Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: US |
USPlural1. Of I Pronoun1. The persons speaking, regarded as an object; ourselves; -- the objective case of we. See We. |
Date "US" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | US Unit Separator us |
Census | Designation for the (United States). For census purposes this includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
American English is a form of the English language used in the United States of America. It is the primary language used in the United States. According to the 1990 census, 97 percent of U.S. residents speak English "well" or "very well." Only 0.8 of one percent speak no English at all, as compared with 3.6 percent in 1890.
History
English was inherited from British colonization. The first wave of English-speaking immigrants was settled in North America in the 17th Century:
In this century, there were in North America speakers of Dutch, French, Native American, Spanish and Swedish languages.
- Jamestown, Virginia founded in 1607 (the first successful British colony in North America).
- The Plymouth Colony in New England founded in 1620 at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In 1763, Britain acquired the French colony of New France and the Spanish colony of Florida.
Phonology
Compared to British English, American English is conservative in its phonology. It is often claimed that certain rural areas in North America speak "Elizabethan English," but in fact the standard American English of the upper Midwest has a sound profile much closer to seventeenth century English than the current speech of England has. The conservatism of American English is largely the result of the fact that it represents a mixture of various dialects from the British Isles. Dialect in North America is most distinctive on the east coast of the continent; this is largely because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestige varieties of British English at a time when those varieties were undergoing changes. The country was settled in the interior by people who were no longer closely connected to England and did not travel there often by sea, and as such the inland speech is much more homogeneous than the East Coast speech, and did not participate in changes imitated from England.
Most North American speech is rhotic, as English was everywhere in the seventeenth century. In most varieties of North American English, the sound of the letter "R" is a retroflex semivowel rather than a trill or a tap. This was a sound change that took place in England in the eighteenth century, and in which most current North American varieties did not participate. The loss of syllable-final /r/ in North America is confined mostly to parts of New England, New York, New York, and the southern coast of the United States. In England, lost /r/ was often changed into /ə/ (schwa, SAMPA /@/), giving rise to a new class of falling diphthongs. This does not happen in the non-rhotic varieties of North American speech.
Other British English changes which most North American dialects do not participate include:
North American English, while more phonologically conservative, has undergone some sound changes. These include:
- /æ/ (/{/) -> /a/ before /f, s, T, D, z, v/ alone or preceded by /n/: bath -> bawth &c. (only in parts of New England) This is the British broad A.
- intervocalic /t/ -> glottal stop; /bo`@l/ for bottle (does not appear in North America)
- loss of /o:/, replaced by /@u/; cf. southern English v. North American pronunciation of boat.
- levelling of distinction between /A/ and /O/; father and bother rhyme; the so-called cot-caught merger (almost everywhere except Northeast)
- intervocalic /t/ -> /d/; ladder and latter sound very similar or identical, distinguished perhaps by degree of aspiration of consonant and/or by length of preceding vowel.
Differences in British English and American English
American English has both spelling and grammatical differences from British English, some of which were made as part of an attempt to rationalize the English spelling used by British English at the time. Unlike many 20th century language reforms (e.g., Turkey's alphabet shift, Norway's spelling reform) the American spelling changes were not driven by government, but by textbook writers and dictionary makers.
The first American dictionary was written by Noah Webster in 1828. At the time America was a relatively new country and Webster's particular contribution was to show that the region spoke a different dialect from Britain, and so he wrote a dictionary with many spellings differing from the standard. Many of these changes were initiated unilaterally by Webster.
Webster also argued for many "simplifications" to the idiomatic spelling of the period. Somewhat ironically, many, although not all, of his simplifications fell into common usage alongside the original versions, resulting in a situation even more confused than before.
Many words are shortened and differ from other versions of English. Spellings such as center are used instead of centre in other versions of English. And there are many other variations. Conversely, American English can sometimes favor more wordy or elongated versions of British English, as in transportation for transport.
A key area where American English has grown (on both sides of the Atlantic), is in the world of Business and Commerce, where use of the rhetorical euphemism is common. One example would be the phrase "are you comfortable with that". This phrase will typically be used by a business manager introducing a change which may, or may not, be welcome. A negative answer is neither expected nor, indeed invited. However, the question is, at least on the face of it, conciliatory.
American English has further changed due to the influx of non-English speakers whose words sometimes enter American vernacular. Many words have entered American English from Spanish, etc.
Examples of common American English loanwords, not common in British English (many, however, would be recognised due to Hollywood movies):
From African languages
gumbo okra, or a stew thickened with okra From Dutch
cookie baked sweet, never called a biscuit, digestive; sometimes called shortbread kill creek From English
attic a loft; the topmost story of a house back and forth as in backwards and forwards bug any kind of insect bushel a common unit of measurement cabin a humble dwelling closet a cupboard deck a pack of cards fall the season also known as autumn hog a pig jack a knave within a deck of cards junk as in rubbish rear as in raising an animal or child mad as in the sense of being angry noon midday (originally nones, the ninth hour of daylight, or 3pm plumb as being complete rooster a male fowl stocks as in stocks and bonds; shares zero as in nought From French
banquette a raised sidewalk beignet a square, holeless doughnut boudin a spicy link sausage café au lait a mixture of half milk and half coffee chowder a thick seafood stew étouffée a spicy stew of vegetables and seafood jambalaya rice cooked with herbs, spices, and ham, chicken, or seafood lagniappe an extra or unexpected gift pain perdu New Orleans-style French toast pirogue a canoe made from a hollowed tree trunk praline a candy made of nuts suspended in a boiled sugar syrup toboggan a sled zydeco a native Louisiana style of music From Native American languages
bayou a swampy, slow-moving stream or outlet cape (kepan) a headland chinook a strong wind blowing down off the mountains hickory (pawcohiccora) a North American deciduous tree of the genus Carya high muckamuck an important person mugwump a political independent that neck of the woods (naiack) an expression; from whence a person hails powwow a gathering or meeting, esp. of Native Americans raccoon the raccoon, a small mammal skunk (seganku) the skunk, a badgerlike, foul-smelling mammal squash (askutasquash) a vegetable, similar to English marrow succotash mixture of corn and other vegetables like peas, beans tipi a kind of tent woodchuck (wuchak) a marmot-like mammal From Spanish
adobe a mud-based construction material arroyo gulch, often dry except when it has rained recently barrio shantytown or historically poverty-afflicted area of a city burro donkey barbecue a grill desperado criminal fiesta party frijoles beans gringo a disparaging term for a foreigner, esp. English or American hacienda particular style of house hammock a bed hombre man maize a kind of grain mesa flat topped mountain pronto immediately From Yiddish
klutz a clumsy person kvetch complain lox cured salmon schlep to carry or to travel schmuck a fool, or the penis schmutz dirt shlemiel a fool From Japanese
tycoon successful business leader honcho leader, ie: "The Head Honcho" For detailed differences in British English and American English see American and British English differences.
English words that arose in the US
A number of words that have arisen in the United States have become common, to varying degrees, in English as it is spoken internationally. Perhaps the most famous is OK, which is sometimes used in other languages as well. Other American introductions include "blizzard" and "teenager", and there are of course many more.
Regional differences
Written American English is fairly standardized across the country. However, there is some variation in the spoken language. There are several recognizable regional variations (such as that spoken in New York and New Jersey), particularly in pronunciation, but also in slang vocabulary.
Most traditional sources cite Standard Midwestern American English as the unofficial standard accent and dialect of American English. However, many linguists claim California English has become the de facto standard since the 1960s or 1970s due to its central role in the American entertainment industry; others argue that the entertainment industry, despite being in California, uses Midwestern.
African-American colloquial English (sometimes called Ebonics) contains many distinctive forms.
Regional dialects in North America are most strongly differentiated along the eastern seaboard. The distictive speech of important cultural centeres like Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charleston, South Carolina, and New Orleans, Louisiana imposed their marks on the surrounding areas. The Potomac River generally divides a group of Northern coastal dialects from the beginning of Southern coastal dialects. A distinctive speech pattern was also generated by the separation of Canada from the United States, centered on the Great Lakes region.
In the interior, the situation is very different. West of the Appalachian Mountains begins the large river of what is generally called "Midland" speech. This is divided into two general subdivisions, the north Midlands that begins north of the Ohio River valley area; and the south Midlands speech. The North Midlands speech continues to expand westward until it becomes the closely related speech of California. This is the "standard Midwestern" speech that is generally considered free from regional marking in the United States of America.
The southern Midlands dialect follows the Ohio River in a generally southwesterly direction, moves across Arkansas and Oklahoma west of the Mississippi, and peters out in western Texas. This is the dialect associated with truck drivers on the CB radio and country music. It is a version of the Midlands speech that has assimilated some coastal Southern forms, most noticeably the loss of the diphthong /aj/, which becomes /a:/, and the second person plural pronoun "you-all" or "y'all". Unlike coastal Southern, however, southern Midlands is a rhotic dialect, pronouncing /r/ wherever it has historically occurred.
The sounds of American speech can be identified with a number of public figures. President John F. Kennedy spoke the Northeastern coastal dialect associated with Boston, while President Jimmy Carter spoke with a Southern coastal dialect. The North Midlands speech is familiar to those who have heard Neil Armstrong and John Glenn, while the South Midlands speech was the speech of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
External links and references
- The American Language 4th Edition, Corrected and Enlarged, H. L. Menchen, Random House, 1948, hardcover, ISBN 0394400755
- How We Talk: American Regional English Today, Allan Metcalf, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000, softcover, ISBN 0618043624
- 1st and 2nd supplements of above.
- Dialect Survey of the United States, by Bert Vaux et al., Harvard University. The answers to various questions about pronunciation, word use etc. can be seen in relationship to the regions where they are predominant.
- Phonological Atlas of North America at the University of Pennsylvania
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "American English."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Telephones - main lines in use: 178 million (1999)Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.312 million (1997)
Telephone system:
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country
international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)Radio broadcast stations: AM about 5,000, FM about 5,000, shortwave 18 (1998)
Radios: 575 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 1,500 (including nearly 1,000 stations affiliated with the five major networks - NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS; in addition, there are about 9,000 cable TV systems) (1997)
Televisions: 219 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7,600 (1999 est.)
Country code (Top level domain): US
- See also : United States of America; Media in the United States
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Communications in the United States."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
This article is about the national government of the United States. For information about the state and local governments, see: Politics of the United States and the individual state entries.The government of the United States, established by the Constitution, is a federal republic of 50 states. The national government consists of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The head of the executive branch is the President of the United States of America. The legislative branch consists of the United States Congress, while the Supreme Court of the United States is the head of the judicial branch.
The legal system of the United States is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations.
Legislative branch
Article I of the Constitution grants all legislative powers of the federal government to a Congress divided into two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of two members from each state as provided by the Constitution. Its current membership is 100. Membership in the House is based on each state's population, and its size is therefore not specified in the Constitution. Its current membership is 435.
The Constitution does not specifically call for congressional committees. As the nation grew, however, so did the need for investigating pending legislation more thoroughly. The 106th Congress (1999-2000) had 19 standing committees in the House and 17 in the Senate, plus four joint permanent committees with members from both houses: Library of Congress, printing, taxation, and economic. In addition, each house can name special, or select, committees to study specific problems. Because of an increase in workload, the standing committees have also spawned some 150 subcommittees.
The Congress has the responsibility to monitor and influence aspects of the executive branch. Congressional oversight prevents waste and fraud; protects civil liberties and individual rights; ensures executive compliance with the law; gathers information for making laws and educating the public; and evaluates executive performance. It applies to cabinet departments, executive agencies, regulatory commissions, and the presidency. Congress's oversight function takes many forms:
- Committee inquiries and hearings;
- Formal consultations with and reports from the president;
- Senate advice and consent for presidential nominations and for treaties;
- House impeachment proceedings and subsequent Senate trials;
- House and Senate proceedings under the Twenty-fifth Amendment in the event that the president becomes disabled, or the office of the vice president falls vacant;
- Informal meetings between legislators and executive officials;
- Congressional membership on governmental commissions;
- Studies by congressional committees and support agencies such as the Congressional Budget Office, the General Accounting Office, and the Office of Technology Assessment ? all arms of Congress.
Executive branch
Article II of the Constitution establishes the Executive branch of Government. The President is both the head of government, chief of state, and commander-in-chief. The current President and Vice President are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, since January 20, 2001.
The office of president of the United States is one of the most powerful offices of its kind in the world. The president, the Constitution says, must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." To carry out this responsibility, he presides over the executive branch of the federal government, a vast organization numbering about 4 million people, including 1 million active-duty military personnel. In addition, the president has important legislative and judicial powers. Within the executive branch itself, the president has broad powers to manage national affairs and the workings of the federal government.
The Executive Departments
The day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal laws is in the hands of the various executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs. The heads of the 15 departments, chosen by the president and approved by the Senate, form a council of advisers generally known as the president's "Cabinet." In addition to departments, there are a number of staff organizations grouped into the Executive Office of the President. These include the White House staff, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. There are also a number of independent agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Constitution makes no provision for a presidential cabinet. It does provide that the president may ask opinions, in writing, from the principal officer in each of the executive departments on any subject in their area of responsibility, but it does not name the departments nor describe their duties. Similarly, there are no specific constitutional qualifications for service in the cabinet.
The cabinet developed outside the Constitution as a matter of practical necessity, for even in the days of George Washington, the country's first president, it was impossible for the president to discharge his duties without advice and assistance. Cabinets are what any particular president makes them. Some presidents have relied heavily on them for advice, others lightly, and some few have largely ignored them. Whether or not cabinet members act as advisers, they retain responsibility for directing the activities of the government in specific areas of concern.
Each department has thousands of employees, with offices throughout the country as well as in Washington. The departments are divided into divisions, bureaus, offices, and services, each with specific duties.
Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports agricultural production to ensure fair prices and stable markets for producers and consumers, works to improve and maintain farm income, and helps to develop and expand markets abroad for agricultural products. The department attempts to curb poverty, hunger, and malnutrition by issuing food stamps to the poor; by sponsoring educational programs on nutrition; and by administering other food assistance programs, primarily for children, expectant mothers, and the elderly. It maintains production capacity by helping landowners protect the soil, water, forests, and other natural resources.
USDA administers rural development, credit, and conservation programs that are designed to implement national growth policies, and it conducts scientific and technological research in all areas of agriculture. Through its inspection and grading services, USDA ensures standards of quality in food offered for sale. The department's Agricultural Research Service works to develop solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority, and it administers the National Agricultural Library to disseminate information to a wide cross-section of users, from research scientists to the general public.
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) serves as an export promotion and service agency for U.S. agriculture, employing specialists abroad who make surveys of foreign agriculture for U.S. farm and business interests. The U.S. Forest Service, also part of the department, administers an extensive network of national forests and wilderness areas.
Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce serves to promote the nation's international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement. It offers assistance and information to increase U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace; administers programs to create new jobs and to foster the growth of minority-owned businesses; and provides statistical, economic, and demographic information for business and government planners.
The department comprises a diverse array of agencies. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, for example, promotes economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather Service, works to improve understanding of the earth's environment and to conserve the nation's coastal and marine resources. The Patent and Trademark Office promotes the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for authors and inventors the exclusive right to their creations and discoveries. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration advises the president on telecommunications policy and works to spur innovation, encourage competition, create jobs, and provide consumers with better quality telecommunications at lower prices.
Department of Defense
Headquartered in The Pentagon, one of the world's largest office buildings, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for all matters relating to the nation's military security. It provides the military forces of the United States, which consist of about 1 million men and women on active duty. They are backed, in case of emergency, by 1.5 million members of state reserve components, known as the National Guard. In addition, about 730,000 civilian employees serve in the Defense Department in such areas as research, intelligence communications, mapping, and international security affairs. The National Security Agency, which coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized intelligence activities in support of U.S. government activities, also comes under the direction of the secretary of defense.
The department directs the separately organized military departments of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, as well as the four military service academies and the National War College, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and several specialized combat commands. DoD maintains forces overseas to meet treaty commitments, to protect the nation's outlying territories and commerce, and to provide air combat and support forces. Nonmilitary responsibilities include flood control, development of oceanographic resources, and management of oil reserves.
Department of Education
While schools are primarily a local responsibility in the U.S. system of education, the United States Department of Education provides national leadership to address critical issues in American education and serves as a clearinghouse of information to help state and local decisionmakers improve their schools. The department establishes policy for and administers federal aid-to-education programs, including student loan programs, programs for disadvantaged and disabled students, and vocational programs.
In the 1990s, the Department of Education focused on the following issues: raising standards for all students; improving teaching; involving parents and families in children's education; making schools safe, disciplined, and drug-free; strengthening connections between school and work; increasing access to financial aid for students to attend college and receive training; and helping all students become technologically literate.
Department of Energy
Growing concern with the nation's energy problems in the 1970s prompted Congress to create the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The department took over the functions of several government agencies already engaged in the energy field. Staff offices within DOE are responsible for the research, development, and demonstration of energy technology; energy conservation; civilian and military use of nuclear energy; regulation of energy production and use; pricing and allocation of oil; and a central energy data collection and analysis program.
The Department of Energy protects the nation's environment by setting standards to minimize the harmful effects of energy production. For example, DOE conducts environmental and health related research, such as studies of energy-related pollutants and their effects on biological systems.
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees some 300 programs, probably directly touches the lives of more Americans than any other federal agency. Its largest component, the Health Care Financing Administration, administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health care coverage to about one in every five Americans. Medicare provides health insurance for 30 million elderly and disabled Americans. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, provides health coverage for 31 million low-income persons, including 15 million children.
HHS also administers the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world's premier medical research organization, supporting some 30,000 research projects in diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, arthritis, heart ailments, and AIDS. Other HHS agencies ensure the safety and effectiveness of the nation's food supply and drugs; work to prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases; provide health services to the nation's American Indian and Alaska Native populations; and help to improve the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services.
Department of Homeland Security
Created in 2002 and activated in 2003, the United States Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting the nation against attacks to the homeland. The department consolidates 22 previously separate agencies under the authority and control of one department. The department covers border & transportation security, emergency preparedness & response, information analysis & infrastructure protection, science & technology, Coast Guard, Secret Service, and citizenship & immigration Services. It also is responsible for coordination of homeland security related concerns with state and local governments as well as the private sector.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) manages programs that assist community development and help provide affordable housing for the nation. Fair housing laws, administered by HUD, are designed to ensure that individuals and families can buy a home without being subjected to discrimination. HUD directs mortgage insurance programs that help families become homeowners, and a rent-subsidy program for low-income families that otherwise could not afford decent housing. In addition, it operates programs that aid neighborhood rehabilitation, preserve urban centers from blight, and encourage the development of new communities. HUD also protects the home buyer in the marketplace and fosters programs to stimulate the housing industry.
Department of the Interior
As the nation's principal conservation agency, the United States Department of the Interior is responsible for most of the federally owned public lands and natural resources in the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers 500 wildlife refuges, 37 wetland management districts, 65 national fish hatcheries, and a network of wildlife law enforcement agents. The National Park Service administers more than 370 national parks and monuments, scenic parkways, riverways, seashores, recreation areas, and historic sites, through which it preserves America's natural and cultural heritage.
Through the Bureau of Land Management, the department oversees the land and resources, from rangeland vegetation and recreation areas to timber and oil production, of millions of hectares of public land located primarily in the West. The Bureau of Reclamation manages scarce water resources in the semiarid western United States. The department regulates mining in the United States, assesses mineral resources, and has major responsibility for protecting and conserving the trust resources of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. Internationally, the department coordinates federal policy in the territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and oversees funding for development in the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice represents the U.S. government in legal matters and courts of law, and renders legal advice and opinions upon request to the president and to the heads of the executive departments. The Justice Department is headed by the attorney general of the United States, the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. Its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the principle law enforcement body for federal crimes, and its Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) administers immigration laws. A major agency within the department is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which enforces narcotics and controlled substances laws, and tracks down major illicit drug trafficking organizations.
In addition to giving aid to local police forces, the department directs U.S. district attorneys and marshals throughout the country, supervises federal prisons and other penal institutions, and investigates and reports to the president on petitions for paroles and pardons. The Justice Department is also linked to INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, charged with promoting mutual assistance between law enforcement agencies in 176 member countries.
Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor promotes the welfare of wage earners in the United States, helps improve working conditions, and fosters good relations between labor and management. It administers federal labor laws through such agencies as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Employment Standards Administration, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. These laws guarantee workers' rights to safe and healthy working conditions, hourly wages and overtime pay, freedom from employment discrimination, unemployment insurance, and workers' compensation for on-the-job injury. The Department also protects workers' pension rights, sponsors job training programs, and helps workers find jobs. Its Bureau of Labor Statistics monitors and reports changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. For job seekers, the department makes special efforts to help older workers, youths, minorities, women, and the disabled.
Department of State
The United States Department of State advises the president, who has overall responsibility for formulating and executing the foreign policy of the United States. The department assesses American overseas interests, makes recommendations on policy and future action, and takes necessary steps to carry out established policy. It maintains contacts and relations between the United States and foreign countries, advises the president on recognition of new foreign countries and governments, negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign nations, and speaks for the United States in the United Nations and in other major international organizations. The department maintains more than 250 diplomatic and consular posts around the world. In 1999, the Department of State integrated the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency into its structure and mission.
Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) establishes the nation's overall transportation policy through 10 operating units that encompass highway planning, development, and construction; urban mass transit; railroads; civilian aviation; and the safety of waterways, ports, highways, and oil and gas pipelines.
For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates a network of airport towers, air traffic control centers, and flight service stations across the country; the Federal Highway Administration provides financial assistance to the states to improve the interstate highway system, urban and rural roads, and bridges; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration establishes safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment; and the Maritime Administration operates the U.S. merchant marine fleet. The U.S. Coast Guard, the nation's primary maritime law enforcement and licensing agency, conducts search and rescue missions at sea, combats drug smuggling, and works to prevent oil spills and ocean pollution.
Department of the Treasury
The United States Department of the Treasury is responsible for serving the fiscal and monetary needs of the nation. The department performs four basic functions: formulating financial, tax, and fiscal policies; serving as financial agent for the U.S. government; providing specialized law enforcement services; and manufacturing coins and currency. The Treasury Department reports to Congress and the president on the financial condition of the government and the national economy. It regulates the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms in interstate and foreign commerce; supervises the printing of stamps for the United States Postal Service; operates the Secret Service, which protects the president, the vice president, their families, and visiting dignitaries and heads of state; suppresses counterfeiting of U.S. currency and securities; and administers the Customs Service, which regulates and taxes the flow of goods into the country.
The department includes the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Treasury official who executes the laws governing the operation of approximately 2,900 national banks. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is responsible for the determination, assessment, and collection of taxes ? the source of most of the federal government's revenue.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), established as an independent agency in 1930 and elevated to cabinet level in 1989, dispenses benefits and services to eligible veterans of U.S. military service and their dependents. The Veterans Health Administration provides hospital and nursing-home care, and outpatient medical and dental services through 173 medical centers, 40 retirement homes, 600 clinics, 133 nursing homes, and 206 Vietnam Veteran Outreach Centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. It also conducts medical research in such areas as aging, women's health issues, AIDS, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) oversees claims for disability payments, pensions, specially adapted housing, and other services. The VBA also administers education programs for veterans and provides home loan assistance to eligible veterans and active-duty service personnel. The VA's National Cemetery System provides burial services, headstones, and markers for veterans and eligible family members within 116 cemeteries throughout the United States.
Judicial branch
Article III of the Constitution states the basis for the federal court system: "The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." The Federal judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of the United States, whose nine justices are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and various "lower" or "inferior courts," among which are the United States courts of appeals, the United States district courts, and the United States bankruptcy courts.
The Federal Court System
With this guide, the first Congress divided the nation into districts and created federal courts for each district. From that beginning has evolved the present structure: the Supreme Court, 13 courts of appeals, 94 district courts, and two courts of special jurisdiction. Congress today retains the power to create and abolish federal courts, as well as to determine the number of judges in the federal judiciary system. It cannot, however, abolish the Supreme Court.
There are three levels of federal courts with general jurisdiction meaning that these courts handle criminal cases and civil law suits between individuals. The other courts, such as the bankruptcy courts and the tax court, are specialized courts handling only certain kinds of cases.
The United States district courts are the "trial courts" where cases are filed and decided. The United States circuit courts are "appellate courts" that hear appeals of cases decided by the district courts. The Supreme Court of the United States hears appeals from the decisions of the courts of appeals.
The judicial power extends to cases arising under the Constitution, an act of Congress, or a treaty of the United States; cases affecting ambassadors, ministers, and consuls of foreign countries in the United States; controversies in which the U.S. government is a party; controversies between states (or their citizens) and foreign nations (or their citizens or subjects); and bankruptcy cases. The Eleventh Amendment removed from federal jurisdiction cases in which citizens of one state were the plaintiffs and the government of another state was the defendant. It did not disturb federal jurisdiction in cases in which a state government is a plaintiff and a citizen of another state the defendant.
The power of the federal courts extends both to civil actions for damages and other redress, and to criminal cases arising under federal law. Article III has resulted in a complex set of relationships between state and federal courts. Ordinarily, federal courts do not hear cases arising under the laws of individual states. However, some cases over which federal courts have jurisdiction may also be heard and decided by state courts. Both court systems thus have exclusive jurisdiction in some areas and concurrent jurisdiction in others.
The Constitution safeguards judicial independence by providing that federal judges shall hold office "during good behavior" ? in practice, until they die, retire, or resign, although a judge who commits an offense while in office may be impeached in the same way as the president or other officials of the federal government. U.S. judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Congress also determines the pay scale of judges.
Related Articles
- Politics of the United States
- President of the United States of America
- United States Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
- Independent Agencies of the United States Government
- List of Federal Agencies
- United States Cabinet
- United States Federal Executive Departments
- United States Department of Agriculture
- United States Department of Commerce
- United States Department of Defense
- United States Department of Education
- United States Department of Energy
- United States Department of Health and Human Services
- United States Department of Homeland Security
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
- United States Department of the Interior
- United States Department of Labor
- United States Department of Justice
- United States Department of State
- United States Department of Transportation
- United States Department of the Treasury
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- United States federal judicial circuit
- United States federal judicial district
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States courts of appeals
- United States district courts
- United States bankruptcy courts
- Social Security
- Taxation in the United States
Executive Office of the President
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Domestic Policy Council
- Information Awareness Office
- National Economic Council
- National Security Council
- Office of Administration
- Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
- Office of Homeland Security
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of National AIDS Policy
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Office of Science & Technology Policy
- Office of the United States Trade Representative
- President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
- USA Freedom Corps
- White House Military Office
External Links
- External Link to info about U.S. courts
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Government of the United States."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
ISO 3166-2 codes for the United States of America cover 50 states, 1 district, 6 outlying areas (including 9 minor outlying islands under separate ISO 3166-1 country code UM). The second part of the code is two-letter alphabetic, and (except for UM) is the same as the US postal abbreviation. The purpose of this family of standards is to establish a worldwide series of short abbreviations for places, for use on package labels, containers and such. Anywhere where a short alphanumeric code can serve to clearly indicate a location in a more convenient and less ambiguous form than the full place name. US readers may wish to consider them as the equivalent of worldwide zip or postal codes. Within the Wikipedia, the codes from the country pages link to the pages for the locations they identify.
Coding list
States
US-AL Alabama US-AK Alaska US-AZ Arizona US-AR Arkansas US-CA California US-CO Colorado US-CT Connecticut US-DE Delaware US-FL Florida US-GA Georgia US-HI Hawaii US-ID Idaho US-IL Illinois US-IN Indiana US-IA Iowa US-KS Kansas US-KY Kentucky US-LA Louisiana US-ME Maine US-MD Maryland US-MA Massachusetts US-MI Michigan US-MN Minnesota US-MS Mississippi US-MO Missouri US-MT Montana US-NE Nebraska US-NV Nevada US-NH New Hampshire US-NJ New Jersey US-NM New Mexico US-NY New York US-NC North Carolina US-ND North Dakota US-OH Ohio US-OK Oklahoma US-OR Oregon US-PA Pennsylvania US-RI Rhode Island US-SC South Carolina US-SD South Dakota US-TN Tennessee US-TX Texas US-UT Utah US-VT Vermont US-VA Virginia US-WA Washington US-WV West Virginia US-WI Wisconsin US-WY Wyoming
District
US-DC District of ColumbiaOutlying Areas of the United States
US-AS American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS) US-GU Guam (see also separate entry under GU) US-MP Northern Mariana Islands (see also separate entry MP) US-PR Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR) US-UM U.S. Minor Outlying Islands (see also separate entry UM) US-VI Virgin Islands of the U.S (see also separate entry VI)
Decoding list
US-AK Alaska US-AL Alabama US-AR Arkansas US-AS American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS) US-AZ Arizona US-CA California US-CO Colorado US-CT Connecticut US-DC District of Columbia US-DE Delaware US-FL Florida US-GA Georgia US-GU Guam (see also separate entry under GU) US-HI Hawaii US-IA Iowa US-ID Idaho US-IL Illinois US-IN Indiana US-KS Kansas US-KY Kentucky US-LA Louisiana US-MA Massachusetts US-MD Maryland US-ME Maine US-MI Michigan US-MN Minnesota US-MO Missouri US-MP Northern Mariana Islands (see also separate entry MP) US-MS Mississippi US-MT Montana US-NC North Carolina US-ND North Dakota US-NE Nebraska US-NH New Hampshire US-NJ New Jersey US-NM New Mexico US-NV Nevada US-NY New York US-OH Ohio US-OK Oklahoma US-OR Oregon US-PA Pennsylvania US-PR Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR) US-RI Rhode Island US-SC South Carolina US-SD South Dakota US-TN Tennessee US-TX Texas US-UM U.S. Minor Outlying Islands (cf. separate entry UM) US-UT Utah US-VA Virginia US-VI Virgin Islands of the U.S (see also separate entry VI) US-VT Vermont US-WA Washington US-WI Wisconsin US-WV West Virginia US-WY Wyoming
See also
- ISO 3166-2, the reference table for all country region codes.
- ISO 3166-1, the reference table for all country codes, as used for domain names on the internet.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "ISO 3166-2:US."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Primary schools, Elementary schools
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
- David O. Dodd Elementary School, Little Rock
- E. B. Barrett "North" Elementary School, Jonesboro (defunct)
- Ellen Smith Elementary School, Conway
California
Public
- Armstrong Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Castle Rock Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Cleveland Elementary School, San Diego
- Diamond Point Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Evergreen Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Golden Springs Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Maple Hill Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Pantera Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Quail Summit Elementary School, Diamond Bar
- Walnut Elementary School, Diamond Bar
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
- Allen Frear Elementary School, Camden
- Cedar Lane Elementary School, Middletown
- General Henry H. Arnold Elementary School, Dover
- Major George S. Welch Elementary School, Dover
- Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School, Dover
- Olive Loss Elementary School, Bear
- Silver Lake Elementary School, Middletown
- Star Hill Elementary School, Dover
- Townsend Elementary School, Townsend
- W. B. Simpson Elementary School, Camden
- W. Reily Brown Elementary School, Dover
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
- Evansville Day School, Evansville
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
- Morehead Elementary School, Morehead
Louisiana
- Broadmoor Elementary School, Lafayette
- Plantation Elementary School, Lafayette
- Woodvale Elementary School, Lafayette
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
- Council Rock Primary School, Brighton, Monroe County
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
- Germantown Elementary School, Tennessee
Texas
- Mark Twain Elementary School, Houston
- River Oaks Elementary, Austin
- River Oaks Elementary, Houston
- T.H. Rogers School, Houston
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
- Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island
- Ordway Elementary School, Bainbridge Island
- Wilkes Elementary School, Bainbridge Island
- Sakai Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Secondary schools (including Middle Schools and High Schools)
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
- Carl Stuart Middle School, Conway
- Conway High School, Conway
- Jonesboro High School, Jonesboro
- Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock
- Little Rock Hall High School, Little Rock
- Nettleton High School, Jonesboro
- Westside High School, Jonesboro
- Westside Middle School, Jonesboro (Infamous for the Jonesboro massacre)
California
- Chaparral Middle School, Diamond Bar
- De La Salle High School, Concord
- Diamond Bar High School, Diamond Bar
- Diamond Ranch High School, Diamond Bar
- Lorbeer Middle School, Diamond Bar
- Lynbrook High School, San Jose
- Santana High School, Santee
- South Point Middle School, Diamond Bar
Colorado
- Columbine High School, Littleton (infamous for the Columbine High School massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999)
Connecticut
Delaware
- Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, Delaware
- Dover Air Base Middle School, Dover
- Everett Meredith Middle School, Middletown
- F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School, Camden
- Fred Fifer III Middle School, Camden
- Groves Adult High School, Middletown
- Louis L. Redding Middle School, Middletown
- Middletown High School, Middletown
Florida
Georgia
- Evans Middle School, Augusta
- Greenbrier Middle School, Augusta
- Lakeside High School, Augusta
- Lakeside Middle School, Augusta
- Riverside Middle School, Augusta
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
- Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Illinois
- Glenbrook North High School, Glenview, Illinois
- Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, Illinois
- West Leyden High School, Northlake, Illinois
- East Leyden High School, Franklin Park, Illinois
Indiana
- Perry Meridian High School, Indianapolis
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
- Heath High School, Paducah
- Rowan County Senior High School, Morehead, Kentucky
- Rowan County Middle School, Morehead
Louisiana
- Acadiana High School, Lafayette
- Carencro High School, Carenco
- Edgar Martin Middle School, Lafayette
- Lafayette High School, Lafayette, Louisiana
- L. J. Alleman Middle School, Lafayette
- Northside High School, Lafayette
- Ovey Comeaux High School, Lafayette
- Paul Breaux Middle School, Lafayette
Maine
Maryland
- Lake Clifton Eastern High School, Baltimore, Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
- Hancock Central High School, Hancock
- Hancock Middle School, Hancock
Minnesota
Mississippi
- Pearl High School, Pearl
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
- Brighton High School, Brighton, Monroe County
- Peter Stuyvesant High School, New York City
- Styverson High School, New York City
- Twelve Corners Middle School, Brighton, Monroe County
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
- Aloha High School, Beaverton
- Beaverton High School, Beaverton
- Sunset High School, Beaverton
- Thurston High School, Springfield
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
- Bellaire High School, Bellaire
- Deady Middle School, Houston
- Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar Senior High School, Houston
- Sidney Lanier Middle School, Houston
- T.H. Rogers School, Houston
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
- Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virginia
- Washington & Lee High School, Arlington, Virginia
- Yorktown High School, Arlington, Virginia
- H-B Woodlawn Secondary School, Arlington, Virginia
Washington
- Bainbridge High School, Bainbridge Island
- Woodward Middle School, Bainbridge Island
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
See also
- Education in the United States
- List of colleges and universities in the United States
- List of schools by country
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of schools in the United States."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The music of the United States includes forms derived from multiple ethnic groups. The original inhabitants of the United States included hundreds of Native American tribes, as well as native Hawaiians played the first music in the area, eventually augmented by immigrants from England, Spain, Sweden and France. Africans imported as slaves provided the musical underpinnings of much of modern American music, while other influences include Spanish-native mestizos from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico, Cajuns, descended from French-Canadians and Eastern European Jews.Information about the roots of modern American music can be found at American roots music. This article will discuss developments since approximately 1940, when folk-based styles like blues, jazz, gospel, Tejano, Cajun and Creole, klezmer and country music evolved into pop music.
1940s and 1950s
In the 1940s, the major strands of American music combined to form rock and roll. Based most strongly off an electric guitar-based version of the Chicago blues, rock also incorporated jazz, country, folk, swing and other types of music; in particular, bebop jazz and boogie woogie blues were in vogue and greatly influenced the music's style. It had developed by 1949, and quickly became popular among blacks nationwide (see 1949 in music). Mainstream success was slow to develop, though (in spite of early success with Bill Haley & the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock"), and didn't begin in earnest until Elvis Presley ("Hound Dog"), a white man, began singing rock, R&B and rockabilly songs in a devoted black style. He quickly became the most famous and best-selling artist in American history, and a watershed point in the development of music.
Country, bluegrass and folk music
In 1938, Bill Monroe formed the Blue Grass Boys (named after his native state of Kentucky, the blue grass state) and combined diverse influences into Appalachian folk music. These include Scottish, Irish and Eastern European folk, as well as blues, jazz and gospel. Monroe became the father of bluegrass music, and his band was a training ground for most of bluegrass' future stars, especially Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. Scruggs and Flatt popularized bluegrass as part of the Foggy Mountain Boys, which they formed in 1948. Though bluegrass never quite achieved mainstream status, it did become well-known through its use in several soundtracks, including the T.V. theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies and the movies Bonnie and Clyde and Deliverance. In the 1950s, bluegrass artists included Stanley Brothers, Osborne Brothers and Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys.Close harmony duets had grown popular in the 1940s, and were made mainstream in the mid-1950s by the Louvin Brothers. This inspired Pete Seeger's brother, Mike Seeker, who formed the New Lost City Ramblers who played traditional Appalachian folk music and helped popularize it. This became known as old-time music, and paralleled the rise of "folk singers", singer-songwriters who played updated versions of the same music. The old-time phenomenon also led to the rediscovery of musicians like Doc Watson, Dock Boggs, Roscoe Holcomb and Clarence Ashley. Some, including Watson, got their career revitalized after the 1961 Newport Folk Festival.
The 1950s also saw the popular dominance of the Nashville sound in country music, and the beginning of popular folk music with groups like The Weavers. Country's Nashville sound was slick and soulful, and a movement of rough honky tonk developed in a reaction against the mainstream orientation of Nashville. This movement was centered in Bakersfield, California with musicians like Buck Owens ("Act Naturally"), Merle Haggard ("Sing a Sad Song") and Wynn Stewart ("It's Such a Pretty World Today") helping to define the sound among the community, made up primarily of Oklahoman immigrants to California, who had fled unemployment and drought. A similarly hard-edged sound also arose in Lubbock, Texas (Lubbock sound).
By the late 1950s, a revival of Appalachian folk music was taking place across the country, and bands like The Weavers were paving the way for future mainstream stars like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Bluegrass was similarly revitalized and updated by artists including Tony Rice, Clarence White, Richard Green, Bill Keith and David Grisman. The Dillards, however, were the ones to break bluegrass into mainstream markets in the early 1960s.
Gospel and doo wop
Following World War 2, gospel began its golden age. Artists like the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Swan Silvertones, Clara Ward Singers and Sensational Nightingales became stars across the country; other early artists like Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, Dinah Washington, Johnny Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Wilson Pickett began their career in gospel quartets during this period, only to achieve even greater fame in the 60s as the pioneers of soul music, itself a secularized, R&B-influenced form of gospel. Mahalia Jackson and The Staple Singers were undoubtedly the most successful of the golden age gospel artists.
In addition, doo wop achieved widespread popularity in the 1950s. Doo wop was a harmonically complex style of choral singing that developed in cities like Chicago, New York, and, most importantly, Baltimore. Groups like The Crows ("Gee"), The Ventures ("Walk-Don't Run"), The Orioles ("It's Too Soon to Know") and Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers ("Why Do Fools Fall in Love") had a string of hit songs that brought the genre to chart domination by 1958 (see [1958 in music]]).
Latin music
Cuban mambo, chachachá and charanga bands enjoyed brief periods of popularity, and helped establish a viable Latin-American music industry, which led the way to the invention of salsa music among Cubans and Puerto Ricans in New York City in the 1970s. The 50s also saw success for Mexican ranchera divas, while a Mexican-American mariachi scene was developing on the West Coast], and Puerto Rican plena, Brazilian bossa nova and other Latin genres became popular.
Mexican-Texans had been playing conjunto music for decades by the end of World War 2, female duos created the first popular style of Mexican-American music, música norteña. Mexican romantic ballads called bolero were also popular, especially singers like the Queen of the Bolero, Chelo Silva. In the mid-1950s, when Mexican ranchera was used in Hollywood film soundtracks and the upper-class enjoyed stately orquestas Tejanas and conjunto evolved into a distinctively Mexican-American genre called Tejano. Artists of this era include Esteban Jordan, Tony de la Rosa and El Conjunto Bernal.
Cajun and Creole music
The 1940s saw a return to the roots of Cajun music, led by Irvy LeJeune, Nathan Abshire and other artists, alongside musicians who incorporated rock and roll, including Laurence Walker and Aldus Roger. In the late 1940s, Clifton Chenier, a Creole, began playing an updated form of la la called zydeco. Zydeco was briefly popular among some mainstream listeners during the 1950s. Artists like Boozoo Chavis, Queen Ida, Rockin' Dopsie and Rockin' Sidney have continued to bring zydeco to national audiences in the following decades. Zydeco shows major influences from rock, and artists lke Beau Jocque have combined other influences, including hip hop.
Diversification of pop music
In the early to mid-1960s, soul music and R&B dominated American audiences. Girl groups (The Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back"), The Shirelles ("Dedicated to the One I Love")) and blue eyed soul (The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"), Mitch Ryder ("Devil With a Blue Dress On")) helped to popularize the music as mainstream, as well as polishing it and removing the grit of gospel. With the popularity of Elvis and other white singers (like Gene Vincent ("Be-Bop-A-Lula"), Roy Acuff ("The Wreck on the Highway"), Jerry Lee Lewis ("Great Balls of Fire") and Chet Atkins ("Mr. Sandman")), as well as black vocalists like Little Richard ("Tutti Frutti"), Chuck Berry ("Johnny B. Goode"), Fats Domino ("The Fat Man") and Chubby Checker ("The Twist"), a new generation of teens began playing in their own rock bands. The 60s also saw the arrival of Mexican-American pop, rock and soul acts that drew upon Tejano and other influences. These include Sunny Ozuna ("Talk to Me", "Reina de mi Amor"), Roberto Pulido y Los Clasicos and Latin Breed.
White rock music developed primarily in two places: southern California, where musicians like Dick Dale (Let's Go Surfing) invented surf rock, and Britain, where mod and merseybeat bands (such as The Who (The Who Sings My Generation) and The Rolling Stones) (The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers)) began playing their own version of rock that drew more heavily upon American blues pioneers like Howlin' Wolf ("Evil"), Muddy Waters ("I Be's Troubled") and Jimmy Yancey ("The Fives") than their American counterparts, who mostly played a polished form of pop.
The early 1960s saw four centers of American musical innovation
- Southern California surf rock bands like The Beach Boys ("Surfin' Safari")
- Detroit-area Motown groups like Marvin Gaye ("Can I Get a Witness"), Curtis Mayfield ("(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go") and Al Green (Al Green Gets Next to You)
- country music's capital, Nashville
- the now mainstream Bakersfield sound
Invention of psychedelia
In addition, Britain's new generation of blues rock gained popularity in parts of their homeland, especially cities like Liverpool, and cult fame in the States. The popularity of folk singers like Peter, Paul & Mary ("Puff the Magic Dragon") and Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan) influenced all of these groups as they became more closely aligned with the counterculture and drugs. The national sound was moving towards an electric, psychedelic version of rock. In 1962 (see 1962 in music), The Beatles (Please Please Me) emerged from England and popularized British rock, while The Beach Boys' success brought harmony-laden surf music to the forefront of the American scene. With country and soul musicians unable to maintain their hipness, both faded from mass consciousness. The mid-1960s saw the collapse of The Beach Boys as a result of singer and songwriter Brian Wilson's mental problems after releasing one of the most influential rock albums in history, Pet Sounds. The Beatles went on to lead the psychedelic revolution of the end of the decade, with few Americans able to challenge them, exceptions including The Mamas & the Papas ("California Dreaming") and Jimi Hendrix (Are You Experienced). The most hard-edged psychedelic bands, like Americans Jefferson Airplane (Surrealistic Pillow) and The Grateful Dead (American Beauty), achieved limited success; the Grateful Dead, the first jam band, could also be considered the first cult act.
In the late 1960s, popular music underwent a sea change. Psychedelia-inflected rock dominated black and white audiences. During this period, most of American musical styles for the next forty years began in one form or another, including heavy metal, punk rock, electronic music and hip hop. Perhaps most importantly were two developments. First was the popularization of the LP as a distinct artistic statement. Prior to the early 1960s (and later in most cases), an LP was nothing more than a collection of singles bound together with filler. As the psychedelic revolution progressed, however, lyrics grew more complex and LPs developed to enable the artists to make a more in depth statement than a single song could allow. In addition, rules as to what could be allowed in popular music were lessened -- singles lasted longer than three minutes (Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" was the first of these); singing could be gruff, guttural and not classically beautiful and lyrics could focus on more than simple tales of youth, love songs and ballads to include politically and socially aware lyrics. The idea that popular music could and should change the way one feels and lead social change largely developed during this period, though it was certainly not unheard of before.
Black music in the late 1960s diversified. Soul music had arisen as a secularized form of gospel music. With the rise of psychedelia and folk, however, artists that had previously been best-sellers found themselves unpopular with the new sound. Many, such as The Temptations and The Supremes, never fully recovered, unable to adjust to the changes in music. Soul music, led at the time by singers like James Brown ("Sex Machine"), developed into psychedelia-influenced funk. Bands like Parliament (The Mothership Connection), War (All Day Music) and Funkadelic (One Nation Under a Groove) merged soul with psychedelic rock to cult acclaim but little popular success. Meanwhile, Sly Stone (Stand) and other similar artists achieved popular success with their mixture of soul and psychedelia. Pure soul adapted to the new face of popular music by expanding beyond the simple lyricism of singles to more cohesive and socially-aware, album-oriented soul. This is usually said to have begun with the success of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Curtis Mayfield's Superfly. They both described the gritty realities of ghetto life with funky, danceable beats and led to the dominant sounds of soul in the 1970s, such as Philadelphia soul.
Nonsecularized gospel was still popular, though not near the levels of the 1950s boom. Reverend James Cleveland was the most influential artist of the period; he introduced choirs to gospel with 1962's Peace Be Still, recorded with the Angelic Choir of Nutley from New Jersey. Six years later he founded the annual Gospel Music Workshop of America, which have spread across the world. Edwin Hawkins ("Oh Happy Day") was another major artist of the period. Beginning with artists like Ray Repp in 1964, a slick soft rock and gospel fusion called Christian Contemporary Music (or CCM) became popular, which helped lead the way for future rock Christian artists including light country star Amy Grant and Christian heavy metal pioneers Stryper.
Progressive, punk and heavy metal
A few bands popular among only a small crowd of devoted followers emerged in the late 1960s. The Nice (The Nice) and The Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed) (both British) began releasing a series of complex, classical tinged concept albums that began a sound known as progressive rock. Other British bands like Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin I) and Black Sabbath (Paranoid) emerged with a form of hard-edged electric blues that came to be known as heavy metal music. American bands like the Velvet Underground (White Light/White Heat), Blue Cheer (Vincebus Eruptum) and The Stooges (Raw Power) also emerged with fatalistic, artsy lyrics and a fast-driving energetic sound; this was the beginning of punk rock.
Country and newgrass
In the 1960s, the Bakersfield Sound began its rise to mainstream, led by Merle Haggard. Bands like Muleskinner and Old And In the Way invented a progressive form of bluegrass that came to be known as newgrass. Though this never achieved much mainstream success, newgrass has become a major part of the American country scene. New forms, incuding spacegrass and supergrass, arose in the 80s, and remained low-key. Other artists, including Alison Krauss, achieved some mainstream success and helped pave the way for the surprise success of the traditional old-time music soundtrack O Brother, Where Are Thou.
The rise of the Bakersfield Sound was a popular example of a roots revival in folk music, in which artists and audiences revitalize the traditional music forms of their ancestors, generally as a reaction against dilution of the original culture for mainstream acceptance. In the 1960s and 70s, roots revivals occurred across the globe. The United States saw Appalachian folk music, blues and jazz adapt to rock and roll, forming heavy metal, psychedelia and progressive rock. Other folk forms were also popularized as part of a 1960s roots revival, including Cajun and Hawaiian folk. Cajun music entered the national mainstream for the first time (mostly in the form of cover songs called swamp pop), becoming a fixture at the influential Newport Folk Festival. CoDoFiL (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana), founded in 1968, helped to lead this trend, establishing the Festivals Acadiens and Zydeco Festival, for example. Cajun artists during this period included the Balfa Brothers, D. L. Menard, Eddie LeJeune, Michael Doucet's Beausoleil and Barry Ancelet.
1970s
In the early 1970s, singer-songwriters like James Taylor ("Fire and Rain") and Carol King (Tapestry) topped the charts while prog rock, heavy metal and punk began to differentiate themselves from mainstream music. While most singer-songwriters drew on Anglo folk roots, some, like XIT (Plight of the Redman) drew on their Native American origins, following in the path of pioneers like Buffy Sainte-Marie ("Now That the Buffalo's Gone"); other Native American bands like Redbone fused Native American and rock influences. The mid-1970s saw the development of power pop, the marriage of glam and heavy metal to form hair metal and the emergence of disco. By the late 1970s, disco, an electronically-based dance music, dominated the sound of the US, aided by the breakthrough success of Saturday Night Fever. Originally associated with urban blacks and gay white males, disco spent a few years at the top of the charts just as country rock and prog rock achieved their greatest mainstream success. Country rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd (Second Helping) and pop-prog bands like Chicago (Chicago II) and Styx (Kilroy Was Here) dominated the portion of the market not listening to disco with long, bizarre progressive pieces and electric blues based southern rock. Country rock had developed primarily from British blues, and added an element of popular country. At the time, outlaw country artists like Willie Nelson (The Red Headed Stranger) and David Allan Coe ("You Never Even Called Me By Name") dominated the country music charts with tales of cowboys and rebels.
New Wave's mainstream popularity was brief. By 1984 (1984 in music), hair metal, long a dormant part of the Los Angeles music scene, started its reign on the charts. Led by hypermasculine bands like Quiet Riot (Metal Health), Van Halen (Van Halen) and Mötley Crüe (Shout at the Devil), hair metal reached its popular peak in the late 1980s with Guns 'n' Roses' Appetite for Destruction and Def Leppard's Pyromania.
Black music in the 1980s focused on two developments. A smooth, ballad-oriented pop-soul evolved and dominated the pop charts, especially in the early part of the decade. Lionel Richie (Can't Slow Down), Michael Jackson (Thriller), Whitney Houston (Whitney Houston) and Prince (Purple Rain) exemplified this field. The other major development in black music was the rise of hip hop as a commercial force.
Hip hop
Hip hop began its course to mainstream popularity with occasional fringe success in the early 80s -- Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow) and LL Cool J (Radio) introduced the sound to white listeners, while Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force ("Planet Rock") and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five ("The Message") innovated new methods in MCing and DJing. Distinct regional variations including Miami bass, LA electro hop, DC go go and Chicago hip house became popular locally and influenced later artists. Of these, bass artists like 2 Live Crew (2 Live Crew Is What We Are) became most famous for sexually explicit lyrics and controversy, while hip house has proven enormously influential on the then developing house music scene and would go on to influence much of electronica and techno.
Punk rock
In the 1980s, punk music began incorporating reggae, ska and other international influences, while heavy metal diversified in the wake of the success of hair metal. Thrash, death and power metal emerged. Pop bands like U2 (The Joshua Tree) and R.E.M (Murmur) also led an interest in the alternative rock scene. All around the country, pop- and hard rock-oriented bands evolving in a state of popular dismissal but critical acclaim had developed a unique sound. Bands like the Pixies (Doolittle) and Hüsker Dü (New Day Rising) made only minor waves on the charts, but fomented a serious revolution in music. A new generation of listeners hated the bombastic, corporate sterility of formulaic hair metal bands, and reacted against them.
The result was the grunge explosion in the early 1990s. By 1992 (1992 in music), hair metal bands were massively unpopular as grunge groups like Nirvana (Nevermind), Pearl Jam (Ten) and Alice in Chains (Dirt) dominated the charts. Their success lasted only a few years, however, as bands found it difficult to maintain their "alternative" sound after going mainstream. In addition, former N.W.A member Dr. Dre (The Chronic) brought gangsta rap to pop audiences. By the mid-90s, alternative rock groups had died out among mainstream listeners, and gangsta rap took over. The middle of the decade also saw a boom in techno music's popularity. Developed primarily in Britain (though Detroit and Chicago were also influential), techno's many permutations achieved some mainstream success throughout the last half of the decade. Bubblegum pop like the Spice Girls also returned after a decade of more-or-less dormancy during the period of hair metal and grunge, both highly opposed to clean, slick and shiny content.
Gangsta rap in the 1980s had focused on the two coasts originally, with West Coast pioneers like Ice-T ("6 N Da Mornin'") and Too $hort (Born to Mack) and East Coast artists like Schoolly D (Saturday Night - The Album) achieving fame among blacks and mainstream success being limited to hardcore groups like N.W.A (Straight Outta Compton), politically controversial groups like Public Enemy (It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back) and fledgling alternative hip hop groups like De La Soul (3 Feet High and Rising). East Coast rappers like Slick Rick (The Great Adventures of Slick Rick) had defined that coast's sound in the late 80s, and it had been far and away the center for hip hop until Dr. Dre's The Chronic put the West Coast on the hip hop map. Boasting a radio-friendly G funk sound, based primarily off funk samples, West Coast rap soon became the dominant sound among pop audiences with rappers like Snoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle) and Tupac Shakur (Me Against the World) achieving mainstream success. East Coast rappers like Notorious B.I.G (Ready to Die) and Nas (Illmatic) tended to be more well-received critically, but were consistently unable to match the West Coast in pop sales. The rivalry between the two coasts came to a head by 1996 (1996 in music), when the deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur rocked the world of hip hop. With West Coast head Suge Knight imprisoned (unrelated to the murders) and East Coast quickly becoming dominated by Puff Daddy's releases aimed at purely pop audiences, rap music splintered. A new generation of southern rappers like OutKast (ATLiens) and Goodie Mob (Soul Food) emerged from Atlanta, as well as vibrant scenes in St. Louis and New Orleans. The Fugees (The Score) also fused hip hop sounds with dub, dancehall and reggae, popular Jamaican forms, to great mainstream success. East Coast rap's reputation among critics during its popular domination by watered-down pop acts like Puff Daddy (No Way Out) and Mase (Harlem World) was saved by the Wu Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)), DMX (And Then There Was X), Busta Rhymes (The Coming) and other rappers that used a distinctively East Coast sound without catering to mainstream markets. On the West Coast, a period of relatively poor sales for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg and the imprisonment of Suge Knight, led to the subsequent collapse of Death Row Records and a drought in mainstream popularity. In the late part of the decade, Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP) emerged as one of the country's biggest stars. The Detroit-born rapper achieved success early in his career with radio-friendly hooks and funky beats; he quickly became the first white rapper to cross over to mainstream audiences without losing his critical viability.
Other 90s trends
Power pop bands like Weezer (The Blue Album), jam bands like Phish (A Picture of Nectar) and punk-pop and skacore groups like Green Day (Dookie) and Sublime (Sublime) rose to some prominence, with late punk and ska bands achieving the most mainstream success. No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom), Rancid (...And Out Come the Wolves) and similar bands released blockbuster albums in the middle of the decade.
Soul music, languishing since the popular demise of Michael Jackson and Prince some ten years earlier, re-emerged with a return to the sounds of early 70s soul; Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), Erykah Badu (Baduizm) and D'Angelo (Voodoo) spearheaded this movement. In hard rock, multiple trends developed.
Thrash metal, invented in the late 80s by bands like Metallica (Kill 'Em All), achieved some mainstream success before mutating into nu metal (such as System of a Down (Toxicity)) in the middle of the decade. Rapcore bands (that mix hip hop and metal) also emerged; Limp Bizkit (Significant Other) and Korn (Peachy) were the most popular, drawing heavily upon early pioneers in the field like Pantera (A Vulgar Display of Power), Faith No More (Angel Dust) and Anthrax (Among the Living). The 1990s also saw a boom in funk metal bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers (Californication) and female singer-songwriters like Tori Amos (Boys for Pele), relying on late 80s pioneers like Tracy Chapman (Tracy Chapman) and P.J. Harvey (Rid of Me).
Another major musical style of the 1990s was pop-country groups, beginning with honky tonk crooners like Clint Black (Killin' Time), Alan Jackson (A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love)) and Garth Brooks (Ropin' the Wind), the sound exploded into mainstream audiences with the crossover success of Shania Twain (Come on Over), the Dixie Chicks (Fly), Faith Hill (Breathe) and other female singers in the middle of the decade.
Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike released Sacred Path: Healing Songs of the Native American Church, an influential album that fused Peyote Songs with electronic backwashes and other modern flourishes. In 1994, part Mohawk Robbie Robertson (of The Band) put together the soundtrack for a documentary as part of an exploration of his Native American heritage. The resulting album, Music for the Native Americans, was extremely popular and has proven itself influential, bringing Native American artists to some segments of mainstream audiences.
2000s
Since the turn of the millennium, two major developments in American popular music have occurred. The dominance of bubblegum pop like 'N Sync (No Strings Attached) and Backstreet Boys (Backstreets Back) continued from the 90s, and also grew to include Latin stars like Shakira (Laundy Service), Ricky Martin (Sound Loaded) and Christina Aguilera (Christina Aguilera). In addition to these slick sounds, a growing number of domestic and foreign garage rock bands have achieved notable success, including The Strokes (Is This It), The Hives (Veni Vidi Vicious) and the Stone Roses (Stone Roses).
Related topics
State-specific music:
- Music
- Culture of the United States
- United States
- Music of Alabama
- Music of Alaska
- Music of Arizona
- Music of Arkansas
- Music of California
- Music of Colorado
- Music of Connecticut
- Music of Delaware
- Music of Florida
- Music of Georgia
- Music of Guam
- Music of Hawaii
- Music of Idaho
- Music of Illinois
- Music of Indiana
- Music of Iowa
- Music of Kansas
- Music of Kentucky
- Music of Louisiana
- Music of Maine
- Music of Maryland
- Music of Massachusetts
- Music of Michigan
- Music of Minnesota
- Music of Mississippi
- Music of Missouri
- Music of Montana
- Music of Nebraska
- Music of Nevada
- Music of New Jersey
- Music of New Mexico
- Music of New York
- Music of North Carolina
- Music of North Dakota
- Music of Ohio
- Music of Oklahoma
- Music of Oregon
- Music of Pennsylvania
- Music of Puerto Rico
- Music of Rhode Island
- Music of South Carolina
- Music of South Dakota
- Music of Tennessee
- Music of Texas
- Music of Utah
- Music of Vermont
- Music of the Virgin Islands
- Music of Virginia
- Music of Washington
- Music of Washington D.C
- Music of West Virginia
- Music of Wisconsin
- Music of Wyoming
References
- Williamson, Nigel and Mark Ellingham. "Try a Little Fairydust". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 615-623. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Burr, Ramiro. "Accordion Enchilada". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 604-614. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Means, Andrew. "Ha-Ya-Ya, Weya Ha-Ya-Ya". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 593-603. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Broughton, Simon. "Rhythm and Jews". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 581-592. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Broughton, Viv and James Attlee. "Devil Stole the Beat". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 568-580. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Broughton, Simon and Jeff Kaliss. "Ultimate Gumbo". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 552-567. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Seeger, Tony and Richie Unterburger. "Filling the Map with Music". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 531-535. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Barraclough, Nick and Kurt Wolff. "High an' Lonesome". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 536-551. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Music of the United States."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The United States of America (U.S.A.), also referred to as the United States (U.S.), America, or the States, is a federal republic in North America and the Pacific Ocean. Founded along the Atlantic coast, it spread westward to the Pacific Ocean. It shares land borders with Canada in the north and Mexico in the south, shares a marine border with Russia in the west, and has a collection of districts, territories, and possessions around the globe. The country has 50 states, which have a level of local autonomy.The United States traces its national origin to the declaration by 13 British colonies in 1776 that they were free and independent states. Since the mid-20th century it has eclipsed every other nation in terms of economic, political, military, and cultural influence.
United States of America
(In Detail) Great Seal National mottos
(1776 - ): E Pluribus Unum
(Latin: "Out of many, one")
(1956 - ): In God We TrustOfficial language None at federal level,
some states specify
English de factoCapital Washington, DC Largest City New York City President George W. Bush Area
- Total
- % waterRanked 3rd
9,372,610 km²
2.198%Population
- Total (2000)
- DensityRanked 3rd
281,421,906
31/km²Independence
- Declared
- RecognizedRevolutionary War
July 4, 1776
September 3, 1783GDP (base PPP)
- Total (2002)
- GDP/headRanked 1st
10,40 trillions $
37,600 $Currency US dollar ($) Time zone UTC -5 to UTC -10 National anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Internet TLD .US .EDU .GOV .MIL Calling Code 1
History
Main article: History of the United StatesFollowing the European colonization of the Americas, the United States became the world's first modern democracy after its break with Great Britain, with a Declaration of Independence in 1776. The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution of a more centralized federal government in 1789. During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original thirteen as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. Two of the major traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the American Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World War I and World War II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. remains the world's most powerful nation-state.
See also: Military History of the United States, Timeline of United States history
Politics
Main article: Politics of the United StatesThe United States of America consists of 50 states with limited autonomy in which federal law takes precedence over state law. In general, matters that lie entirely within state borders are the exclusive concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities; the state criminal code; and working conditions within the state. Many state laws are quite similar from state to state. Finally, there are many areas of overlap between state and federal jurisdictions.
In recent years, the federal government has assumed broader responsibility in such matters as health, education, welfare, transportation, and housing and urban development. The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. On such matters as the operation of businesses, banks, public utilities, and charitable institutions, state constitutions are often more detailed and explicit than the federal constitution.
The federal government itself consists of three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The head of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The legislative branch consists of the United States Congress, while the Supreme Court of the United States is the head of the judicial branch. The President is elected to a four year term by the U.S. Electoral College. The various electors are in turn chosen primarily by the popular votes in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Members of Congress are elected at varying dates, as are state Governors and state legislatures.
The federal and state government is dominated by two political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. The dominant political culture in the United States is, as a whole, somewhat to the right of the dominant political culture in European democracies. Given their complex support bases it is difficult to specifically categorise the two major parties' appeal. Within the US political culture, the Republican Party is described as center-right and the Democratic Party is described as center-left. Minor party and independent candidates are very occasionally elected, usually to local or state office, but the United States political system has historically supported catch all parties rather than coalition governments. The ideology and policies of the sitting President of the United States commonly play a large role in determining the direction of his political party, as well as the platform of the opposition.
The two parties exist on both the state and federal level, although the parties' organization, platform, and ideologies are not necessarily uniform across all levels of government.
Both major parties draw some support from all the diverse socio-economic classes which compose the mature multi-ethnic capitalist society which makes up the United States. Business interests provide the major funding and support to the Republican Party while labor unions and minority ethnic groups provide major support to the Democrats. Access to funds is vital in the political system due to the financial costs of mounting political campaigns. Thus, through lobbying, corporations, unions, and other organized groups that provide funds and political support to parties and politicians can play a large role in determining the political agendas and government decision-making.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
The contiguous part of the US (i.e. without Hawaii and Alaska) is called continental United States.
The states are divided into smaller administrative regions, called counties in most states--exceptions being Alaska (boroughs) and Louisiana (parishes). Counties can include a number of cities and towns, or sometimes just a part of a city. See County (United States).
- American Samoa
- Baker Island (uninhabited)
- Guam
- Howland Island (uninhabited)
- Jarvis Island (uninhabited)
- Johnston Atoll (uninhabited)
- Kingman Reef (uninhabited)
- Midway Islands
- Navassa Island (uninhabited)
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palmyra Atoll (uninhabited)
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Wake Island (uninhabited)
Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas are commonwealths of the United States.
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease.
The US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica but has reserved the right to do so.
From July 18, 1947 until October 1, 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units.
Occupying Power
The United States is currently an occupying power of the following countries:
- Iraq, this power is shared with the United Kingdom.
Geography
Main article: Geography of the United States
As the world's third largest nation (land area), the United States landscape varies greatly: temperate forestland on the East coast, mangrove forests in Florida, the Great Plains in the centre of the country, the Mississippi-Missouri river system, the Rocky Mountains west of the plains, deserts and temperate coastal zones west of the Rocky Mountains and temperate rainforests in the Pacific Northwest. The arctic regions of Alaska and the volcanic islands of Hawaii only increase the geographic and climactic diversity.
The climate varies along with the landscape, from sub-tropic in Florida to tundra in Alaska. Large parts of the country have a continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Some parts of the United States, particularly parts of California, have a Mediterranean climate.
Economy
Main article: Economy of the United StatesThe economy of the United States is organized on the capitalist model and is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, a large trade deficit, and rapid advances in technology. The American economy can be regarded as the most important in the world. Several countries have coupled their currency with the dollar, or even use it as a currency, and the American stock markets are globally seen as an indicator of world economy.
The country has rich mineral resources, with extensive gold, oil, coal and uranium deposits. Agriculture brings the country among the top producers of, among others, maize, wheat, sugar and tobacco. American industry produces cars, airplanes and electronics. The biggest sector is however service industries; about three-quarters of Americans are employed in that sector.
The largest trading partner of the USA is its northern neighbor, Canada. Other major partners are Mexico, the European Union and the industrialized nations in the Far East, such as Japan and South Korea. Trade with China is also significant.
See also: List of American companies
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of the United StatesMost of the 280 million people currently living in the United States descend from European immigrants that have arrived since the establishment of the first colonies. Major components of the European segment of the United States population are descended from immigrants from Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy with many immigrants also from Scandinavian countries and the Slavic and other populations of eastern and southern Europe and French Canada; few immigrants came directly from France. Likewise, while there were few immigrants directly from Spain, Hispanics from Mexico and South and Central America are considered the largest minority group in the country, comprising 13.4% of the population (38.6 million people) in 2002. This has brought increasing use of the Spanish language in the United States (see Languages in the United States). About 12% (2000 census) of the people are African Americans who largely descend from the African slaves that were brought to America. A third significant minority is the Asian American population (3.6%), who are most concentrated on the West Coast. The native population of Native Americans, such as American Indians and Inuit make up less than 1% of the population.
The level of Christian religious devotion in the US is showing a gradual decline, from 86.2% calling themselves Christian in 1990 to 76.5% doing so in 2001 (ARIS 2001). The religious affiliations in 2001 were Protestant 52%, Catholic 24.5%, none 13.2%, Jewish 1.3% and 0.5-0.3% for Muslim, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheist, Hindu and Unitarian Universalist. There is a significant difference between those who declare themselves to be of a religion and those who are members of a church of that religion. Census Bureau figures (PDF file) show that church membership in 2001 was 53% Christian, 2.3% Jewish and 0.1% Muslim, others lower.
The social structure of the United States, a capitalist country, is highly stratified, with a large proportion of the wealth of the country controlled by a small fraction of the population which exerts disproportionate cultural and political influence. However, in terms of relative wealth, most Americans enjoy a standard of personal economic wealth that is far greater than that known in the majority of the world. For example, 51% of all households have access to a computer and 41% had access to the Internet in 2000. Furthermore, 67.9% of US households owned their dwellings in 2002.
Holidays Date Name Remarks January 1 New Year's Day celebrates beginning of year, marks traditional end of "holiday season" January, third Monday Martin Luther King, Jr Day honors King, Civil Rights leader February, third Monday Presidents' Day honors former American Presidents, especially Washington and Lincoln May, last Monday Memorial Day honors service men and women who died in service, marks traditional beginning of summer July 4 Independence Day celebrates Declaration of Independence, usually called "The Fourth of July" September, first Monday Labor Day celebrate achievements of workers, marks traditional end of summer October, second Monday Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus, traditional discover of the Americas November 11 Veteran's Day traditional observation of a moment of silence at 11 AM remembering those who fought for peace November, fourth Thursday Thanksgiving give thanks for autumn harvest, marks traditional beginning of "holiday season" December 25 Christmas celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ, also celebrated as secular winter holiday Related Topics
Main article: List of United States of America-related topics
External links
United States government
- Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites
- The White House - Official site of the Presidential residence
- Senate.gov - Official site of the United States Senate
- House.gov - Official site of the United States House of Representatives
- SCOTUS - Official site of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Portrait of the USA - Published by the United States Information Agency, September 1997.
- US Census Housing and Economic Statistics Updated regularly by US Bureau of the Census.
Other
- National Motto: History and Constitutionality
- Historical Documents
- Worldwide Press Freedom Index - Rank 17 out of 139 countries
Countries of the world | North America simple:United States Of America zh-cn:%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD zh-tw:美國Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "United States."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Army is that branch of the United States Armed Forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. Historically, the Army was formed before the Republic, in 1775, to meet the demands of the American Revolutionary War.
Components of the U.S. Army
The U.S. Army has three components:
All three components have taken part in every war of the United States from World War I onward. The use of the Army Reserve and National Guard increased after the Vietnam War. Reserve and Guard units took part in the Gulf War, peacekeeping in Kosovo, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- The Regular Army
- The Army Reserve
- The National Guard of the several States and territories
Structure of the U.S. Army
The U.S. Army is structured roughly:
The Army is organized by function. Combat forces include Infantry, Armor, Cavalry, and Special Operations Forces. Combat support troops include Artillery, Army Aviation, combat engineers, Army Logistics, Army Medical Corps, Army Transportation, Army Ordnance, Adjutant General's Corps, Signal Corps, and the Judge Advocate Generals Corps.
- army group - when required
- field army
- corps
- division
- brigade or group: Most American Army divisions are organized in three or more brigades. (See also regiment for cavalry units.)
- battalion or squadron: Infantry and artillery units are organized into battalions. Cavalry or armor units are formed into squadrons. A battalion-sized unit is commanded by a lieutenant colonel.
- company (military unit) or battery or troop: Artillery units are formed into batteries. Cavalry units are formed into troops. A company-sized unit is usually led by a captain.
- platoon
- squad or section
- crew or fire team
Rank Structure
The Officer Corps provides leadership and managerial functions, and is composed of
There are several sources of commissioned officers:
- Company Grade officers
- Second Lieutenant (2LT; pay grade O-1) - gold bar,
- First Lieutenant (1LT; pay grade O-2) - silver bar,
- Captain (CPT; pay grade O-3) - two silver bars,
- Field Grade officers
- Major (MAJ; pay grade O-4)- gold oak leaf,
- Lieutenant Colonel (LTC; pay grade O-5)- silver oak leaf,
- Colonel (COL; pay grade O-6)- silver eagle,
- and General officers
- Brigadier General (BG; pay grade O-7)- one star,
- Major General (MG; pay grade O-8)- two stars,
- Lieutenant General (LTG; pay grade O-9)- three stars,
- General (GEN; pay grade O-10) - four stars
- General of the Army - five stars in a pentagon
Officers receive a "Commission" assigning them to the Officer Corps by act of Congress. Commissioned officers are assigned to a branch of service until they reach the rank of Brigadier General, where it is assumed that they are competent to command soldiers of all branches.
- The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York commissions its graduates as second lieutenants in the Regular Army. Graduates of other military academies of the United States may elect to be commissioned in the Army
- Enlisted men who successfully pass Officer Candidate Schools (OCS)
- College graduates who underwent Army Reserve Officer Training Corps courses at a four-year university
- Lawyers, doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and chaplains may be directly commissioned into their respective corps
Once commissioned, an officer attends several levels of professional education, starting with branch qualification in their respective branch and concluding in Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Professional education is required for promotion at certain grades.
The Warrant Officer Corps is largely composed of highly trained specialists in certain select areas who must have a rank commensurate with their responsibility. Warrant officers receive the same pay as an analagous commissioned officer (a WO1 is paid the same as a second lieutenant, CW2 as a first lieutenant, CW3 as a captain, and CW4 as a major) but rank below commissioned officers and above non-commissioned officers.
The primary sources for Warrant Officers are the various Warrant Officer Training Programs at military posts and installations around the United States.
The Non-Commissioned Officer Corps (or NCO Corps) is the first line of leadership for the Enlisted members of the Army, and includes the ranks of
Training for Non-Commissioned Officers takes place at any of the various NCO training centers around the world.
- Corporal (CPL; pay grade E-4) (two stripes up),
- Sergeant (SGT; pay grade E-5)(three stripes up),
- Staff Sergeant (SSG; pay grade E-6)(three stripes up and one down),
- Sergeant First Class (SFC; pay grade E-7) and Platoon Sergeant (PSG; pay grade E-7) (three stripes up and two down),
- Master Sergeant (MSG; pay grade E-8) (three stripes up and three down),
- First Sergeant (1SG; pay grade E-9) (which holds the same enlisted pay grade as Master Sergeant, but which carries extra administrative duties - three stripes up and three down with a lozenge in the center),
- Sergeant Major (SGM; pay grade E-9) (three stripes up and three down with a star in the center),
- Command Sergeant Major (three stripes up and three down with a wreathed star in the center)
- and Sergeant Major of the Army (of whom there is only one, and who advises the Chief of Staff of the Army on matters relating to Enlisted personnel - three stripes up and three down with a centered eagle accompanied with two stars).
It should be noted here that it is the outstanding quality of the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks which has largely built the excellent reputation of the United States Army. Until relatively recent history, most countries depended upon their officer corps to micromanage strategy, tactics and virtually every other aspect of military operations. With the development of the NCO Corps, the United States Army took a giant step toward utilizing the skills, intelligence, adaptability and independence of its citizens during times of conflict. The confidence and esteem in which the Officer Corps holds the NCOs which serve in the United States Army is based upon hard-won combat experience. This experience has repeatedly shown that rank is no indicator of leadership ability, and that leaders will emerge during times of hardship and conflict. Many military historians have held that this is the true strength of any military organization which serves a democracy.
Enlisted ranks are
Training for enlisted soldiers usually consists of Basic Training, and Advanced Individual Training in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the world.
- Private (PV1; pay grade E-1) (no rank insignia),
- Private Enlisted Grade 2 (PV2; pay grade E-2) (one chevron pointing up),
- Private First Class (PFC; pay grade E-4) (one stripe up and a curved stripe (a rocker below),
- and Specialist (SPC; pay grade E-4) (which is the same Enlisted Grade as Corporal, but which requires technical leadership skills, as opposed to the combat leadership skills required of corporal -a dark green patch with an eagle centered). A Specialist ranks below a corporal in terms of chain of command.
All members of the Army must take an oath upon being sworn in as members, swearing (or affirming) to "protect the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic." This emphasis on the defense of the United States Constitution illustrates the concern of the framers that the military be subordinate to legitimate civilian authority. The civilian executive is the Secretary of the Army, formerly the Secretary of War, at the founding of the Republic.
Major Commands of the US Army Major Command and Commanders Location of Headquarters Intelligence & Security Command (INSCOM)-Major General Keith B. Alexander Fort Belvoir, Virginia Criminal Investigation Command (CID)-Major General Donald J. Ryder Fort Belvoir, Virginia Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Lieutenant General Robert B. Flowers Washington, D.C. Medical Command (MEDCOM)-Lieutenant General James B. Peake Fort Sam Houston, Texas Army Materiel Command (AMC)-General Paul J. Kern Alexandria, Virginia Training & Doctrine Command (TRADOC)-Leiutenant General Larry R. Jordan Fort Monroe, Virginia Forces Command (FORSCOM)-General Larry R. Ellis Fort McPherson, Georgia US Army South (ARSO)-Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela Fort Sam Houston, Texas Special Operations Command (ARSOC)-Lieutenant General Philip R. Kesinger Fort Bragg, North Carolina Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC)-Major General Ann E. Dunwoody Fort Eustis, Alexandria, Virginia Space & Missile Defense Command (SMDC)-Lieutenant General Joseph M. Consumano, Jr. Arlington, Virginia 8th US Army (EUSA)-Lieutenant General Charles C. Campbell Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul Army Pacific Command (ARPAC)-Lieutenant General James L. Campbell Fort Shafter, Hawaii US Army Europe, 7th Army (AREUR)-General B. B. Bell Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, Germany Army Central Command (ARCENT)-Lieutenant General David D. McKiernan Fort McPherson, Georgia Arny Reserve Command (ARC)-Lieutenant General James R. Helmly Fort McPherson, Georgia Army National Guard (ARNG)-Lieutenant General Roger G. Schultz Washington, D.C.
Formations of the United States Army
First Army "First In Deed" (Reserve)
Third Army: Army Central Command (ARCENT)
- 78th "Lightning" Division, Edison, NJ (Training Support)
- 1st Brigade (Training Support)
- 2nd Brigade (Training Support)
- 3rd Brigade (Training Support)
- 4th Brigade (Training Support)
- 5th Brigade "We Dare" (Training Support)
- 85th "Custer" Division (Training Support)
- 1st Brigade (Training Support)
- 2nd Brigade (Training Support)
- 3rd Brigade (Training Support)
- 4th Brigade (Training Support)
- 87th Division "Golden Acorn", Birmingham, AL (Training Support)
- 1st Brigade (Training Support)
- 2nd Brigade (Training Support)
- 3rd Brigade (Training Support)
- 4th Brigade (Training Support)
- 5th Brigade (Training Support)
- Army Units
- 4th Cavalry Brigade (Training Support)
- 157th Infantry Brigade (Training Support)
- 188th Infantry Brigade (Training Support)
- 205th Infantry Brigade (Separate) (Light)
Fifth Army (Reserve)
- C/JTF-Kuwait
- ARCENT Kuwait
- ARCENT Saudi
- ARCENT Qatar
- Army Prepositioned Stock (APS-3)
- Army Prepositioned Stock (APS-5)
Seventh Army: United States Army Europe
- 7th Infantry Division "Bayonets", Carson, CO (Light)
- 39th Infantry Brigade (Light) (Separate)
- 41st Infantry Brigade (Light) (Separate)
- 45th Infantry Brigade (Light) (Separate)
- 75th Division, Houston, TX (Training Support)
- 1st Brigade (Training Support)
- 2nd Brigade (Training Support)
- 3rd Brigade (Training Support)
- 4th Brigade (Training Support)
- 91st Division, Houston, TX (Training Support)
- 1st Brigade (Training Support)
- 2nd Brigade (Training Support)
- 3rd Brigade (Training Support)
- 4th Brigade (Training Support)
- Army Units
- 5th Armored Brigade (Training Support)
- 120th Infantry Brigade (Training Support)
- 166th Aviation Brigade (Training Support)
- 191st Infantry Brigade (Training Support)
Eighth Army: Korea
- V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany
- 1st Infantry Division ("The Big Red One")
- 1st Armored Divsion-- Wiesbaden, Germany
- 2nd Infantry Division ("Indian Head" Division)
- 25th Infantry Division (Light) ("Tropic Lightning")
- I Corps, Fort Lewis, Washington ("America's Corps")
- 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Light)
- 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light)
- III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
- --III Corps U.S. Army National Guard
- 7th Infantry Division (Light) ("Bayonet" Division)
- XVIII Airborne Corps
- 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized} ("Rock of the Marne")
- 3rd Brigade ("Sledgehammer").
- 10th Mountain Division (Light}
- 1st Brigade
- 2nd Brigade
- 27th Brigade (Orions)-- New York National Guard
- 82nd Airborne Division
- 82nd Aviation Brigade
- 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (Screaming Eagles)-- Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery
- 18th Field Artillery Brigadet
- 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
- 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne)
- 18th Aviation Brigade (Airborne)
- 20th Engineer Brigade (Combat)(Airborne)
- 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne)
- 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
- 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack)
- 1-229th Attack Helicopter Battalion
- 3-229th Attack Helicopter Regiment
- 525th Military Intelligence Brigade (Airborne)
See also:
- United States armed forces
- Special Operations Forces
- Comparative military ranks
External link
- Official website
- Army Decorations - for Valor or Service:[1]
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "United States Army."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Denomination ($) Portrait 1 George Washington 2 Thomas Jefferson 5 Abraham Lincoln 10 Alexander Hamilton 20 Andrew Jackson 50 Ulysses S. Grant 100 Benjamin Franklin 500† William McKinley 1000† Grover Cleveland 5,000† James Madison 10,000† Salmon P. Chase 100,000† Woodrow Wilson †Not in general circulation. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. It is also widely used as a reserve currency outside of the United States. Currently, the issuance of currency is controlled by the Federal Reserve Banking system. The most commonly used symbol for the U.S. dollar is the dollar sign ($). The ISO 4217 code for the United States Dollar is USD.
Overview
The U.S. dollar is divided into 100 centss. Originally, it was further divided into 1000 millss, a currency unit used until World War II made aluminum too expensive to be used for the coins (and rising inflation made them essentially worthless).
The U.S. is one of many countries that use a currency named dollar: see dollar.
When currently issued in circulating form, denominations equal to or less than a dollar are emitted as coins while denominations equal to or greater than a dollar are emitted as Federal Reserve notes. (Both one dollar coins and notes exist; although the note form is significantly more common.)
Modern U.S. dollar banknotes have been printed by the Federal Reserve since 1929. Notes above the $100 denomination ceased being printed in 1946. These notes were used primarily in inter-bank transactions. However, with the advent of electronic banking, they became useless.
History
The dollar was unanimously chosen as the money unit for the United States on July 6, 1785. This was the first time a nation had adopted a decimal coinage system.
Until 1974 the value of the United States dollar was tied to and backed by either silver, gold, or a combination of the two. From 1792 to 1873 the U.S. dollar was freely backed by both gold and silver at a ratio of 15:1 under a system known as bimetallism. Through a series of legislative changes from 1873 to 1900, the status of silver was slowly diminished until 1900 when a gold standard was formally adopted. The gold standard survived, with several modifications, until 1974.
Bimetallism
The U.S. Coinage Act of 1792 established the United States Mint and set the following definition for a dollar:
It also pegged the rate of exchange between pure silver and pure gold at 15:1. Thus the dollar was defined to be 371.25 grains of silver or 24.75 grains of gold and could be exchanged at the mint for either silver or gold in this 15:1 ratio. This standard, known as bimetallism, was used through much of the nineteenth century.
- "Dollars or Units—each to be of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenths parts of a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver."
In 1834, due to a drop in the value of silver, the 15:1 ratio was changed to a 16:1 ratio. This created a new US dollar that was backed by 1.50 grams (23.2 grains) of gold. However, the previous dollar had been represented by 1.60 grams (24.75 grains) of gold. The result of this revaluation which was the first ever devaluation of the US dollar reducing its gold value by 6%.
The discovery of large silver deposits in the Western United States in the late 19th century created a political controversy. At one side were agrarian interests who wanted to retain the bimetallic standard which would result in a cheaper dollar, which would allow farmers to more easily repay their debts. At the other end, there were Eastern banking and commercial interests who advocated sound money and a switch to the gold standard. This issue split the Democratic party in 1896 and led to the famous cross of gold speech given by William Jennings Bryan.
In 1878 the Bland-Allison Act was enacted to provide for freer coinage of silver. This act required the government to purchase between $2 million and $4 million worth of silver bullion each month at market prices and to coin it into silver dollars. This was, in effect, a subsidy for politically influential silver producers.
US Federal Reserve notes - "Greenbacks"
Larger image
Larger image
Criticisms of U.S. banknotes
Despite the addition of color to US currency, critics hold that it will still be straightforward to counterfeit the bills. They cite that the ability to reproduce color images is well within the capabilities of modern color printers, most of which are affordable to many consumers. These critics suggest that the Federal Reserve should make use of holographic panels, such as some Australian currency and the euro banknotes do, which are much more difficult and expensive to forge.
Critics also state that bills should employ braille codes to make the currency more usable by the vision impaired, since the denominations are all the same size, and cannot be distinguished from one another non-visually.
International use of the U.S. dollar
A few nations outside of US jurisdiction use the United States dollar (USD) as their official currency. These nations include Ecuador, Palau, East Timor, Panama and the Federated States of Micronesia. Argentina used a fixed 1-1 exchange rate between the Argentine peso and the US dollar from 1991 until 2002. The exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the United States dollar has also been fixed since the early 1980s, and the renminbi used by the People's Republic of China has been informally and controversially pegged against the dollar since the mid-1990s.
The dollar is also used as the standard unit of currency in international markets for commodities such as gold and oil.
At the present time, the United States dollar remains the world's foremost reserve currency, primarily held in $100 denominations. According to economist Paul Samuelson, the overseas demand for dollars allows the United States to maintain persistent trade deficits without causing the value of the currency to depreciate and the flow of trade to readjust.
The majority of American money is actually held outside of the United States.
Origin of the name Dollar
The name for the United States dollar comes from the Spanish dollar (which itself derived from the thaler) which was the silver coin widely circulated in the United States during the time of the American Revolutionary War. Although private banks issued currency that was backed in Spanish dollars, the Federal government didn't do so until the American Civil War.
See also: Table of historical exchange rates
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "United States dollar."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
US | Danish | USA | Geography |
US | Dutch | Verenigde Staten | Geography |
US | English | Unconditioned stimulus | N/A |
US | Finnish | Yhdysvallat | Geography |
US | French | Unité de strontium | Chemistry |
US | German | Vereinigte Staaten | Geography |
US | Greek | Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες | Geography |
US | Italian | Stati Uniti | Geography |
US | Portuguese | Estados Unidos da América | Geography |
US | Spanish | Estados Unidos | Geography |
US | Swedish | Förenta staterna | Geography |
| US HAD 2 | English | USA Hard Amber Durum II | N/A |
| USACNII | English | US Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure | Computer - (org., USA) |
| USD | French | US dollar-code ISO | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Aid | Phrase: alterum alterius auxilio eget; "God befriend us as our cause is just"; at your service. |
Interjection: help! save us! to the rescue! | |
Beauty | Phrase: auxilium non leve vultus habet; "beauty born of murmuring sound"; "flowers preach to us if we will hear"; gratior ac pulchro veniens in corpore virtus; "none but the brave deserve the fair"; "thou who hast the fatal gift of beauty". |
Disinterestedness | Verb: be disinterested; Adjective: make a sacrifice, lay one's head on the block; put oneself in the place of others, do as one would be done by, do unto others as we would men should do unto us. |
Fear | Interjection: " angels and ministers of grace defend us!". |
A dagger of the mind ; expertus metuit; " fain would I climb but that I fear to fall"; " fear is the parent of cruelty "; " Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire "; omnia tuta timens; " our fears do make us traitors " | |
Grammar | Noun: grammar, accidence, syntax, praxis, punctuation; parts of speech; jussive; syllabication; inflection, case, declension, conjugation; us et norma loquendi; Lindley Murray; (schoolbook); correct style, philology; (language). Verb: parse, punctuate, syllabicate. |
Hope | At spes non fracta; ego spem prietio non emo; un Dieu est ma fiance; " hope! thou nurse of young desire "; in hoc signo spes mea; in hoc signo vinces; la speranza e il pan de miseri; l'esperance est le songe d'un homme eveille; " the mighty hopes that make us men"; " the sickening pang of hope deferred ". |
Intrinsicality | Phrase: " character is higher than intellect "; "come give us a taste of your quality " magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna; non numero haec judicantur sed pondere; " vital spark of heavenly flame ". |
Manifestation | Phrase: cela saute aux yeux; he that runs may read; you can see it with half an eye; it needs no ghost to tell us; the meaning lies on the surface; cela va sans dire; res ipsa loquitur; "clothing the palpable and familiar"; fari quae sentiat; volto sciolto i pensieri stretti; "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows". |
Perfection | Phr. " let us go on unto perfection "; " the perfection of art is to conceal art ". |
Strength | Blut und Eisen; coelitus mihi vires; du fort au diable; en habiles gens; ex vi termini; flecti non frangi; "he that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill"; "inflexible in faith invincible in arms". |
Wonder | Interjection: lo, lo and behold! O! heyday! halloo! what! indeed! really! surely! humph! hem! good lack, good heavens, gad so! welladay! dear me! only think! lackadaisy! my stars, my goodness! gracious goodness! goodness gracious! mercy on us! heavens and earth! God bless me! bless us, bless my heart! odzookens! O gemini! adzooks! hoity-toity! strong! Heaven save the mark, bless the mark! can such things be! zounds! 'sdeath! what on earth, what in the world! who would have thought it!; (inexpectation); you don't say so! You're kidding!. No kidding? what do you say to that! nous verrons! how now! where am I? |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: US |
| Specialty definitions using "US": After us, the Deluge ♦ GDP at market prices-constant 1987 US dollars ♦ imports of goods and services-constant 1987 US dollars ♦ merchandise exports-constant 1987 US dollars, merchandise imports-constant 1987 US dollars ♦ ONE OF US ♦ US Army Special Forces, US dollar, US Robotics. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "US": Vamose. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "US" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Catalan (you), Luxembourgish (US), Pidgin English (us), Portuguese (United States, United States of America), Scottish (impudence), Turkish (mind, reason, sense, senses), Welsh (chaff), Yucatec (gnat). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Everything dead on earth, except us. A chance for Mother Nature to start again (Batman & Robin; writing credit: Akiva Goldsman) It's the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here (The Matrix; writing credit: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski.) The world changes, we do not, there lies the irony that finally kills us. (Interview With the Vampire; writing credit: Anne Rice) You leave us alone, Stephens (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) None of us are. (Sleepers; writing credit: Barry Levinson) | |
Lyrics | But some of us don't know why (Never Tear Us Apart; performing artist: INXS) There ain't nobody that spies like us (Spies Like Us; performing artist: Paul McCartney) love will keep us alive (Love Will Keep Us Alive; performing artist: The Eagles) Ya in tha kitchen trying ta fix us a hot plate (Dear Mama; performing artist: 2Pac) Get between us (I Don't Wanna; performing artist: Aaliyah) | |
Clever | Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. (references; author: Mark Twain) Experience is the comb that Nature gives us when we are bald. (references; author: Belgian Proverb) Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids (references; author: unknown) New Hampshire: Go Away And Leave Us Alone (references; author: unknown) God gives us faces; we create our own expressions. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | Miss Smith dismisseth us. (references; author: unknown) The Leith police dismisseth us. (references; author: unknown) The seething seas ceaseth and twiceth the seething seas sufficeth us. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Deliver Us from Eva (2003) Don't Blame Us! (1974) The Four of Us (1974) Look at Us Now (1974) Memory of Us (1974) | |
Song Titles | Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye) (performing artist: Gladys Knight & The Pips) Just The Two Of Us (performing artist: Jr. Grover Washington) Never Tear Us Apart (performing artist: INXS) One Of Us (performing artist: Joan Osborne) Do You Believe In Us (performing artist: Jon Secada) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
| ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Historical glimpse of Malaria eradication in the US in the 1940's and 50's. Credit: CDC. |  | The Hubble telescope has shown us that the shrouds of gas surrounding dying, Sun-like stars ... Credit: NASA. |
 | Hurricane Fran approaching the Bahamas and the US in September 1996, asviewed by GOES-8(Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite). Credit: NASA. |  | Illustration in children's version of "The Sea Around Us" Art imitating life (see photo theb2388) Photo #1 of sequence. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | A member of the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group cuts holes to place cable in the logs. US Forest Service and Skagit Fisheries Enhancement members cabled all the jams into place. Then, volunteers played an essential role in the restoration by performing pre and post monitoring of the site. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |  | A US Fish and Wildlife volunteer assists with the lift nets. Lift nets were used before and after the restoration to sample resident fish populations to determine changes in productivity to the marsh, before and after restoration and to monitor restoration benefits. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | Members of the Yokota Air Base, Japan Honor Guard prepare to unload caskets containing possible remains of US military personnel from the Vietnam War during a repatriation ceremony here. The remains, including three from Vietnam and two from Laos, were fl. |  | South Fork of the Holston Riveris one of the 10 Heritage rivers in the US. NRCS worked with local farmers and other agencies in providing buffers, fencing for livestock, roational grazing, tree planting and recreational opportunities under a cooperative. Credit: Jeff Vanuga. |
 | Fly fisherman on the South Fork of the Holston River. The river is one of the 10 Heritage rivers in the US. NRCS worked with local farmers and other agencies in providing buffers, fencing for livestock, roational grazing, tree planting and recreational. Credit: Jeff Vanuga. |  | Judy Pike of the US Forest Service in period costume at the historic house on the Kancamagus Hwy, in the White Mountains National Forest, NH. Credit: USDA. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Us postage" by Feike Kloostra Commentary: "A close-up of a US postage sticker." | "US 2" by Bjarte Kvinge Tvedt Commentary: "US." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Emily Dickinson | Let us go in; the fog is rising. |
Fyodor Dostoyevski | God sets us nothing but riddles. |
George Eliot | Those who trust us educate us. |
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe | Only law can give us freedom. |
| The commonplace masters us all. | |
John Heywood | A hair of the dog that bit us. |
Philip Doddridge | Let us live while we live. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | Whatever limits us we call fate. |
Robert Burns | Let us do or die. |
Solon | Let us sacrifice to the Muses. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | Welshmen shall do the same to us and ours. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | Let us suppose then the legislative placed in the concurrence of three distinct persons. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Declaration of Independence | 1776 | To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. (reference) |
US Constitution | 1791 | Mason and Randolph, of Virginia. (reference) |
US Bill of Rights | 1795 | Amendment VIII. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. (reference) |
Amendment to US Constitution | 1795-1992 | But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. (reference) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | This brings us to the second inquiry; which is 2dly. (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | Let us now take wage-labour. (reference) |
Abraham Lincoln | 1863 | It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. (The Gettysburg Address) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | Let us preach what we practice - let us practice - what we preach. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | It need not detain us long |
Sylvie and Bruno | Carroll, Lewis | The old Beggar looked up at us with hungry eyes |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams | "Ford!" he said, "there's an infinite number of monkeys outside who want to talk to us about this script for Hamlet they've worked out!" |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | Ghosts might enter here without affrighting us. |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | In the meantime let us study the things which are no more |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | The ladies are with us. |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | When he opens his purse to give us our reward, thy conscience flies out. |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | You wanta charge us four bucks for a busted casing |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | Therefore he desired I would let him know what these costly meats were, and how any of us happened to want them |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | The fruits eaten temperately need not make us ashamed of our appetites, nor interrupt the worthiest pursuits |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Most of us are no strangers to infections. (references) | |
It helps us run, walk, move, sit, and touch. (references) | ||
Motion of the fluid tells us if we are moving. (references) | ||
Business | Two of these have US interest. (references) | |
Minimum wages was about 3 US dollars. (references) | ||
US firms also dominate the software market. (references) | ||
Economic History | Dominica | GDP: US $260 million. (references) |
Dominica | Per capita GDP: US $3,424. (references) | |
Uae | In 2001 the US enjoyed a 40% market share. (references) | |
Political Economy | Uae | The UAE joined the US in providing assistance to the Kosovar refugees and the Bosnian Federation. (references) |
Armenia | US Treasury provides long and short term advisors to the government in a range of financial areas. (references) | |
Hungary | The tariff differential between EU and US products can range from a few percent to over 75 percent. (references) | |
Trade | Dominican Rep | Export values are reported in US dollars. (references) |
Brazil | The US inquiry point is the NCSCI, located at NIST. (references) | |
China | Some 25-30% of US exports to China could be affected. (references) | |
Travel | Ghana | Rents are usually quoted in US dollars. (references) |
Laos | VISAS ON ARRIVAL COST US $30 AND ARE VALID FOR 15 DAYS. (references) | |
Tanzania | Airport departure tax is now US$ 30 instead of US $ 20. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | PRISON, n. A place of punishments and rewards. The poet assures us that -- "Stone walls do not a prison make," but a combination of the stone wall, the political parasite and the moral instructor is no garden of sweets. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Colin Powell | It's not useful to try to draw out from us what is the president going to do, when the president has all of his options. He can decide. |
Dennis Miller | For most law-abiding citizens, Big Brother is not watching us. |
Ellen Levin | Yeah, because it looked like it was going into deadlock, and Linda sat with us, too. She confided in us every step of the way with the plea bargain. |
Erin Runnion | Overwhelming. Overwhelming. The outpour from everyone, the love that people are showing us has just been incredible. |
Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry | Well Heather is the one that started it, and we started adding our scarves as well, to make a fire, so the helicopter could see us better. |
Lynne Cheney | V is for valor. V is for the valor shown by those who have kept us free. And it's a page mostly about military heroes. |
Rush Limbaugh | Rush has always said the reason the world hates us all comes down to economics. |
Ted Koppel | Tonight, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker join us to tell their side of the story in their first live television interview since leaving the PTL Ministry. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics or the ordinary combination and collisions of her friendships or enmities. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | Circumstances permitted us to allow the time necessary for their more solid construction. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | On the contrary, it would lift us out of a potentially perpetual state of housing emergency. |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1953-1961 | Science seems ready to confer upon us, as its final gift, the power to erase human life from this planet. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | At home, the recession is behind us. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | Well, let us turn now to the fundamental issue. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Proverbs tell us, without a vision the people perish. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | Giving life to the idea depends on every one of us. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Middle class values sustain us. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "US" is generally used as a pronoun (personal) -- approximately 79.73% of the time. "US" is used about 78,115 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Pronoun (personal) | 79.73% | 62,284 | 136 |
| Noun (proper) | 20.18% | 15,766 | 591 |
| Unclassified Items | 0.07% | 55 | 45,713 |
| Total | 100.00% | 78,115 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "US" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Us | Last name | 130 | 59,482 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "US". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Emmanuel | N/A | Biblical | God with us |
| Immanuel | N/A | Biblical | God with us |
| Manny | N/A | English | God with us |
| Manuel | N/A | English | God with us |
| Emmanuelle | N/A | French | God with us |
| Immanuel | N/A | German | God with us |
| Emmanouil | N/A | Greek | God with us |
| Emánuel | N/A | Hungarian | God with us |
| Emanuele | N/A | Italian | God with us |
| Immanuel | N/A | Jewish | God with us |
| Manoel | N/A | Portuguese | God with us |
| Manuel | N/A | Portuguese | God with us |
| Emanuel | N/A | Scandinavian | God with us |
| Manuel | N/A | Spanish | God with us |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| Australia | Lend Lease US Office Trust Management Ltd. | Japan | Toys "R" Us - Japan, Ltd. |
| United Kingdom | Edinburgh US Tracker Trust PLC | USA | Toys "R" US, Inc. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "US": abdominal US ♦ all of us ♦ all your base are belong to us ♦ be very dear to all of us ♦ between us ♦ Bless us ♦ both of us ♦ cataloging ( US ) ♦ collateral loan Us ♦ corn starch US ♦ deliver us from evil ♦ do unto others as we would men should do unto us ♦ each of us ♦ even the best of us ♦ for The Rest Of Us ♦ forgive us our trespasses ♦ give us a look ♦ have mercy on us ♦ i trust you will help us ♦ in the midst of us ♦ in us ♦ it has become the usual thing with us ♦ it imports us to know ♦ it needs no ghost to tell us ♦ just the two of us ♦ let us ♦ let us clearly understand each other! ♦ let us do ♦ let us go! ♦ let us hear each other again! ♦ let us know whatever you do ♦ let us part friends ♦ let us presume that ♦ let us proceed ♦ let us suppose that ♦ merger Us ♦ neither of us ♦ no one can stand between us ♦ none of us ♦ none of us was there ♦ oblige us with your presence! ♦ one of us ♦ several of us ♦ she loves us ♦ tell us another! ♦ tenesm us ♦ that alone can help us ♦ the beast in us ♦ the scheme backfired on us ♦ the two of us ♦ tip us your fin! ♦ to us ♦ us and them ♦ us Army ♦ US Army Special Forces ♦ us Cabinet ♦ US channel ♦ US citizen ♦ US dollar ♦ us english ♦ us Marine Corps ♦ us Navy ♦ us Robotics ♦ we bought this between us ♦ with us. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "US": us-administered, us-air, us-and-them, US-ASCII, us-australian, us-backed, us-based, us-biased, us-born, us-bound, us-bred, us-british, Us-british-french, us-brokered, us-built, us-can, Us-canada, us-canadian, Us-chaired, us-chilean, us-china, us-chinese, us-colombian, us-constructed, us-controlled, us-cuban, us-dominated, us-donated, Us-ec, us-educated, us-english, Us-epa, us-equipped, us-euro, us-european, us-financed, us-finished, us-funded, us-german, Us-government-funded, Us-govt, Us-hong, us-imposed, us-initiated, us-installed, Us-iraq, us-iraqi, us-israeli, us-japan, us-japanese, us-latin, us-leased, us-led, us-licensed, us-listed, us-made, us-me, us-mediated, us-mexican, Us-mexico, Us-netherlands, us-new, us-occupied, us-ophiles, us-organized, us-orientated, us-oriented, us-owned, Us-pakistan, Us-pakistan-backed, us-palestinian, Us-panama, Us-philippines, us-plo, us-quoted, Us-rda, us-recognized, us-registered, us-residents, us-romanian, Us-russia, us-russian, us-saudi, us-settled, us-south, us-soviet, us-spanish, us-specification, us-sponsored, us-style, us-supervised, us-supplied, us-supported, us-them, us-this, us-to, us-trained, us-turkey, us-turkish, Us-uk, Us-ussr, us-vietnamese, us-wide. | |
Ending with "US": Anglo-us, anti-us, Cs-us, do-you-think-he-saw-us, Ec-us, Indo-us, Iran-us, Israeli-us, Non-us, pro-us, Sino-us, Soviet-us, them-and-us. | |
Containing "US": Give-us-a-meal, give-us-our, go-into-groups-discuss-an-important-issue-and-find-a-dramatic-statement-for-us-to-discuss, please-don't-put-us-through-demille-again, show-us-yer-knockers, till-death-us-do-tedium. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
toy r us | 32,856 | us history | 2,808 |
baby r us | 28,384 | us savings bond | 2,631 |
us airway | 17,806 | us president | 2,515 |
us postal service | 16,785 | us airline | 2,339 |
us bank | 14,434 | us national park | 2,277 |
us open | 12,804 | us | 2,184 |
us air | 10,859 | us news and world report | 2,170 |
us post office | 6,324 | us search | 2,137 |
us travel | 5,604 | us census | 1,997 |
us army | 5,554 | open streaker us | 1,963 |
us cellular | 5,035 | us marine | 1,928 |
map on us | 3,940 | us immigration | 1,904 |
us open golf | 3,823 | 512 not our present resume tx us we | 1,855 |
us flag | 3,726 | us department of education | 1,760 |
us passport | 3,569 | us robotics | 1,719 |
us navy | 3,403 | us constitution | 1,655 |
us air force | 3,331 | boat us | 1,548 |
us government | 3,092 | us coast guard | 1,523 |
us mint | 2,899 | us postal | 1,516 |
us customs | 2,896 | us magazine | 1,459 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "US"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | ons (our, to, to us, we). (various references) | |
Albanian | neve, ne (we), na (take, to us). (various references) | |
Arabic | نحن (we), نا, لنا (our, ours, to us), ضمير المتكلمين. (various references) | |
Basque | gari (corn US, wheat), autobide (motorway, speedway US). (various references) | |
Breton | dimp (to us). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | нас, нам, на нас, ни (never). (various references) | |
Chinese | 美国 (America, American, americana, USA), 我們 (ourselves, we). (various references) | |
Czech | nás, námi, nám (to us). (various references) | |
Danish | os. (various references) | |
Dutch | ons (ounce, our, we). (various references) | |
Esperanto | nin, ni (we), al ni (to us). (various references) | |
Farsi | مارا, نسبت بما, خودمان (Ourselves, Selves), بما. (various references) | |
Finnish | meitä, meidät. (various references) | |
French | nous (for us, to us). (various references) | |
Frisian | Amerikaan (American, US citizen). (various references) | |
German | uns (ourselves, to us). (various references) | |
Greek | μασ (our), εμάσ (ourselves), εμάς. (various references) | |
Guarani | ore (our). (various references) | |
Haitian Creole | nou (our, we). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לנו (to us), איתנו, אלינו, אותנו. (various references) | |
Hungarian | nekünk, minket (ourself), bennünket. (various references) | |
Icelandic | okkur. (various references) | |
Indonesian | misalkan (for example, let us say, supposing that), jangan-jangan (let us hope not, maybe, perhaps, who knows), dimisalkan (for example, let us say, supposing that), barongsai (lion dance us). (various references) | |
Irish | sinn. (various references) | |
Italian | noi (we). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 私達 (we), 私たち (we), 私たち (we), 私供 (we), 我等 (we), 我ら (we), 吾等 (we), 当方 (me, mypart). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | わたしたち (we), わたくしたち (we), わたしども (we), われら (we), とうほう (eastern direction, isotropic, me, mypart, Oriental country, the Orient, Toho). (various references) | |
Korean | 미국 (America, American, Columbian, USA). (various references) | |
Luxembourgish | us. (various references) | |
Malagasy | hataontsika (done by us). (various references) | |
Manx | shinyn (ourselves, we), shin (we). (various references) | |
Norwegian | oss. (various references) | |
Papiamen | merikano (American, US citizen). (various references) | |
Pidgin English | us, we (we). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | usay.(various references) | |
Polish | Amerykanin (American, US citizen). (various references) | |
Portuguese | nós (we), nos (at the, in the). (various references) | |
Portuguese Brazilian | nos (in the, ourselves, to us, we). (various references) | |
Romanian | pe noi, nouã (nine), ni, ne (ourselves, to us). (various references) | |
Russian | собой (herself, himself, myself, oneself, ourselves, themselves, yourself, yourselves), себя (herself, himself, itself, me, myself, oneself, ourselves, self, themselves, thyself, yourself, yourselves), себе (herself, himself, itself, myself, oneself, ourselves, themselves, yourself, yourselves), он мы сша, нас, нами (we), нам (to us). (various references) | |
Scottish | sinn (we). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | sjedinjene države (united states), nas (ourselves), nama (us: to us), nam, američki (american, yankee). (various references) | |
Slovene | dajmo (let us). (various references) | |
Somali | noo. (various references) | |
Spanish | nosotros (we), nosotras (we), nos (ourselves, to us). (various references) | |
Swahili | sisi (we). (various references) | |
Swedish | oss (ourself). (various references) | |
Tagalog | tayo (we). (various references) | |
Tahitian | t‘tou. (various references) | |
Tswana | re (and, say, we). (various references) | |
Turkish | bizi, bize (to us), biz (awl, bodkin, prod, punch, we). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | себе (herself, him, himself, itself, myself, oneself, ourself, ourselves, them, themselves, thyself, yourself, yourselves), нас. (various references) | |
Welsh | ni (no, not, we). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | nôbîs. (various references) |
| Avestan | 200-600 | ... ahmât, ahmâkem , ahmat , nô. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Luke Chapter 24, Verse 32 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai eipon proV allhlouV ouci h kardia hmwn kaiomenh hn en hmin wV elalei hmin en th odw kai wV dihnoigen hmin taV grafaV |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et dixerunt ad invicem nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis dum loqueretur in via et aperiret nobis scripturas |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | And hig cwædon him betwynan næs uncer heorte byrnende þa he on wege wið unc spæc. and unc halige gewritu ontynde; |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And thei seiden togidir, Whether oure herte was not brennynge in vs, while he spak in the weie, and openyde to vs scripturis? |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And they sayde betwene them selves: dyd not oure hertes burne with in vs whyll he talked with vs by the waye and as he opened to vs the scriptures? |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning in us while he was talking to us on the way, making clear to us the holy Writings? |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Luke Chapter 24, Verse 32 |
| Cebuano | Ug sila nasig-ingon ang usa sa usa, "Dili ba ang atong mga kasingkasing nagdilaab man sa sulod nato samtang nagsulti siya kanato diha sa dalan, samtang nagsaysay siya kanato sa kasulatan?" |
| Chinese | 他 們 彼 此 說 、 在 路 上 、 他 和 我 們 說 話 、 給 我 們 講 解 聖 經 的 時 候 、 我 們 的 心 豈 不 是 火 熱 的 麼 。 |
| Croatian | Tada rekoše jedan drugome: "Nije li gorjelo srce u nama dok nam je putem govorio, dok nam je otkrivao Pisma?" |
| Danish | Og de sagde til hinanden: "Brændte ikke vort Hjerte i os, medens han talte til os på Vejen og oplod os Skrifterne?" |
| Dutch | En zij zeiden tot elkander: Was ons hart niet brandende in ons, als Hij tot ons sprak op den weg, en als Hij ons de Schriften opende? |
| Finnish | Ja he sanoivat toisillensa: "Eikö sydämemme ollut meissä palava, kun hän puhui meille tiellä ja selitti meille kirjoitukset?" |
| French | Et ils se dirent l`un à l`autre: Notre coeur ne brûlait-il pas au dedans de nous, lorsqu`il nous parlait en chemin et nous expliquait les Écritures? |
| German | Und sie sprachen untereinander: Brannte nicht unser Herz in uns, da er mit uns redete auf dem Wege, als er uns die Schrift öffnete? |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Kata mereka satu kepada yang lain, "Bukankah rasa hati kita seperti meluap, ketika Ia berbicara dengan kita di tengah jalan, dan menerangkan isi Alkitab kepada kita?" |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka berkatalah mereka itu seorang kepada seorang, "Bukankah hangus hati kita, tatkala Ia bersabda kepada kita di jalan sambil mengartikan Alkitab kepada kita?" |
| Italian | Ed essi si dissero l'un l'altro: «Non ci ardeva forse il cuore nel petto mentre conversava con noi lungo il cammino, quando ci spiegava le Scritture?». |
| Maori | A ka mea raua ki a raua, Kihai koia o taua ngakau i mumura i roto i a taua, i a ia e korero ana ki a taua i te ara, e whakaatu ana i nga karaipiture ki a taua? |
| Norwegian | Og de sa til hverandre: Brente ikke vårt hjerte i oss da han talte til oss på veien og oplot skriftene for oss? |
| Portuguese | E disseram um para o outro: Porventura não se nos abrasava o coração, quando pelo caminho nos falava, e quando nos abria as Escrituras? |
| Rumanian | Wi au zis unul cqtre altul: ,,Nu ne ardea inima kn noi, cknd ne vorbea pe drum, wi ne deschidea Scripturile?`` |
| Shuar | Tura nu shuarsha mai tunai ajainiak "Jintia winis Niisha Yus-Papin jintintramuk nekas ii Enentáin shiir Enentáimtikramprachmakaj~i" tiarmiayi. |
| Swahili | Basi, wakaambiana, "Je, mioyo yetu haikuwa inawaka ndani yetu wakati alipokuwa anatufafanulia Maandiko Matakatifu kule njiani?" |
| Swedish | Och de sade till varandra: "Voro icke våra hjärtan brinnande i oss, när han talade med oss på vägen och uttydde skrifterna för oss?" |
| Uma | Momepololitai-ramo, ra'uli': "Toe-tawo' pai' tuna nono-ta hi ohea-e we'i, bula-na mpololitai-ta pai' mpakanoto-taka ihi' Buku Tomoroli' -e!" |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "US": usabilities, usability, usable, usableness, usablenesses, usably, usage, usages, usance, usances, usaunce, usaunces, use, useable, useably, used, useful, usefully, usefulness, usefulnesses, useless, uselessly, uselessness, uselessnesses, user, users, uses, usher, ushered, usherette, usherettes, ushering, ushers, using, usnea, usneae, usneas, usquabae, usquabaes, usque, usquebae, usquebaes, usquebaugh, usquebaughs, usques, ustulate, usual, usually, usualness, usualnesses, usuals. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "US": abacus, aboideaus, aboiteaus, abomasus, abstemious, abstentious, acajous, acanthus, acarpous, acarus, acaulous, acephalous, acerous, acervulus, acetous, acidulous, acinous, acinus, acrimonious, actinomycetous, aculeus, adenocarcinomatous, adenomatous, adenovirus, adieus, adipous, adscititious, adulterous, aduncous, advantageous, adventitious, adventurous, aeneous, aeneus, afflatus, agamous, agapanthus, ailanthus, airbus, alacritous, albuminous, alliaceous, allogamous, allosaurus, altitudinous, altocumulus, altostratus, aluminous, alumnus, alveolus, amadous. (additional references) | |
Words containing "US": abacuses, ablush, abstemiously, abstemiousness, abstemiousnesses, abstruse, abstrusely, abstruseness, abstrusenesses, abstruser, abstrusest, abstrusities, abstrusity, abusable, abuse, abused, abuser, abusers, abuses, abusing, abusive, abusively, abusiveness, abusivenesses, acanthuses, accusal, accusals, accusant, accusants, accusation, accusations, accusative, accusatives, accusatory, accuse, accused, accuser, accusers, accuses, accusing, accusingly, accustom, accustomation, accustomations, accustomed, accustomedness, accustomednesses, accustoming, accustoms, acoustic, acoustical. (additional references) | |
| |
"US" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: auz, eus, ez, fs, gs, ius, js, juz, ks, kues, kuss, kuz, nuz, oq, osu, qus, sf, sj, ss, su, ua, uas, uask, uc, uch, ucl, Ucsf, Ucst, Ucw, ucx, ud, uds, Udsp, ue, uf, ufs, Ugs, ui, uish, Uj, Uks, Uksc, ul, uls, Umsl, uo, uq, urs, usb, usc, usd, usf, usg, ush, usi, usm, Usmc, usn, uso, usp, usr, uss, ussf, ussr, ussy, ust, usu, usw, usy, uts, uu, uv, uw, uy, uz, uza, uzo, uzu, uzz, vus, wus, Ysd, yss, yus, yuz, zs, zus, zuss. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "US" (pronounced u"s or yuw"e"s) |
| 2 | u" s | bus, Buss, cuss, discuss, fuss, plus, pus, suss, thus, truss, wuss. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words containing the letters "s-u" | |
+1 letter: bus, jus, mus, nus, pus, sau, sou, sub, sue, sum, sun, sup, suq, uns, ups, use, uts. | |
+2 letters: amus, anus, auks, bubs, buds, bugs, bums, buns, burs, bush, busk, buss, bust, busy, buts, buys, crus, cubs, cuds, cues, cups, curs, cusk, cusp, cuss, cuts, dubs, duds, dues, dugs, duns, duos, dups, dusk, dust, ecus, emus, feus, flus, fubs, fuds, fugs, funs, furs, fuse, fuss, gnus, guls, gums, guns, gush, gust, guts, guvs, guys, hubs, hues, hugs, hums, huns, hush, husk, huts, jugs, just, juts, kues, lues, lugs, lums, lush, lust, luvs, muds, mugs, mums, muns, muse, mush, musk, muss, must, muts, nous, nubs, nuns, nuts, onus, opus, ouds, ours, oust, outs, plus, pubs, puds, pugs, puls, puns, pups, purs, push, puss, puts, rhus, rubs, rues, rugs, rums, runs, ruse, rush, rusk, rust, ruts, saul, scud, scum, scup, scut, shul, shun, shut, skua, slub, slue, slug, slum, slur, smug, smut, snub, snug, souk, soul, soup, sour, sous, spud, spue, spun, spur, stub, stud, stum, stun, suba, subs, such, suck, sudd, suds, sued, suer, sues, suet, sugh, suit, sulk, sulu, sumo, sump, sums, sung, sunk, sunn, suns, supe, sups, suqs, sura, surd, sure, surf, suss, swum, taus, thus, tubs, tugs, tuis, tuns, tups, tush, tusk, tuts, udos, ughs, ukes, ulus, umps, upas, urbs, urds, urns, ursa, urus, used, user, uses, utas, vaus, vugs, wuss, yuks, yups. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Quotations: Spoken | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Names: Frequency 16. Names: Derived from | 17. Names: Company Usage 18. Expressions 19. Expressions: Internet 20. Translations: Modern | 21. Translations: Ancient 22. Bible Trace 23. Abbreviations 24. Acronyms | 25. Derivations 26. Rhymes 27. Anagrams 28. Bibliography |
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