United States: Difference between revisions

[[Paleo-Indians]] migrated across the [[Bering land bridge]] more than 12,000 years ago, and went on to form [[History of Native Americans in the United States|various civilizations and societies]]. [[British colonization of the Americas|British colonization]] led to the first settlement of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]] in 1607. Clashes with the [[The Crown|British Crown]] over taxation and [[No taxation without representation|political representation]] sparked the [[American Revolution]], with the [[Second Continental Congress]] formally [[United States Declaration of Independence|declaring independence]] on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), the country continued to [[Territorial evolution of the United States|expand across North America]]. As more [[Admission to the Union|states were admitted]], sectional division over [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] led to the secession of the [[Confederate States of America]], which fought the remaining states of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] during the 1861–1865 [[American Civil War]]. With the Union's victory and preservation, [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|slavery was abolished nationally]]. By 1890, the United States had established itself as a [[great power]]. After [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]'s [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941, the U.S. [[Military history of the United States during World War II|entered World War II]]. The [[Aftermath of World War II|aftermath of the war]] left the U.S. and the [[Soviet Union]] as the world's two [[superpowers]] and led to the [[Cold War]], during which both countries engaged in a struggle for [[ideological dominance]] and [[Sphere of influence|international influence]]. Following the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union's collapse]] and the [[Cold War (1985–1991)|end of the Cold War]] in 1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's [[Superpower#Post-Cold War era|sole superpower]].

 

 

One of the world's [[Developed country|most developed countries]], the United States has had the [[List of countries by largest historical GDP|largest nominal GDP since about 1890]] and accounted for 15% of the [[world economy|global economy]] in 2023.{{efn|Based on [[purchasing power parity|purchasing power]]}} It possesses by far the [[List of countries by total wealth|largest amount of wealth]] of any country and has the [[Disposable household and per capita income#Disposable income per capita (OECD)|highest disposable household income per capita]] among [[OECD]] countries. The U.S. [[International rankings of the United States|ranks among the world's highest]] in [[Human rights in the United States|human rights]], [[Global Competitiveness Report#2022 rankings|economic competitiveness]], [[List of countries by labour productivity|productivity]], [[Global Innovation Index|innovation]], and [[Higher education in the United States|higher education]]. Its [[hard power]] and [[Americanization|cultural influence]] have a global reach. The U.S. is a founding member of the [[World Bank]], [[Organization of American States]], [[NATO]], and [[United Nations]],{{Efn|Including agencies such as the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Health Organization]]}} as well as a [[Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council|permanent member of the UN Security Council]].