral legislature]] made up of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. The Senate has 100 members&mdash;two from each state and elected by that state’s voters for a six-year term. The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for a two-year term by the constituency of the [[List of United States congressional districts|congressional district]] where they reside. A state’s legislature decides the district boundaries, which are contiguous within the state. Every U.S. congressional district is of equivalent population and sends one representative to Congress.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Senate and the House of Representatives: lesson overview (article) |url=https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-interactions-among-branches/us-gov-congress-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives/a/lesson-summary-the-senate-and-the-house-of-representatives |website=Khan Academy |language=en}}</ref> Election years for senators are staggered so that only one-third of them will be up for election every two years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/us-midterm-election-what-you-need-to-know/a-63656210|title=US midterm election: What you need to know – DW – 11/07/2022|website=dw.com|access-date=February 16, 2024|archive-date=February 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216134445/https://www.dw.com/en/us-midterm-election-what-you-need-to-know/a-63656210|url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. representatives are all up for election at the same time every two years. The U.S. Congress 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 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115122604/https://usa.usembassy.de/government-legislative.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> and has [[Impeachment in the United States|the power of impeachment]].<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 }}</ref> One of its foremost non-legislative functions is [[Congressional investigation|the power to investigate]] and oversee the executive branch.<ref name="tws2010Sep11t11">{{cite news |author=Broder |first=David S. |date=March 18, 2007 |title=Congress's Oversight Offensive |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031601989.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501115602/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031601989.html |archive-date=May 1, 2011 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> [[Congressional oversight]] is usually delegated to committees and is facilitated by Congress’s subpoena power.<ref name="tws2010Sep11t13">{{cite news |author=Ferraro |first=Thomas |date=April 25, 2007 |title=House committee subpoenas Rice on Iraq |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2518728220070425 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214442/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2518728220070425 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |work=Reuters}}</ref> Much of the work of Congress is performed by [[United States congressional committee|a collection of committees]], each appointed for a specific purpose or function. Committee membership is by tradition and statute [[bipartisan]].
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* The U.S. president is the [[head of state]], [[commander-in-chief]] of the military, chief executive of the federal government, and has the ability to veto [[bill (law)|legislative bills]] from the U.S. Congress before they become law. However, [[Veto power in the United States|presidential vetoes]] can be overridden by a two-thirds [[Supermajority#Use in governments around the world|supermajority]] vote in both chambers of Congress. The president appoints the [[Cabinet of the United States|members of the Cabinet]], subject to Senate approval, and names other officials who administer and enforce federal law and policy through [[List of federal agencies in the United States|their respective agencies]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Executive Branch |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/ |website=The White House |access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref> The president also has clemency power for federal crimes and [[Federal pardons in the United States|can issue pardons]]. Finally, the president has the right to issue expansive "[[executive orders]]", subject to [[Judicial review in the United States|judicial review]], in a number of policy areas. Candidates for president campaign with a vice-presidential [[running mate]]. Both candidates are elected together, or defeated together, in a presidential election. Unlike other votes in American politics, this is technically an [[indirect election]] in which the winner will be determined by the [[United States Electoral College|U.S. Electoral College]]. There, votes are officially cast by individual electors selected by [[State legislature (United States)|their state legislature]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Interpretation: Article II, Section 1, Clauses 2 and 3 {{!}} Constitution Center |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/350 |website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |language=en}}</ref> In practice, however, each of the 50 states chooses a group of presidential electors who are required by state law to confirm the winner of their state's popular vote. Each state is allocated two electors plus one additional elector for each congressional district in the state, which in effect combines to equal the number of elected officials that state sends to Congress. The District of Columbia, with no representatives or senators, is allocated three electoral votes. Both the president and the vice president serve a four-year term, and the president may be [[Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|reelected to the office only once]], for one additional four-year term.{{efn|Per the [[Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution, Amendment Twenty-three]], proposed by the U.S. Congress on June 16, 1960, and ratified by the States on March 29, 1961}}
* The [[Federal judiciary of the United States|U.S. federal judiciary]], whose judges are all appointed for life by the president with Senate approval, consists primarily of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]], the [[United States courts of appeals|U.S. courts of appeals]], and the [[United States district court|U.S. district courts]]. The lowest level in the federal judiciary is the [[federal district court]], which decides all cases considered to be under "[[Original jurisdiction#Federal and state courts|original jurisdiction]]", such as federal statutes, constitutional law, or [[international treaties]]. After a federal district court has decided a case, its decision may be contested and sent to a higher court, [[Appellate court|a federal court of appeals]]. The U.S. judicial system's 12 [[United States Courts of Appeals|federal circuit]]s divide the country into separate administrative regions for appeals decisions. The next and highest court in the system is the Supreme Court of the United States.<ref name=FedJud /> The U.S. Supreme Court interprets laws and [[judicial review|overturns those it finds unconstitutional]].<ref name=FedJud>{{multiref2
|{{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}}
|{{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}}
|{{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}}
|{{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}}
|{{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> On average, the Supreme Court receives about 7,000 appeals petitions for [[writs of certiorari]] each year, but only grants about 80.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court Procedure |url=https://www.scotusblog.com/supreme-court-procedure/ |access-date=October 20, 2024 |website=SCOTUSblog |language=en-US}}</ref> Consisting of nine members led by the [[Chief Justice of the United States]], the court judges each case before it by majority decision. As with all other federal judges, the members are appointed for life by the sitting president with Senate approval 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/ |publisher=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 three-branch system is known as the [[presidential system]], in contrast to the [[parliamentary system]] where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world adopted this aspect of the 1789 Constitution of the United States, especially in the [[Postcolonialism|postcolonial]] Americas.<ref name="Sundquist">{{Cite book |last=Sundquist |first=James L. |title=Designs for Democratic Stability: Studies in Viable Constitutionalism |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=1997 |isbn=0-7656-0052-8 |editor-last=Baaklini |editor-first=Abdo I. |pages=53–72 |language=en |chapter=The U.S. Presidential System as a Model for the World |editor-last2=Desfosses |editor-first2=Helen}}</ref>

=== Subdivisions ===
{{Main|U.S. state|County (United States)|Indian country|Territories of the United States}}
{{further|List of states and territories of the United States|List of federally recognized tribes by state|Federally recognized tribe}}
[[File:United States (+overseas), administrative divisions - en - colored (zoom).svg|thumb|alt=Territories of the United States.|[[Territories of the United States]] include [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]].|upright=1.3]]
In the [[Federalism in the United States|U.S. federal system]], sovereign powers are shared between three levels of government specified in the Constitution: the national government, the states, and Indian tribes.<ref name=3Sovereigns /><ref name= FelixSCohen /> The U.S. also asserts sovereignty over five permanently inhabited territories: [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]].<ref name="HRI-2012" />

Residents of the 50 states are governed by their elected state government, and by elected [[Local government in the United States|local governments]] that are administrative divisions of a state.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levy |first1=Robert A. |title=Rights, Powers, Dual Sovereignty, and Federalism |url=https://www.cato.org/policy-report/september/october-2011/rights-powers-dual-sovereignty-federalism# |website=Cato Institute |access-date=January 13, 2024 |date=October 2011}}</ref> States are subdivided into counties or county equivalents, and (except for Hawaii) [[Local government in the United States|further divided into municipalities]], each administered by elected representatives. The District of Columbia is [[Federal district of the United States|a federal district]] containing the U.S. capital, [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{usc|8|1101}}(a)(36) and {{usc|8|1101}}(a)(38) U.S. Federal Code, Immigration and Nationality Act. {{USC|8|1101a}}</ref> The federal district is an administrative division of the federal government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Feldstein |first=Martin |date=March 2017 |title=Why is Growth Better in the United States Than in Other Industrial Countries? |journal=[[National Bureau of Economic Research]] |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |doi=10.3386/w23221}}</ref>

[[File:Indian Reservations.png|thumb|Map of [[List of Indian reservations in the United States|326 Indian reservations]] in the United States; 231 recognized [[List of Alaska Native tribal entities|Alaska Native tribes]] are not shown.]]

Indian country is made up of 574 [[federally recognized tribe]]s and [[List of Indian reservations in the United States|326 Indian reservations]]. They hold a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. federal government in Washington and are legally defined as [[domestic dependent nations]] with [[Tribal sovereignty in the United States|inherent tribal sovereignty rights]].<ref name=FelixSCohen>{{cite book   | last = Cohen  | first = Felix S.   | title = Handbook of federal Indian law: with reference tables and index   | publisher = GPO  | year = 1942  | location = Washington, D.C.  | url =https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.74149| lccn = 42038386 }}</ref><ref name=3Sovereigns>{{cite journal |last=O'Connor |first=Sandra Day |date=Fall 1997 |title=Lessons from the Third Sovereign: Indian Tribal Courts |url=https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/tlr/article/2107/&path_info=11_33TulsaLJ1_1997_1998_.pdf |journal=Tulsa Law Journal |volume=33 |issue=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a federal Indian reservation? |url=https://www.bia.gov/faqs/what-federal-indian-reservation#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%20326%20Indian,%2C%20communities%2C%20etc.). |access-date=August 26, 2023 |website=bia.gov |date=August 19, 2017 |publisher=[[Bureau of Indian Affairs]]}}</ref><ref name="www.justice.gov-2017">{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2017 |title=Attorney General June 1, 1995 Memorandum on Indian Sovereignty |url=https://www.justice.gov/archives/ag/attorney-general-june-1-1995-memorandum-indian-sovereignty |access-date=May 9, 2024 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to the five major territories, the U.S. also asserts sovereignty over the [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]] and the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="HRI-2012" /> The seven undisputed islands without permanent populations are [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]], [[Midway Atoll]], and [[Palmyra Atoll]]. U.S. sovereignty over the unpopulated [[Bajo Nuevo Bank]], [[Navassa Island]], [[Serranilla Bank]], and [[Wake Island]] is disputed.<ref name="HRI-2012" />
{{USA image map|center}}

=== Political parties ===
{{main|Political parties in the United States}}{{further|List of political parties in the United States|Political party strength in U.S. states}}
[[File:US state Legislature and Governor Control.svg|thumb|States and territories by partisan control, as of February 2025:
{{legend|#33f|[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]}}
{{legend|#f33|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]}}
{{legend|#161687|[[New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico)|New Progressive Party]]}}
{{legend|#829|Divided partisan control}}]]

The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th century with the [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] and [[Anti-Federalist Party|Anti-Federalist]] parties.<ref name="Hofstadter-1969-iv">{{cite book |last1=Hofstadter |first1=Richard |title=The Idea of a Party System: The Rise of Legitimate Opposition in the United States, 1780-1840 |date=1969 |publisher=University of California Press |page=iv |isbn=978-0-520-01389-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wG5rCKm8SmAC&q=%E2%80%9Cdid+not+believe+in+parties+as+such,+scorned+those+that+they+were+conscious+of+as+historical+models%22 |access-date=October 5, 2022}}</ref> Since then, the United States has operated as a ''de facto'' [[two-party system]], though the parties have changed over time.<ref name="Blake-2021">{{cite news |last1=Blake |first1=Aaron |date=November 25, 2021 |title=Why are there only two parties in American politics? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/27/why-are-there-only-two-parties-in-american-politics/ |access-date=May 4, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Since the mid-19th century, the two main national parties have been the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. The former is perceived as [[Modern liberalism in the United States|relatively liberal]] in [[Political positions of the Democratic Party (United States)|its political platform]] while the latter is perceived as [[Conservatism in the United States|relatively conservative]] in [[Political positions of the Republican Party (United States)|its platform]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Levendusky |first=Matthew |author-link=Matthew Levendusky |title=The Partisan Sort: How Liberals Became Democrats and Conservatives Became Republicans |date=2009 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]}}</ref>

=== 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 United Nations|founding member of the UN]].|alt=see caption]]

The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, with the world's [[List of countries by number of diplomatic missions|second-largest diplomatic corps]] {{As of|2024|lc=y}}. 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 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> [[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> [[List of diplomatic missions in the United States|Almost all countries have embassies]] and many have [[consul (representative)|consulates]] (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal [[diplomatic mission]]s with the 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}}</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 (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |date=December 22, 2014 |last=Ferraro |first=Matthew F. |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 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 regularly [[Six Assurances|supplies Taiwan with 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 |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=September 22, 2020 |last=Ruwitch |first=John |access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> Its geopolitical attention also turned to the [[Indo-Pacific]] when the United States joined the [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue]] with Australia, India, and Japan.<ref name="kobara">{{cite news |last1=Kobara |first1=Junnosuke |last2=Moriyasu |first2=Ken |date=March 27, 2021 |title=Japan will turn to Quad in 'nealsow Cold War': Defense Ministry think tank |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Japan-will-turn-to-Quad-in-new-Cold-War-Defense-Ministry-think-tank |access-date=April 13, 2021 |work=Nikkei Asia}}</ref>

The United States has a "[[Special Relationship]]" [[United Kingdom–United States relations|with the 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 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-87270-3 |access-date=October 25, 2015}}</ref> and strong ties [[Canada–United States relations|with 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> [[Philippines–United States relations|the Philippines]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33233.pdf |title=The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Interests |author=Lum, Thomas |publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=January 3, 2011 |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 [[Member state of the European Union|European Union countries]] such as [[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 |date=January 20, 2021 |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 countries 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 name=FedJud/> 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://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/U.S.-Indo-Pacific-Strategy.pdf |publisher=White House |access-date=February 3, 2022}}</ref> while [[China–United States relations|its 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=May 7, 2023 |publisher=CNBC |date=March 28, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

Beginning in 2014, the U.S. had become [[Ukraine–United States relations|a key ally of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rumer |first1=Eugene |last2=Sokolsky |first2=Richard |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2019/06/thirty-years-of-us-policy-toward-russia-can-the-vicious-circle-be-broken?lang=en |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 |date=June 17, 2022 |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 |publisher=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> After [[Donald Trump]] was elected U.S. president in 2024, he sought to negotiate an end to the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]. He paused all military aid to Ukraine in March 2025,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Andrew |last2=Holmes |first2=Oliver |date=4 March 2025 |title=US suspends all military aid to Ukraine in wake of Trump-Zelenskyy row |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/04/us-military-aid-ukraine-pause-trump-zelenskyy-updates |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> although the aid resumed later.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kottasová |first1=Ivana |title=Why has Trump halted military aid to Ukraine and what will it mean for the war? Here's what to know |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/04/europe/explainer-trump-suspends-ukraine-military-aid-intl-latam |website=[[CNN]] |date=4 March 2025}}</ref> Trump also ended U.S. intelligence sharing with the country,<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Christopher |last2=Foy |first2=Henry |last3=Fisher |first3=Lucy |last4=Hall |first4=Ben |date=5 March 2025 |title=US cuts off intelligence sharing with Ukraine |url=https://www.ft.com/content/c58fccea-00c4-4fad-bc0a-0185b7415579 |access-date=5 March 2025 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> but this too was eventually restored.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sarotte |first=M. E. |magazine=Foreign Affairs |title=Why they fight: What's at stake in the blame game over Ukraine |page=160 |date=May–June 2025}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|United States Armed Forces}}
[[File:Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA (38285035892).jpg|thumb|[[The Pentagon]], the headquarters of the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], is one of the world's largest office buildings with over {{convert|6.5|e6ft2|m2}} of [[floor space]].]]
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|U.S. Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], and [[United States Space Force|Space Force]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/about/our-forces |title=Our Forces |publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]] |access-date=July 12, 2024}}</ref> 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 [[Military budget of the United States|spent $997 billion on its military]] in 2024, which is by far the [[List of countries with highest military expenditures|largest amount of any country]], making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% of the country's GDP.'''''<ref name="SIPRI-20202">{{Cite web |date=April 2025 |title=Trends in Military Expenditure 2024 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/2504_fs_milex_2024.pdf#page=2 |access-date=28 April 2025 |publisher=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref>''''' The [[Nuclear weapons of the United States|U.S. possesses]] 42% of the world's nuclear weapons—the second-largest stockpile after [[Russia and weapons of mass destruction|that of Russia]].<ref name="Stockholm International Peace Research Institute-2024">{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2024 |title=Role of nuclear weapons grows as geopolitical relations deteriorate—new SIPRI Yearbook out now {{!}} SIPRI |url=https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2024/role-nuclear-weapons-grows-geopolitical-relations-deteriorate-new-sipri-yearbook-out-now |access-date=June 18, 2024 |website=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. military is widely regarded as the most powerful and advanced in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-01-27 |title=United States country profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-16761057 |access-date=2025-07-06 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Missy |last2=Jeong |first2=Andrew |last3=Masih |first3=Niha |last4=Sands |first4=Leo |last5=Somasundaram |first5=Praveena |last6=Wu |first6=Daniel |last7=Haspel |first7=Tamar |last8=Dougherty |first8=Jesse |last9=Nusbaum |first9=Spencer |date=2021-04-01 |title=The U.S. system created the world’s most advanced military. Can it maintain an edge? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/china-us-military-technology/2021/03/31/acc2d9f4-866c-11eb-8a67-f314e5fcf88d_story.html |access-date=2025-07-06 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

The United States has the [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|third-largest combined armed forces]] in the world, behind the [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese People's Liberation Army]] and [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hackett |first1=James |title=The military balance. 2023 |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1-032-50895-5}}</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 |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> The United States has engaged in over 400 military interventions since its founding in 1776, with over half of these occurring between 1950 and 2019 and 25% occurring in the post-Cold War era.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kushi |first1=Sidita |last2=Toft |first2=Monica Duffy |date=April 1, 2023 |title=Introducing the Military Intervention Project: A New Dataset on US Military Interventions, 1776–2019 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00220027221117546 |journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution |language=EN |volume=67 |issue=4 |pages=752–779 |doi=10.1177/00220027221117546 |issn=0022-0027|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[State defense forces]] (SDFs) are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. SDFs are authorized by state and federal law but are under the command of [[Governor (United States)|the state's governor]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statedefenseforce.com/ |title=StateDefenseForce.com |date=September 17, 2024 |website=StateDefenseForce.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sgaus.org/ |title=State Guard Association of the United States – Supporting the State Defense Forces of the United States |website=sgaus.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/32/109 |title=32 U.S. Code § 109 - Maintenance of other troops |website=LII / Legal Information Institute}}</ref>
They are distinct from the state's [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] units in that they cannot become federalized entities. A state's National Guard personnel, however, may be federalized under the [[National Defense Act of 1916#National Defense Act Amendments of 1933|National Defense Act Amendments of 1933]], which created the Guard and provides for the integration of [[Army National Guard]] units and personnel into the U.S. Army and (since 1947) the U.S. Air Force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arng.army.mil/aboutus/history/Pages/ConstitutionalCharteroftheGuard.aspx |title=Legal Basis of the National Guard |publisher=Army National Guard |year=2013 |access-date=May 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521130934/http://www.arng.army.mil/aboutus/history/Pages/ConstitutionalCharteroftheGuard.aspx |archive-date=May 21, 2013}}</ref>

=== Law enforcement and criminal justice ===
{{Main|Law of the United States|Law enforcement in the United States|Crime in the United States}}
[[File:Washington DC, FBI - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[J. Edgar Hoover Building]], the headquarters of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI), in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national 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]] |page=1}}</ref> Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff departments]] in their municipal or county jurisdictions. [[State police (United States)|The state police]] departments [[Police power (United States constitutional law)|have authority in their respective state]], 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 national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting [[civil rights]], [[National security of the United States|national security]], enforcing [[U.S. federal courts]]' rulings and federal laws, and interstate criminal activity.<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 }}</ref> [[State court (United States)|State courts]] conduct almost all 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=978-1-85109-751-7 |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> while federal courts [[Subject-matter jurisdiction|adjudicate the much smaller number of civil and criminal cases that relate to federal law]].<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>

There is no unified "criminal justice system" in the United States. The [[Incarceration in the United States|American prison system]] is largely heterogenous, with thousands of relatively independent systems operating across federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In 2025, "these systems hold [[Incarceration in the United States|nearly 2 million people]] in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails, 1,277 juvenile correctional facilities, 133 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons, civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in the U.S. territories."<ref name="Sawyer-2025">{{Cite web |last1=Sawyer |first1=Wendy |last2=Wagner |first2=Peter |title=Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025 |url=https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2025.html|date=March 11, 2025 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Prison Policy Initiative |language=en}}</ref>

Despite disparate systems of confinement, four main institutions dominate: [[List of United States federal prisons|federal prisons]], [[Lists of United States state prisons|state prisons]], local jails, and [[American juvenile justice system|juvenile correctional facilities]].<ref name="National Academies Press-2014">{{Cite book |url=http://www.nap.edu/catalog/18613 |title=The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences |date=April 24, 2014 |publisher=National Academies Press |isbn=978-0-309-29801-8 |location=Washington, D.C. |doi=10.17226/18613}}</ref> Federal prisons are run by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] and hold pretrial detainees as well as people who have been convicted of federal crimes.<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> State prisons, run by the department of corrections of each state, hold people sentenced and serving prison time (usually longer than one year) for felony offenses.<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> Local jails are county or municipal facilities that incarcerate defendants prior to trial; they also hold those serving short sentences (typically under a year).<ref name="National Academies Press-2014" /> Juvenile correctional facilities are operated by local or state governments and serve as longer-term placements for any [[Juvenile delinquency|minor adjudicated as  delinquent]] and ordered by a judge to be confined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=The Annie E. Casey |date=November 14, 2020 |title=Juvenile Detention Explained |url=https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-is-juvenile-detention |access-date=July 6, 2023 |website=The Annie E. Casey Foundation |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2023, the United States had the [[List of countries by incarceration rate|sixth-highest per capita incarceration rate]] in the world&mdash;531 people per 100,000 inhabitants&mdash;and the largest prison and jail population in the world, with more than 1.9 million people incarcerated.<ref name="Sawyer-2025"/><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 the [http://www.prisonstudies.org/world-prison-brief-data WPB main data page] and click on the map links or the sidebar links to get to the region and country desired.</ref> An analysis of the [[World Health Organization]] Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by [[Gun deaths in the United States|a gun homicide rate]] that was 25 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>

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of the United States}}
[[File:US one dollar bill, obverse, series 2009.jpg|thumb|alt=see caption|The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the most-used currency [[International use of the U.S. dollar|in international transactions]] and the world's foremost [[reserve currency]].<ref name="federalreserve.gov">{{cite web |title=The Implementation of Monetary Policy – The Federal Reserve in the International Sphere |url=http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_4.pdf |access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref>]]

The U.S. has a highly developed [[mixed economy]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moffatt |first=Mike |date=2020-01-27 |title=Why the US Is Said to Have a Mixed Economy |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-a-mixed-economy-1147547 |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> that has been the world's largest nominally [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|since about 1890]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fordham |first=Benjamin |date=October 2017 |title=Protectionist Empire: Trade, Tariffs, and United States Foreign Policy, 1890–1914 |journal=Studies in American Political Development |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=170–192 |doi=10.1017/s0898588x17000116 |s2cid=148917255 |issn=0898-588X}}</ref> Its 2024 [[gross domestic product]] (GDP){{Efn|U.S. nominal and PPP-adjusted GDP are the same as the U.S. is the reference country for PPP calculations.|name=PPP}} of more than $29 trillion<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Datasets |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/USA |access-date=February 10, 2025 |website=www.imf.org}}</ref> constituted over 25% of nominal [[Gross world product|global economic output]], or 15% at [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP). 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 |first1=Kip |last2=Ohanian |first2=Lee |date=August 1, 2012 |title=The Mismeasure of Inequality |url=https://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/123566 |journal=Policy Review |issue=174 |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}}</ref> The country ranks [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|first in the world by 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> [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|second when adjusted for purchasing power parities]] (PPP),<ref name="IMFWEO.US" /> and [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|ninth by PPP-adjusted GDP per capita]].<ref name="IMFWEO.US" /> In February 2024, the total [[National debt of the United States|U.S. federal government debt]] was $34.4 trillion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fox |first=Michelle |date=March 1, 2024 |title=The U.S. national debt is rising by $1 trillion about every 100 days |publisher=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/01/the-us-national-debt-is-rising-by-1-trillion-about-every-100-days.html}}</ref>
[[File:Aerial Microsoft West Campus August 2009.jpg|thumb|[[Microsoft]], one of the world's [[List of public corporations by market capitalization|largest companies by market capitalization]] in 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 21, 2024 |title=Microsoft back as most valuable listed company as Nvidia slips |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8884389l35o |access-date=August 6, 2024 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> has its global headquarters in [[Redmond, Washington]].]]
Of the world's [[Fortune Global 500|500 largest companies by revenue]], [[List of largest companies in the United States by revenue|136 were headquartered in the U.S.]] in 2023,<ref name="Fortune-2022">{{Cite web |title=Global 500 |url=https://fortune.com/ranking/global500/ |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=[[Fortune Global 500]] |language=en}}</ref> which is the highest number of any country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hyam |first=Benji |date=November 29, 2023 |title=Most Profitable Companies: U.S. vs. Rest of the World, 2023 |url=https://www.growandconvert.com/research/most-profitable-fortune-500-companies-in-2023/ |access-date=July 16, 2024 |website=www.growandconvert.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[United States dollar|U.S. dollar]] is the currency most used [[International use of the U.S. dollar|in international transactions]] and the world's foremost [[reserve currency]], backed by the country's dominant economy, [[United States Armed Forces|its military]], the [[petrodollar]] system, its large [[U.S. Treasury|U.S. treasuries market]], and its linked [[eurodollar]].<ref name="federalreserve.gov" /> [[United States dollar#Countries that use US dollar|Several countries 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|0-691-11666-0}}; ''cf''. "the dollar is the de facto currency in Cambodia", Charles Agar, ''[[Frommer's]] Vietnam'', 2006, {{ISBN|0-471-79816-9}}, p. 17.</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=March 31, 2014 |title=US GDP Growth Rate by Year |url=http://www.multpl.com/us-gdp-growth-rate/table/by-year |access-date=June 18, 2014 |website=multpl.com |publisher=US Bureau of Economic Analysis}}</ref> The U.S. 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 |title=United States free trade agreements |url=https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements |access-date=May 31, 2019 |work=[[Office of the United States Trade Representative]]}}</ref> Although the United States has reached a [[Post-industrial economy|post-industrial level of economic development]]<ref name="Collins-2023">{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Michael |date=August 11, 2023 |title=The Post-Industrial Service Economy Isn't Working for the Middle Class |url=https://www.industryweek.com/the-economy/data-and-statistics/article/21271497/the-post-industrial-service-economy-isnt-working |access-date=August 10, 2024 |website=[[IndustryWeek]] |language=en}}</ref> and is often described as having a [[service economy]],<ref name="Collins-2023" /><ref name="Econ">{{cite web |title=USA Economy in Brief |url=https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312123609/https://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page3.html |archive-date=March 12, 2008 |publisher=U.S. Dept. of State, International Information Programs}}</ref> it remains a major industrial power;<ref>{{cite web |date=July 2010 |title=The State of Manufacturing in the United States |url=http://trade.gov/manufactureamerica/facts/tg_mana_003019.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226011512/http://trade.gov/manufactureamerica/facts/tg_mana_003019.asp |archive-date=February 26, 2013 |access-date=March 10, 2013 |publisher=International Trade Administration}}</ref> in 2021, the [[U.S. manufacturing sector]] was the world's [[List of countries by manufacturing output|second-largest]] after [[Manufacturing in China|China's]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manufacturing, Value Added (Current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107135049/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |archive-date=January 7, 2020 |access-date=July 14, 2021 |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}</ref>
[[File:Gaming-Wall-Street BTS Prodigium-266.jpg|thumb|The [[New York Stock Exchange]] on [[Wall Street]], the world's [[List of stock exchanges#Major stock exchanges|largest stock exchange by market capitalization]]<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>]]
[[New York City]] is the world's principal [[financial center]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Huw |date=March 24, 2022 |title=New York widens lead over London in top finance centres index |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/new-york-widens-lead-over-london-top-finance-centres-index-2022-03-24/ |access-date=July 29, 2022 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name=NYCFintechAndFinancialCapitalWorld>{{cite web |url=https://www.longfinance.net/publications/long-finance-reports/the-global-financial-centres-index-35/ |title=The Global Financial Centres Index 35 |date=March 21, 2024 |publisher=Long Finance |access-date=May 1, 2024}}</ref> and the center of the world's [[list of cities by GDP|largest metropolitan economy]].<ref name="NYCEpicenterUSMetroEconomy">{{cite web |author=Ghosh |first=Iman |date=September 24, 2020 |title=This 3D map shows the U.S. cities with the highest economic output |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/united-states-america-economic-output-new-york-la/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |publisher=World Economic Forum |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]], both located in New York City, are the world's two [[List of stock exchanges|largest stock exchanges]] by [[market capitalization]] and [[trade volume]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Monthly Reports – World Federation of Exchanges |url=https://www.world-exchanges.org/our-work/statistics |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 United States is at the forefront of [[Science and technology in the United States|technological advancement]] and [[innovation]] in many economic fields, especially in [[artificial intelligence]]; [[electronics]] and [[computer]]s; [[pharmaceuticals]]; and medical, [[aerospace]] and [[military equipment]].<ref name="CIA-2018" /> The country's economy is fueled by abundant [[natural resource]]s, a well-developed [[Infrastructure policy of the United States|infrastructure]], and [[List of countries by labour productivity|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|0-8213-6545-2}}.</ref> The [[List of the largest trading partners of the United States|largest trading partners of the United States]] are the [[European Union]], Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.<ref>{{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=May 12, 2023 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The United States is the world's [[List of countries by imports|largest importer]] and [[List of countries by exports|second-largest exporter]].{{efn|A country's total exports are usually understood to be goods and services. Based on this, the U.S. is the world's second-largest exporter, after China.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Trade Statistical Review 2019 |url=https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts2019_e.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2019 |work=[[World Trade Organization]] |page=100}}</ref> However, if primary income is included, the U.S. is the world's largest exporter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exports of goods, services and primary income (BoP, current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.TOTL.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true |access-date=May 24, 2024 |website=data.worldbank.org}}</ref>}} It is by far the world's [[List of countries by service exports|largest exporter of services]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Service exports (BoP, current US$) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.GSR.NFSV.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true&year_high_desc=false |access-date=August 4, 2023 |publisher=World Bank}}</ref>

Americans have the highest average [[Household income|household]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Income |url=http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/income/ |access-date=September 28, 2019 |work=Better Life Index |publisher=OECD |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> and [[List of countries by average wage|employee income]] among OECD member states, and the fourth-highest [[Median income|median household income]] in 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Median Income by Country 2023 |url=https://wisevoter.com/country-rankings/median-income-by-country/ |access-date=July 28, 2023 |website=Wisevoter |language=en-US}}</ref> up from sixth-highest in 2013.<ref name="Household Income">{{cite journal |date=March 18, 2014 |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 |doi=10.1787/soc_glance-2014-en |isbn=978-92-64-20072-2 |access-date=May 29, 2014 |doi-access=free |title=Society at a Glance 2014}}</ref> With personal [[Consumer spending|consumption expenditures]] of over $18.5 trillion in 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2024 |title=Personal Consumption Expenditures |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PCECA |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=fred.stlouisfed.org |language=en}}</ref> the U.S. has a heavily [[Consumer economy|consumer-driven economy]] and is the world's [[List of largest consumer markets|largest consumer market]].<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Jan-Benedict E. M.|last1=Steenkamp|title=What is holding private label back in the United States and in emerging markets?|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022435923000568|journal=Journal of Retailing|date=March 1, 2024|issn=0022-4359|pages=56–69|volume=100|issue=1|doi=10.1016/j.jretai.2023.11.002|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The U.S. [[List of countries by number of billionaires|ranked first in the number of dollar billionaires]] and [[List of countries by number of millionaires|millionaires]] in 2023, with 735 billionaires and nearly 22 million millionaires.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Napoletano |first=E. |date=October 20, 2023 |title=Here's How Many Billionaires And Millionaires Live In The U.S. – Forbes Advisor |url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/retirement/how-many-billionaires-and-millionaires-live-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=As%20of%202023,%20there%20are,your%20own%20definition%20of%20wealth. |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=Forbes}}</ref>

[[Wealth in the United States]] is highly concentrated; in 2011, the richest 10% of the adult population owned 72% of the country's household wealth, while the bottom 50% owned just 2%.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Piketty |first1=Thomas |author-link1=Thomas Piketty |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]}} {{ISBN|978-0-674-43000-6}}.</ref> [[Wealth inequality in the United States|U.S. wealth inequality]] increased substantially since the late 1980s,<ref name="Smith-2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Matthew |last2=Zidar |first2=Owen |last3=Zwick |first3=Eric |date=2022 |title=Top Wealth in America: New Estimates under Heterogeneous Returns |journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics |volume=138 |pages=515–573 |doi=10.1093/qje/qjac033 |issn=0033-5533}}</ref> and [[Income inequality in the United States|income inequality in the U.S.]] reached a record high in 2019.<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> In 2024, the country had some of the highest wealth and income inequality levels among [[OECD]] countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/income-and-wealth-inequalities_7ac4178f.html |website=OECD |date=June 20, 2024 |title=Society at a glance 2024: OECD social indicators |access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref> Since the 1970s, there has been a decoupling of U.S. wage gains from worker productivity.<ref name="Hopkin"/> In 2016, the top fifth of earners took 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> giving the U.S. one of the widest income distributions among OECD countries.<ref name="Sme">{{cite journal |last1=Smeeding |first1=T. M. |year=2005 |title=Public Policy: Economic Inequality and Poverty: The United States in Comparative Perspective |journal=Social Science Quarterly |volume=86 |pages=955–983 |doi=10.1111/j.0038-4941.2005.00331.x |s2cid=154642286}}</ref><ref name="Hopkin">{{cite book |last=Hopkin |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Hopkin |date=2020 |title=Anti-System Politics: The Crisis of Market Liberalism in Rich Democracies |chapter=American Nightmare: How Neoliberalism Broke US Democracy |url= |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IyXTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 |location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=87–92 |isbn=978-0-19-069976-5 |doi=10.1093/oso/9780190699765.003.0004}}</ref> There were about 771,480 [[Homelessness in the United States|homeless persons in the U.S.]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last=Singh|first=Kanishka |date=December 27, 2024|title=US homelessness rose by record 18% in latest annual data|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-homelessness-rose-by-record-18-latest-annual-data-2024-12-27/|work=[[Reuters]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=February 13, 2025}}</ref> In 2022, 6.4 million children experienced food insecurity.<ref name="ers.usda.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics |title=USDA ERS – Key Statistics & Graphics |website=ers.usda.gov |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 19, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119024909/https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx }}</ref> [[Feeding America]] estimates that around one in five, or approximately 13 million, [[Hunger in the United States#Children|children experience hunger in the U.S.]] 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=December 4, 2019 |website=feedingamerica.org}}</ref> Also in 2022, about 37.9 million people, or 11.5% of the U.S. population, were [[Poverty in the United States|living in poverty]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=National Poverty in America Awareness Month: January 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html |website=Census.gov}}</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 |year=2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rank |first=Mark Robert |author-link=Mark Robert Rank |date=2023 |title=The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGewEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA116 |location= |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=116–117 |isbn=978-0-19-021263-6}}</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/ |publisher=CBS News |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 one of a few countries in the world without federal [[Parental leave in the United States|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 has a higher percentage of low-income [[Working class in the United States|workers]] than almost any other developed country, 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 and technology ===

{{Main|Science and technology in the United States}}
The United States [[Technological and industrial history of the United States|has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th century]] and scientific research since the mid-20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mowery |first=David |title=Technological Change and the Evolution of the U.S. "National Innovation System", 1880-1990 |url=https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/technological-change-and-the-evolution-of-the-u-s-national-innovation-system-1880-1990/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127224449/https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/technological-change-and-the-evolution-of-the-u-s-national-innovation-system-1880-1990/ |archive-date=2022-01-27 |access-date=July 10, 2024 |website=OpenMind |language=en-US}}</ref> Methods for producing [[interchangeable parts]] and the establishment of a [[machine tool]] industry enabled [[American system of manufacturing|the large-scale manufacturing]] of U.S. consumer products in the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Goodfriend |first1=Marvin |last2=McDermott |first2=John |date=February 24, 2021 |title=The American System of economic growth |url= |journal=Journal of Economic Growth |language=en |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=31–75 |doi=10.1007/s10887-021-09186-x |issn=1573-7020 |pmc=7902180 |pmid=33642936}}</ref> By the early 20th century, factory [[electrification]], the introduction of the [[assembly line]], and other [[automation|labor-saving techniques]] created the system of [[mass production]].<ref>{{Hounshell1984}}.</ref>

In the 21st century, the United States continues to be one of the world's foremost scientific powers,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tollefson |first1=Jeff |last2=Van Noorden |first2=Richard |date=October 23, 2024 |title=The US is the world's science superpower — but for how long? |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03403-4 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=634 |issue=8035 |pages=770–774 |doi=10.1038/d41586-024-03403-4|pmid=39443789 |bibcode=2024Natur.634..770T |url-access=subscription }}</ref> though China has emerged as a major competitor in many fields.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. science no longer leads the world. Here's how top advisers say the nation should respond |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-science-no-longer-leads-world-here-s-how-top-advisers-say-nation-should-respond |access-date=February 10, 2025 |website=www.science.org |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. has the [[List of sovereign states by research and development spending|highest research and development expenditures of any country]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desjardins |first=Jeff |date=December 18, 2018 |title=Innovators wanted: these countries spend the most on R&D |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/12/how-much-countries-spend-on-r-d/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=www.weforum.org}}</ref> and ranks ninth as a percentage of GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Sean |date=November 16, 2020 |title=These countries spend the most on research and development |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/countries-spending-research-development-gdp/ |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=www.weforum.org}}</ref> In 2022, the United States was (after China) 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=February 5, 2022 |website=Scimagojr.com |language=en-uk}}</ref> In 2021, the U.S. ranked second (also after China) by the number of patent applications, and third by trademark and industrial design applications (after China and Germany), according to [[World Intellectual Property Indicators]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=World Intellectual Property Organization. |url=https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4571&plang=EN |title=World Intellectual Property Indicators 2021 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) |year=2021 |isbn=978-92-805-3329-3 |series=World IP Indicators (WIPI) |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.44461 |access-date=April 27, 2022}}</ref> In 2023<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition |date=December 28, 2023 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |isbn=978-92-805-3432-0 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |access-date=October 17, 2023}}</ref> and 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2024: Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}}</ref> the United States ranked third (after Switzerland and Sweden) in the [[Global Innovation Index]]. The United States is considered to be the leading country in the development of [[artificial intelligence]] technology.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2024 |title=Global AI Power Rankings: Stanford HAI Tool Ranks 36 Countries in AI |url=https://hai.stanford.edu/news/global-ai-power-rankings-stanford-hai-tool-ranks-36-countries-ai |access-date=January 1, 2025 |website=hai.stanford.edu |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, the United States was ranked the second most technologically advanced country in the world (after South Korea) by ''[[Global Finance (magazine)|Global Finance]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Getzoff |first=Marc |date=December 1, 2023 |title=Most Technologically Advanced Countries In The World 2023 |url=https://gfmag.com/data/non-economic-data/most-advanced-countries-in-the-world/ |access-date=July 29, 2024 |website=Global Finance Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Spaceflight ====
{{Main|Space policy of the United States}}
[[File:A Man on the Moon, AS11-40-5903 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Astronauts [[Buzz Aldrin]] and [[Neil Armstrong]] during the 1969 [[Apollo 11]] mission, the first crewed [[Moon landing]]. Armstrong is seen in Aldrin's visor reflection along with [[Earth]], the [[Lunar Module Eagle|Lunar Module ''Eagle'']], and the [[Flag of the United States|American flag]]. The United States is the only country to have landed humans on the Moon.]]
The United States has maintained a space program since the late 1950s, beginning with the establishment of the [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 26, 2023 |title=65 Years Ago: The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 Creates NASA – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/65-years-ago-the-national-aeronautics-and-space-act-of-1958-creates-nasa/#:~:text=President%20Eisenhower%20signed%20the%20National,of%20the%20International%20Geophysical%20Year. |access-date=September 6, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2024 |title=National Aeronautics and Space Administration {{!}} US Space Agency & Exploration Achievements {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/NASA |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> NASA's [[Apollo program]] (1961&ndash;1972) achieved the first crewed [[Moon landing]] with the 1969 [[Apollo 11]] mission; it remains one of the agency's most significant milestones.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 29, 2024 |title=Apollo {{!}} History, Missions, Significance, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Apollo-space-program |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 4, 2019 |title=The Apollo Missions |url=https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/the-apollo-missions/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=The Apollo Missions |language=en-US}}</ref> Other major endeavors by NASA include the [[Space Shuttle program]] (1981–2011),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Space Shuttle – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/space-shuttle/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[Voyager program]] (1972&ndash;present), the [[Hubble Space Telescope|Hubble]] and [[James Webb Space Telescope|James Webb]] [[space telescope]]s (launched in 1990 and 2021, respectively),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts |url=https://hubblesite.org/quick-facts |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=HubbleSite |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Quick Facts |url=https://webbtelescope.org/quick-facts |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=Webb |language=en}}</ref> and the multi-mission [[Mars Exploration Program]] (''[[Mars Exploration Rover|Spirit]]'' and ''[[Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity]]'', ''[[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity]],'' and ''[[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mars Exploration – NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=science.nasa.gov |date=February 27, 2008 |language=en-US}}</ref> NASA is one of five agencies collaborating on the [[International Space Station]] (ISS);<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Space Station Facts and Figures – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-facts-and-figures/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> U.S. contributions to the ISS include several modules, including ''[[Destiny (ISS module)|Destiny]]'' (2001), ''[[Harmony (ISS module)|Harmony]]'' (2007), and ''[[Tranquility (ISS module)|Tranquility]]'' (2010), as well as ongoing logistical and operational support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=Elizabeth |date=August 24, 2022 |title=International Space Station: Facts, History & Tracking |url=https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=Space.com |language=en |edition=updated, last}}</ref>

The United States [[private sector]] dominates the global [[Private spaceflight|commercial spaceflight industry]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Analysis {{!}} Companies are commercializing outer space. Do government programs still matter? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/11/companies-are-commercializing-outer-space-do-government-programs-still-matter/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Prominent American spaceflight contractors include [[Blue Origin]], [[Boeing]], [[Lockheed Martin]], [[Northrop Grumman]], and [[SpaceX]]. NASA programs such as the [[Commercial Crew Program]], [[Commercial Resupply Services]], [[Commercial Lunar Payload Services]], and [[Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships|NextSTEP]] have facilitated growing private-sector involvement in American spaceflight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commercial Space – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Info is needed about the Artemis program as it is a major component of contemporary American space policy. -->

=== Energy ===
{{Main|Energy in the United States}}

In 2023, the United States received approximately 84% of its energy from fossil fuel, and its largest source of energy was [[Petroleum in the United States|petroleum]] (38%), followed by [[Natural gas in the United States|natural gas]] (36%), [[Renewable energy in the United States|renewable sources]] (9%), [[Coal in the United States|coal]] (9%), and [[Nuclear power in the United States|nuclear power]] (9%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. energy facts explained – consumption and production – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/ |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=eia.gov}}</ref><ref name="visu">{{cite web |date=March 2022 |title=Energy Flow Charts: Charting the Complex Relationships among Energy, Water, and Carbon |url=https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |publisher=Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory}}</ref><!--Numbers do not add up to 100 due to rounding errors. --> In 2022, the United States constituted about 4% of the [[world population|world's population]], but consumed around 16% of the [[World energy consumption|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> The U.S. ranks as the [[List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions|second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases]] behind China.<ref>{{cite web |last=US Environmental Protection Agency |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>

The U.S. is the world's [[Nuclear power by country|largest producer of nuclear power]], generating around 30% of the world's nuclear electricity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nuclear Power in the USA - World Nuclear Association |url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/usa-nuclear-power |access-date=March 1, 2025 |website=world-nuclear.org}}</ref> It also has the highest number of nuclear power reactors of any country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rouse |first=Sabina |date=November 5, 2019 |title=Where are the world's 449 nuclear reactors? |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/11/countries-that-have-the-most-nuclear-power-alternative-energy-electricity-climate-change/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214075151/https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/11/countries-that-have-the-most-nuclear-power-alternative-energy-electricity-climate-change/ |archive-date=February 14, 2025 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2024, the U.S. plans to triple its nuclear power capacity by 2050.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2024 |title=U.S. Sets Targets to Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity by 2050 |url=https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/us-sets-targets-triple-nuclear-energy-capacity-2050 |access-date=March 1, 2025 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
{{Main|Transportation in the United States}}
[[File:45intoI-10_2.jpg|thumb|right|Interchange between [[Interstate 10]] and [[Interstate 45]] in [[Houston]], Texas]]
The {{convert|4|e6mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} road network, owned almost entirely by state and local governments, is the [[List of countries by road network size|longest]] 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=July 12, 2021 |access-date=July 15, 2021 |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 }}</ref> The extensive [[Interstate Highway System]] that connects all major cities is funded mostly by the federal government but maintained by [[List of U.S. state and insular area departments of transportation|state departments of transportation]], supplemented by state expressways and some private [[toll road]]s.

The U.S. is among the top ten countries with the [[List of countries by vehicles per capita|highest vehicle ownership per capita]] (850 vehicles per 1,000 people) in 2022. A 2022 study found that 76% of U.S. commuters drive alone and 14% ride a bicycle, including bike owners and users of [[bike-sharing]] networks. About 11% use some form of public transportation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2022 |title=Cars still dominate the American commute |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/commute-america-sustainability-cars/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Humes |first=Edward |date=April 12, 2016 |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=July 12, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>

[[Public transportation in the United States]] is well developed in the largest urban areas, notably New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Chicago; otherwise, coverage is generally less extensive than in most other developed countries. The U.S. also has many relatively [[car-dependent]] localities.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Urban mass transportation planning |author=Black, Alan |date=1995 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=978-0-07-005557-5 |location=New York |oclc=31045097}}</ref>

Long-distance intercity travel is provided primarily by airlines, but travel by rail is more common along the [[Northeast Corridor]], the only [[high-speed rail in the United States|high-speed rail in the U.S.]] that meets international standards. [[Amtrak]], the country's government-sponsored national passenger rail company, has a relatively sparse network compared to that of Western European countries. Service is concentrated in the Northeast, California, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and Virginia/Southeast.

[[File:Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], serving the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], is the world's [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|busiest airport by passenger traffic]] with over 75 million passengers as of 2021.<ref name="BusyAirport">{{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 |publisher=CNN |first=Marnie |last=Hunter |date=April 11, 2022}}</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>]]

The United States has an extensive air transportation network. [[List of airlines of the United States|U.S. civilian airlines]] are all privately owned. The three largest airlines in the world, by total number of passengers carried, are U.S.-based; [[American Airlines]] became the global leader after its 2013 merger with [[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 50 busiest airports in the world, 16 are in the United States, as well as five of the top 10.<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> The world's busiest airport by passenger volume is [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International]] in [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]].<ref name="BusyAirport" /><ref name="PANYNJ 2021 report" /> In 2022, most of the [[List of airports in the United States|19,969 U.S. airports]]<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=December 15, 2023}}</ref> were owned and operated by local government authorities, and there are also some private airports. Some 5,193 are designated as "public use", including for [[general aviation]]. The [[Transportation Security Administration]] (TSA) has provided security at most major airports since 2001.

[[Rail transport in the United States|The country's rail transport network]], the [[List of countries by rail transport network size|longest]] in the world at {{cvt|293564.2|km|order=flip}},<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 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124012056/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2121rank.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> handles mostly [[Freight transport|freight]]<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. |year=2021 |access-date=February 16, 2021 |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422132507/https://www.transtats.bts.gov/osea/seasonaladjustment/?PageVar=RAIL_PM }}</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> (in contrast to more passenger-centered rail in Europe<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=11847 |title=Comparing European and American Transport |author=The Antiplanner |date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>). Because they are often privately owned operations, U.S. railroads lag behind those of the rest of the world in terms of electrification.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://brownpoliticalreview.org/us-railroads-lag-behind-the-world-in-railroad-electrification-and-the-reason-is-private-ownership/|website=[[Brown Political Review]]|title=US Railroads Lag Behind the World in Railroad Electrification, and the Reason is Private Ownership|first=Maddock|last=Thomas|date=March 7, 2023|access-date=March 9, 2025}}</ref>

[[Inland waterways of the United States|The country's inland waterways]] are the world's [[List of countries by waterways length|fifth-longest]], totaling {{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 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412005407/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/waterways/country-comparison |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are used extensively for freight, recreation, and a small amount of passenger traffic. Of the world's [[List of busiest container ports|50 busiest container ports]], four are located in the United States, with the busiest in the U.S. being 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>

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

=== 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.-->
{{Main|Americans|Race and ethnicity in the United States}}
{{See also|List of U.S. states by population}}
{{Bar chart
| float       = right
| title       = The 10 most populous U.S. states <br /> (2024 estimates)<ref name="CensusEst2024">{{cite web |title=Annual and cumulative estimates of residential population change for the United States, regions, states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-kits/2024/national-state-population-estimates.html |website=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref>
| label_type  = State
| data_type   = Population (millions)
| bar_width   = 10
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 40
| label1   = [[California]]
| data1    = 39.4
| label2   = [[Texas]]
| data2    = 31.3
| label3   = [[Florida]]
| data3    = 23.4
| label4   = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| data4    = 19.9
| label5   = [[Pennsylvania]]
| data5    = 13.1
| label6   = [[Illinois]]
| data6    = 12.7
| label7   = [[Ohio]]
| data7    = 11.9
| label8   = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| data8    = 11.2
| label9   = [[North Carolina]]
| data9    = 11.0
| label10   = [[Michigan]]
| data10    = 10.1
}}

The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] reported 331,449,281 residents on 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 country]] 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> The Census Bureau's official 2024 population estimate was 340,110,988, an increase of 2.6% since the 2020 census.<ref name="Vintage2024" /> According to the Bureau's [[U.S. and World Population Clock|U.S. Population Clock]], on July 1, 2024, the U.S. population had a net gain of one person every 16 seconds, or about 5400 people per day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Population Clock |url=https://www.census.gov/popclock/ |website=Census.gov}}</ref> In 2023, 51% of Americans age 15 and over were married, 6% were [[widowed]], 10% were divorced, and 34% 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 2023, the [[total fertility rate]] for the U.S. stood at 1.6 children per woman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saric |first=Ivana |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Births dropped in 2023, ending pandemic baby boom |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/us-births-drop-2023 |access-date=July 1, 2024 |publisher=Axios |language=en}}</ref> and, at 23%, it had the world's highest rate of children 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 |date=December 12, 2019 |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|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|website=Census.gov}}</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 |year=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 country's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total U.S. population.<ref name="An2000" /> Asian Americans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of the United States population. The country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about 1%,<ref name="An2000" /> and some 574 native tribes are recognized by the federal government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities {{!}} USAGov |url=https://www.usa.gov/indian-tribes-alaska-native |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=www.usa.gov |language=en}}</ref> In 2024, the [[median age]] of the United States population was 39.1 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilder |first=Kristie |last2=Mackun |first2=Paul |title=Median Age in 192 Metro Areas Higher Than National Median of 39.1 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/06/metro-areas-median-age.html |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Census.gov |language=en}}</ref>

=== Language ===
{{Main|Languages of the United States}}
[[File:Languages cp-02.svg|thumb|Most spoken languages in the U.S.]]
While many languages are spoken in the United States, [[American English|English]] is by far the most commonly spoken and written.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaur |first=Harmeet |date=May 20, 2018 |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=May 11, 2023 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}</ref> In 2025, [[Executive Order 14224]] declared English the [[official language]] of the United States, and federal agencies recognize English as the official language under the order.<ref name="EOWP" /> However, Congress has never passed a bill to designate English as the official language of all three federal branches. Some laws, such as [[Naturalized citizen of the United States|U.S. naturalization requirements]], nonetheless standardize English. Twenty-eight states and the [[United States Virgin Islands]] have laws that designate English as the sole official language; 19 states and the [[District of Columbia]] have no 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: 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 |publisher=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 in the United States|Spanish]]), Guam ([[Chamorro language|Chamorro]]), and the Northern Mariana Islands ([[Carolinian language|Carolinian]] and Chamorro). In total, 169 Native American languages are spoken in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Siebens |first1=Julie |last2=Julian |first2=Tiffany |date=December 2011 |title=Native North American Languages Spoken at Home in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2006–2010 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2011/acs/acsbr10-10.pdf |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> 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/ }}</ref>

According to the [[American Community Survey]] (2020),<ref name="ACS2021">{{cite web |title=ACS B16001 |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B16001:+LANGUAGE+SPOKEN+AT+HOME+BY+ABILITY+TO+SPEAK+ENGLISH+FOR+THE+POPULATION+5+YEARS+AND+OVER&g=0100000US&tid=ACSDT1Y2021.B16001&moe=true |website=ACS B16001 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 26, 2022}}</ref> some 245.4 million people in the U.S. age five and older spoke only English at home. About 41.2 million spoke Spanish at home, making it the second most commonly used language. Other languages spoken at home by one million people or more include [[Chinese language in the United States|Chinese]] (3.40 million), [[Tagalog language in the United States|Tagalog]] (1.71 million), [[Vietnamese language in the United States|Vietnamese]] (1.52 million), [[Arabic language in the United States|Arabic]] (1.39 million), [[French language in the United States|French]] (1.18 million), [[Korean language in the United States|Korean]] (1.07 million), and [[Russian language in the United States|Russian]] (1.04 million). [[German language in the United States|German]], spoken by 1 million people at home in 2010, fell to 857,000 total speakers in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |title=American FactFinder—Results |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213140/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B16001&prodType=table |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref>

=== Immigration ===
{{Main|Immigration to the United States}}
[[File:Border USA Mexico.jpg|thumb|The [[Mexico–United States border wall]] between [[San Diego]] (left) and [[Tijuana]] (right)]]
America's immigrant population is by far the world's [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|largest in absolute terms]].<ref name="UNdef">{{Cite web |author=((United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division)) |title=International Migrant Stock 2019 Documentation |url=https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/docs/MigrationStockDocumentation_2019.pdf |date=August 2019 |publisher=United Nations |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 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=June 19, 2023}}</ref> In 2022, there were 87.7 million immigrants and [[Second-generation immigrants in the United States|U.S.-born children of immigrants]] in the United States, accounting for nearly 27% 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 [[Undocumented immigrant population of the United States|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> In 2019, the top countries of origin for immigrants were Mexico (24% of immigrants), India (6%), China (5%), the Philippines (4.5%), and El Salvador (3%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 21, 2021 |title=Immigrants in the United States |url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_the_united_states_0.pdf |access-date=August 18, 2023 |website=americanimmigrationcouncil.org}}</ref> In fiscal year 2022, over one million immigrants (most of whom entered through [[Chain migration#Legislation|family reunification]]) were granted [[Permanent residence (United States)|legal residence]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Who Are America's Immigrants? |url=https://www.prb.org/articles/who-are-americas-immigrants/ |work=[[Population Reference Bureau]] |date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> In fiscal year 2024 alone, according to the [[Migration Policy Institute]], the United States resettled 100,034 refugees, which "re-cements the United States' role as the top global resettlement destination, far surpassing other major resettlement countries in Europe and Canada".<ref>{{cite web |title=How the rebuilt U.S. system resettled the most refugees in 30 years |last1=Chisti |first1=Muzaffar |last2=Bush-Joseph |first2=Kathleen |last3=Greene |first3=Madeleine |url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/rebuilt-us-refugee-resettlement-biden |agency=Migration Policy Institute |date=October 30, 2024 |access-date=January 3, 2025}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in the United States}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious affiliation in the U.S., according to a 2023 [[Gallup, Inc.|Gallup]] poll:<ref name="Staff-2007"/>
| label1 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 33
| color1 = DarkBlue
| label2 = [[Catholicism in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 22
| color2 = Blue
| label3 = [[Christianity in the United States|Non-specific Christian]]
| value3 = 11
| color3 = SkyBlue
| label4 = [[Judaism in the United States|Judaism]]
| value4 = 2
| color4 = Pink
| label5 = [[Mormonism in the United States|Mormonism]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = #468fEA
| label6 = Other religion
| value6 = 6
| color6 = Green
| label7 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value7 = 22
| color7 = White
| label8 = Unanswered
| value8 = 3
| color8 = Black
}}
The [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] guarantees the [[Free Exercise Clause|free exercise of religion in the country]] and forbids Congress from passing laws respecting [[Establishment Clause|its establishment]].<ref name="Donadio-2021">{{Cite web |last=Donadio |first=Rachel |date=November 22, 2021 |title=Why Is France So Afraid of God? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/12/france-god-religion-secularism/620528/ |access-date=March 25, 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |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> Religious practice is widespread, among the [[List of countries by ethnic and cultural diversity level|most diverse]] in the world,<ref name="alesina1">{{cite journal |last=Alesina |first=Alberto |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 |s2cid=260685524 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831221230/http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/alesina/files/fractionalization.pdf |archive-date=August 31, 2012 |access-date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> and profoundly vibrant.

<ref name="pewreligion">{{cite web |last=Fahmy |first=Dalia |date=July 31, 2018 |title=Americans are far more religious than adults in other wealthy nations |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/31/americans-are-far-more-religious-than-adults-in-other-wealthy-nations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109160911/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/07/31/americans-are-far-more-religious-than-adults-in-other-wealthy-nations/ |archive-date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2020 |work=Pew Research Center}}</ref> The country has the world's [[Christianity by country|largest Christian population]], which includes the [[Catholic Church by country|fourth-largest population of Roman Catholics]].<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}}</ref> Other notable faiths include [[Judaism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]], [[New Age]], and [[Native American religions]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sewell |first=Elizabeth |title=The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States |publisher=[[University of Oxford]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-989222-8 |editor-last=Davis |editor-first=Derek |pages=249–275 |chapter=Religious Liberty and Religious Minorities in the United States}}</ref> Religious practice varies significantly 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=March 25, 2023 |website=[[Christianity Today]] |language=en}}</ref> "[[Ceremonial deism]]" is common in American culture.<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>

The overwhelming majority of [[Americans]] believe in a [[Higher Power|higher power]] or spiritual force, engage in [[spiritual practice]]s such as prayer, and consider themselves religious or [[Spirituality|spiritual]].<ref name="Kallo-2023">{{Cite web |last=Kallo |display-authors=etal |first=Becka |date=December 7, 2023 |title=Spirituality Among Americans |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/12/07/spirituality-among-americans/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Froese |first1=Paul |last2=Uecker |first2=Jeremy E. |date=September 2022 |title=Prayer in America: A Detailed Analysis of the Various Dimensions of Prayer |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |language=en |volume=61 |issue=3–4 |pages=663–689 |doi=10.1111/jssr.12810 |s2cid=253439298 |issn=0021-8294|doi-access=free }}</ref> In the Southern United States' "[[Bible Belt]]", [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Protestantism]] plays a significant role culturally; [[New England]] and the Western United States [[Unchurched Belt|tend to be more secular]].<ref name="Williams-2023" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahmy |first=Dalia |first2=Gregory A.|last2= Smith|first3= Alan|last3= Cooperman|first4= Becka A. |last4=Alper|first5= Besheer|last5= Mohamed|first6= Chip |last6=Rotolo|first7= Patricia |last7=Tevington|first8= Justin |last8=Nortey|first9= Asta |last9=Kallo|first10= Jeff |last10=Diamant  |date=February 26, 2025 |title=Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/ |access-date=April 22, 2025 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Mormonism]], a [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] movement founded in the U.S. in 1847,{{sfn|Howe|2008|pp=727–728}} is the predominant religion in Utah and a major religion in Idaho.

=== 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="CIA-2018" /> 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 }}</ref> In 2022, 333 [[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>{{Cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |access-date=November 26, 2023 |website=Census.gov}}</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}}

=== Health ===
{{Main|Healthcare in the United States|Healthcare reform in the United States|Health insurance in the United States}}
[[File:Texas medical center.jpg|thumb|The [[Texas Medical Center]] in [[Houston]] is the largest medical complex in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmc.edu/about-tmc/|title=About Us}}</ref><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> In 2018, it employed 120,000 people and treated 10 million patients.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMC_FactsFiguresOnePager_07052018-1.pdf|title=TMC Facts & Figures}}</ref>]]

According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), average American life expectancy at birth was 78.4 years in 2023 (75.8 years for men and 81.1 years for women). This was a gain of 0.9 year from 77.5 years in 2022, and the CDC noted that the new average was largely driven by "decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer and diabetes".<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db521.htm |last1=Murphy |first1=Sherry |last2=Kochanek |first2=Kenneth D. |last3=Xu |first3=Jiaquan |last4=Arias |first4=Elizabeth |title=Mortality in the United States, 2023 |journal=NCHS Data Brief |date=December 19, 2024 |issue=521 |pmid=39819663 |pmc=11770397 |access-date=January 7, 2025}}</ref> Starting in 1998, life expectancy in the U.S. fell [[List of countries by life expectancy|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 Commonwealth Fund reported in 2020 that the U.S. had the [[List of countries by suicide rate|highest suicide rate]] 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> [[Obesity in the United States|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> The U.S. healthcare system far [[List of countries by total health expenditure (PPP) per capita|outspends that of any other country]], measured both in per capita spending and as a percentage of GDP, but attains worse healthcare outcomes when compared to peer countries for reasons that are debated.<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 country [[Healthcare reform in the United States|without a system of universal healthcare]], and [[Health insurance coverage in the United States|a 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> Government-funded healthcare coverage for the poor ([[Medicaid]]) and for those age 65 and older ([[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]]) is available to Americans who meet the programs' income or age qualifications. In 2010, then-President Obama passed the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]].{{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> [[Abortion in the United States]] is not federally protected, and is illegal or restricted in 17 states.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Glenza |first1=Jessica |last2=Noor |first2=Poppy |title=Tracking abortion laws across the United States |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/jul/29/abortion-laws-bans-by-state |access-date=August 14, 2024 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in the United States}}
[[File:University-of-Virginia-Rotunda.jpg|thumb|Some 77% of American college students attend public institutions<ref>[[National Center for Education Statistics]]. "[https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cha U.S. Undergraduate Enrollment]". Accessed July 29, 2024.</ref> such as the [[University of Virginia]], founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1819.|alt=Photograph of the University of Virginia]]
American primary and secondary education (known in the U.S. as [[K–12 education in the United States|K–12]], "kindergarten through 12th grade") is decentralized. School systems are operated by state, territorial, and sometimes municipal governments and regulated by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]]. In general, children are required to attend school or [[Homeschooling in the United States|an approved homeschool]] from the age of five or six ([[kindergarten]] or [[first grade]]) until they are 18 years old. This often brings students through the [[twelfth grade|12th grade]], the final year of a U.S. high school, but some states and territories allow them to leave school earlier, at age 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> The U.S. spends more on education per student than any other country,<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> an average of $18,614 per year per public elementary and secondary school student in 2020–2021.<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> Among Americans age 25 and older, 92.2% graduated from high school, 62.7% attended some college, 37.7% earned a [[bachelor's degree]], and 14.2% earned a graduate degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Educational Attainment in the United States: 2022 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html |access-date=July 20, 2024 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> The [[Literacy in the United States|U.S. literacy rate]] is near-universal.<ref name="CIA-2018" /><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 U.S. has produced the [[List of Nobel laureates by country|most Nobel Prize winners of any country]], with [[List of American Nobel laureates|411]] (having won 413 awards).<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Nobel Prizes |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes |publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2022–2023 Best Global Universities Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref>

[[Higher education in the United States|U.S. tertiary or higher education]] has earned a global reputation. Many 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=October 22, 2019 |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=April 18, 2023 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Best Countries for Education: North American and European countries are seen as offering the best opportunities for education. |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-education |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> American higher education is dominated by [[state university system]]s, although [[Private universities in the United States|the country's many private universities and colleges]] enroll about 20% of all American students. Local [[community college]]s generally offer coursework and degree programs covering the first two years of college study. They often have 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>

As for [[public expenditure]]s on higher education, the U.S. spends more per student than the [[OECD]] average, and Americans spend 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=Associated Press |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/ |access-date=October 5, 2013 |archive-date=July 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726002619/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57590921/u.s-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows |url-status=live}}</ref> Colleges and universities directly funded by the federal government do not charge tuition and are limited to military personnel and government employees, including: the [[United States service academies|U.S. service academies]], the [[Naval Postgraduate School]], and [[US military staff colleges|military staff colleges]]. 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]] increased by 102% between 2010 and 2020,<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 |publisher=CNBC |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 in 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 |publisher=CNBC |access-date=July 8, 2022}}</ref>

== Culture and society ==
{{Main|Culture of the United States|Society of the United States}}{{See also|Human rights in the United States}}
[[File:Liberty02.jpg|thumb|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]]

The United States is home to [[Multiculturalism in the United States|a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Volokh |first=Eugene |date=January 17, 2015 |title=The American tradition of multiculturalism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/01/27/the-american-tradition-of-multiculturalism/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Lucas |date=August 22, 2014 |title=America's Tipping Point: Most Of U.S. Now Multicultural, Says Group |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/americas-tipping-point-most-u-s-now-multicultural-says-group-n186206 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref> The country has been described as having [[Americanism (ideology)|the values]] of [[individualism]] and [[Left-libertarianism|personal autonomy]],<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><ref>{{Cite news |last=Marsh |first=Abigail |date=May 26, 2021 |title=Everyone Thinks Americans Are Selfish. They're Wrong. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/opinion/individualism-united-states-altruism.html |access-date=July 16, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> as well as 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> and [[Competition|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> Voluntary [[altruism]] towards others also plays a major role;<ref>{{cite web |date=September 9, 2022 |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=March 14, 2023 |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 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref> 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 rate]] 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> Americans have traditionally [[Stereotypes of Americans|been characterized]] by a unifying political belief in an "[[American Creed]]" emphasizing [[consent of the governed]], [[liberty]], [[equality under the law]], [[democracy]], [[social equality]], [[property rights]], and a preference for [[limited government]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Huntington |first=Samuel P. |author-link=Samuel P. Huntington |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 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xiYiybkE8kC&q=core}}: 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|978-0-7425-4839-8}}, 2007, p. xi.</ref> The U.S. has acquired significant [[Hard power|hard]] and [[soft power]] through [[Foreign relations of the United States|its diplomatic influence]], [[economic power]], [[military alliance]]s, and [[cultural exports]] such as [[Cinema of the United States|American movies]], [[Music of the United States|music]], [[Video games in the United States|video games]], [[Sports in the United States|sports]], and [[American cuisine|food]].<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 |access-date=July 3, 2022 |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Ritula |date=November 19, 2014 |title=Is US monopoly on the use of soft power at an end? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-29536648 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The influence that the United States exerts on other countries through soft power is referred to as [[Americanization]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berghahn |first=Volker R. |date=February 1, 2010 |title=The debate on 'Americanization' among economic and cultural historians |journal=Cold War History |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=107–130 |doi=10.1080/14682740903388566 |issn=1468-2745 |s2cid=144459911}}</ref>

Nearly all present Americans or their ancestors came from [[Afro-Eurasia|Europe, Africa, or Asia]] (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#Culture|traditions of European immigrants]] with influences from many other sources, such as [[African-American culture|traditions brought by slaves from Africa]].<ref>{{multiref2
|{{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}}
|{{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.

The [[American Dream]], or the perception that Americans enjoy high levels of [[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><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulkarni |first=Jay |date=January 12, 2022 |title=Attracting Immigrant Talent With A New American Dream |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/12/attracting-immigrant-talent-with-a-new-american-dream/ |access-date=July 24, 2024 |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en}}</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 |website=Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth |publisher=OECD |year=2010 |access-date=September 20, 2010}}</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>{{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}}</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}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |last=Hoff-Ginsberg |first=Erika |date=April 1989 |title=Effects of Social Class and Interactive Setting on Maternal Speech |publication-place=Bethesda, MD |publisher=National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH) |via=Education Resource Information Center |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED309843}} Republished with revisions as {{cite journal |last=Hoff-Ginsberg |first=Erika |title=Mother-Child Conversation in Different Social Classes and Communicative Settings |journal=Child Development |volume=62 |issue=4 |date=1991 |issn=0009-3920 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01569.x |pages=782–796 |pmid=1935343}}</ref> Americans tend to greatly value [[socioeconomics|socioeconomic]] achievement, but [[Average Joe|being ordinary or average]] is promoted by some as a noble condition as well.<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 [[National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities]] is an agency of the United States federal government that was established in 1965 with the purpose to "develop and promote a broadly conceived national policy of support for the humanities and the arts in the United States, and for institutions which preserve the cultural heritage of the United States."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-foundation-on-the-arts-and-the-humanities |title=National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities |work=Federal Register |access-date=October 1, 2022}}</ref> It is composed of four sub-agencies:
*[[National Endowment for the Arts]]
*[[National Endowment for the Humanities]]
*[[Institute of Museum and Library Services]]
*[[Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities]]

Under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment to the Constitution]], the United States is considered to have the [[Freedom of speech in the United States|strongest protections of free speech of any country]].<ref name="Coleman-2013">{{Cite book |last=Coleman |first=Gabriella |title=Coding Freedom |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-691-14461-0 |pages=10, 201 |author-link=Gabriella Coleman}}</ref> [[Flag desecration in the United States|Flag desecration]], [[Hate speech in the United States|hate speech]], [[Blasphemy law in the United States|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 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Adam |date=June 11, 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=February 6, 2023 |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=February 6, 2023 |website=Pew Research Center |date=October 12, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, they are the "most supportive of [[Freedom of the press in the United States|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=February 6, 2023 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. 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...|url-access=subscription }}</ref> with [[Permissive society|permissive]] attitudes surrounding [[human sexuality]].<ref name="Derks-2020">{{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=978-3-030-56326-4 |page=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]] are among the most advanced by global standards.<ref name="Derks-2020" /><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=978-1-4798-5007-5 |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 ===
{{Main|American literature|American philosophy}}
[[File:Mark Twain by AF Bradley.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mark Twain]], whom [[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]]

Colonial American authors were influenced by [[John Locke]] and other [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] philosophers.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=157-159}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994a|pp=503-509}} The [[American Revolution|American Revolutionary Period]] (1765–1783) is notable for the political writings of [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[Thomas Paine]], and [[Thomas Jefferson]]. Shortly before and after the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], the newspaper rose to prominence, filling a demand for anti-British national literature.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|p=163}}<ref>Mulford, Carla. [https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof00v1unse_e3d7/page/705/mode/1up "Enlightenment Voices, Revolutionary Visions."] In {{harvnb|Lauter|1994a|pp=705–707}}.</ref> An early novel is [[William Hill Brown]]'s ''[[The Power of Sympathy]]'', published in 1791. Writer and critic [[John Neal]] in the early- to mid-19th century helped advance America toward a unique literature and culture by criticizing predecessors such as [[Washington Irving]] for imitating their British counterparts, and by influencing writers such as [[Edgar Allan Poe]],<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-46969-7 |last=Lease |first=Benjamin |title=That Wild Fellow John Neal and the American Literary Revolution |location=Chicago, Illinois |year=1972 |page=80}}</ref> who took American poetry and short fiction in new directions. [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] and [[Margaret Fuller]] pioneered the influential [[Transcendentalism]] movement;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Finseth |first1=Ian Frederick |title=The Emergence of Transcendentalism |url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma95/finseth/trans.html |website=American Studies @ The University of Virginia |publisher=[[The University of Virginia]] |access-date=November 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718205554/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/finseth/trans.html |archive-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref><ref name=Coviello>{{cite book |last=Coviello |first=Peter |chapter=Transcendentalism |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2005 |via=Oxford Reference Online |access-date=October 23, 2011 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195156539.001.0001/acref-9780195156539-e-0294?rskey=lw57LH&result=1 |isbn=978-0-19-530772-6}}</ref> [[Henry David Thoreau]], author of ''[[Walden]]'', was influenced by this movement.

The conflict surrounding [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionism]] inspired writers, like [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]], and authors of slave narratives, such as [[Frederick Douglass]]. [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'' (1850) explored the dark side of American history, as did [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' (1851). Major American poets of the 19th century [[American Renaissance (literature)|American Renaissance]] include [[Walt Whitman]], Melville, and [[Emily Dickinson]].{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=444-447}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994a|pp=1228, 1233, 1260}} [[Mark Twain]] was the first major American writer to be born in the West. [[Henry James]] achieved international recognition with novels like ''[[The Portrait of a Lady]]'' (1881). As literacy rates rose, periodicals published more stories centered around industrial workers, women, and the rural poor.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1269-1270}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994b|pp=8-10}} [[Naturalism (literature)|Naturalism]], [[American literary regionalism|regionalism]], and [[Literary realism#UnitedStates|realism]] were the major literary movements of the period.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1271-1273}}{{sfn|Lauter|1994b|p=12}}

While [[Literary modernism|modernism]] generally took on an international character, modernist authors working within the United States more often rooted their work in specific regions, peoples, and cultures.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=1850-1851}} Following the Great Migration to northern cities, African-American and black [[West Indian Americans|West Indian]] authors of the [[Harlem Renaissance]] developed an independent tradition of literature that rebuked a history of inequality and celebrated black culture. An important cultural export during the [[Jazz Age]], these writings were a key influence on ''[[Négritude]]'', a philosophy emerging in the 1930s among francophone writers of the [[African diaspora]].<ref>[[Hortense Spillers|Spillers, Hortense]]. [https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof02laut/page/1579 "The New Negro Renaissance."] In {{harvnb|Lauter|1994b|pp=1579–1585}}.</ref><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> In the 1950s, an ideal of homogeneity led many authors to attempt to write the [[Great American Novel]],{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=2260-2261}} while the [[Beat Generation]] rejected this conformity, using styles that elevated the impact of the [[spoken word]] over mechanics to describe drug use, sexuality, and the failings of society.{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|p=2262}}<ref>{{harvnb|Lauter|1994b|pp=1975–1977}}. "[https://archive.org/details/heathanthologyof02laut/page/1972 Literature of the Cold War]".</ref> Contemporary literature is more pluralistic than in previous eras, with the closest thing to a unifying feature being a trend toward self-conscious [[Experimental literature|experiments with language]].{{sfn|Baym|Levine|2013|pp=2266-2267}} Twelve American laureates have won the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/all-nobel-prizes-in-literature/all/ |title=All Nobel Prizes in Literature |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=The Nobel Prize |publisher=Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024 |access-date=August 6, 2024 |quote=}}</ref>

=== Mass media ===
{{Main|Mass media in the United States}}
{{See also|Newspapers in the United States|Television in the United States|Broadcasting in the United States|Public broadcasting in the United States|Internet in the United States|Radio in the United States|Video games in the United States}}
[[File:Comcastcenter vertical.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Comcast Center]] in [[Philadelphia]], headquarters of [[Comcast]], one of the world's [[List of telecommunications companies|largest telecommunications companies]] and media conglomerates]]

Media in the United States is [[Censorship in the United States|broadly uncensored]], with the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] providing significant protections, as reiterated in ''[[New York Times Co. v. United States]]''.<ref name="Coleman-2013" /> 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 networks are all commercial entities. The [[Cable television in the United States|U.S. cable television system]] 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> In 2021, about 83% of Americans over age 12 listened to [[radio broadcasting|broadcast radio]], while about 40% listened 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> In the prior year, there were 15,460 licensed full-power radio stations in the U.S. according to the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-367270A1.pdf|title=BROADCAST STATION TOTALS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020|website=docs.fcc.gov}}</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>

U.S. newspapers with a global reach and reputation 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> [[List of Spanish-language newspapers published in the United States|About 800 publications]] are produced in Spanish.<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 |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 few exceptions, newspapers 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 an increasingly rare situation, 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 Search|Google]], [[YouTube]], [[Facebook]], [[Amazon (website)|Amazon]], and [[Reddit]]&mdash;all of them American-owned.<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 }}</ref>

In 2022, the video game market of the United States was the world's [[List of video games markets by country|largest by revenue]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Top countries and markets by video game revenues |url=https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326135814/https://newzoo.com/resources/rankings/top-10-countries-by-game-revenues |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |access-date=October 6, 2023 |website=Newzoo}}</ref> In 2015, the U.S. video game industry consisted of 2,457 companies that employed around 220,000 jobs and generated $30.4 billion in revenue.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=2017-02-15 |title=The U.S. game industry has 2,457 companies supporting 220,000 jobs |url=https://gamesbeat.com/the-u-s-game-industry-has-2457-companies-supporting-220000-jobs/ |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=GamesBeat |language=en-US}}</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=December 14, 2022 |website=ESA Impact Map |date=July 20, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> According to the [[Game Developers Conference]] (GDC), the U.S. is the top location for [[video game development]], with 58% of [[Video game developer|game developers]] based in the country in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-25 |title=Number of Devs Aged 45 or Older Has Tripled Since 2015 |url=https://80.lv/articles/number-of-devs-aged-45-or-older-has-tripled-since-2015 |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=80.lv |language=en}}</ref>

=== Theater ===
{{Main|Theater in the United States}}
[[File:Broadway Theaters 45th Street Night.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Broadway theater]]s in [[Theater District, Manhattan]]]]

The United States is well known for its theater. 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> By the middle of the 19th century, America had created new distinct dramatic forms in the [[Tom Shows]], the [[showboat|showboat theater]] and the [[minstrel show]].<ref>Meserve, Walter J. An Outline History of American Drama, New York: Feedback/Prospero, 1994.</ref> The central hub of the American theater scene is the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District in 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|celebrities]] 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 musicals. U.S. theater has an active [[community theater]] culture.<ref>Stephen Watt, and Gary A. Richardson, ''American Drama: Colonial to Contemporary'' (1994).</ref>

The [[Tony Awards]] recognizes excellence in live Broadway theater and are presented at an annual ceremony in [[Manhattan]]. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for [[Regional theatre in the United States|regional theater]]. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a [[Special Tony Award]], the [[Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre]], and the [[Isabelle Stevenson Award]].<ref>Staff (undated). [http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/index.html "Who's Who"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223002914/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/about/index.html|date=December 23, 2016}}. tonyawards.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.</ref>

=== Visual arts ===
{{Main|Visual art of the United States|Architecture of the United States}}
[[File:Grant Wood - American Gothic - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[American Gothic]]'' (1930) by [[Grant Wood]] is one of the most famous [[Visual art of the United States|American paintings]] and is widely [[parody|parodied]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170208-how-american-gothic-became-an-icon |title=How American Gothic became an icon |first=Fisun |last=Güner |date=February 8, 2017 |publisher=BBC |access-date=March 2, 2017}}</ref>]]

[[Folk art of the United States|Folk art]] in [[Colonial america|colonial America]] grew out of artisanal [[Workmanship|craftsmanship]] in communities that allowed commonly trained people to individually express themselves. It was distinct from Europe's tradition of [[High culture|high art]], which was less accessible and generally less relevant to early American settlers.<ref>American folk art the art of the common man in America, 1750-1900. New York, N.Y.: The Museum of Modern Art. 1932.</ref> Cultural movements in art and craftsmanship in colonial America generally lagged behind those of Western Europe. For example, the prevailing medieval style of [[woodworking]] and primitive [[Sculpture of the United States|sculpture]] became integral to early American folk art, despite the emergence of [[Renaissance art|Renaissance styles]] in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The new English styles would have been early enough to make a considerable impact on American folk art, but American styles and forms had already been firmly adopted. Not only did styles change slowly in early America, but there was a tendency for rural artisans there to continue their traditional forms longer than their urban counterparts did&mdash;and far longer than those in Western Europe.<ref name="Coleman-2013" />

The [[Hudson River School]] was a mid-19th-century movement in the visual arts 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=1988 |publisher=Abbeville Press |location=New York |isbn=0896597954 |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofarmorysho00brow}}</ref>

[[American Realism]] and [[American Regionalism]] sought to reflect and give America new ways of looking at itself. [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Marsden Hartley]], and others experimented with new and 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. 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 tide of [[modernism]] and then [[postmodernism]] has brought global fame to American architects, including [[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> The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[Manhattan]] is the largest [[art museum]] in the United States<ref name="METLargestArtMuseum">{{cite news |author=Lester |first=Alfred |date=December 6, 1993 |title=Letter: The Louvre: tourism on the grand scale |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letter-the-louvre-tourism-on-the-grand-scale-1465736.html |access-date=December 2, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> and the [[List of largest art museums|fourth-largest]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Largest Art Museums In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-art-museums-in-the-world.html |website=WorldAtlas |date=May 30, 2017}}</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 in particular have influenced American music.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 22, 2016 |title=Musical Crossroads: African American Influence on American Music |url=https://music.si.edu/story/musical-crossroads |access-date=April 14, 2023 |website=Smithsonian}}</ref> [[Banjo]]s were brought to America through the slave trade. [[Minstrel show]]s incorporating the instrument into their acts led to its increased popularity and widespread production in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Folk, the Stage, and the Five-String Banjo in the Nineteenth Century |first=Robert B. |last=Winans |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |year=1976 |volume=89 |issue=354 |pages=407–437 |publisher=American Folklore Society |doi=10.2307/539294 |jstor=539294}}</ref>{{sfn|Shi|2016|p=378}} The [[electric guitar]], first invented in the 1930s, and mass-produced by the 1940s, had an enormous influence on popular music, in particular due to the development of [[rock and roll]].<ref name="axe">{{cite web |title=The Invention of the Electric Guitar |date=April 18, 2014 |url=https://invention.si.edu/invention-electric-guitar |website=Lemelson Center Studies in Invention and Innovation |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref> The [[synthesizer]], [[turntablism]], and [[electronic music]] were also largely developed in the U.S.

Elements from folk idioms such as the [[blues]] and [[old-time music]] were adopted and transformed into [[popular music|popular genres]] with global audiences. [[Jazz]] grew from blues and [[ragtime]] in the early 20th century, developing from the innovations and recordings of composers such as [[W.C. Handy]] and [[Jelly Roll Morton]]. [[Louis Armstrong]] and [[Duke Ellington]] increased its popularity early in the 20th century.<ref name="Biddle-2001">{{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> [[Country music]] developed in the 1920s,<ref>{{Cite web |website=OUP blog |title=Early blues and country music |last=Stoia |first=Nicholas |date=October 21, 2014 |url=https://blog.oup.com/2014/10/early-blues-country-music/ |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Bluegrass music |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/bluegrass-music |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=June 19, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> and [[rhythm and blues]] in the 1940s,{{sfn|OpenStax|2014|loc=§ [https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/28-4-popular-culture-and-mass-media 28.4]}} and rock and roll in the 1950s.<ref name="axe" /> 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> The musical forms of [[Punk rock|punk]] and [[hip hop]] both originated in the United States in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book |author=Funk |first=Clayton |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 |date=August 16, 2016 |publisher=The Ohio State University |chapter=9. Neo-Expressionism, Punk, and Hip Hop Emerge}}</ref>

The United States has the world's [[List of largest recorded music markets|largest music market]], with a total retail value of $15.9 billion in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report |url=https://www.riaa.com/reports/2022-year-end-music-industry-revenue-report-riaa/ |access-date=November 26, 2023 |publisher=Record Industry Association of America |language=en-US}}</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 |author=Hennessy |first=Eoin |date=March 27, 2014 |title=How American Music Took Over the World |url=https://universitytimes.ie/2014/03/how-american-music-took-over-the-world/ |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=[[The University Times]]}}</ref> Mid-20th-century American pop stars, such as [[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]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-universal-music-elvis-idCAKCN2M40UH |title=Universal Music can't help falling for Elvis Presley, to manage song catalog |date=April 12, 2022 |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=April 12, 2022}}</ref> became [[Superstar|global celebrities]] and [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists]],<ref name="Biddle-2001" /> as have artists of the late 20th century, such as [[Michael Jackson]],<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web |title=Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' First Ever 30X Multi-Platinum RIAA Certification |date=December 16, 2015 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |url=https://www.riaa.com/michael-jacksons-thriller-first-ever-30x-multi-platinum-riaa-certification/}}</ref> [[Madonna]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-17/madonna-has-been-scandalizing-people-for-40-years-and-nobodys-going-to-stop-her.html |title=Madonna has been scandalizing people for 40 years, and nobody's going to stop her |date=August 17, 2022 |first=Carlos |last=Marcos |work=[[El País]] |access-date=August 17, 2022}}</ref> [[Whitney Houston]],<ref name="Rolling Stone-2023">{{cite magazine |date=January 1, 2023 |title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/whitney-houston-11-1234643211/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 2, 2023}}</ref> and [[Mariah Carey]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mariah Carey To Receive Global Impact Award At Recording Academy Honors Presented By The Black Music Collective |url=https://grammy.com/news/mariah-carey-global-impact-award-recording-academy-honors-black-music-collective |access-date=February 2, 2024 |publisher=Grammy Awards |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202011657/https://www.grammy.com/news/mariah-carey-global-impact-award-recording-academy-honors-black-music-collective |url-status=live}}</ref> and of the early 21st century, such as [[Eminem]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southpawer.com/2017/09/12/eminem-guinness-world-records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914224707/http://www.southpawer.com/2017/09/12/eminem-guinness-world-records/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=September 14, 2017 |title=11 Guinness World Records Eminem Still Holds |date=September 12, 2017}}</ref> [[Britney Spears]],{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=490}} [[Lady Gaga]],{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=490}} [[Katy Perry]],{{sfn|Edmondson|2013|p=490}} [[Taylor Swift]] and [[Beyoncé]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.sky.com/story/taylor-swift-and-beyonce-reporters-wanted-by-biggest-newspaper-chain-in-us-12960828 |title=Taylor Swift and Beyoncé reporters wanted by biggest newspaper chain in US |publisher=[[Sky News]] |date=September 14, 2023 |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109015600/https://news.sky.com/story/taylor-swift-and-beyonce-reporters-wanted-by-biggest-newspaper-chain-in-us-12960828 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Fashion ===
{{main|Fashion in the United States}}
[[File:Carolina Herrera AW14 12.jpg|thumb|''[[Haute couture]]'' [[fashion model]]s on the [[catwalk]] during [[New York Fashion Week]]]]
The United States has the world's largest [[apparel]] market by revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Global Apparel Industry Statistics (2024) |url=https://www.uniformmarket.com/statistics/global-apparel-industry-statistics |access-date=August 25, 2024 |website=uniformmarket.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Apart from professional [[business attire]], American fashion is eclectic and predominantly informal. Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing; however, [[sneaker]]s, [[jeans]], [[T-shirts]], and [[baseball cap]]s are emblematic of American styles.<ref name="AmericanClassicFashion">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/01/style/american-style-classics/ |title=American Classics How seven everyday clothing items became American style staples. |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=December 4, 2023}}</ref> New York, with [[New York Fashion Week|its Fashion Week]], is considered to be one of the "Big Four" global [[fashion capital]]s, along with [[Paris Fashion Week|Paris]], [[Milan Fashion Week|Milan]], and [[London Fashion Week|London]]. A study demonstrated that general proximity to [[Garment District, Manhattan|Manhattan's Garment District]] has been synonymous with American fashion since its inception in the early 20th century.<ref name="GarmentDistrictNYCFashionSymbolUS">{{cite web |author=Caplin |first=John |date=September 1, 2021 |title=Made In New York: The Future Of New York City's Historic Garment District |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johncaplan/2021/09/01/made-in-new-york-the-future-of-new-york-citys-historic-garment-district/ |access-date=December 5, 2023 |work=[[Forbes]] |quote=Spanning just about 20 square blocks between [[Times Square]] and [[Penn Station (New York)|Penn Station]] along [[Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)|Seventh Avenue]] (also known as "Fashion Avenue"), the vibrant and always-busy neighborhood has a long and rich history that has become synonymous with American fashion since its inception more than a century ago.}}</ref>

A number of well-known [[designer label]]s, among them [[Tommy Hilfiger (company)|Tommy Hilfiger]], [[Ralph Lauren Corporation|Ralph Lauren]], [[Tom Ford (brand)|Tom Ford]] and [[Calvin Klein (fashion house)|Calvin Klein]], are headquartered in [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.calvinklein.us/en/about-us.html|title=About Calvin Klein, Inc.|website=calvinklein.us|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://corporate.ralphlauren.com/our-company|title=About US – Polo Ralph Lauren|website=[[Ralph Lauren Corporation]]|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref> Labels cater to [[niche market]]s, such as preteens. [[New York Fashion Week]] is one of the most influential fashion shows in the world, and is held twice each year in Manhattan;<ref name="USNYCFashionWeekGlobalIndustryTonesetter">{{cite news |author=Juarez |first=Diana |date=October 4, 2023 |title=The Economic Impact of New York Fashion Week |url=https://thefordhamram.com/93053/news/fashion-week/ |access-date=December 5, 2023 |newspaper=The Fordham Ram}}</ref> the annual [[Met Gala]], also in Manhattan, has been called the fashion world's "biggest night".<ref name="MetGalaFashion'sBiggestNight1">{{cite web |author=Bauman |first=Ali |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Met Gala 2023: Fashion's biggest night honors Karl Lagerfeld |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/met-gala-2023-red-carpet/ |access-date=April 30, 2024 |publisher=[[CBS News]]}}</ref><ref name="MetGalaFashion'sBiggestNight2">{{cite web |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/met-gala-2024-how-to-watch |title=Met Gala 2024: How to Watch Fashion's Biggest Night |publisher=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |date=April 29, 2024 |access-date=April 30, 2024}}</ref>

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of the United States}}
[[File:Hollywood Sign (Zuschnitt).jpg|thumb|The [[Hollywood Sign]] in the [[Hollywood Hills]], often regarded as the symbol of the [[American film industry]]]]

The U.S. film industry has [[Global Hollywood|a worldwide influence and following]]. [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], a district in northern Los Angeles, the nation's second-most populous city, is also [[metonymous]] for the American filmmaking industry.<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]] movies selling the most tickets 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=978-0-7506-8683-9 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufMdvuuTQ7MC&pg=PA18 |access-date=February 4, 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=978-1-317-62338-0 |page=299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnXABgAAQBAJ&pg=PA299 |access-date=August 24, 2020}}</ref>

Largely centered in the New York City region from its beginnings in the late 19th century through the first decades of the 20th century,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/getting-big-picture-film-industry-started-here-left-now-it-s-back-state-says.html|author=Kannapell, Andrea|title=Getting the Big Picture; The Film Industry Started Here and Left. Now It's Back, and the State Says the Sequel Is Huge.|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=October 4, 1998|access-date=January 19, 2023|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219034718/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/getting-big-picture-film-industry-started-here-left-now-it-s-back-state-says.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Market Data |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/market/ |website=The Numbers |access-date=July 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://j-entonline.com/before-hollywood-there-was-fort-lee-n-j-early-movie-making-in-new-jersey-a-j-ent-dvd-review/|author=Amith, Dennis|title=Before Hollywood There Was Fort Lee, N.J.: Early Movie Making in New Jersey (a J!-ENT DVD Review)|publisher=J!-ENT|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=January 1, 2011|access-date=January 19, 2023|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222043615/http://j-entonline.com/blu-ray-dvd-reviews/dvd-reviews-film-tv/before-hollywood-there-was-fort-lee-n-j-early-movie-making-in-new-jersey-a-j-ent-dvd-review/|quote=When Hollywood, California, was mostly orange groves, Fort Lee, New Jersey, was a center of American film production.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/100_years_ago_fort_lee_was_the.html|author=Rose, Lisa|title=100 years ago, Fort Lee was the first town to bask in movie magic|publisher=[[NJ.com]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=April 29, 2012|access-date=January 19, 2023|archive-date=September 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929115649/https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/100_years_ago_fort_lee_was_the.html|quote=Back in 1912, when Hollywood had more cattle than cameras, Fort Lee was the center of the cinematic universe. Icons from the silent era like Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and Lillian Gish crossed the Hudson River via ferry to emote on Fort Lee back lots.}}</ref> the U.S. film industry has since been primarily based in and around Hollywood. Nonetheless, American film companies have been subject to the forces of [[globalization]] in the 21st century, and an increasing number of films are made elsewhere.<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>

The industry peaked 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://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2012-aug-05-la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805-story.html |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 platform]]s, 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=Avery |first=Hannah |date=January 18, 2023 |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 |access-date=April 29, 2023 |website=[[Kantar Group]]}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|American cuisine}}
[[File:2019-11-28 14 46 15 A single serving of Thanksgiving Dinner in the Parkway Village section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|A [[Thanksgiving dinner]] with [[roast turkey]], [[mashed potatoes]], [[pickled cucumber|pickles]], [[corn]], [[candied yams]], [[cranberry jelly]], [[Shrimp and prawn as food|shrimps]], [[stuffing]], [[green peas]], [[deviled eggs]], [[green salad]], and [[apple sauce]]]]

Early settlers were introduced by Native Americans to foods such as [[Turkey as food|turkey]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[maize|corn]], [[Cucurbita|squash]], and [[maple syrup]]. Of the most enduring and pervasive examples are variations of the native dish called [[succotash]]. Early settlers and later immigrants combined these with foods they were familiar with, 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.apple.com/us/book/is-the-united-states-still-the-land-of-the/id1017814038 |date=July 1, 2015 |pages=92–94 |publisher=Lulu Press |isbn=978-1-329-26112-9 |access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> [[New World crops]], especially [[pumpkin]], corn, [[potatoes]], and turkey as the main course are part of a shared national menu on [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]], when many Americans prepare or purchase traditional dishes to celebrate the occasion.<ref name="Mintz1996">{{cite book |author=Mintz |first=Sidney Wilfred |url=https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0 |title=Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions Into Eating, Culture, and the Past |publisher=Beacon Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8070-4629-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/tastingfoodtasti00mint_0/page/134 134]– |access-date=October 25, 2015 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

Characteristic American dishes such as [[apple pie]], [[fried chicken]], [[doughnut]]s, [[french fries]], [[macaroni and cheese]], [[ice cream]], [[hamburger]]s, [[hot dog]]s, and [[Pizza in the United States|American pizza]] derive from the recipes of various immigrant groups.<ref>{{cite book |first=Hasia |last=Diner |title=Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration |publisher=Harvard University Press |place=Cambridge |date=2001 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Poe |first=Tracy N. |date=February 1999 |title=The Origins of Soul Food in Black Urban Identity: Chicago, 1915–1947 |journal=American Studies International |volume=37 |issue=1 |page=5}}</ref><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=The Business Journals |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=Paste |access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> [[Mexican-American cuisine|Mexican dishes]] such as [[burritos]] and [[tacos]] preexisted the United States in areas later annexed from Mexico, and [[American Chinese cuisine|adaptations of Chinese cuisine]] as well as [[Italian-American cuisine|pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources]] are all 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>

American [[chef]]s have had a significant impact on society both domestically and internationally. In 1946, the [[Culinary Institute of America]] was founded by [[Katharine Cramer Angell|Katharine Angell]] and [[Frances Roth]]. This would become the United States' most prestigious culinary school, where many of the most talented American chefs would study prior to successful careers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story: CIA History {{!}} Culinary Institute of America |url=https://www.ciachef.edu/our-story/ |access-date=October 11, 2022 |website=ciachef.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref name="FTfbs">{{cite news |last=Averbuch |first=Bonnie |title=Attention Food Entrepreneurs: School's Back in Business |publisher=[[Food Tank]] |url=https://foodtank.com/news/2015/09/attention-food-entrepreneurs-its-time-to-head-back-to-school/ |date=September 2015 |access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref> The [[United States restaurant industry]] was projected at $899 billion in sales for 2020,<ref name="Brownfield-2020">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/03/20/cincinnati-restaurants-ask-feds-for-coronavirus.html |title=Cincinnati restaurants ask feds for coronavirus bailout |last=Brownfield |first=Andy |date=March 20, 2020 |website=login.research.cincinnatilibrary.org |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Ramirez">{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2020/03/19/the-restaurant-industry-needs-a-coronavirus-bailout-will-they-get-it/ |title=The Restaurant Industry Needs A Coronavirus Bailout. Will They Get It? |last=Ramirez |first=Elva |website=[[Forbes]] |language=en |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> and employed more than 15 million people, representing 10% of the nation's workforce directly.<ref name="Brownfield-2020" /> It is the country's second-largest private employer and the third-largest employer overall.<ref name="Noguchi-2020">{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/22/819189939/closed-all-at-once-restaurant-industry-faces-collapse |title=Closed All At Once: Restaurant Industry Faces Collapse |last=Noguchi |first=Yuki |date=March 22, 2020 |publisher=[[NPR]] |language=en |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.msnbc.com/stephanie-ruhle/watch/restaurant-industry-reeling-from-coronavirus-80967237571 |title=Restaurant industry reeling from coronavirus |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |language=en |access-date=March 22, 2020}}</ref> The United States is home to over 220 [[Michelin star]]-rated restaurants, 70 of which are in New York City alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Restaurants |url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/us/new-york-state/new-york/restaurants/1-star-michelin/2-stars-michelin/3-stars-michelin |access-date=August 30, 2023 |website=Michelin Guide |language=en}}</ref>

[[American wine|Wine]] has been produced in what is now the United States since the 1500s, with the [[New Mexico wine|first widespread production beginning in what is now New Mexico]] in 1628.<ref>United States Department of Agriculture "[http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf Global Wine Report August 2006] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408235146/http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/ISMG/Global%20Wine%20Report%20Final%20Aug2006.pdf |date=April 8, 2008 }}", pp. 7-9.</ref><ref name="Birchell Steel 2013 p.">{{cite book |last1=Birchell |first1=D.B. |last2=Steel |first2=G. |title=New Mexico Wine: An Enchanting History |publisher=American Palate |series=American Palate Series |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-60949-643-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5f0kvgAACAAJ |language=it |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs 1995 p.">{{cite book |author=New Mexico. Office of Cultural Affairs |title=Enchanted Lifeways: The History, Museums, Arts & Festivals of New Mexico |publisher=New Mexico Magazine |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-937206-39-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvoRAQAAIAAJ |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> In the modern U.S., wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with [[California wine|California producing 84 percent of all U.S. wine]]. With more than {{convert|1100000|acre|km2}} under vine, the United States is the [[List of countries by wine production|fourth-largest wine-producing country]] in the world, after [[Italian wine|Italy]], [[Spanish wine|Spain]], and [[French wine|France]].<ref name="Sotheby, p. 462">T. Stevenson, ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' Fourth Edition, p. 462, Dorling Kindersly, 2005, {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}.</ref><ref name="Oxford, p. 719">J. Robinson, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 719; Oxford University Press, 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref>

The [[diner|classic American diner]], a casual restaurant type originally intended for the working class, emerged during the 19th century from converted railroad [[dining car]]s made stationary. The diner soon evolved into purpose-built structures whose number expanded greatly in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|date=2016-09-05|title=The History of the American Diner|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/food/the-history-of-the-american-diner/|access-date=2021-11-30|website=pastemagazine.com|language=en}}</ref> The American [[fast-food]] industry developed alongside the nation's [[car culture]].<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Love Of Drive-thrus |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1198909271/1a-draft-12-11-2023 |website=NPR |access-date=May 4, 2024 |date=December 11, 2023}}</ref> American restaurants developed the [[drive-in]] format in the 1920s, which they began to replace with the [[drive-through]] format by 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><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sheldon |first1=Andrew |title=The History of the Drive-Thru in America |url=https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/auto-history/history-of-the-drive-thru/ |website=Your AAA Network |date=July 23, 2020}}</ref> American [[fast-food restaurant]] chains, such as [[McDonald's]], [[Burger King]], [[Chick-fil-A]], [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]], [[Dunkin' Donuts]] and [[List of fast food restaurant chains#United States|many others]], have numerous outlets around the world.<ref name="Pavlova-2019">{{cite magazine |last=Pavlova |first=Rada |title=Globalization of American Fast-Food Chains: the Pinnacle of Effective Management and Adaptability – The Yale Globalist |url=https://globalist.yale.edu/in-the-magazine/globalization-of-american-fast-food-chains-the-pinnacle-of-effective-management-and-adaptability/ |access-date=May 4, 2024 |date=April 8, 2019 |magazine=The Yale Globalist}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sports in the United States|United States at the Olympics}}
[[File:Delhomme goes deep.jpg|thumb|[[American football]] is the most popular sport in the United States; in this 2009 [[National Football League]] game, [[Carolina Panthers]] quarterback [[Jake Delhomme]] (number 17) throws a forward pass against the [[Dallas Cowboys]].]]

The most popular spectator sports in the U.S. are [[American football in the United States|American football]], [[Basketball in the United States|basketball]], [[Baseball in the United States|baseball]], [[Soccer in the United States|soccer]], and [[Ice hockey in the United States|ice hockey]].<ref>{{cite web |date=September 25, 2007 |title=Sports |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/4735/sports.aspx |access-date=April 16, 2023 |publisher=Gallup, Incorporated}}</ref> While most major U.S. sports such as baseball and American football have evolved out of European practices, basketball, [[Volleyball in the United States|volleyball]], [[skateboarding]], and [[snowboarding]] are American inventions, many of which have become popular worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krasnoff |first=Lindsay Sarah |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/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226153302/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/12/26/how-the-nba-went-global/ |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |issn=0190-8286 |oclc=2269358}}</ref> [[Lacrosse in the United States|Lacrosse]] and [[Surfing in the United States|surfing]] arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate European contact.<ref name="liss">Liss, Howard. ''Lacrosse'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970), p. 13.</ref> The [[Professional sports market in the United States|market for professional sports in the United States]] was approximately $69&nbsp;billion in July 2013, roughly 50% larger than that 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 |work=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]] 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> However, baseball has been regarded as the U.S. "[[national sport]]" since the late 19th century. After American football, the next four most popular professional team sports are basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey. Their premier leagues are, respectively, the [[National Basketball Association]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://careers.nba.com/history/|title=History of the NBA|website=NBA.com|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref> [[Major League Baseball]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/official-information/about-mlb|title=About MLB|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref> [[Major League Soccer]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/about/|title=About MLS Soccer|website=mlssoccer.com|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref> and the [[National Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/info/about-the-nhl|title=About the NHL|website=NHL.com|access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref> The most-watched [[individual sport]]s in the U.S. are [[Golf in the United States|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 [[College athletics in the United States|collegiate level]], earnings for the member institutions exceed $1 billion annually,<ref name="si">{{Cite news |url=https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/03/07/ncaa-1-billion-revenue |title=Sports Illustrated: NCAA Reports $1.1 Billion in Revenues |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |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 March Madness tournament]] and the [[College Football Playoff]] are some 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 |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> In the U.S., the intercollegiate sports level serves as the main feeder system for professional and Olympic sports, with significant exceptions such as [[Minor League Baseball]]. This differs greatly from practices in nearly all other countries, where publicly and privately funded sports organizations serve this function.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rosandich |first=Thomas |title=Collegiate Sports Programs: A Comparative Analysis |page=471 |journal=Education |year=2002 |volume=122 |issue=3 |publisher=Project Innovation Austin LLC.}}</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 |first1=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=978-0-88920-505-5}}</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 2,968 medals (1,179 gold) at the Olympic Games, 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://www.latimes.com/la-sp-a-history-of-the-winter-olympic-medals-20140206-story.html |access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

In other international competition, the United States is the home of a number of prestigious events, including the [[Americas Cup]], [[World Baseball Classic]], the [[U.S. Open (tennis)|U.S. Open]], and the [[Masters Tournament]]. The [[United States men's national soccer team|U.S. men's national soccer team]] has qualified for [[United States at the FIFA World Cup|eleven World Cups]], while 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> The [[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup]] was also hosted by the United States. [[1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final|Its final match]] was attended by 90,185, setting the world record for largest women's sporting event crowd at the time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gerson |first=Aria |date=July 10, 2020 |title=Impact of 1999 Women's World Cup went far beyond Brandi Chastain's iconic goal |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2020/07/10/1999-womens-world-cup-uswnt-iconic-moments-brandi-chastain/5405459002/ |work=USA Today |access-date=February 14, 2024}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Lists of U.S. state topics]]
* [[Outline of the United States]]
* [[List of online encyclopedias of U.S. states]], typically maintained by state historical societies, universities, or humanities councils

== Notes ==
{{notelist
| colwidth =
| notes =
{{efn
| name = pop
| This figure 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
| The [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] use left-hand traffic.
 }}
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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*{{Free-content attribution
| title = World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023
| author = FAO
| publisher = FAO
| documentURL = https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en?details=cc8166en
| license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/whttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Food_and_Agriculture_-_Statistical_Yearbook_2023.pdf
| license = CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
}}{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}
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* [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] – gateway to government sites
* [https://www.house.gov/ House] – official website of the United States House of Representatives
* [https://www.senate.gov/ Senate] – official website of the United States Senate
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ White House] – official website of the president of the United States
* [{{SCOTUS URL}} Supreme Court] – official website of the Supreme Court of the United States

=== History ===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080314143240/https://www.nationalcenter.org/HistoricalDocuments.html "Historical Documents"] – website from the [[National Center for Public Policy Research]]
* [https://www.historicalstatistics.org/index2.html "Historical Statistics"] – links to U.S. 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, safety and demographics in the United States

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

{{United States topics}}
{{United States political divisions}}
{{North America topic}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Subject bar|United States|North America|Countries|auto=yes|voy=United States}}
{{Coord|40|-100|dim:10000000_region:region:US_type:country|name=United States of America|display=title}}

[[Category:United States| ]]
[[Category:Countries in North America]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where English is an official language]]
[[Category:Federal constitutional republics]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas]]
[[Category:Former confederations]]
[[Category:G20 members]]
[[Category:Member states of NATO]]
[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1776]]