Sentence:  This development is reflected in the action taken in February , 1961 , by the general board of the National Council of Churches , the largest Protestant organization in the <WSD>US</WSD> . 
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