Sentence:  At first glance this appears strange : of all people , was not <WSD>America</WSD> founded by rugged individualists who established a new way of life still inspiring `` undeveloped '' societies abroad ? 
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