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The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. Both the states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions.
This article lists the 50 states of the United States. It also lists their populations, the date they became a state or agreed to the United States Declaration of Independence, their total area, land area, water area, and the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives.
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- Overview
- Origin of the U.S. states
- The place of the states in the federal system
- Constitution
- Legislature
- Initiative and referendum
- Electoral districts and gerrymandering
- Executive
- Judicial branch
U.S. state, first-order administrative unit of the United States, one of the 50 constituent political entities (four of which are formally called commonwealths) that share their sovereignty with the U.S. federal government.
In 1776, 13 North American British colonies proclaimed themselves to be independent states, and in 1781, under the Articles of Confederation, they formed a “perpetual Union.” The perpetuity of that union was not assured, however, because the articles establishing that “firm league of friendship” provided also that each state should retain its “sove...
The federal Constitution divides the powers of government between the national (commonly called federal) government and the states. The federal government has those powers that are delegated to it by the Constitution and the authority to make all laws that may be “necessary and proper” to implement such powers. The delegated powers are not numerous, but they are fundamental, including those to make war, to conduct foreign relations, to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and to levy taxes. The last-cited power may be exercised to provide not only for the common defense but also for the general welfare. Federal power has been extended by constitutional amendments, but it has been expanded much more significantly by the liberal use that Congress has made of the “necessary and proper” clause of the Constitution and by the judicial sanction of such use. In many areas of government responsibility, federal power and influence have been extended through a system of grants-in-aid to the states and, through them, to the local governments. The basic features of the plan are that Congress, acting under its authority to appropriate money for the general welfare or under some other specific authorization, makes funds available to the states for a particular purpose, on the condition that the states make appropriations for the same purpose and meet a standard set by Congress for the manner in which the federal-state funds shall be expended. In the late 20th century this aid system expanded rapidly, both in the number of projects supported and in the funds appropriated for them.
The U.S. Constitution imposes upon the states certain specific prohibitions. By far the most significant are those of the 14th Amendment, which stipulate that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Since about 1930 a liberal judicial interpretation of those prohibitions has greatly enlarged civil liberties in general and the rights of racial minorities in particular, especially following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and Congress’s enactment of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965), though the Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) removed the “preclearance” protections previously afforded voters under the last act.
The states have all the powers not conferred upon the federal government by the Constitution and not prohibited by it to the states. The powers of the states are thus residual, and, despite the steady extension of federal power, they are numerous and comprehensive. Furthermore, the national government has left much authority to the states that it might have reserved to itself. For instance, it permits the states to regulate interstate commerce relating to matters that are primarily of local concern, and it leaves to the states almost complete authority to police the interstate highways. Indeed, examples of state power exist on every hand. In contrast to the United States’ limited criminal code, state codes have incorporated great bodies of criminal law. The laws governing contracts, torts, negotiable instruments, sales, and many other matters closely related to business are state laws. Also within the special province of the states are laws respecting property, wills and inheritance, and marriage, divorce, and domestic relations. In addition, the states determine who may vote, subject to the limitations set forth in the U.S. Constitution or its various amendments, and most laws relating to political parties and elections are acts of state legislatures.
Local governments are largely established and controlled by the states, which determine how broad or limited is the authority that they grant to various branches of local government, such as counties, municipalities, and school districts. The so-called Dillon Rule—derived from the philosophy espoused by Iowa Supreme Court Justice John F. Dillon in an 1868 decision—posits that local government exercises powers that are either expressly granted by the state, necessarily and fairly implied from the grant of power, or crucial to the existence of local government. The competing concept of Home Rule holds that state constitutions or statutes confer a measure of autonomy on local government and that, in certain areas of responsibility, the authority of local government should not be infringed upon by the state government.
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Each state has a written constitution of its own design, subject only to the requirement that it shall not violate the federal Constitution. State constitutions follow the federal pattern in that they contain a bill of rights and adhere to the cherished American principle of the distribution of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial ...
A bicameral (two-house) legislature is used in all the states except Nebraska, which instituted a unicameral system in 1937. As a rule, members of the smaller, upper house, called the Senate in all bicameral state legislatures, serve four-year terms, whereas their counterparts in the lower house, which most states call the House of Representatives,...
During the American Revolution and for several years afterward, the legislatures enjoyed public confidence and practically unlimited powers in state government. Chiefly because a number of legislatures failed in their trust, the states developed the practice of placing limits on their powers to deal with revenue, appropriations, borrowing, local go...
In 1964 the U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision of far-reaching importance, ruled that the districts from which state legislators are elected must contain, as nearly as possible, the same number of inhabitants. This decision, popularly characterized as the “one man, one vote” principle, struck at the overrepresentation of rural constituencies in many...
In colonial America the governors exercised wide powers. During the Revolution, however, much of their authority was stripped away, but after about 1850 the tendency was to make them an effective force in legislation and, since 1915, to greatly strengthen their control over administration. Although the governor’s authority over administration has often been impaired by the delegation of much of the administrative work to boards, commissions, and other relatively independent agencies, in many states this situation has been partially corrected by the establishment of administrative departments and the placement of a group of related services in each of them. In such states, the department heads are commonly appointed by, and serve under the immediate direction of, the governor, whose administrative position is thus somewhat analogous to that of the president of the United States. Like the governor, a number of the other leading officials in a state’s executive branch—including the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general—are directly elected by the voters. In the great majority of states, the governor’s influence over legislation is particularly significant, and it is explained by a variety of factors, including the governor’s political position, professional staff, and veto power, as well as the time limit under which most legislatures must work. The hand of governors has been incidentally strengthened by the trend to increase the length of their terms.
As of the early 2020s, 19 states permitted the removal of state officials, including the governor, before the end of a term of office through a recall election (also referred to as a representative recall or a recall referendum). Officials can also be removed from office through the impeachment process, wherein the lower house of the legislature brings charges against the official and the upper house serves as the jury in an impeachment trial. The recall process generally involves the collection of a required minimum number of signatures on a petition within a prescribed time frame to initiate a recall election. While petitions for the recall of governors have been relatively common, only four times in American history have gubernatorial recall elections actually been held: North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier was recalled in 1921, as was California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom survived recall votes in 2012 and 2021, respectively.
The system of law and justice in the states was inherited from Britain, but it has been modified in the states to fit their requirements. Whether judges are elected or appointed and how a state’s court system is structured are determined by either the state constitution or the legislature. Most states follow the elective system and limit the term o...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 21, 2023 · Frequently Asked Questions. Does the US have 50 or 52 states? The United States has 50 states. The District of Columbia between Maryland and Virginia is not a state, but rather the seat of the...
Germany, with its 16 states, or Länder, and Nigeria, with its 36 states and federal capital territory, are examples of federations. Federations are often multi-ethnic and cover a large area of territory (such as Russia , the United States , Canada , India , Brazil , Pakistan or Australia ), but neither is necessarily the case (such as Saint ...
The U.S. federal government, sometimes simply referred to as "Washington", is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the president, and the federal courts, respectively. [2] .
Apr 15, 2023 · US States List in Alphabetical order. Alabama. Alaska. Arizona. Arkansas. California. Colorado. Connecticut. Delaware. Florida. Georgia. Hawaii. Idaho. Illinois. Indiana. Iowa. Kansas. Kentucky. Louisiana. Maine. Maryland. Massachusetts. Michigan. Minnesota. Mississippi.
