United States Facts Britannica

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 8:41 AM

The American Civil War consisted of hundreds of engagements on land and sea. These are among the most important battles The American Revolution (1775–83) won political independence for 13 of Britain’s North American colonies, which subsequently formed the United States of America. From the battles at Valley Forge to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, learn the story of key battles in the American revolution. Learn about important people of the American Civil War such as Ulysses S. Grant, Philip H.

Sheridan, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Clara Barton, Frederick Douglass, Stephen A. Douglas, Dorothea Dix, Eli Whitney, Harriet Tubman, and more. The Great Depression contributed to the creation of influential and important American art and popular culture, grounded in social conscientiousness. Britannica provide students with a quick overview of key facts, people, and philosophies related to the United States government. The Constitution of the United States of America is the fundamental law of the U.S.

federal system of government and a landmark document of the Western world. Because the Constitution is vague and ambiguous in many places, it is often possible for critics to fault the Supreme Court for misinterpreting it. Learn about the various philosophers, concepts, systems, political agitators, and statesmen that influenced the formation of the U.S. government. The legislative process begins with the introduction of a bill to Congress, which must be done by a member of Congress, though anyone can write a bill. 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 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 major island territories and various uninhabited islands in Oceania and the Caribbean.[j] It is a megadiverse country, with the world's third-largest land area[c] and third-largest population,... Paleo-Indians first migrated from North Asia to North America over 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations. Spanish colonization established Spanish Florida in 1513, the first European colony in what is now the continental United States. British colonization followed with the 1607 settlement of Virginia, the first of the Thirteen Colonies.

Enslavement of Africans was practiced in all colonies by 1770 and supplied most of the labor for the Southern Colonies' plantation economy. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and lack of parliamentary representation sparked the American Revolution, leading to the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War brought international recognition of U.S. sovereignty and fueled westward expansion, dispossessing native inhabitants. As more states were admitted, a North–South division over slavery led the Confederate States of America to attempt secession and fight the Union in the 1861–1865 American Civil War. With the United States' victory and reunification, 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 Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. entered World War II. Its aftermath left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as rival superpowers, competing for ideological dominance and international influence during the Cold War. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 ended the Cold War, leaving the U.S.

as the world's sole superpower. The U.S. national government is a presidential constitutional federal republic and representative democracy with three separate branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It has a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives (a lower house based on population) and the Senate (an upper house based on equal representation for each state). Federalism grants substantial autonomy to the 50 states. In addition, 574 Native American tribes have sovereignty rights, and there are 326 Native American reservations.

Since the 1850s, the Democratic and Republican parties have dominated American politics, while American values are based on a democratic tradition inspired by the American Enlightenment movement. A developed country, the U.S. ranks high in economic competitiveness, innovation, and higher education. Accounting for over a quarter of nominal global GDP, its economy has been the world's largest since about 1890. It is the wealthiest country, with the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD members, though its wealth inequality is highly pronounced. Shaped by centuries of immigration, the culture of the U.S.

is diverse and globally influential. Making up more than a third of global military spending, the country has one of the strongest militaries and is a designated nuclear state. A member of numerous international organizations, the U.S. plays a major role in global political, cultural, economic, and military affairs. 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, Washington's aide-de-camp, seeking to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of...

United States Facts Britannica

People Also Search

The American Civil War Consisted Of Hundreds Of Engagements On

Sheridan, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Clara Barton, Frederick Douglass,

Federal System Of Government And A Landmark Document Of The

It Is A Federal Republic Of 50 States And A

Enslavement Of Africans Was Practiced In All Colonies By 1770