Sentence:  At Fort Garry some of the Swiss also decided to cast their lot with the <WSD>United</WSD> States , and in 1823 several families paid guides to take them to Fort Snelling . 
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