United States of America
Britain's American
colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and
were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America
following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th
centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation
expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of
overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the
nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression
of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of
the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation
state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and
inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
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