Sentence:  He set out on his 700 - mile return journey with five families of discontented and disappointed Swiss who turned their eyes toward the <WSD>United</WSD> States . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776