World- Brief History

                                          United States of America

The USA is a federal republic composed of a federal district (Washington, D.C.) and 50 states, which all except one-Hawaii islands-are in mainland America.

 

The United States of America, which covers the central part of America, grew out of the British colonies that were established in North America in the first half of the 17^th century. The Declaration of Independence of the 13 states of which the American Union then consisted was adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776.

The victory of the Allies in WW-1 made USA a world power. The end of the WW-2 saw the emergence of USA as one of the superpowers. With the break-up of USSAR in 1991, it has now become the only superpower in the world.

The US contains a highly diverse population, the product of numerous and sustained waves of immigration. Ethnic and racial diversity-“the melting pot”-is celebrated as a core element of the American ideology.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act outlawed racial and other discrimination, but race continues to be a live issue.

The election of Barack Obama as the country’s first African-American president in November 2008 marked a defining moment in the country’s chequered history of race relations.

The Union originally comprised 13 states, to which 7 were added subsequently. Thirty other states, which were formerly territories, were also the Union as full states, thus making up 50 states in all, apart from the District of Columbia.

                                                                                        Source: Manorama yearbook