Bald eagle; national colors: red, white, blue.
Title | "The Star-Spangled Banner" |
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Lyric/music | Francis Scott KEY/John Stafford SMITH |
Date of Independence | 4 July 1776 (declared independence from Great Britain); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 4 July (1776) |
Legal system | common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review of legislative acts |
International law organization participation | withdrew acceptance of compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 2005; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002 |
Constitution | |
History | Previous 1781 (Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union); latest drafted July - September 1787, submitted to the Congress of the Confederation 20 September 1787, submitted for states' ratification 28 September 1787, ratification completed by nine of the 13 states 21 June 1788, effective 4 March 1789 |
Amendments | Proposed as a "joint resolution" by Congress, which requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by at least two thirds of the state legislatures; passage requires ratification by three fourths of the state legislatures or passage in state-held constitutional conventions as specified by Congress; the US president has no role in the constitutional amendment process; amended many times, last in 1992 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | yes |
Citizenship by descent only | yes |
Dual citizenship recognized | no, but the US government acknowledges such situtations exist; US citizens are not encouraged to seek dual citizenship since it limits protection by the US |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. (since 20 January 2021) |
Head of government | President Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. (since 20 January 2021) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the president, approved by the Senate |
Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by the Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | 2020: Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. elected president; electoral vote - Joseph R. BIDEN, Jr. (Democratic Party) 306, Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 232; percent of direct popular vote - Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. 51.3%, Donald J. TRUMP 46.9%, other 1.8% 2016: Donald J. TRUMP elected president; electoral vote - Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 304, Hillary D. CLINTON (Democratic Party) 227, other 7; percent of direct popular vote - Hillary D. CLINTON 48.2%, Donald J. TRUMP 46.1%, other 5.7% |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Bicameral Congress consists of: Senate (100 seats; 2 members directly elected in each of the 50 state constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia and Louisiana which require an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years) House of Representatives (435 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia which requires an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 2-year terms) |
Elections | Senate - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 51, Republican Party 49; composition - men 75, women 25, percentage women 25% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 222, Democratic Party 213; composition - men 305, women 126, percentage women 29.2%; total US Congress percentage women 28.4% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | US Supreme Court (consists of 9 justices - the chief justice and 8 associate justices) |
Judge selection and term of office | President nominates and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Supreme Court justices; justices serve for life |
Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 25 (12 cultural, 12 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Puerto Rico |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Yellowstone National Park (n); Grand Canyon National Park (n); Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (c); Independence Hall (c); Statue of Liberty (c); Yosemite National Park (n); Papahānaumokuākea (m); Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point (c); The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright (c); Mesa Verde National Park (c); Mammoth Cave National Park (n); Monticello (c); Olympic National Park (n) |
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