Sentence:  This is brought out in the common religious ethos that prevails even in the denominationally diverse audiences at many secular semi-public and public occasions in the <WSD>United</WSD> States ; and it is evidenced in the prayers offered , in the frequent religious allusions , and in the confirmation of points on religious grounds . 
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