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United States of America

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United States of America
Flag of the United States of America (2033-2079)
Founded: 4th July, 1776
Location: Central North America, Earth
Capital: Washington, DC
Head of State: President of the United States
Head of Government: President of the United States
Legislature: United States Congress
Military: United States armed forces
Intelligence Service: Central Intelligence Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
National Security Agency
Language: English
Currency: United States dollar
20th century map depicting the Northern Hemisphere region
21st century map depicting the countries of the world

The United States of America (United States, US , USA, or America) was a democratic republic on the North American continent of Earth. Founded in the 18th century, the United States played a significant role in the history of Earth prior to the world's unification. The people and culture of the United States were known as American.

This country was identified on a political map of the Northern Hemisphere. This map was accessed from the USS Enterprise library computer by the Talosians in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage")

According to Doctor Paul Stubbs, baseball, centuries ago, "was the beloved national pastime of the Americas." (TNG: "Evolution")

When the Michael Sullivan character of the Fair Haven program was beamed to the bridge of the USS Voyager, he thought he might have been taken to America. (VOY: "Spirit Folk")

America also referred to the combined landmasses of North America and South America (collectively, the Americas). This usage was more common amongst residents of the Americas who were not from the United States. In context, the reference to America in "Spirit Folk" would have meant the United States.

Contents

[edit] History

American Revolution, as seen through the Guardian of Forever
The Constitution found on Omega IV
The First World War embarked a new era in technological warfare
World Trade Center attack
1600s - English colonization 
English settlers established colonies on the eastern coast of North America. The New England colonists acquired the moniker, Yankees, a nickname eventually used to refer to Americans in general.
1692 - Salem witch trials 
An alien race, the Megans briefly mingled among the Puritan population of Massachusetts, until their presence kindled the Salem witch trials. (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu")
1775 to 1783 - American Revolution 
The colonies declared their independence from the British Empire in 1776. Under the military leadership of General George Washington and with the support of the French King, the rebellion was successful. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever"; TNG: "The High Ground")
1788 - Constitution 
The Constitution of the United States is adopted, and thereafter George Washington is elected President. (TOS: "Court Martial", "The Omega Glory")
1861 to 1865 - American Civil War 
The US was divided over the issue of slavery, leading to the secession of the southern states and the Civil War in the 1860s. Under the political leadership of Abraham Lincoln, with a military led by Ulysses S. Grant, the Union was preserved and slavery was abolished within the nation. (TOS: "The Savage Curtain"; VOY: "Death Wish", "The Q and the Grey")
1917 to 1918 - World War I 
The US is involved in the European conflict that broke out in 1914. (TOS: "Bread and Circuses")
1920s - Prosperity and prohibition 
The US is in a period of great prosperity until the Crash of 1929. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action")
1930s - Great Depression 
After the Crash of 1929, the US enters a period of economic upheaval and misery. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
1940s - World War II 
The USA is instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan in the Second World War.
1940s to 1990s - Cold War 
High tensions emerge between the US and the Soviet Union, the two largest military and economic powers. (DS9: "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir"; VOY: "Future's End")
2001 - Terrorist attack 
Two airliners are crashed into New York City's World Trade Center. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")
2020 to 2024 - Sanctuary Districts 
The US establishes the Sanctuary Districts in an effort to alleviate rising unemployment and poverty, which will lead to the Bell Riots. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I", "Past Tense, Part II")
2026 to 2053 - World War III 
The US participated in, and survived, the devastating Third World War in the mid 21st century, as part of a Western (North American and European) alliance against the Eastern Coalition. In 2053, a peace treaty was negotiated and signed in the American city of San Francisco.
2033
The US adds a 52nd star to its flag, indicating the addition of a 52nd state to the union. The flag has 52 stars until 2079. (TNG: "The Royale")
2063
The Vulcans made first contact with Earth in the North American town of Bozeman, Montana. (Star Trek: First Contact)
2153 - Xindi incident 
The region of the United States known as Florida is devastated by the first Xindi superweapon. (ENT: "The Expanse")
22nd century - United Earth 
The United States of America joins in the establishment of a United Earth government in 2150, and the United Federation of Planets in 2161.
As a political entity, the United States still seemed to exist into the late 24th century according to VOY: "Imperfection".
Much of US history through the 20th century was paralleled on Miri's Earth and Omega IV.

[edit] States

The United States was a federal union of semi-autonomous political units, called states. From 1959 through the balance of the 20th century, there were 50 States in the Union; by 2033, there were 52. The nation's capital was Washington, DC.

[edit] Districts, territories, and cities

The location of the District of Columbia

The United States of America was the location of some of Earth's most important and largest cities. Among these include New York City, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco which would later become the location of Starfleet Headquarters.

The capital of the United States was Washington which was located in the District of Columbia, with the city of Washington and the District having exactly the same boundaries. (TOS: "The Cage") The District of Columbia was not granted status as a state to avoid any particular state being able to claim possession of the US capitol. The District of Columbia was also the location of all the major United States government headquarters as well as several monuments and museums, among them the Smithsonian Institution. (Star Trek: First Contact)

The United States also maintained several overseas territories, protectorates, and possessions, such as Midway Island and Wake Island. (TOS: "The Cage")

Other US overseas territories include Puerto Rico, Guam, the Marianas, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. An overseas United States territory has never been mentioned in Star Trek.
Cities of the United States of America
A – Alameda • Albany • Anchorage • Asheville • Atlanta • B – Barstow • Berkeley • Bloomington • Boise • Boston • Bozeman • Broken Bow • C – Cambridge • Camden City • Canton • Carbon Creek • Chicago • Cleveland • Cooperstown • D – Deadwood • Decatur • Detroit • Dodge City • Doylestown • Duluth • F – Fairbanks • G – Gettysburg • H – Honolulu • Houston • I – Indianapolis • J – Juneau • K – Kansas City • Kitty Hawk • L – Las Vegas • Lee's Summit • Los Angeles • Lubbock • M – Madison • Miami • Mill Valley • Mobile • Mojave • N – New Orleans • New York City • Nyack • O – Oakland • Oklahoma City • Omaha • P – Panama City • Pensacola • Philadelphia • Phoenix • Pine Mountain • Pittsburgh • Point Barrow • Portage Creek • Portland • Q – Quincy • R – Rapid City • Reno • Riverside • Roswell • Salem • San Antonio • San Diego • San Francisco • Santa Cruz • S – Santa Monica • Sausalito • Scarsdale • Seattle • Secaucus • St. Louis • Saint Paul • T – Tarpon Springs • Tiburon • Tombstone • Topeka • W – Washington

[edit] Organization

[edit] Political

[edit] Defense and security

[edit] Space program

[edit] Americans

Former Earth countries
Algeria • Armenia • Australia • Belgium • Brazil • Canada • Chile • China • Confederate States of America • Cuba • Denmark • Egypt • Fiji • France • Germany • Great Britain • Greece • Iceland • India • Iraq • Ireland • Israel • Italy • Japan • Korea • Malaysia • Mexico • The Netherlands • New Zealand • Norway • Peru • Poland • Russia • Samoa • Senegal • Singapore • South Africa • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Thailand • Tibet • Union of Soviet Socialist Republics • United States of America • Venezuela

[edit] Background

In TNG: "The Royale", Data states that the American flag with 52 stars determines the date of the Charybdis wreckage as originating between 2033 and 2079. From this we can determine the following:

  • In 2033 the number of states in the US became 52
  • In 2079 the United States could have:
    • Added one or more states
    • Seceded or dissolved one or more states
    • Changed or modified the flag format

Ominously, 2079 was also mentioned in TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint". It was the year of Q's court, defined by the time period post-atomic horror. Some assume this does not bode well for the states. However, evidence from Star Trek: First Contact as well as Star Trek: Enterprise suggest this may not be the case, as parts of the planet, particularly Zefram Cochrane's area (Montana) were improving due to contact with the Vulcans.

A San Francisco address seen on-screen in ENT: "Affliction" included "USA, Earth", suggesting that "USA" exists at least as a political/geographic designation in 2154. Also, during the NX-01 holoprogram seen in ENT: "These Are the Voyages...", Malcolm Reed tells Chef, played by Commander Riker, that "his countrymen" might describe Florida native Trip as a hick, suggesting the US was still intact when the Federation was founded in 2161. Since the United Kingdom's Royal Navy continued to exist in 2154, this indicates that all nations did not completely surrender their sovereignty in joining the United Earth Government in 2150. Certainly, James T. Kirk was well-versed in, and quite passionate about, United States documents and customs, so much so that he was able to give an impassioned, memorized recital of the Preamble to the Constitution to the Yangs of planet Omega IV. (TOS: "The Omega Glory") Samuel T. Cogley referenced the Constitution to the court at Kirk's trial in TOS: "Court Martial", so the United States obviously looms large in the minds of Starfleet officers in the 23rd century. There are many references to individual American states throughout the run of all the series, but it is not specified if the references are solely geographical or if they retain a political implication as well.

The novelization of Star Trek makes a reference to "suits" from Washington sometimes visiting the Riverside Shipyard - as "suit" is often used as slang for government official, and Washington, D.C., having been built specifically to be the capital city, has little industry other than government, this would suggest that the United States was still a functioning entity in the mid-23rd century.

The 52-star flag seen in "The Royale" is unusual in that the field of stars rests on a red stripe instead of a white stripe. The 15-star "Star-Spangled Banner" flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 was the last such flag, and since then, all flags (then returning to 13 instead of 15 stripes) have had the familiar arrangement of the field being to the left of the first seven stripes and resting on the 8th, a white. This was probably an error in the art department, but being a future flag, it could be "official," with the government making that change for one reason or another, though it seems unlikely.

"The Omega Glory" makes it clear that the war there occurred generations ago, and that post war the lifespan lengthened to about a thousand years. This places the war well before 1200 AD, meaning that Omega IV had the United States of America, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the United States Constitution several centuries (at least) before Earth.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/United_States_of_America"
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