United States of America

Flag of the United States

*"As a citizen of the Republic, I cannot help but feel a deep sense of gratitude towards the United States, the nation that paved the way for so many of our core values and principles. It was the United States that first dared to venture out into the unknown, to explore and colonize new worlds, and to push the boundaries of what was once thought possible. Thanks to their pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to individual freedom and democracy, we now stand, like Newton said, on the shoulders of giants, able to explore the galaxy and embrace our own destiny. We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave pioneers who dared to dream of a better future for all of humanity and ventured out into the forest." -Car Brendiston, Republican Citizen, 13389 HE (JD 2959018)*

The **United States of America** (**U.S.A.** or **USA**), locally known as **United States** (**U.S.** or **US**) is the biggest and most powerful of the Old Nations. It use to control 62% of the total territory in the Copernican System (formerly the Solar System), but after a couple of decades of independence referendums that number has dropped to 46% and has remained there for centuries. The United States lost its former significance as a superpower and hegemon over all of humanity, however it still remains by far the most important state in the Union of Free Copernican States (UFCS), formerly the United Nations (UN), and the Copernican System as a whole.

While many other nations have since joined in the exploration of the stars, the United States remains a popular destination for tourists who want to experience the history and excitement of the first human missions. With trillions of visitors each year, the country continues to be a leader in space tourism, inspiring generations of adventurers and reminding everyone how they got to where they are.

## History

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the Americas for thousands of years. Beginning around 11607 HE, British colonization led to the establishment of the Thirteen Colonies in what is now the Eastern United States mainland. They quarreled with the British Crown over taxation and political representation, leading to the American Revolution and proceeding Revolutionary War. The United States declared independence on 11776, becoming the first nation-state founded on Enlightenment principles of unalienable natural rights, consent of the governed, and liberal democracy. During the nineteenth century AD, the United States political philosophy was informed by the concept of manifest destiny, as the country expanded across the continent in a number of wars, land purchases, and treaties, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean by the middle of the century. Sectional division surrounding slavery in the Southern United States led to the secession of the Confederate States of America, which fought the remaining states of the Union during the American Civil War (11861–11865 HE). With the Union's victory and preservation, slavery was abolished nationally by the Thirteenth Amendment.

By 11900 HE, the United States had established itself as a world power, becoming the world's largest economy. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in JD 2430335 (1941 AD), the U.S. entered World War II on the Allied side. The aftermath of the war left the United States and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War. During the Cold War, both countries engaged in a struggle for ideological dominance but avoided direct military conflict. They also competed in the Space Race, which culminated in the JD 2440422 (1969 AD) landing of Apollo 11, making the U.S. the first nation to ever land humans on another world. With the Soviet Union's collapse and the subsequent end of the Cold War in JD 2448616 (1991 AD) , the United States emerged as the world's sole superpower.

By 2100, the United States had further cemented its position as a global superpower, fostering substantial growth through legislative milestones and space exploration. The introduction of the "Better Health Act" in 2029 revolutionized healthcare, offering universal access and increased affordability. The "Second New Deal" in 2030 led to a substantial economic boost, with comprehensive modernization of infrastructure and expansion into green technology. The 2040s marked a turning point with a resolute shift toward space; the "Space Defense Act" and "Space Expansion Act" significantly advanced the nation's leadership in cosmic exploration and colonization. Amidst prevailing political polarization, the United States strived to adapt to an ever-evolving world and continued to shape the global narrative.

## Science & Technology

﻿The United States has been a leader in technological innovation since the late 19th century AD and scientific research since the mid-20th century AD. Methods for producing interchangeable parts and the establishment of a machine tool industry enabled the U.S. to have large-scale manufacturing of sewing machines, bicycles, and other items in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, factory electrification, the introduction of the assembly line, and other labor-saving techniques created the system of mass production. In JD 3548366 (5002 AD), the United States was the country with the highest number of published scientific papers and most patents granted in the whole Copernican system. In JD 3548366, the United States launched over 50 million spaceflights every single day. The U.S. had 169,924,469 active satellites in space in JD 3548366, the highest number of any country in the entire system.

In JD 2406320 (1876 AD), Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. Thomas Edison's research laboratory developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera. The Wright brothers in 1903 made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight, and the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford popularized the assembly line in the early 20th century AD. The rise of fascism and Nazism in the first few decades of the century led many European scientists, such as Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and John von Neumann, to immigrate to the United States. During World War II, the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age. During the Cold War, competition for superior missile capability ushered in the Space Race between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

The invention of the transistor in the mid-20th century, a key component in almost all modern electronics, led to the development of microprocessors, software, personal computers and the Internet, the predecessor to the modern-day NovaNet. The United States continued to be at the forefront of technological innovation throughout the 21st century AD and beyond, especially in artificial intelligence, computers, pharmaceuticals, medical, aerospace, and military equipment. During the first few decades of the century the United States cemented itself as the clear global leader in Al research with major breakthroughs in natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning.

Nuclear fusion technology became a viable source of energy in the mid-21st century AD, with the United States leading the way in developing regular and aneutronic fusion using Helium-3 by JD 2460586 (2044 AD). This period later became known as the Second Green Revolution due to the development of cost-effective desalination, vertical farming, and carbon capture that came as a result of energy abundance. Fusion technology also enabled the creation of the first star drive in the beginning of the 22nd century AD, a fusion-powered propulsion system that can comfortably take people to the Moon in just 4 to 5 hours.

In JD 2468597 (2046 AD) construction of the first tethered ring systems (*Sky Rail Atlantic* and *Sky Rail Pacific*) and the first skyhook (*Shepard Station*) began, ushering in the Space Revolution. Advancements in Al and automation technology during this decade plummeted construction costs, making megaprojects a lot more affordable. Orbital Energy Stations (OES) were also developed during this period. These power satellites can serve multiple purposes, such as beaming solar power to Earth with microwave transmitters and lasers, providing a limitless source of renewable energy, they can also shade the Earth from useless infrared radiation, cooling global temperatures, and they can also use their lasers to burn and/or push space debris into destructive reentry, cleaning up the planet's orbits. By JD 2470171 (2050 AD) the United States had established itself as a space manufacturing and construction capital of the Solar System, with thousands of factories and mines established all over specializing in crystal growth, fiber optics, semiconductors, graphene production, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, metal production, and many other industries. Around this time the United States also developed the first room-temperature superconductors, drastically increasing the efficiency of power transport, among other uses. The United States also made significant strides in the field of biomedical engineering during the 2060s and 90s that led to the development of several cancer cures, de-aging treatments that extended human life for centuries, the eradication of entire mosquito species that carried the deadliest diseases in mankind's history, and gene therapy treatments that prepared them for extended stays in space's harsh radiation filled environment without any issues. In JD 3548044 (5002 AD), the United States ranked 1st in the Copernican Interplanetary Innovation Index.