American states are territorial and administrative units within the United States with their own laws and peculiarities, possessing a rather serious level of sovereignty, but obeying the general constitution. Their number has increased throughout American history. So how many are there now?
The United States of America is a fairly young state by historical standards, which began its journey as an alliance of British, Spanish and French colonies. Today it is, perhaps, the most powerful power in the world, almost single-handedly determining the path of development of many countries.
The federal structure of America includes exactly 50 states and the District of Columbia, where the capital of the state is located. There are also freely associated territories dependent on the United States that have not yet received an official "regular" status, but it is quite possible that this will happen someday. But so far all the rumors that the United States consists of 51, 52 or 53 states are just idle speculation.
A bit of history
The United States was formed back in 1776, when thirteen British colonies decided to defend their independence and began a war with England under the leadership of George Washington.
In 1786, the war was over, and the colonies announced the creation of a new state, proclaiming their own constitution. And in 1791, in the District of Columbia, which included Alexandria and Georgetown, a city was founded, the only American city named after the president - the first leader of the young state, George Washington. By the way, this city has nothing to do with the state of Washington.
Initially, in 1787-88, the United States included Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, New Hampshire, South and North Carolina, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, New York, and Rhode Island. That is, those same 13 colonies that fought for their independence from Britain. In 1792, a part of the territory, called Kentucky, was peacefully separated from Virginia and became another state. Until the early 19th century, the United States also included Tennessee and Vermont, previously located in disputed territories.
Most of the rest of the states became part of the state during the 19th century, and each of them had its own history. Some of them are colonies that proclaimed independence and joined the union of American states, other lands were simply bought, such as Alaska.
During the Civil War (1861-1865), some of the southern slave territories split off, forming a new state called the Confederate States of America. It was the time of the Ku Klux Klan, the elimination of slavery, the assassination of Lincoln, the appearance of the Jim Crow laws, the adoption of the 13th amendment to the Constitution and many other high-profile historical events and phenomena.
After being defeated, the CSA ceased to exist, and the states were gradually reintegrated into the United States. The take-back process took many years and is called Reconstruction of the South.
The twentieth century
Oklahoma, a disputed Indian dependent territory, did not receive state status until 1907. This state has a complex history - Spain and France claimed land inhabited by Native Americans until Napoleon sold the territory to the United States in 1803. Three decades later, according to the Indian resettlement law, indigenous people from all over the country were brought here, which led to the Indian civil war and the death of many of them.
In 1912, two more territories joined, Arizona and New Mexico, two of the "four corners" states located in the southwest of the state.
The name "four corners" is associated with the Four Corners - a monument that was erected during the Civil War, dividing the borders of four territories, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
Alaska, which is the largest administrative unit within the country, but does not border with any other state, received state status only in 1959. Until 1867, Alaska was part of the Russian Empire, but after the events of the Crimean War, Alexander II thought about selling these lands, which remained undefended in wars. On March 30, 1867, the signing of the agreement on the sale of Alaska to the United States took place in Washington. The young state needed new lands for development and resources for development, and Russia received $ 7.2 million.
Soon, gold was discovered in Alaska and the Klondike Gold Rush began, beautifully described in the books of American classics, for example, Jack London. The development of the mines brought the US government about $ 14 billion during the "fever" alone.
Alaska became a state in 1959, together with the accession to the United States of another, so far the last territory - Hawaii. This territory also has a rather unusual history. The last queen of the islands, Liliuokalani, was overthrown by US troops in 1893 under the pretext of protecting American private property. Hawaii became a republic and was annexed by the United States in 1989. The deposed queen, now bearing the official name Lydia Dominis, was given a life pension and one sugar plantation was left. In prison, where she spent several years after the coup, Lydia wrote the Hawaiian anthem, known today - Aloha ʻoe.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Hawaii did not abandon attempts to become another state of the country that ruled them, but did not give the opportunity to independently elect a governor, participate in presidential elections, and vote in Congress. The locals were not satisfied with these restrictions. After World War II, when it was Hawaii that took the first blow and proved its loyalty to the United States, the problem got off the ground. True, the process of creating the necessary conditions for obtaining state status took almost 15 years.
So, it was in 1959 that the map of the United States, which we know today, was finally formed - a state consisting of fifty states, ruled by a bicameral Congress and a president.
Subordinate territories
These are territories administered by the United States, but not part of the state or county of the country. For example, the unpopulated Palmyra Atoll, located south of Hawaii, where only a few activists from a private conservation organization live today, came under US jurisdiction only in 1912. During World War II, the Atoll Islands were used as a military base by the US Air Force.
Some of these territories are administratively part of the United States, but they do not have enough population for state status. These are Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - the island of Guam, inhabited by the Chamorro tribe, and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the Virgin Islands.
In addition to these lands subordinate to the United States, there are others, for example, leased for some purpose from other countries. Management on them depends on the specific terms of the contract.
Will the fifty-first appear?
Over the past few decades, there have been persistent discussions about the inclusion of new territories in the United States and giving them the status of states. For example, the District of Columbia, the official capital of the United States, still does not have a state title, and this issue is constantly being postponed.
Candidates for joining the United States include Puerto Rico, Northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The media also name other contenders: Israel, Mexico and even Caucasian Georgia. But in reality, everything is not so simple. The fact is that any territory must have its own constitution that does not contradict the general law of the United States, be absolutely independent and have a certain number of inhabitants. In addition, there are a number of not entirely obvious reasons that make it difficult to make a decision - the economy, political ties, the remoteness of the territory, and even cultural traditions.
Obtaining state status is not only providing the territory with the patronage and protection of a superpower, but also gaining the opportunity to directly influence the politics and economy of the United States. So a cautious policy on this issue is completely justified. And yet the number of applicants seeking American state status is not decreasing, so it is likely that the number of states will increase in the not too distant future.
