United States

The United States of America is a federal union of 50 semi-atonomus regions known as 'states' located in North America. The Union holds many territories out side of the North American mainland including Puerto Rico.

History

The Union was formally created by the signing of the Articles of Confederation in 1777 after an uprising against the British Crown by the people of 13 colonies loctated in North America. Most often stated as being in response to the taxation imposed on the colonist that the British hoped to use to pay off war debts from the French and Indian War. The colonist had no voice of their own in Parliament, and refusing thier demands for one, the British government instigated an uprising that grew into a revolution based on Republicanism. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress, convening in Philadelphia, established a Continental Army under the command of George Washington. Proclaiming that "all men are created equal" and endowed with "certain unalienable Rights", the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson, on July 4, 1776. The crown latter recognized the thirteen colonies as soviergn states in the treaty that ended the conflict. In 1777, the Articles of Confederation established a weak central government that operated until 1789. The member states would latter replace the Articles with the Federal Constitution in 1787 after the Federalist (those seeking a strong central government) and Anti-Federalist (those wanting to maintian confederation or a weak central government) agreed to the ratification of the Bill of Rights, of which the Anti-Federalist proposed. In doing so the states loss much of their power though not all of their power; "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people." - Tenth Amendment, Bill of Rights of the US Constitution, 1787. As time passed the powers granted to the federal government would grow until it became the main focus of politics in American life. The territory of the United States would, after a period of Civil War, grow to extend without breaks from the East Coast to the West Coast of North America. The nation would experience a period of imperialism that saw the acquirerment of Hawaii, and Porto Rico via political manuevers and naval might. The United States of America would aid the Allies in both the first, and second World Wars.

Flag

The flag of the United States consists of 50 stars and 13 red and white stripes.

Facts

• The most recent state to join the US is Hawaii, joining on August 21st 1959.
• The United States is the third most populated country in the world at 335 million people.
• The most populated state is California at 39 million people.
• The least populated state is Wyoming at 581,348 people.
• It is argued wherever China or the United States is larger. Including only the 50 states, China is the largest. Including both the 50 states and the territories, the United States is the largest.

List of states (in order)

1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California
6. Colorado
7. Connecticut
8. Delaware
9. Florida
10. Georgia
11. Hawaii
12. Idaho
13. Illinois
14. Indiana
15. Iowa
16. Kansas
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maine
20. Maryland
21. Massachusetts
22. Michigan
23. Minnesota
24. Mississippi
25. Missouri
26. Montana
27. Nebraska
28. Nevada
29. New Hampshire
30. New Jersey
31. New Mexico
32. New York
33. North Carolina
34. North Dakota
35. Ohio
36. Oklahoma
37. Oregon
38. Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island
40. South Carolina
41. South Dakota
42. Tennessee
43. Texas
44. Utah
45. Vermont
46. Virginia
47. Washington
48. West Virginia
49. Wisconsin
50. Wyoming

References

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Trivia

• The 50 stars stand for the 50 states America has and the 13 stripes stand for the 13 colonies.