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133-665: In the United States , highway beautification is the subject of the Highway Beautification Act ( HBA ), passed in the Senate on September 16, 1965 and in the U.S. House of Representatives on October 8, 1965, and signed by the President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 22, 1965. This created "23 USC 131" or Section 131 of Title 23, United States Code (1965), commonly referred to as "Title I of

266-525: A lower house based on population; and the Senate , an upper house based on equal representation for each state. Federalism provides substantial autonomy to the 50 states, while the country's political culture promotes liberty , equality , individualism , personal autonomy , and limited government . One of the world's most developed countries , the United States has had the largest nominal GDP since about 1890 and accounted for over 15% of

399-580: A " Special Relationship " with the United Kingdom and strong ties with Canada , Australia , New Zealand , the Philippines , Japan , South Korea , Israel , and several European Union countries ( France , Italy , Germany , Spain , and Poland ). The U.S. works closely with its NATO allies on military and national security issues, and with countries in the Americas through

532-830: A co-author of the Appalachian Regional Development Act, he included provisions for the development of rural airports. In 1942 Randolph proposed a Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act , which would fund the transformation of coal and its products into other useful forms of energy. To promote the viability of synthetic fuels , in November 1943 Randolph and a professional pilot flew in an aircraft powered by gasoline derived from coal. The small, single-engine airplane flew from Morgantown, West Virginia to National Airport in Washington, D.C. Aided by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes and Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney ,

665-542: A coordinated, continent-wide military effort. Finally, deteriorating relations between the British military establishment and the colonists, relations that were already less than positive, set the stage for further distrust and dislike of British troops. Following their victory in the French and Indian War, Britain began to assert greater control over local colonial affairs, resulting in colonial political resistance ; one of

798-534: A decentralized government that operated until 1789. After the British surrender at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 American sovereignty was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Paris (1783), through which the U.S. gained territory stretching west to the Mississippi River, north to present-day Canada, and south to Spanish Florida . The Northwest Ordinance (1787) established the precedent by which

931-407: A few prominent industrialists , largely by their formation of trusts and monopolies to prevent competition. Tycoons led the nation's expansion in the railroad , petroleum , and steel industries. The United States emerged as a pioneer of the automotive industry . These changes were accompanied by significant increases in economic inequality , slum conditions , and social unrest , creating

1064-638: A founding member of the World Bank , Organization of American States , NATO , and the United Nations , as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council . The first documented use of the phrase "United States of America" is a letter from January 2, 1776. Stephen Moylan , a Continental Army aide to General George Washington , wrote to Joseph Reed , Washington's aide-de-camp , seeking to go "with full and ample powers from

1197-598: A period of heightened, overt racism following Reconstruction, a time often called the nadir of American race relations . A series of Supreme Court decisions, including Plessy v. Ferguson , emptied the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of their force, allowing Jim Crow laws in the South to remain unchecked, sundown towns in the Midwest, and segregation in communities across the country , which would be reinforced by

1330-836: A program to beautify the nation's highways. On February 8, 1965, the President announced his intention to call a White House Conference on Natural Beauty in mid-May 1965. In the message, the President noted that the existing program of voluntary outdoor advertising control (i.e., the bonus program) would expire on June 30, 1965 and that he intended to "recommend legislation to insure effective control of billboards along our highways." The White House conference met in Washington, D.C., on May 24 and 25, 1965, chaired by Laurance Rockefeller . There were 800 delegates and an additional number of observers. The Roadside Control panel recommended to: Amend 23 U.S.C. 131 (the highway statute) to provide that

1463-488: A prominent leader in the early 1960s. The Great Society plan of President Lyndon Johnson 's administration resulted in groundbreaking and broad-reaching laws, policies and a constitutional amendment to counteract some of the worst effects of lingering institutional racism . The counterculture movement in the U.S. brought significant social changes, including the liberalization of attitudes toward recreational drug use and sexuality . It also encouraged open defiance of

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1596-672: A provision that no sign could be required to be removed if the Federal share for compensation was not available. The magnitude of illegal and nonconforming sign removals under the HBA of 1965 was first identified in the 1966 nationwide inventory conducted by the Bureau of Public Roads. From the list of the 1.1 million outdoor advertising signs on state inventories, nearly 840,000 were found to be illegal or nonconforming and 260,000 were located in commercial and industrial areas (conforming signs). Under

1729-526: A sense of manifest destiny . The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance the desire of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories with that of southern states to extend it, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It further prohibited slavery in all other lands of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36°30′ parallel . As Americans expanded further into land inhabited by Native Americans,

1862-614: A sense of American identity as well. Men who otherwise never left their own colony now traveled across the continent to fight alongside men from decidedly different backgrounds but who were no less "American". British officers trained American officers for battle, most notably George Washington ; these officers would lend their skills and expertise to the colonists' cause during the American Revolutionary War to come. In addition, colonial legislatures and officials found it necessary to cooperate intensively in pursuit of

1995-401: A state could certify that a zoning authority had size, spacing and lighting criteria for signs in commercial and industrial areas, and enforced these criteria. In such situations, the local controls would govern, rather than those in the state agreement. The local controls could be stricter, less strict, or similar to the state controls. One other amendment of note was contained in the 1968 Act,

2128-632: A status solidified after its involvement in World War I . After Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. entered World War II . Its aftermath left the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War , during which both countries struggled for ideological dominance and international influence . Following the Soviet Union's collapse and

2261-484: A transcript of nearly 1,100 pages. The Senate Subcommittee on Roads also held hearings during June and July, 1967. Although not as extensive as the House hearings, testimony and exhibits covered 462 pages. Perhaps the only concrete result of the two hearings was contained in a letter from Secretary Alan S. Boyd , of Transportation, to Chairman Kluczynski, dated May 25, 1967, which contained this statement: With regard to

2394-530: A trustee of Salem College and Davis and Elkins College . In 1930 Randolph lost a bid for election to the U.S. House of Representatives , but he won the seat in 1932 and was re-elected six times, serving from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1947. While a congressman, he was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the District of Columbia (Seventy-sixth through Seventy-ninth Congresses) and the U.S. House Committee on Civil Service (Seventy-ninth Congress). Randolph

2527-401: A year). Juvenile correctional facilities are operated by local or state governments and serve as longer-term placements for any minor adjudicated as delinquent and ordered by a judge to be confined. As of January 2023, the United States has the sixth-highest per capita incarceration rate in the world—531 people per 100,000 inhabitants—and the largest prison and jail population in

2660-464: Is a federal union of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the states of Alaska to the northwest and the archipelagic Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean . The United States also asserts sovereignty over five major island territories and various uninhabited islands . The country has

2793-591: Is believed to be the first widespread culture in the Americas. Over time, indigenous North American cultures grew increasingly sophisticated, and some, such as the Mississippian culture , developed agriculture , architecture , and complex societies . In the post-archaic period , the Mississippian cultures were located in the midwestern , eastern , and southern regions, and the Algonquian in

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2926-498: Is known as the presidential system , in contrast to the parliamentary system , where the executive is part of the legislative body. Many countries around the world imitated this aspect of the 1789 Constitution of the United States , especially in the Americas. The Constitution is silent on political parties. However, they developed independently in the 18th century with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties. Since then,

3059-721: Is now found in the United States Code at 23 U.S.C. 131 (j). Its provisions still exist by reason of agreements with the states. The Bonus Act provided an incentive to states to control outdoor advertising within 660 feet (200 m) of the Interstate highway system. States which volunteered for the program would receive a bonus of one-half of one percent of the Federal highway construction costs on segments of Interstate highways controlling outdoor advertising. Two amendments were adopted which allowed outdoor advertising along portions of Interstate highways. The first amendment

3192-438: Is now the United States experienced conflicts with Native Americans, they also engaged in trade, exchanging European tools for food and animal pelts. Relations ranged from close cooperation to warfare and massacres. The colonial authorities often pursued policies that forced Native Americans to adopt European lifestyles, including conversion to Christianity. Along the eastern seaboard, settlers trafficked African slaves through

3325-552: Is the federal agency charged with addressing most environmental-related issues . The idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since 1964, with the Wilderness Act . The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a way to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service implements and enforces the Act. In 2024, the U.S. ranked 34th among 180 countries in

3458-603: The Allies of World War I , helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers . In 1920, a constitutional amendment granted nationwide women's suffrage . During the 1920s and '30s, radio for mass communication and the invention of early television transformed communications nationwide. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression , which President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to with

3591-553: The Atlantic slave trade . The original Thirteen Colonies that would later found the United States were administered as possessions of Great Britain , and had local governments with elections open to most white male property owners . The colonial population grew rapidly, eclipsing Native American populations; by the 1770s, the natural increase of the population was such that only a small minority of Americans had been born overseas. The colonies' distance from Britain allowed for

3724-549: The Environmental Performance Index . The country joined the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2016 and has many other environmental commitments. The United States is a federal republic of 50 states and a separate federal capital district, Washington, D.C. It also asserts sovereignty over five unincorporated territories and several uninhabited island possessions . The U.S. is

3857-500: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting civil rights , national security and enforcing U.S. federal courts ' rulings and federal laws. State courts conduct most civil and criminal trials, and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions . There is no unified "criminal justice system" in

3990-720: The Great Lakes , Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico . British colonization of the East Coast began with the Virginia Colony (1607) and Plymouth Colony (1620). The Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut established precedents for representative self-governance and constitutionalism that would develop throughout the American colonies. While European settlers in what

4123-719: The Great Lakes region and along the Eastern Seaboard , while the Hohokam culture and Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the southwest . Native population estimates of what is now the United States before the arrival of European immigrants range from around 500,000 to nearly 10 million. Christopher Columbus began exploring the Caribbean for Spain in 1492, leading to Spanish-speaking settlements and missions from Puerto Rico and Florida to New Mexico and California . France established its own settlements along

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4256-596: The Midwest . At the same time, about one million French Canadians migrated from Quebec to New England . During the Great Migration , millions of African Americans left the rural South for urban areas in the North. Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867. The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction and white supremacists took local control of Southern politics . African Americans endured

4389-634: The National Federation of the Blind cite this act as one of the first and most successful programs to give blind people secure jobs with less supervision and more independence than other previous programs such as sheltered workshops. This act became one of the first instances of affirmative action legislation. An aviation enthusiast, he often flew more than once a day to visit constituents in West Virginia and to commute to Washington. He

4522-688: The National Park Service and other agencies. About 28% of the country's land is publicly owned and federally managed, primarily in the Western States . Most of this land is protected , though some is leased for commercial use, and less than one percent is used for military purposes. Environmental issues in the United States include debates on non-renewable resources and nuclear energy , air and water pollution , biodiversity , logging and deforestation , and climate change . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

4655-596: The New Deal , a series of sweeping programs and public works projects combined with financial reforms and regulations . All were intended to protect against future economic depressions. Initially neutral during World War II , the U.S. began supplying war materiel to the Allies of World War II in March 1941 and entered the war in December after the Empire of Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor . The U.S. developed

4788-778: The Organization of American States and the United States–Mexico–Canada Free Trade Agreement . In South America, Colombia is traditionally considered to be the closest ally of the United States. The U.S. exercises full international defense authority and responsibility for Micronesia , the Marshall Islands , and Palau through the Compact of Free Association . It has increasingly conducted strategic cooperation with India , but its ties with China have steadily deteriorated. Since 2014,

4921-648: The Pentium microprocessor in accordance with Moore's law , rechargeable lithium-ion batteries , the first gene therapy trial, and cloning either emerged in the U.S. or were improved upon there. The Human Genome Project was formally launched in 1990, while Nasdaq became the first stock market in the United States to trade online in 1998. In the Gulf War of 1991, an American-led international coalition of states expelled an Iraqi invasion force that had occupied neighboring Kuwait . The September 11 attacks on

5054-591: The Spanish–American War . (The Philippines was granted full independence from the U.S. on July 4, 1946, following World War II. Puerto Rico and Guam have remained U.S. territories.) American Samoa was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the Second Samoan Civil War . The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917. The United States entered World War I alongside

5187-838: The Supreme Court found in Oregon v. Mitchell that Congress only had the power to lower the voting age to 18 for national elections, and no power to lower it for state elections, Randolph was among the senators who re-introduced the amendment. It was ratified by three-fourths of the states in 1971 as the Twenty-sixth Amendment , 107 days after it was approved by Congress. Following a request from President Richard Nixon , on February 11, 1972 Jennings personally escorted Ella Mae Thompson Haddix to Randolph County Courthouse in Elkins, West Virginia to register to vote, becoming

5320-457: The U.S. Senate . Randolph was elected in a special election on November 4, 1958 to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Matthew M. Neely . He was elected to a full term in 1960, re-elected in 1966, 1972 and 1978, and served from November 5, 1958 to January 3, 1985. Randolph was chairman of the Committee on Public Works (89th through 95th Congresses) and its successor,

5453-680: The United States Department of Transportation was formed out of elements taken from the Department of Commerce , and the Bureau of Public Roads became the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Alan Boyd was named Secretary of Transportation and Lowell Bridwell became the new Federal Highway Administrator. In June 1967, FHWA began negotiating with the various states to execute the size, lighting, and spacing agreements pursuant to section 131(d) of

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5586-700: The cotton gin made the institution increasingly profitable for Southern elites . This sectional conflict regarding slavery culminated in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Eleven slave states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America , while the other states remained in the Union . War broke out in April 1861 after the Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter . After

5719-523: The end of the Cold War in 1991, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower , wielding significant geopolitical influence globally . The U.S. national government is a presidential constitutional federal republic and liberal democracy with three separate branches : legislative , executive , and judicial . It has a bicameral national legislature composed of the House of Representatives ,

5852-537: The fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union , which marked the end of the Cold War and left the United States as the world's sole superpower . The 1990s saw the longest recorded economic expansion in American history , a dramatic decline in U.S. crime rates , and advances in technology . Throughout this decade, technological innovations such as the World Wide Web , the evolution of

5985-400: The global economy in 2023. It possesses by far the largest amount of wealth of any country and has the highest disposable household income per capita among OECD countries. The U.S. ranks among the world's highest in economic competitiveness , productivity , innovation , human rights , and higher education . Its hard power and cultural influence have a global reach. The U.S. is

6118-813: The 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord , igniting the American Revolutionary War . At the Second Continental Congress , the colonies appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental Army , and created a committee that named Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence . Two days after passing the Lee Resolution to create an independent nation the Declaration

6251-405: The 1970s and 1980s he joined senators Mark Hatfield and Spark Matsunaga and Congressman Dan Glickman in efforts to create a national institution dedicated to peace. After he had announced his retirement from Congress in 1984, Randolph played a key role in the passage and enactment of the United States Institute of Peace Act. To guarantee its passage and funding, the legislation was attached to

6384-466: The 2010s, political polarization in the country increased between liberal and conservative factions. This polarization was capitalized upon in the January 2021 Capitol attack , when a mob of insurrectionists entered the U.S. Capitol and sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in an attempted self-coup d'état . The United States is the world's third-largest country by total area behind Russia and Canada. The 48 contiguous states and

6517-461: The Act. The proposed standards were almost as restrictive as the draft standards of January 29, 1966. Size was increased to 650 square feet (60 m) and spacing based on the average city block was increased to two signs per block. The unzoned commercial and industrial area definition still two signs per block. The unzoned commercial and industrial area definition still required two commercial or industrial activities within 300 feet. The hue and cry

6650-421: The Act. The first two agreements, executed on June 28, 1967, were with Vermont and Rhode Island. Both were more restrictive than later agreements; Vermont forewarned of its later posture by prohibiting all signs on the Interstate. The Virginia agreement became the model for later agreements. Size was set at 1,200 square feet (110 m), the 500, 300, and 100-foot (30 m) spacing criteria were established, and

6783-426: The American West have an alpine climate . The climate is arid in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California , and oceanic in coastal Oregon , Washington , and southern Alaska . Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar . Hawaii , the southern tip of Florida and U.S. territories in the Caribbean and Pacific are tropical . States bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of

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6916-497: The Committee on Environment and Public Works (95th and 96th Congresses). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1984. Randolph voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 , 1964 , and 1968 , as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and the confirmation of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court . On November 4, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed environmental bills H.R. 2817 and H.R. 4297, singling Randolph out as

7049-420: The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The term "United States" and the initialism "U.S.", used as nouns or as adjectives in English, are common short names for the country. The initialism "USA", a noun, is also common. "United States" and "U.S." are the established terms throughout the U.S. federal government , with prescribed rules. In English, the term "America" rarely refers to topics unrelated to

7182-442: The Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1985. Approval of the legislation was in part a tribute to Randolph's long career in public service. The Jennings Randolph Program, which awards fellowships to enable outstanding scholars, policymakers, journalists, and other professionals from around the world to conduct research at the U.S. Institute of Peace, has been named in his honor. Randolph died in St. Louis, Missouri in 1998. He

7315-404: The District of Columbia occupy a combined area of 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,470 km ). The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way to inland forests and rolling hills in the Piedmont plateau region. The Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondack massif separate the East Coast from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest . The Mississippi River System ,

7448-458: The Elder concluded that major military resources needed to be devoted to North America to win the war against France. For the first time, the continent became one of the main theaters of what could be termed a " world war ". The British colonies' position as an integral part of the British Empire became more apparent during the war, with British military and civilian officials becoming a more significant presence in American life. The war increased

7581-477: The Equal Rights Amendment. In 1972, when the amendment passed the Senate, Randolph was a co-sponsor. While a member of the House of Representatives, Randolph was the main sponsor of the Randolph-Sheppard Act , which was passed by Congress in 1936. This act, which is still in force, gives blind people preference in federal contracts for food service stands on federal properties such as military bases, as well as some other jobs. Organizations for blind people such as

7714-422: The Governors of the states not yet in compliance with the Act and warned them that the 10 percent penalty would be forthcoming if the states failed to comply. The year 1971 experienced a frenzy of activity; 11 states resisted Volpe's edict to the point of demanding hearings, which were held between August and October. By March 1972, all states except South Dakota had complied with the outdoor advertising provisions of

7847-404: The HBA. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1970 did not approve any substantive amendments to the HBA but created the Highway Beautification Commission and, for the first time, authorized substantial funding for the program: United States The United States of America ( USA ), commonly known as the United States ( U.S. ) or America , is a country primarily located in North America . It

7980-407: The Highway Beautification Act of 1965, as Amended", and nicknamed "Lady Bird's Bill." It was the pet project of the First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson , who believed that beauty, and generally clean streets, would make the U.S. a better place to live. The act called for control of outdoor advertising , including removal of certain types of signs, along the nation's growing Interstate Highway System and

8113-504: The Highway Beautification Act. The following was added to Section 131(d): "Whenever a bona fide State, county or local zoning authority has made a determination of customary use, such determination will be accepted in lieu of controls by agreement in the zoned commercial and industrial areas within the geographical jurisdiction of such authority." This amendment put into law the essence of a letter dated May 24, 1967, from Secretary of Transportation Alan Boyd to Chairman John Kluczynski of

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8246-407: The House Subcommittee on Roads: With regard to the determination of what constitutes customary use in the zoned commercial and industrial areas, we shall be glad to look to the States for certification that either the State authority or a bona fide local zoning authority has made such a determination." This letter led to the FHWA procedure relating to certification of local zoning controls, by which

8379-465: The January 1863 Emancipation Proclamation , many freed slaves joined the Union army . The war began to turn in the Union's favor following the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg , and the Confederacy surrendered in 1865 after the Union's victory in the Battle of Appomattox Court House . The Reconstruction era followed the war. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln , Reconstruction Amendments were passed to protect

8512-434: The President transmitted four draft bills to provide for highway beautification. Three had to do with the eventual three titles of the Highway Beautification Act, namely, outdoor advertising control, junkyard control and highway landscaping. The fourth was a scenic roads bill. The outdoor advertising control bill was introduced by Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia on June 3, 1965, as S.2084. Features were: The bill

8645-476: The Rocky Mountains, the Yellowstone Caldera , is the continent's largest volcanic feature. In 2021, the United States had 8% of global permanent meadows and pastures and 10% of cropland. With its large size and geographic variety, the United States includes most climate types. East of the 100th meridian , the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The western Great Plains are semi-arid . Many mountainous areas of

8778-401: The Senate Subcommittee on Roads, announced that the Department would restudy the highway beautification program. Controversies over the program, primarily relating to outdoor advertising control, had led to a decline of interest by all parties. Funds to carry out the three phases of the program had not been authorized or appropriated for two years. The uncertainty at the Federal level had caused

8911-400: The Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act was approved on April 5, 1944. The Act authorized $ 30 million for the construction and operation of demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels. He introduced legislation to establish a Department of Peace in 1946 with the goal of strengthening America's capacity to resolve and manage international conflicts by both military and nonmilitary means. In

9044-451: The U.S. has become a key ally of Ukraine ; it has also provided the country with significant military equipment and other support in response to Russia's 2022 invasion . The president is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The Department of Defense , which is headquartered at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., administers five of

9177-661: The U.S. territories." Despite disparate systems of confinement, four main institutions dominate: federal prisons , state prisons , local jails, and juvenile correctional facilities . Federal prisons are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and hold people who have been convicted of federal crimes, including pretrial detainees. State prisons, run by the official department of correction of each state, hold sentenced people serving prison time (usually longer than one year) for felony offenses. Local jails are county or municipal facilities that incarcerate defendants prior to trial; they also hold those serving short sentences (typically under

9310-416: The United States and the peaceful transfer of power , respectively. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 from France nearly doubled the territory of the United States. Lingering issues with Britain remained , leading to the War of 1812 , which was fought to a draw. Spain ceded Florida and its Gulf Coast territory in 1819. In the late 18th century, American settlers began to expand westward , many with

9443-541: The United States entered the Cold War, where geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led the two countries to dominate world affairs . The U.S. utilized the policy of containment to limit the USSR's sphere of influence, and prevailed in the Space Race , which culminated with the first crewed Moon landing in 1969. Domestically, the U.S. experienced economic growth , urbanization , and population growth following World War II . The civil rights movement emerged, with Martin Luther King Jr. becoming

9576-666: The United States has operated as a de facto two-party system , though the parties in that system have been different at different times. The two main national parties are presently the Democratic and the Republican . The former is perceived as relatively liberal in its political platform while the latter is perceived as relatively conservative . In the American federal system , sovereign powers are shared between two levels of elected government: national and state. People in

9709-593: The United States in 2001 by the pan-Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda led to the war on terror , and subsequent military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq . The cultural impact of the attacks was profound and long-lasting. The U.S. housing bubble culminated in 2007 with the Great Recession , the largest economic contraction since the Great Depression. Coming to a head in

9842-597: The United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the Revolutionary War effort. The first known public usage is an anonymous essay published in the Williamsburg newspaper, The Virginia Gazette , on April 6, 1776. By June 1776, the "United States of America" appeared in the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence . The Second Continental Congress adopted

9975-593: The United States, despite the usage of "the Americas " as the totality of North and South America. "The States" is an established colloquial shortening of the name, used particularly from abroad; "stateside" is the corresponding adjective or adverb. The first inhabitants of North America migrated from Siberia across the Bering land bridge about 12,000 years ago; the Clovis culture , which appeared around 11,000 BC,

10108-624: The United States, except Iran , North Korea , and Bhutan . Though Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., it maintains close unofficial relations. The United States regularly supplies Taiwan with military equipment to deter potential Chinese aggression. Its geopolitical attention also turned to the Indo-Pacific when the United States joined the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Australia, India, and Japan. The United States has

10241-509: The United States. The American prison system is largely heterogenous, with thousands of relatively independent systems operating across federal, state, local, and tribal levels. In 2023, "these systems [held] almost 2 million people in 1,566 state prisons, 98 federal prisons, 3,116 local jails, 1,323 juvenile correctional facilities, 181 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons , civil commitment centers, state psychiatric hospitals, and prisons in

10374-464: The amendment). Another feature of the Kerr Amendment was that outside city limits, signs were permitted only in commercial or industrial zones as of September 21, 1959. (In effect the zones were frozen. Inside city boundaries, zoning was not frozen for purposes of outdoor advertising control.) The Bonus Act provided that states could either remove existing signs under the police power or under

10507-513: The authorization of use of the Highway Trust Fund for landscaping and recreation services within the right-of-way. The Highway Beautification Act was signed into law by President Johnson October 22, 1965. The Bureau of Public Roads, ( Federal Highway Administration 's predecessor agency), held public hearings on the Act and its implementation in each state during March–May, 1966. The Federal Register for January 29, 1966, which announced

10640-593: The bonus program; Georgia by court decision and North Dakota by legislation. Under the Bonus Act, four classes of signs were permitted without regard to zoning. Bonus Act standards are set out at Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 750, Subpart A. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 had its genesis in President Lyndon B. Johnson 's State of the Union message in January 1965, when he mentioned

10773-457: The contiguous United States are in the State of California, about 84 miles (135 km) apart. At an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m), Alaska's Denali is the highest peak in the country and continent. Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands , and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in

10906-556: The country's GDP. The U.S. has 42% of the world's nuclear weapons —the second-largest share after Russia. The United States has the third-largest combined armed forces in the world, behind the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Indian Armed Forces . The military operates about 800 bases and facilities abroad, and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25 foreign countries. State defense forces (SDFs) are military units that operate under

11039-469: The country's territory would expand with the admission of new states , rather than the expansion of existing states. The U.S. Constitution was drafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention to overcome the limitations of the Articles. It went into effect in 1789, creating a federal republic governed by three separate branches that together ensured a system of checks and balances . George Washington

11172-479: The determination of what constituted 'customary use' in the zoned commercial and industrial areas, we shall be glad to look to the States for certification that either the State authority or a bona fide local zoning authority has made such a determination. This statement led to the 1968 amendment which permits certification of local zoning controls. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 made one important amendment to

11305-713: The development of self-governance, and the First Great Awakening , a series of Christian revivals , fueled colonial interest in religious liberty . For a century, the American colonists had been providing their own troops and materiel in conflicts with indigenous peoples allied with Britain's colonial rivals , especially France, and the Americans had begun to develop a sense of self-defense and self-reliance separate from Britain. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) took on new significance for all North American colonists after Parliament under William Pitt

11438-414: The dispossession of native inhabitants . As more states were admitted , a North–South division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America , which fought states remaining in the Union in the 1861–1865 American Civil War . With the victory and preservation of the United States, slavery was abolished nationally . By 1900, the country had established itself as a great power ,

11571-580: The environment for labor unions to begin to flourish . This period eventually ended with the advent of the Progressive Era , which was characterized by significant reforms. Pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy ; the islands were annexed in 1898. That same year, Puerto Rico , the Philippines , and Guam were ceded to the U.S. by Spain after the latter's defeat in

11704-503: The existing federal-aid primary highway system . It also required certain junkyards along Interstate or primary highways to be removed or screened and encouraged scenic enhancement and roadside development. In 1958, Congress passed the first outdoor advertising control legislation commonly known as the "Bonus Act", PL 85-381. However, since it was repealed and replaced by the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, it

11837-541: The federal government often applied policies of Indian removal or assimilation . The Trail of Tears (1830–1850) was a U.S. government policy that forcibly removed and displaced most Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River to lands far to the west. These and earlier organized displacements prompted a long series of American Indian Wars west of the Mississippi. The Republic of Texas

11970-641: The first 18-year-old registered voter in the United States. On August 26, 1970, the fiftieth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution giving women the right to vote , Randolph attracted widespread media coverage for negative comments he made concerning the Women's Liberation Movement . Feminists had organized a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality that day, and presented

12103-606: The first nuclear weapons and used them against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending the war. The United States was one of the " Four Policemen " who met to plan the post-war world , alongside the United Kingdom , Soviet Union , and China . The U.S. emerged relatively unscathed from the war, with even greater economic power and international political influence . After World War II,

12236-665: The first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies in Virginia in 1607. Clashes with the British Crown over taxation and political representation sparked the American Revolution , with the Second Continental Congress formally declaring independence on July 4, 1776. Following its victory in the 1775–1783 Revolutionary War , the country continued to expand westward across North America , resulting in

12369-507: The floor while its sponsors tried to garner support. At the urging of President Lyndon Johnson, the bill was passed by a vote of 245 to 138 at 1:00 am on October 8. The House version was subsequently passed by the Senate on October 13. In its finalized form, the Highway Beautification Act placed restrictions on the size, spacing, and lighting of roadside billboards, allowed the masking of junkyards or garbage dumps to preserve roadside beauty, and

12502-625: The future of the highway beautification program. Later he was convinced, primarily by Doug Snarr, an outdoor operator in Utah, that the program had merit and should be enforced. On July 1, 1970, the Administration's highway bill was introduced in the Senate, calling for the amendments recommended in the FHWA Report and Restudy, which demonstrated substantial finding for outdoor advertising control. On February 4, 1971, Secretary Volpe wrote to

12635-439: The grant of primary and Interstate funds be conditioned with the requirement that the erection and maintenance of all outdoor advertising signs, displays, and devices in all areas within 1,000 feet (300 m) of the outer edge of pavement of the primary system and Interstate system of highway be controlled. A majority of the panelists were of the opinion that no off-premises advertising should be permitted in any areas adjacent to

12768-772: The individual states to question the sincerity of the Federal Government in mandating protection of the highway environment. The FHWA Restudy Report was submitted to the Congress in September 1970. Its major recommendations were: The only change in Federal law recommended by the FHWA Restudy Report and later adopted by the Congress was the elimination of the 660-foot (200 m) control zone in rural areas. When he took office in January 1969, Secretary of Transportation John Volpe had reservations about

12901-463: The integration of Army National Guard units and personnel into the U.S. Army and (since 1947) the U.S. Air Force. There are about 18,000 U.S. police agencies from local to national level in the United States. Law in the United States is mainly enforced by local police departments and sheriff departments in their municipal or county jurisdictions. The state police departments have authority in their respective state , and federal agencies such as

13034-482: The military draft (leading to the end of conscription in 1973) and wide opposition to U.S. intervention in Vietnam (with the U.S. totally withdrawing in 1975). A societal shift in the roles of women was significantly responsible for the large increase in female paid labor participation during the 1970s, and by 1985 the majority of American women aged 16 and older were employed. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw

13167-612: The most attractive to the population are the most vulnerable. The U.S. is one of 17 megadiverse countries containing large numbers of endemic species : about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland. The United States is home to 428 mammal species, 784 birds, 311 reptiles, 295 amphibians , and around 91,000 insect species. There are 63 national parks , and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas , managed by

13300-662: The most violent, the California genocide of thousands of Native inhabitants, lasted into the early 1870s, just as additional western territories and states were created. During the colonial period, slavery had been legal in the American colonies , though the practice began to be significantly questioned during the American Revolution. States in the North enacted abolition laws , though support for slavery strengthened in Southern states , as inventions such as

13433-518: The original HBA, there were two categories of nonconforming signs, nonconforming "compensable" and nonconforming "grandfathered." A nonconforming "compensable" sign was lawfully erected but did not comply with the provisions of state law or regulations passed at a later date. These signs violated zoning or land use provisions and generally were located in rural areas (i.e. agricultural and residential land uses). The removal of such signs require just (cash) compensation. A nonconforming "grandfathered" sign

13566-408: The outdoor advertising industry pointed out that there was no legislative authority for national standards, and that the suggested draft standards would be prohibitive. During the remainder of 1966, the Bureau of Public Roads studied the results of the public hearings, conferred with interested parties, and on January 10, 1967 reported proposed standards to the Congress as required by Section 303(b) of

13699-408: The policy of redlining later adopted by the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation . An explosion of technological advancement accompanied by the exploitation of cheap immigrant labor led to rapid economic expansion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries , allowing the United States to outpace the economies of England, France, and Germany combined. This fostered the amassing of power by

13832-568: The power of eminent domain by paying just compensation. If the state chose to pay compensation the Federal government provided 90 percent as the federal match for Interstates. The following 25 states enacted laws to implement the "Bonus" program: California, Maine, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Nebraska, Vermont, Delaware, New Hampshire, Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, Washington, Hawaii, New York, West Virginia, Illinois, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky, and Oregon. Two states, Georgia and North Dakota, dropped

13965-761: The power to regulate airline fares and to determine the routes that air carriers would serve. In subsequent years, Randolph co-authored the Federal Airport Act as well as legislation that created the Civil Air Patrol , the National Air and Space Museum , and National Aviation Day . During his tenure in the Senate, he sponsored the Airport-Airways Development Act that created the Airport Trust Fund. As

14098-574: The primary colonial grievances was a denial of their rights as Englishmen , particularly the right to representation in the British government that taxed them . To demonstrate their dissatisfaction and resolve, the First Continental Congress met in 1774 and passed the Continental Association , a colonial boycott of British goods that proved effective. The British attempt to then disarm the colonists resulted in

14231-440: The primary system or Interstate system. One panelist, Phil Tocker, was of the view that off premises advertising should be permitted in commercial, industrial, and business areas without regard to their being zoned as such. A second panelist, Lowell K. Bridwell, then Under Secretary for Transportation, US Department of Commerce, later joined Tocker in voting for outdoor advertising in commercial and industrial areas. On May 26, 1965,

14364-515: The rights of African Americans . National infrastructure, including transcontinental telegraph and railroads , spurred growth in the American frontier . From 1865 through 1917 an unprecedented stream of immigrants arrived in the United States, including 24.4 million from Europe. Most came through the port of New York City , and New York City and other large cities on the East Coast became home to large Jewish , Irish , and Italian populations, while many Germans and Central Europeans moved to

14497-614: The rocky Great Basin and Chihuahua , Sonoran , and Mojave deserts. In the northwest corner of Arizona , carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, is the Grand Canyon , a steep-sided canyon and popular tourist destination known for its overwhelming visual size and intricate, colorful landscape. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast . The lowest and highest points in

14630-488: The schedule for these hearings, also contained draft standards, allegedly for discussion purposes at the hearings. The draft standards were very restrictive, including size limits of 300 or 400 square feet (37 m), 500-foot (150 m) spacing between signs, 250 or 500-foot (150 m) spacing from at-grade intersections, and an unzoned area requirement that a sign on unzoned land must be within 300 feet (91 m) of two commercial or industrial activities. Both Congress and

14763-515: The six service branches, which are made up of the U.S. Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , and Space Force . The Coast Guard is administered by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and can be transferred to the Department of the Navy in wartime. The United States spent $ 916 billion on its military in 2023, which is by far the largest amount of any country , making up 37% of global military spending and accounting for 3.4% of

14896-545: The sole authority of a state government. SDFs are authorized by state and federal law but are under the command of the state's governor . They are distinct from the state's National Guard units in that they cannot become federalized entities. A state's National Guard personnel, however, may be federalized under the National Defense Act Amendments of 1933 , which created the Guard and provides for

15029-640: The sole senator he wanted to thank for their passage. Randolph was best known for sponsoring eleven times an amendment to the Constitution that would grant citizens aged between 18 and 21 the right to vote. He first introduced the amendment in 1942, arguing that young soldiers fighting in World War II should be able to vote. In 1970 amendments to the Voting Rights Act lowered the voting age to 18 in both local and national elections. After

15162-543: The states are also represented by local elected governments , which are administrative divisions of the states. States are subdivided into counties or county equivalents , and further divided into municipalities . The District of Columbia is a federal district containing the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. . The federal district is an administrative division of the federal government. Federally recognized tribes govern 326 Indian reservations . The United States has an established structure of foreign relations, and it has

15295-451: The structure and responsibilities of the national federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The U.S. Constitution is the world's oldest national constitution still in effect (from March 4, 1789). Composed of three branches, all headquartered in Washington, D.C., the federal government is the national government of the United States. It is regulated by a strong system of checks and balances . The three-branch system

15428-492: The sympathetic Senate leadership with a petition for the Equal Rights Amendment . Randolph derided the protesters as "braless bubbleheads" and claimed that the equal rights activists did not speak for women, citing those more radical feminists that supported, as he put it, the "right to unabridged abortions". Randolph would later admit that his "bubbleheads" comment was "perhaps ill-chosen" and went on to support

15561-450: The unzoned area definition required one activity within 500 feet (150 m) and located on the same side of the highway. Negotiations with the various states continued through 1971; the last agreement signed through these negotiations was with Texas, on May 2, 1972. In January 1969, Former Governor John A. Volpe of Massachusetts replaced Alan Boyd as US Secretary of Transportation. On June 24, 1969, Secretary Volpe, in testimony before

15694-582: The world's fourth-longest river system , runs predominantly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat and fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains , west of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, peaking at over 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado . Farther west are

15827-583: The world's second-largest diplomatic corps as of 2024 . It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council , and home to the United Nations headquarters . The United States is a member of the G7 , G20 , and OECD intergovernmental organizations. Almost all countries have embassies and many have consulates (official representatives) in the country. Likewise, nearly all countries host formal diplomatic missions with

15960-461: The world's third-largest land area , largest exclusive economic zone , and third-largest population , exceeding 334 million. Its three largest metropolitan areas are New York , Los Angeles , and Chicago , and its three most populous states are California , Texas , and Florida . Paleo-Indians migrated across the Bering land bridge more than 12,000 years ago, and formed various civilizations and societies . British colonization led to

16093-444: The world's oldest surviving federation, and its presidential system of national government has been adopted, in whole or in part, by many newly independent states worldwide following their decolonization . It is a liberal representative democracy "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law ". The Constitution of the United States serves as the country's supreme legal document , also establishing

16226-553: The world's tornadoes occur in the country , mainly in Tornado Alley . Overall, the United States receives more high-impact extreme weather incidents than any other country. Extreme weather became more frequent in the U.S. in the 21st century, with three times the number of reported heat waves as in the 1960s. In the American Southwest , droughts became more persistent and more severe. The regions considered as

16359-564: The world, with almost 2 million people incarcerated . An analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2010 showed U.S. homicide rates "were 7 times higher than in other high-income countries, driven by a gun homicide rate that was 25 times higher". Jennings Randolph Randolph was born in Salem, West Virginia , the son of Idell (Bingham) and Ernest Fitz Randolph. He

16492-575: Was annexed in 1845, and the 1846 Oregon Treaty led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest . Victory in the Mexican–American War resulted in the 1848 Mexican Cession of California, Nevada, Utah, and much of present-day Colorado and the American Southwest . The California gold rush of 1848–1849 spurred a huge migration of white settlers to the Pacific coast, leading to even more confrontations with Native populations. One of

16625-435: Was a sign located in an otherwise legal location (i.e. commercial and industrial area), that was nonconforming due to size, space or lighting restrictions. Such signs could remain, and did not have to be removed. A grandfathered sign was allowed at its particular location for the duration of its normal life subject to customary maintenance. If removed by a state or locality, the sign required just compensation. On April 1, 1967,

16758-759: Was adopted on July 4, 1776. The political values of the American Revolution included liberty , inalienable individual rights ; and the sovereignty of the people ; supporting republicanism and rejecting monarchy , aristocracy , and all hereditary political power; civic virtue ; and vilification of political corruption . The Founding Fathers of the United States , who included Washington, Jefferson, John Adams , Benjamin Franklin , Alexander Hamilton , John Jay , James Madison , Thomas Paine , and many others, were inspired by Greco-Roman , Renaissance , and Enlightenment philosophies and ideas. The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and established

16891-578: Was assigned to the Senate Public Works Committee which quickly reported it back to the floor for a vote. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 63 to 14 on September 16, 1965. In the House of Representatives, the bill was assigned to the House Public Works Committee and reported back to the floor on September 22, 1965. However, due to pressure on members from special interest groups, the bill languished on

17024-624: Was defeated for re-election in the Republican landslide of 1946. He had a longtime association with Southeastern University in Washington, D.C. , serving as a professor of public speaking there from 1935–1953, and dean of the School of Business Administration from 1952 to 1958. In February 1947 he became assistant to the president and director of public relations at Capital Airlines (later purchased by United Airlines ) in Washington, giving up those positions in April 1958 to focus on his campaign for

17157-583: Was elected the country's first president under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 to allay skeptics' concerns about the power of the more centralized government. His resignation as commander-in-chief after the Revolutionary War and his later refusal to run for a third term as the country's first president established a precedent for the supremacy of civil authority in

17290-431: Was known as the "Cotton Amendment", which exempted any areas adjacent to part of a right-of-way, to July 1, 1956. This allowed billboards in areas adjacent to interchanges, overpasses, and along roads that ran parallel to the interstate The second, known as the "Kerr Amendment", allowed outdoor advertising in commercial and industrial zones. Incorporated municipal boundaries were frozen as of September 21, 1959 (the date of

17423-693: Was named after William Jennings Bryan . Both his grandfather and father had been mayors of Salem. He attended the public schools and graduated from the Salem Academy in 1920 and Salem College in 1922. In 1924 he engaged in newspaper work in Clarksburg, West Virginia . He was the associate editor of the West Virginia Review at Charleston, West Virginia in 1925; head of the department of public speaking and journalism at Davis and Elkins College at Elkins, West Virginia , 1926–1932; and

17556-603: Was resounding in opposition to the proposed standards. On March 3, 1967, Chairman John C. Kluczynski (Illinois) of the House Subcommittee on Roads wrote to the state Governors assuring them that there would be no penalty for failure to comply by the January 1, 1968, deadline set in the Act. On March 20, 1967 Chairman Kluczynski and ranking minority member William C. Cramer announced that the Committee would hold hearings which commenced on April 5, 1967. Close to 200 people testified or offered written statements resulting in

17689-679: Was the founder and first president of the Congressional Flying Club. He was a strong advocate for programs to advance air travel and airport development. In 1938 he sponsored the Civil Aeronautics Act , which transferred the federal civil aviation responsibilities from the Department of Commerce to a new independent agency, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA). The legislation gave the CAA

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