Sentence:  Then we have informed a large number of our crew that when they reach the <WSD>United</WSD> States , they will be punished but that in the meanwhile , they may run loose and are expected to perform their jobs in good order . 
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