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state - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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U.S. states
Also known as:
Commonwealth
Category Federated state
Location United States of America
Number 50
Populations 563,626 37,253,956[1]
Areas 1,214 square miles (3,140 km2) 663,268
square miles (1,717,860 km2)[2]
Government State government
Subdivisions County (or equivalent)
U.S. state
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A state of the United States of America is one of the
50 constituent political entities that shares its
sovereignty with the United States federal government.
Because of the shared sovereignty between each U.S.
state and the U.S. federal government, an American is
a citizen of both the federal republic and of his or her
state of domicile.
[3]
State citizenship and residency are
flexible and no government approval is required to
move between states, except for persons covered by
certain types of court orders (e.g., paroled convicts and
children of divorced spouses who are sharing custody).
States are divided into counties or county-equivalents,
which may be assigned some local governmental
authority but are not sovereign. County or county-
equivalent structure varies widely by state. Kentucky,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the
official title of Commonwealth rather than State.
State governments are allocated power by the people
(of each respective state) through their individual
constitutions. By ratifying the United States
Constitution, the states transferred certain limited
sovereign powers to the federal government.
Historically, the tasks of law enforcement, public
education, public health, transportation, and
infrastructure have generally been considered
primarily state responsibilities, although all of these
now have significant federal funding and regulation as well.
Over time, the U.S. Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions
have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the federal
government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over states' rights, which
concerns the extent and nature of the states' powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government as
well as the rights of individual persons. Debates over states' rights were a contributing factor to the outbreak of
the American Civil War.
The United States Congress may admit new states on an equal footing with existing ones; this last happened in
1959 with the admission of Alaska (Jan. 3) and Hawaii (Aug. 21). The U.S. Constitution is silent on the
question of whether states have the power to leave, or secede from, the Union, but the U.S. Supreme Court has
ruled
[4][5]
unilateral secession to be unconstitutional, a position driven in part by the outcome of the American
Civil War.
Contents
1 Map
2 Federal power
3 Governments
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3.1 Constitutions
3.1.1 Executive
3.1.2 Legislative
3.1.3 Judicial
4 Relationships
4.1 Among states
4.2 With the federal government
5 Admission into the union
5.1 Possible new states
5.1.1 Puerto Rico
5.1.2 Washington, D.C.
5.2 Unrecognized entities
6 Secession
7 Commonwealths
8 Origin of states' names
9 Geography
9.1 Regional grouping
9.2 Borders
9.3 Statistical areas
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
Map
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Click on a state on the map to go to its main article
Federal power
Since the early 20th century, the Supreme Court of the United States has interpreted the Commerce Clause of
the Constitution of the United States to allow greatly expanded scope of federal power over time, at the
expense of powers formerly considered purely states matters. The Cambridge Economic History of the United
States says, "On the whole, especially after the mid-1880s, the Court construed the Commerce Clause in favor
of increased federal power."
[6]
In Wickard v. Filburn 317 U.S. 111
(http://supreme.justia.com/us/317/111/case.html) (1942), the court expanded federal power to regulate the
economy by holding that federal authority under the commerce clause extends to activities which are local in
character.
[7]
For example, Congress can regulate railway traffic across state lines, but it may also regulate rail traffic solely
within a state, based on the theory that wholly intrastate traffic can still have an impact on interstate
commerce. In recent years, the Court has tried to place limits on the Commerce Clause in such cases as United
States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison.
Another source of congressional power is its spending powerthe ability of Congress to impose taxes and
distribute the resulting revenue back to the states (subject to conditions set by Congress). A classic example of
this is the system of federal-aid highways, which includes the Interstate Highway System. The system is
mandated and largely funded by the federal government, and also serves the interests of the states. By
threatening to withhold federal highway funds, Congress has been able to pressure state legislatures to pass a
variety of laws. An example of this is the nationwide legal drinking age of 21, enacted by each state, brought
about by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Although some objected that this infringes on states'
rights, the Supreme Court upheld the practice as a permissible use of the Constitution's Spending Clause in
South Dakota v. Dole 483 U.S. 203 (http://supreme.justia.com/us/483/203/case.html) (1987).
Governments
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States are free to organize their individual governments any way they like, so long as they conform to the sole
requirement of the U.S. Constitution that they have "a Republican Form of Government," that is, each state
government must be a republic.
Constitutions
In practice, each state has adopted a three-branch system of government (with legislative, executive, and
judiciary branches) generally along the same lines as that of the federal government though this is not a
requirement.
Executive
In all of the U.S. states, the chief executive is called the Governor, who serves as both the ceremonial head of
state and administrative head of government. The governor may approve or veto bills passed by the state
legislature, as well as push for the passage of bills supported by the party of the Governor. In 43 states,
governors have line item veto power.
[8]
Most states have a "plural executive" in which two or more members of the executive branch are elected
directly by the people. Such additional elected officials serve as members of the executive branch, but are not
beholden to the governor and the governor cannot dismiss them. For example, the attorney general is elected,
rather than appointed, in 43 of the 50 U.S. states.
Legislative
The legislatures of 49 of the 50 states are made up of two chambers: a lower house (termed the House of
Representatives, State Assembly or House of Delegates) and a smaller upper house, always termed the Senate.
The exception is the unicameral Nebraska Legislature, which is composed of only a single chamber.
Most states have part-time legislatures, while six of the most populated states have full-time legislatures.
However, several states with high population have short legislative sessions, including Texas and Florida.
[9]
In Baker v. Carr (1962) and Reynolds v. Sims (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court held that all states are required
to elect their legislatures in such a way as to afford each citizen the same degree of representation (the one
person, one vote standard). In practice, most states choose to elect legislators from single-member districts,
each of which has approximately the same population. Some states, such as Maryland and Vermont, divide the
state into single- and multi-member districts, in which case multi-member districts must have proportionately
larger populations, e.g., a district electing two representatives must have approximately twice the population of
a district electing just one.
If the governor vetoes legislation, all legislatures may override it, usually, but not always, requiring a two-
thirds majority.
In 2013, there were a total of 7,383 legislators in the 50 state legislative bodies. They earned from $0 annually
(New Mexico) to $90,526 (California). There were various per diem and mileage compensation.
[10]
Judicial
States can also organize their judicial systems differently from the federal judiciary, as long as they protect the
federal constitutional right of their citizens to procedural due process. Most have a trial level court, generally
called a District Court or Superior Court, a first-level appellate court, generally called a Court of Appeal (or
Appeals), and a Supreme Court. However, Oklahoma and Texas have separate highest courts for criminal
appeals. New York State has its own terminology, in that the trial court is called the Supreme Court. Appeals
are then taken to the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, and from there to the Court of Appeals.
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Most states base their legal system on English common law (with substantial indigenous changes and
incorporation of certain civil law innovations), with the notable exception of Louisiana, a former French
colony, which draws large parts of its legal system from French civil law.
Only a few states choose to have the judges on the state's courts serve for life terms. In most of the states the
judges, including the justices of the highest court in the state, are either elected or appointed for terms of a
limited number of years, such as five years, eligible for re-election or reappointment if their performance is
judged to be satisfactory.
Relationships
Among states
Under Article Four of the United States Constitution, which outlines the relationship between the states, the
United States Congress has the power to admit new states to the Union. The states are required to give full
faith and credit to the acts of each other's legislatures and courts, which is generally held to include the
recognition of legal contracts and criminal judgments, and before 1865, slavery status. Regardless of the Full
Faith and Credit Clause, some legal arrangements, such as professional licensure and marriages (e.g. same-sex
marriages), may be state-specific, and states have not been found by the courts to be required to honor such
arrangements from other states.
[11]
Such legal acts are nevertheless often recognized state-to-state according to the common practice of comity.
States are prohibited from discriminating against citizens of other states with respect to their basic rights,
under the Privileges and Immunities Clause. Under the Extradition Clause, a state must extradite people
located there who have fled charges of "treason, felony, or other crimes" in another state if the other state so
demands. The principle of hot pursuit of a presumed felon and arrest by the law officers of one state in another
state are often permitted by a state.
[12]
With the consent of Congress, states may enter into interstate compacts, agreements between two or more
states. Compacts are frequently used to manage a shared resource, such as transportation infrastructure or
water rights.
[13]
With the federal government
The states are guaranteed military and civil defense by the federal government, which is also required to
ensure that the government of each state remains a republic.
Four states use the official name of Commonwealth, rather than State.
[14]
However, this is merely a paper
distinction, and the U.S. Constitution uniformly refers to all of these subnational jurisdictions as "States"
(Article One, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, concerning the U.S. House of Representatives, in which
Representatives are to be elected by the people of the "States"; Article One, Section 3, Clause 1, concerning
the U.S. Senate, allocates to each "State" two Senators). For all of these purposes, each of the four above-
mentioned "Commonwealths" counts as a State.
Admission into the union
Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to
50. The U.S. Constitution is rather laconic on the process by which new states could be added, noting only that
"New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union" and forbidding a new state to be created out of
the territory of an existing state, or the merging of two or more states into one, without the consent of both
Congress and all the state legislatures involved.
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U.S. states by date of statehood.
17761790
17911799
18001819
18201839
18401859
18601879
18801899
19001912
1959
The order in which the original 13 states ratified the
constitution, then the order in which the others were
admitted to the union. (Click to see animation)
In practice, most of the states admitted to the union after the original 13 have been formed from Territories of
the United States (that is, land under the sovereignty of the federal government but not part of any state) that
were organized (given a measure of self-rule by the Congress subject to the Congress plenary powers under
the territorial clause of Article IV, sec. 3, of the U.S. Constitution).
[15]
Generally speaking, the organized government of a territory made known the sentiment of its population in
favor of statehood, usually by referendums.
Congress then directed that government to
organize a constitutional convention to write a
state constitution. Upon acceptance of that
Constitution, Congress has always admitted that
territory as a state. The broad outlines in this
process were established by the Northwest
Ordinance (1787), which predated the ratification
of the Constitution.
However, Congress has ultimate authority over the
admission of new states, and is not bound to follow
this procedure. A few U.S. states (outside of the
original 13) that were never organized territories of
the federal government have been admitted:
Vermont, an unrecognized but de facto
independent republic until its admission in
1791
[16]
Kentucky, a part of Virginia until its
admission in 1792
[16]
Maine, a part of Massachusetts until its
admission in 1820
[16]
following the Missouri
Compromise
Texas, a recognized independent republic
until its admission in 1845
[16]
California, created as a state (as part of the
Compromise of 1850) out of the
unorganized territory of the Mexican
Cession in 1850 without ever having been a
separate organized territory itself
[16]
West Virginia: During the Civil War
Virginia had two state governments, a
Unionist one and a Confederate one, both
claiming to be the legitimate state
government of Virginia. West Virginia was
created in 1863 by the Unionist state
government from areas of western Virginia,
after the Confederate state government's
1861 secession of Virginia to the Confederate States of America.
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Congress is also under no obligation to admit states even in those areas whose population expresses a desire
for statehood. For instance, the Republic of Texas requested annexation to the United States in 1837, but fears
about potential conflict with Mexico delayed the admission of Texas for nine years.
[17]
Once established, most state borders have been generally stable, with exceptions including the formation of the
Northwest Territory in 1787 and the Southwest Territory in 1790 from various portions of the original states,
the cession by Maryland and Virginia of land to create the District of Columbia in 1791 (Virginia's portion
was returned in 1847), and the creation of states from other states, including the creation of Kentucky and
West Virginia from Virginia, and Maine from Massachusetts. However, there have been numerous minor
adjustments to state boundaries over the years due to improved surveys, resolution of ambiguous or disputed
boundary definitions, or minor mutually agreed boundary adjustments for administrative convenience or other
purposes.
[16]
One notable example is the case New Jersey v. New York, in which New Jersey won roughly
90% of Ellis Island from New York in 1998.
[18]
Possible new states
There are several U.S. territories that might become new states.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico referred to itself as the "Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in the English version of its constitution,
and as "Estado Libre Asociado" (literally, Associated Free State) in the Spanish version.
As with any non-state territory of the United States, its residents do not have voting representation in the
federal government. Puerto Rico has limited representation in the U.S. Congress in the form of a Resident
Commissioner, a delegate with limited voting rights in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the
Union, and no voting rights otherwise.
[19]
A non-binding referendum on statehood, independence, or a new option for an associated territory (different
from the current status) was held on November 6, 2012. Sixty one percent of voters chose the statehood
option, while one third of the ballots were submitted blank.
[20][21]
On December 11, 2012, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico has enacted a concurrent resolution to
request the President and the Congress of the United States to respond diligently and effectively, and to act on
the demand of the people of Puerto Rico, as freely and democratically expressed in the plebiscite held on
November 6, 2012, to end, once and for all, its current form of territorial status and to begin the process to
admit Puerto Rico to the Union as a State.
[22]
On May 15, 2013, non-voting Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi introduced H.R. 2000, the Puerto Rico
Status Resolution Act, asking Congress to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state.
[23]
Washington, D.C.
The intention of the Founding Fathers was that the United States capital should be at a neutral site, not giving
favor to any existing state; as a result, the District of Columbia was created in 1800 to serve as the seat of
government. The inhabitants of the District do not have full representation in Congress or a sovereign elected
government (they were allotted presidential electors by the 23rd amendment, and have a non-voting delegate
in Congress).
Some residents of the District support statehood of some form for that jurisdictioneither statehood for the
whole district or for the inhabited part, with the remainder remaining under federal jurisdiction.
Unrecognized entities
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See also: Historical regions of the United States
The State of Franklin existed for four years not long after the end of the American Revolution, but was
never recognized by the union, which ultimately recognized North Carolina's claim of sovereignty over
the area. A majority of the states were willing to recognize Franklin, but the number of states in favor
fell short of the two-thirds majority required to admit a territory to statehood under the Articles of
Confederation. The territory comprising Franklin later became part of the state of Tennessee.
The State of Superior was a proposed state formed out of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Several
prominent legislators including local politician Dominic Jacobetti formally attempted this legislation in
the 1970s, with no success. As a state, it would have had, by far, the smallest population, and remaining
so through the present day. Its 320,000 residents would equal only 60% of Wyoming's population, and
less than 50% of Alaska's population.
The State of Deseret was a provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by the Mormon
settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never
accepted by the United States Congress. Its name was derived from the word for "honeybee" in the Book
of Mormon. Its territory included most of what is now Utah and Nevada.
The State of Sequoyah began in the early 1900s during a meeting of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek,
Chickasaw and Seminole Native American nations. At the time, the eastern part of what would later
become Oklahoma encompassed the Indian Territory. The proposed constitution ultimately failed in the
U.S. Congress, which balked at adding two new western states. Instead, the Indian Territory was
incorporated into the new state of Oklahoma in 1907, yet many of Sequoyahs principles lived on.
The State of Absaroka, aka state that never was, grew out of the political discontent of the Great
Depression. Frustrated with the U.S. government, a group of politicians and businessmen, led by former
minor league baseball player A.R. Swickard, planned to create a new state called Absaroka. Their
statehood movement began in 1939. The proposed state included large swaths of Wyoming, Montana
and South Dakota, and encompassed famous landmarks such as the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone
National Park. Despite its initial popularity, the statehood movements novelty quickly wore off, and an
official proposal for secession was never drafted. The movement was unsuccessful and fairly short-
lived.
[24]
The States of Jefferson
On July 24, 1859, voters defeated the formation of the proposed State of Jefferson in the Southern
Rocky Mountains. On October 24, 1859, voters instead approved the formation of the Jefferson
Territory, which was superseded by the Territory of Colorado on February 28, 1861.
In 1915, a second State of Jefferson was proposed for the northern third of Texas but failed to
obtain majority approval by the Texas Senate.
In 1941, a third State of Jefferson was proposed in the mostly rural area of southern Oregon and
northern California, but was cancelled as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This
proposal has been raised several times since.
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The States of Lincoln
Lincoln is another state that has been proposed multiple times. It generally consists of the eastern
portion of Washington state and the panhandle of the northern portion of Idaho. It was originally
proposed by Idaho in 1864 to include just the panhandle of Idaho, and again in 1901 to include
eastern Washington. Proposals have come up in 1996, 1999, and 2005.
Lincoln is also the name of a failed state proposal after the U.S. Civil War in 1869. It consisted of
the area south and west of Texas' Colorado River.
Secession
The Constitution is silent on the issue of the secession of a state from the union. However, its predecessor
document, the Articles of Confederation, stated that the United States of America "shall be perpetual." The
question of whether or not individual states held the right to unilateral secession remained a difficult and
divisive one until the American Civil War. In 1860 and 1861, eleven southern states seceded, but following
their defeat in the American Civil War were brought back into the Union during the Reconstruction Era. The
federal government never recognized the secession of any of the rebellious states.
[4][5]
Following the Civil War, the United States Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, held that states did not have the
right to secede and that any act of secession was legally void. Drawing on the Preamble to the Constitution,
which states that the Constitution was intended to "form a more perfect union" and speaks of the people of the
United States of America in effect as a single body politic, as well as the language of the Articles of
Confederation, the Supreme Court maintained that states did not have a right to secede. However, the court's
reference in the same decision to the possibility of such changes occurring "through revolution, or through
consent of the States," essentially means that this decision holds that no state has a right to unilaterally decide
to leave the Union.
[4][5]
Commonwealths
Four of the states bear the formal title of commonwealth: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia. This is merely a legacy of all four states' history, and their formal name has no effect on their legal
status as states.
Somewhat confusingly, the U.S. territories of the Northern Marianas and Puerto Rico are also referred to as
commonwealths, and that designation does have a legal status different from that of the 50 states. Both of these
commonwealths are unincorporated territories of the United States.
Origin of states' names
Twenty-four of the states' names originate from Native American languages. Of these, eight are from
Algonquian languages, seven are from Siouan languages, three are from Iroquoian languages, one is from Uto-
Aztecan languages and five others are from other indigenous languages. Hawaii's name is derived from the
Polynesian Hawaiian language.
Of the remaining names, 22 are from European languages: Seven from Latin (mainly Latinized forms of
English names), the rest are from English, Spanish and French. Eleven states are named after people, including
seven named for royalty and one named after an American president. The origins of six state names are
unknown or disputed.
Geography
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A map showing the source languages of state names.
U.S. Census Bureau regions:
The West, The Midwest, The South and The Northeast.
Regional grouping
States may be grouped in regions; there are endless variations and possible groupings, as most states are not
defined by obvious geographic or cultural borders. For further discussion of regions of the U.S., see the list of
regions of the United States.
Borders
The northern and southern borders of the Thirteen Colonies on the East Coast were largely determined by
colonial charters and anchoring coastal settlements. The western boundaries were determined by the limits of
transportation, the infeasibility of settling areas dominated by Native Americans and foreign powers, and the
decision to create new states out of
western territories.
River borders between states are
common. At various times, national
borders with territories formerly
controlled by other countries
(namely the British colonies of
Canada, New France, New Spain
including Spanish Florida, and
Russian America) became
institutionalized as the borders of
U.S. states. Alaska was formerly
the colony of Russian America.
Most borders beyond the Thirteen
Colonies were created by Congress
as it created territories, divided
them, and turned them into states
as they became more populated.
Territorial and new state lines
followed various geographic
features, economic units, and the
pattern of settlement. In the West,
relatively arbitrary straight lines
following latitude and longitude
often prevail, due to the sparseness
of settlement west of the
Mississippi River.
Faster transportation also meant
that larger states were more
feasible to govern from a single
capital. Vermont, California, and
Texas were each briefly
independent nations, as was Hawaii
for a more extensive period of time. Some states were previously part of other states, including Maine, West
Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Occasionally the United States Congress or the United States Supreme
Court have settled state border disputes.
Statistical areas
Statistical area
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List of Primary Statistical Areas
List of Combined Statistical Areas
List of Core Based Statistical Areas
List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas
List of Micropolitan Statistical Areas
See also
References
List of states and territories of the United States
List of U.S. state lists
List of U.S. state abbreviations
Comparison of U.S. state governments
List of regions of the United States
Organized incorporated territories of the United States
Political divisions of the United States
States' rights
United States territorial acquisitions
Territorial evolution of the United States
Territories of the United States
United States territory
1. ^ "2010 Census: At A Glance" (http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/glance/). U. S. Census Bureau.
Retrieved 15 September 2013.
2. ^ "United States Summary: 2000" (http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc3-us-pt1.pdf). U.S. Census 2000. U. S.
Census Bureau. April 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
3. ^ See the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
4. ^
a

b

c
Aleksandar Pavkovi, Peter Radan, Creating New States: Theory and Practice of Secession
(http://books.google.com/books?id=-IjHbPvp1W0C), p. 222, Ashgate Publishing, 2007.
5. ^
a

b

c
Texas v. White (http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0074_0700_ZO.html), 74 U.S.
700 (1868) at Cornell University Law School Supreme Court collection.
6. ^ Stanley Lewis Engerman (2000). The Cambridge economic history of the United States: the colonial era
(http://books.google.com/books?id=6sDXBGMbrWkC). Cambridge University Press. p. 464
(http://books.google.com/books?id=6sDXBGMbrWkC&pg=PA464). ISBN 978-0-521-55307-0.
7. ^ David Shultz (2005). Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court (http://books.google.com/books?id=I_f6Oo9H3YsC).
Infobase Publishing. p. 522 (http://books.google.com/books?id=I_f6Oo9H3YsC&pg=PA522). ISBN 978-0-8160-
5086-4.
8. ^ "Gubernatorial Veto Authority with Respect to Major Budget Bill(s)" (http://www.ncsl.org/issues-
research/budget-tax/gubernatorial-veto-authority-with-respect-to-major.aspx). National Conference of State
Legislatures.
9. ^ http://www.reformcal.com/citleg_historical.pdf
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Further reading
Stein, Mark, How the States Got Their Shapes, New York : Smithsonian Books/Collins, 2008. ISBN
978-0-06-143138-8
10. ^ Wilson, Reid (August 23, 2013). "GovBeat:For legislators, salaries start at zero"
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/08/23/how-much-are-your-legislators-paid/). Washington
Post (Washington, DC). pp. A2. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
11. ^ Adam Liptak (March 17, 2004). "Bans on Interracial Unions Offer Perspective on Gay Ones"
(http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/17/us/bans-on-interracial-unions-offer-perspective-on-gay-ones.html?
pagewanted=1). New York Times.
12. ^ Hot Pursuit Law & Legal Definition (http://definitions.uslegal.com/h/hot-pursuit)
13. ^ deGolian, Crady. "Interstate Compacts: Background and History"
(http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/drupal/content/interstate-compacts-background-and-history). Council on State
Governments. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
14. ^ a. Third Constitution of Kentucky (1850), Article 2, Section 1 ff. Other portions of the same Constitution refer to
the "State of Kentucky"
b. Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Preamble.
c. Constitution of Pennsylvania, Preamble.
d. Constitution of Virginia (1971), Article IV, Section 1.
15. ^ U.S. Const. art. IV, 3, cl. 2 ("The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and
Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States...").
16. ^
a

b

c

d

e

f
Stein, Mark (2008). How the States Got Their Shapes. New York: Collins (HarperCollinsPublishers)
[Smithsonian Books]. pp. xvi + 334. ISBN 9780061431395.
17. ^ Richard Bruce Winders (2002). Crisis in the Southwest: the United States, Mexico, and the struggle over Texas
(http://books.google.com/books?id=mcc9EciebFYC). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 82
(http://books.google.com/books?id=mcc9EciebFYC&pg=PA82), 92 (http://books.google.com/books?
id=mcc9EciebFYC&pg=PA92). ISBN 978-0-8420-2801-1.
18. ^ "THE ELLIS ISLAND VERDICT: THE RULING; High Court Gives New Jersey Most of Ellis Island"
(http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/27/nyregion/ellis-island-verdict-ruling-high-court-gives-new-jersey-most-ellis-
island.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm). New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
19. ^ "Rules of the House of Representatives" (http://www.rules.house.gov/ruleprec/110th.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved July
25, 2010.
20. ^ Puerto Ricans favor statehood for first time (http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/election-puerto-
rico/index.html)
21. ^ Puerto Ricans opt for statehood (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/07/puerto-ricans-opt-for-statehood-
in-referendum/)
22. ^ The Senate and the House of Representative of Puerto Rico Concurrent Resolution
(http://www.puertoricoreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2012-concurrent-resolution.pdf)
23. ^ Pierluisi Introduces Historic Legislation (http://www.puertoricoreport.org/pierluisi-introduces-historic-
legislation/)
24. ^ Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Wyoming. Wyoming: A Guide to Its History,
Highways, and People (http://books.google.com/books?
id=0DwIAAAAIAAJ&q=State+of+Absaroka&dq=State+of+Absaroka&lr=&pgis=1). Oxford University Press.
1941.
9/30/2014 U.S. state - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state 13/13
External links
Information about All States (http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/st/allstate.htm) from UCB
Libraries GovPubs
State Resource Guides, from the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/)
Tables with areas, populations, densities and more (in order of population)
(http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US9S_geo_id=010
00US.html)
Tables with areas, populations, densities and more (alphabetical)
(http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_US9_geo_id=01000
US.html)
State and Territorial Governments on USA.gov
(http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml)
StateMaster statistical database for U.S. states (http://www.statemaster.com/index.php)
U.S. States: Comparisons, rankings, demographics (http://www.top50states.com/)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._state&oldid=627497705"
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