Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Alaska

2019-01-19T02:09:06Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Alaska
|flag=Alaska_State_Flag.gif
|motto=North to the Future
|nick=The Last Frontier
|capital=Juneau
|language=English
|governor=Mike Dunleavy
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Lisa Murkowski
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-6665
|s1email=http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactMe.EMailLisa Contact
|senator2=Dan Sullivan
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3004
|s2email=
|population=
|date=January 3, 1959
}}
'''Alaska''' became the forty-ninth [[state]] to enter into the [[United States of America]] in 1959. Alaska is not contiguous to the rest of the United States, bordering [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon Territory]] and province of [[British Columbia]] to the east. Its [[capital]] is [[Juneau]].

Alaska's territory was purchased from [[Russia]] in 1867 by the Johnson administration for 7.2 million [[Dollar|USD]]; its vast [[oil]] and [[gold]] reserves have more than repaid the investment that was once ridiculed as "Seward's Folly.," after [[William Seward|William H. Seward]] who was the [[Secretary of State]] that negotiated the purchase.

Although it is the largest state by area, it is the third smallest state by population (larger than only [[Wyoming]] and [[Vermont]]).

The state Constitution of Alaska, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.''

==Elected Officials==
===Federal===
*Senator [[Lisa Murkowski]] (R)
*Senator [[Dan Sullivan]] (R)
*Rep. [[Don Young]] (R)

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Mike Dunleavy]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Kevin Meyer]] (r)

==Politics of Alaska==

Alaska is a [[Republican]] stronghold with a [[libertarian]] streak.<ref>http://election.nationaljournal.com/states/ak.htm</ref> [[George W. Bush]] carried the state 59%-28% in 2000, 61%-36% in 2004, and [[John McCain]] 59%-38% in 2008. The legislature has split control, with Democrats in control of the state house. Following the 2018 midterms, control of the state house is still undecided. In 2008 [[Mark Begich]] became the first [[Democrat]] elected to [[Congress]] from Alaska since 1974.

==Economy==
Alaska's economy consists of three main sectors. Firstly there is mineral resources, in the form of oil and coal and gold and silver and a variety of other metals. Secondly there is commercial fishing, primarily salmon, king crab, halibut, grey cod, and pollack. Finally there is federal spending, Alaska receives more federal spending per citizen than any other state, getting about two dollars in federal spending for every tax dollar sent to the IRS.

==Energy==
[[File:Alaska-oil.jpg|thumb|300px|right]][[File:Oil-symbol.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]
Alaska has vast energy resources but low energy demand. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. The Alaska North Slope contains 14 of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States, and two of the largest natural gas fields. The North Slope’s Prudhoe Bay field is the largest oil field in the country. Substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska’s bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. Alaska’s numerous rivers offer some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country, and large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, and production activities drive state energy demand. Nevertheless, overall state energy demand is low.<ref>See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AK Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>

Alaska is the second-ranked oil-producing state (after Texas), if output from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is excluded from the state totals. Nearly all of Alaska’s oil production takes place on the North Slope. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) transports crude oil from the frozen North Slope to the warm-water Port of Valdez, on Alaska’s southern coast. From Valdez, tankers ship the ANS crude oil primarily to refineries in California and Washington State. Those refineries are designed to process the intermediate, sour (high-sulfur) crude oil from the ANS. Alaskan crude oil production has been in decline since 1988, when output peaked at over 2 million barrels per day. However, experts believe that large oil and gas reserves in the state remain untapped, and some have called for the federal government to open more public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for oil exploration and drilling.

Demand for finished petroleum products in Alaska is low. Although Alaska has six refineries, most of them are “topping” plants that strip away lighter products from the TAPS heavy crude oil stream for internal refinery use. State motor gasoline demand is primarily met by refineries in Kenai and near Fairbanks. The use of oxygenated motor gasoline is required in the Fairbanks and Anchorage areas during their winter months. Jet fuel consumption in Alaska is high compared to other States.

Due to harsh weather conditions that persist throughout most of the year, Alaska’s oil infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to weather-related accidents and disruptions. The worst accident was not weather-related, however. It occurred in March 1989, when the tank vessel ''[[Exxon Valdez]]'' struck Bligh Reef and spilled at least 260 thousand barrels of oil into the Prince William Sound (some estimates put the figure at 30 million gallons, or over 700 thousand barrels<ref>Bluemink, Elizabeth. "Size of Exxon spill remains disputed." June 15, 2010. Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/2010/06/05/1309722/size-of-exxon-spill-remains-disputed.html</ref>). The cause of the accident is at least partially due to navigation errors of fatigued crew members, some of who were allegedly drunk. Other factors contributing to the accident were navigational equipment failures, deliberate breach of navigational protocol, and an inadequate number of crew members on the vessel,<ref>Alaska Oil Spill Commission. "Spill: The Wreck of the Exxon Valdez: Implications for Safe Transport of Oil." February, 1990. http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa_documents/NOAA_related_docs/oil_spills/spill_wreck_ExxonValdez_1990.pdf</ref><ref>Reprint of pages 5-14 of the AOSC reference, in an easier to read form. http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/facts/details.cfm</ref> and these findings led to new regulations and recommended changes in the oil industry, specifically with regards to transporting oil.

==Notable People from Alaska==
*[[Sarah Palin]], former governor, GOP vice presidential nominee 2008, conservative leader
*[[Carlos Boozer]] ([[Utah Jazz]] basketball player)
*[[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]]
*[[Valerie Plame]]

==State Motto==
''“North to the Future”'' The motto was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.

==See also==
*[[Alaska-class cruiser]]
* [[Constitutional carry]]: In Alaska the [[Second Amendment]] is the "[[license]]" for [[Concealed carry]] and [[Open carry]]. The carrying of [[firearm]]s, [[concealed carry|concealed]] or [[Open carry|not]], is generally not restricted by the [[law]].
* [[Red state]]s - [[Republican]]
* [[Purple state]]s - swing states that can vote either [[Republican]] or [[Democrat]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://arcticcam.com/cam/ Live image from Fairbanks, Alaska]
*[http://www.state.ak.us/ State of Alaska Home page]
*[http://www.travelalaska.com/ State of Alaska Travel and Vacation Information]

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Alaska]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:Arctic Circle]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]
[[Category:Pro Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Constitutional Carry]]

Wisconsin

2019-01-19T02:03:03Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Wisconsin
|flag=Wisconsin state flag.png
|motto=Forward
|nick=The Badger State
|capital=Madison
|language=English
|governor=Tony Evers
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Ron Johnson
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5323
|s1email=https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator Contact
|senator2=Tammy Baldwin
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-5653
|s2email=https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/feedback Contact
|population=
|date=May 29, 1848 (30th)
}}
[[Image:Wisconsin ref 2001.jpg|300 px|thumb|right|Geographic map of Wisconsin]]
'''Wisconsin''', the "Badger State", or unofficially "America's Dairyland", was the thirtieth state to enter the union, on May 29, 1848. The capital city of Wisconsin is [[Madison]].

The town of Ripon in Wisconsin was "The Birthplace of the [[Republican Party]]" in 1854.

The state tree is the sugar maple, the state song is "[[On Wisconsin]]", the state flower is the wood violet, the state bird is the American [[robin]], the state animal is the [[badger]], the state [[fossil]] is the [[trilobite]], and the state fish is the [[muskellunge]].<ref>http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/scc/kids/facts.htm</ref>

The state Constitution of Wisconsin, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, form a more perfect government, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, do establish this constitution.''

==History==
===Prior to U.S. independence===
The first people believed to have inhabited Wisconsin are called "Paleo-Indians", adaptable communities believed by those who accept [[evolution]] to have lived around 12,500 to 8,000 years ago,<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-002/?action=more_essay First Peoples]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> although evidence strongly points to a more recent timeframe.<ref>answersingenesis.org and other sources</ref> In the centuries surrounding the life of [[Jesus Christ|Christ]], the natives began to domesticate and build great mounds—culminating in the Effigy Mounds culture during the [[Early Middle Ages]].<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-004/?action=more_essay Effigy Mounds Culture]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> Around AD 1000, a new people and a relatively advanced culture, the Middle Mississippian culture, penetrated the area, emigrating from ceremonial city of Cahokia, which is estimated to have had tens-of-thousands of inhabitants.<ref name="Mississippian">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-003/?action=more_essay Mississippian Culture and Aztalan]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> They built several communities in Wisconsin, which was at the far north of their reach, and they lasted until about AD 1200.<ref name="Mississippian"/> After European settlers started advancing inward, numerous native peoples moved westward, many of them settling in Wisconsin.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-005/?action=more_essay Iroquois Wars of the 17th Century]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref>

Europeans began exploring Wisconsin around the 1620s-30s, with Etienne Brule widely believed to have been the first European explorer to visit in 1622, although the authenticity of the account is disputed.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-006/?action=more_essay Arrival of the First Europeans]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> Wisconsin was under [[France|French]] influence until 1760, when the [[British Empire|British]] took over.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-008/?action=more_essay Colonialism Transforms Indian Life]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> The [[fur trade]] dominated economic activity in Wisconsin during the colonial period, where Europeans sold various items to the natives for [[beaver]] skins.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-007/?action=more_essay The French Fur Trade]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref>

===U.S. territory===
On July 13, 1787, the [[Northwest Ordinance]] was adopted by the American [[Second Continental Congress]], which created a provisional government over the land northwest of the [[Ohio River]], including present-day Wisconsin.<ref name="Northwest1787">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-009/?action=more_essay The Northwest Ordinance, 1787]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> [[Slavery]] was prohibited in this territory.<ref name="Northwest1787"/> Wisconsin only saw one conflict on its territory during the [[War of 1812]] at Fort Shelby on St. Feriole Island at Prairie du Chien in 1814.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-010/?action=more_essay The War of 1812]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> Several battles of the 1832 [[Black Hawk War]], including the [[Battle of Wisconsin Heights]], were fought in Wisconsin.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-012/?action=more_essay The Black Hawk War]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> The first territorial capital was Belmont,<ref>[http://www.belmontwi.com/pages/1/index.htm Belmont Wisconsin] town website</ref> located about thirty miles from Dubuque, Iowa.

During the first half of the 19th Century, natives lost control over Wisconsin land and whites settled the land.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-013/?action=more_essay Treaty Councils, from Prairie du Chien to Madeline Island]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-011/?action=more_essay Early U.S. Settlement]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> A major survey of Wisconsin began in 1832 in order to measure and subdivide the land, and this would not be complete until 1866.<ref name="Northwest1787"/> On July 4, 1836, due to sufficient population growth, Wisconsin Territory was formed, created out of Michigan Territory.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-014/?action=more_essay The Creation of Wisconsin Territory]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref>

Wisconsin enjoyed a lead mining boom in the 1830s and 40s until the [[California]] gold rush of 1849 drew many miners away. It was a mining state before it became a predominantly agricultural state. Metallic lead could be picked up from the ground without digging. Cornish miners (from Britain) were some of the earliest European settlers of the state.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-026/?action=more_essay Lead Mining in Southwestern Wisconsin]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved November 2, 2016.</ref>

===Statehood===
In 1846, Wisconsin voters passed a referendum to become a U.S. state.<ref name="WSconstitution">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-015/?action=more_essay The State Constitutions of 1846 and 1848]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> A constitutional convention met in [[Madison, Wisconsin]], drafting a very "advanced and progressive" constitution in December 1846 that included several controversial measures, such as allowing immigrants who applied for citizenship to vote and black suffrage.<ref name="WSconstitution"/> The proposed constitution was defeated in an April 1847 referendum, and a new convention drafted "a more acceptable and moderate" constitution, which was accepted by the voters in March 1848.<ref name="WSconstitution"/> Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as the 30th state on May 29, 1848.<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wisconsin-enters-the-union Wisconsin enters the Union - This Day in History]. ''History.com''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref>

Prior to the [[Civil War]], Wisconsin was an important stop on the [[Underground Railroad]].<ref name="History.com">[http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/wisconsin Wisconsin]. ''History.com''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> "Wisconsin soldiers fought in every major battle of the Civil War," with the Iron Brigade being the most well-known unit from the state.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-023/?action=more_essay The Iron Brigade, Old Abe and Military Affairs]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref>

Between 1840 and 1880, Wisconsin was considered "America's breadbasket", with 1/6th of all [[wheat]] grown in the U.S. coming from the state.<ref name="Dairy">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-028/?action=more_essay The Rise of Dairy Farming]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> However, by the end of the 19th Century, dairy farming was becoming prevalent, with mainly [[Germany|German]] and [[Scandinavian]] immigrants taking up the industry.<ref name="Dairy"/> By 1915, Wisconsin produced the most butter and cheese out of every other state.<ref name="Dairy"/> In addition, skilled manufacturing became prevalent in the state.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-044/?action=more_essay The Rise of Skilled Manufacturing]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> The state also had a major logging industry during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-027/?action=more_essay Logging and Forest Products]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref>

In 1889, the Wisconsin legislature enacted the [[Bennett Law]], which required that schools use only [[English language|English]] in classes and enacted several schooling regulations.<ref name="BennettL.">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-031/?action=more_essay Americanization and the Bennett Law]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> Propoents of the law hoped it would help German immigrants assimilate into American culture and society, but the law provoked a backlash from Germans and other ethnic groups against the [[Republican Party|GOP]], which had supported the law.<ref name="BennettL."/> In the next elections, Republicans were voted out and the law was eventually repealed.<ref>[https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/bennett-law/ Bennett Law]. ''Encyclopedia of Milwaukee''. Retrieved Novmeber 23, 2016.</ref> Despite this, German schools, which had once only taught in German, started also using English in teaching.<ref name="BennettL."/> Similar assimilation attempts were attempted in regards with [[North American Indians|Native Americans]] between the late 19th Century through the 1920s.<ref name="BennettL."/>

Despite having been previously rejected attempts at [[women's suffrage]], Wisconsin became the first state to ratify the [[19th Amendment]] on June 10, 1919.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-032/?action=more_essay The Woman's Suffrage Movement]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref>

===Political history===
Wisconsin has an interesting political history that is not easy to define. Prominent political leaders from Wisconsin have come from all sides of the political spectrum,<ref>Vogeler, Ingolf K. & Finley, Robert W. [https://www.britannica.com/place/Wisconsin/Government-and-society Constitutional framework - Wisconin]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref> from staunch conservatives like [[Scott Walker]] to Socialists like [[Victor Berger]]. The Republican Party dominated Wisconsin politics from the party's formation until the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="Maturity">Vogeler, Ingolf K. & Finley, Robert W. [https://www.britannica.com/place/Wisconsin/Government-and-society Political and economic maturity - Wisconin]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref> but both Republicans and Democrats have performed well in Wisconsin, especially since the Depression.<ref name="Maturity"/><ref name="WSencyc"/><ref>[http://www.270towin.com/states/Wisconsin Wisconsin]. ''270towin.com''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref> It is often considered a [[swing state]].

The [[Free Soil Party]] performed above average in Wisconsin in the [[United States presidential election, 1848|1848]]<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1848 1848 Presidential General Election Results]. ''uselectionatlas.org''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> and [[United States presidential election, 1852|1852]]<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1852 1852 Presidential General Election Results]. ''uselectionatlas.org''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> presidential elections.<ref name="RiponGOP">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-022/?action=more_essay Wisconsin and the Republican Party]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref>

====Formation of the Republican Party====
[[File:C-library.jpg|thumb|290px|The Carnegie Library in Ripon, built 1910]]
When the 1854 [[Kansas-Nebraska Act|Kansas-Nebraska bill]], which became law that same year, was proposed, it met very strong opposition in Wisconsin, regardless of one's political affiliation.<ref name="RiponGOP"/> Numerous meeting were held against the bill, and in one of them held in Ripon, Wisconsin on March 20, 1854,<ref name="History.com"/><ref>According to Encyclopedia.com, the date was February 28, 1854 [http://www.encyclopedia.com/places/united-states-and-canada/us-political-geography/wisconsin].</ref> political leaders under the leadership of lawyer [[Alvan E. Bovay]] proposed the creation of a new political party.<ref name="RiponGOP"/> Other similar meetings also supported creating a new party, and "in July of 1854, a convention was held in [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] to organize the new party"—the [[Republican Party]].<ref name="RiponGOP"/> Ripon is thus considered by many to be birthplace of the party.<ref name="RiponGOP"/> From the beginning, the Republican Party performed very well in the state.<ref name="RiponGOP"/>

====Wisconsin Progressivism====
Beginning around the turn of the 20th Century, the ideology of [[Progressivism]] became prominent in Wisconsin politics, with Progressivists taking control of the Republican Party, which was dominant in state politics, around 1900.<ref name="WSidea">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-036/?action=more_essay Progressivism and the Wisconsin Idea]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> While Republican Wisconsin governor and senator [[Robert M. La Follette]] led the movement on the state and national level, there were numerous other Progressivist leaders in Wisconsin, including governor [[James Davidson]].<ref name="WSidea"/> Progressivists enacted much legislation during this time, on both the state and federal level, which [[Big government|massively increased]] the size and scope of the government.<ref name="WSidea"/> Despite the successes of Progressivism, numerous people, including within the Republican Party, disagreed with Progressivist policies, although for differing reasons.<ref name="WSidea"/> The "[[Wisconsin Idea]]" was developed during this time.<ref name="WSidea"/>

During the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s, Progressivists continued to enact legislation in Wisconsin that expanded government programs and power, this time under the leadership of Robert La Follette's two sons, Robert La Follette Jr. and Phil La Follette.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-045/?action=more_essay Depression and Unemployment]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> In 1934, Progressivist Republicans, who were dissatisfied with the conservatism of both the GOP and the Democrats, split from the GOP and formed the [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]].<ref name="WPP">[http://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wisconsin-progressive-party Wisconsin Progressive Party]. ''Encyclopedia.com''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> The party performed very well in the succeeding elections at first, capturing the governorship and state legislature, and was able to enact a "Little New Deal".<ref name="WPP"/> However, the party eventually lost support and was dissolved in 1946.<ref name="WPP"/>

Later in the 20th Century, the [[Democratic Party]] continued its support for big government, Progressivist policies, and during this time it increased in size and power in the state.<ref name="WSencyc">[http://www.encyclopedia.com/places/united-states-and-canada/us-political-geography/wisconsin Wisconsin]. ''Encyclopedia.com''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref>

====Socialism====
While Progressivists supported government intervention in the economy and society, the [[leftist]] Socialists, who dominated especially in [[Milwaukee]] around the same time, were more extreme, supporting the total replacement of [[capitalism]] with a very expansive government, as well as "a [[planned economy]] of state-owned industries."<ref name="SewerS">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-043/?action=more_essay Milwaukee Sewer Socialism]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 23, 2016.</ref> While there was socialist political activity for years prior, "the first formal manifestation of Socialism in Milwaukee came with the establishment of the Social-Democratic Party in 1897,"<ref name="SewerS"/> which eventually became the [[Socialist Party of America]]. The party was led by [[Victor Berger]], who in 1910 became the first Socialist Party candidate elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.<ref name="SewerS"/> In that same election, the Socialist Party took complete control over Milwaukee city and county.<ref name="SewerS"/> While the Socialists, including Berger and Milwaukee mayor Emil Seidel, were defeated in the 1912 election, Socialists were soon elected again and would continue to play a prominent but reduced role in Milwaukee politics for several decades.<ref name="SewerS"/>

Due to their emphasis on the basics of municipal service, Milwaukee Socialists were often called "sewer socialists".<ref name="SewerS"/> The last Socialist mayor in Milwaukee was Frank P. Zeidler, who was mayor from 1948 to 1960.<ref>[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:4294963828-4294963805&dsRecordDetails=R:CS346 Frank P. Zeidler — The Last Socialist to Run a Major American City]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref>

====Conservatism in Wisconsin====
While Wisconsin is notable for its left-wing Progressivist and Socialist movements, numerous prominent conservatives also came from the state. One of them, [[Joseph McCarthy]], is notable for his strong [[Anti-Communist|anti-communism]] and his active attempts to uncover Communist subversives in the U.S. government.<ref>[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1774.html Joseph McCarthy]. ''u-s-history.com''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref><ref>de Toledano, Ralph (April 25, 2005). [http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-real-mccarthy/ The Real McCarthy]. ''The American Conservative''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref>

[[Tommy Thompson]] was another prominent conservative, although he has also been considered a moderate.<ref>Walker, Dan (November 7, 2012). [http://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/after-a-long-career-tommy-makes-his-political-exit-n77hmjj-177593341.html After a long career, Tommy makes his political exit]. ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref> He most prominently served as governor of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2001, and is famous for reforming the state's welfare system in order to reduce dependence on government, reducing the state's welfare [[caseload]] by 93 percent.<ref name="Thompson">[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-060/?action=more_essay Tommy Thompson and the Conservative Revolution]. ''Wisconsin Historical Society''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref><ref>Perlman, Ellen (1997). [http://www.governing.com/poy/Tommy-Thompson.html Tommy G. Thompson]. ''Governing''. Retrieved November 24, 2016.</ref> He also "created the nation's first school choice program" in 1990.<ref name="Thompson"/>

====Scott Walker and the conservative surge====
:''For further information, see [[Scott Walker]]''
[[File:Scott Walker 2014 Wisconsin Governor Victory Party.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Scott Walker celebrating his 2014 re-election.]]
Despite Thompson's accomplishments, the conservative [[Scott Walker]], who was first elected governor in 2010 has surpassed them. In the 2010 elections, conservative Republicans made large gains in Wisconsin, with Republicans taking control of the state legislature, the U.S. House delegation, and one U.S. Senate seat, all in addition to the governorship.<ref>[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-11-02-wi-full-election-results_N.htm Wisconsin: GOP wins Senate, House, gov. seats, ousting Feingold]. ''USA Today'' (from ''AP''). November 3, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref><ref>Stein, Jason & Johnson, Annysa (November 3, 2010). [http://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/106582898.html Republicans take over state Senate, Assembly]. ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref>

Walker became a leader of [[conservatives]] nationwide when he supported and then signed into law a repeal of most of the [[collective bargaining]] privileges of most government workers.<ref name="Bio">[http://www.biography.com/people/scott-walker-20941829 Scott Walker]. ''Biography.com''. Retrieved October 20, 2016.</ref> While liberals and [[labor unions]] strong opposed this move, Walker became the first governor to survive a recall election in 2012.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/05/polls-close-in-wisconsin-voter-turnout-reported-heavy.html Wisconsin's Walker survives recall by wide margin]. ''Fox News''. June 6, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref> The GOP continued to make major gains, including in the 2016 elections,<ref name="Build">Bauer, Scott (November 9, 2016). [http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article113209848.html Republicans build majorities in Legislature]. ''The Charlotte Observer'' (from ''AP''). Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref> when [[Donald Trump]] became the first Republican since 1984 to win the state, among other GOP victories.<ref>Kueppers, Courtney (November 8, 2016). [http://www.wpr.org/trump-becomes-1st-republican-presidential-candidate-1984-win-wisconsin Trump Becomes First Republican Presidential Candidate Since 1984 To Win Wisconsin]. ''Wisconsin Public Radio''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref>

Walker and the other conservative Republicans made major changes in other areas, including abortion, [[gun rights]], and fiscal conservatism. Walker lost re election in 2018 to Democrat Tony Evers.

==Economy==
Southwestern Wisconsin is now a less heavily populated agricultural region even though for a while it was the economic center of the state. The Southeast, which includes Milwaukee and the suburban corridor running south to Chicago, is now the most populous section of the state.

Wisconsin is well known for its dairy industry and is a top producer of [[cheese]] in the US.

==Elected Officials==
As of 2017.

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Ron Johnson]] (R)
*Sen. [[Tammy Baldwin]] (D)
*Rep. [[Bryan Steil]] [R, WI-01]
*Rep. [[Mark Pocan]] [D, WI-02]
*Rep. [[Ron Kind]] [D, WI-03]
*Rep. [[Gwen Moore]] [D, WI-04]
*Rep. [[Jim Sensenbrenner]] [R, WI-05]
*Rep. [[Glenn Grothman]] [R, WI-06]
*Rep. [[Sean Duffy]] [R, WI-07]
*Rep. [[Mike Gallagher]] [R, WI-08]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Tony Evers]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Mandela Barnes]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Josh Kaull]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Doug La Follette]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Sarah Godlewski]] (D)

===Legislature===

Wisconsin's legislative branch consists of a senate and an assembly.

In February 2011, 14 Democrat senators left the state to boycott a controversial Senate vote.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116381289.html</ref> See [[Wisconsin budget controversy]].

==Sports in Wisconsin==

[[Milwaukee]] is home to three professional sports teams. The [[Milwaukee Brewers|Brewers]] (baseball), the [[Milwaukee Bucks|Bucks]] (basketball), and the Admirals (hockey). Wisconsin is also home to the [[Green Bay Packers]] football team which has largest following, in the smallest city, of any professional sports team. Wisconsin is also home to various college sports programs, most notably the Wisconsin Badgers and the Marquette Golden Eagles.

== Abortion in Wisconsin ==

Wisconsin has the 8th lowest [[abortion rankings|abortion rate]] in the United States, and it has declined to a record low since 1974, the first year after ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'':<ref>Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (Apr. 9, 2007)
https://www.lifenews.com/state2218.html</ref>

:There were 9,580 [[abortion]]s done in the state in 2006, down from 9,817 in 2005. This is the third year in a row that abortions in the Midwestern state have decreased and the number is the lowest since 1974.

:"Wisconsin Right to Life is ecstatic that Wisconsin abortion numbers continue to decline," Barbara Lyons, the group's director, told LifeNews.com in a statement.

:"In addition, the abortion rate (which represents the number of abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age) remains at 8, which is one of the lowest abortion rates in the nation," Lyons added. The national abortion rate is about 15 per 1,000 women.

:In the statement, Wisconsin Right to Life<ref>http://www.wisconsinrighttolife.org</ref> suggests that the abortions are on the decline because of its work and pro-life legislation the state has enacted and polls showing that younger Americans are more pro-life than previous generations. ...

:There are 14 abortions per 100 life births in Wisconsin, lower than the 24 per 100 live births nationwide.

:In 2006, there were 596 abortions on minors. Written consent (usually by a parent) was provided in 530 of these; the patient was an emancipated minor in 24; and a court granted a petition to waive the parental consent requirement in 42. There were no teens who got abortions after being victimized by sexual assault. ...

:Some 85 percent of the abortions were surgical and 15 percent involved abortion drugs, an increase of one percent over 2005.

===Pro-life legislation===
In 2011, conservative governor [[Scott Walker]] signed the Wisconsin state budget into law, which defunded [[Planned Parenthood]], making Wisconsin the fourth state to defund the illegal program.<ref>Zagorski, Sarah (August 24, 2015). [https://www.lifenews.com/2015/08/24/scott-walker-pushes-bill-to-de-fund-planned-parenthood-after-it-sells-aborted-baby-parts/ Scott Walker Pushes Bill to De-Fund Planned Parenthood After It Sells Aborted Baby Parts]. ''LifeNews.com''. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref> Walker also signed other [[pro-life]] bills into law,<ref>[http://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-outlines-abortion-gay-marriage-positions-in-letter-b99375704z1-279975922.html Scott Walker outlines abortion, gay marriage positions in letter]. ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' (from ''AP''). October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref> including one banning abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy.<ref>Stein, Jason (July 20, 2015). [http://archive.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-signs-bill-banning-abortions-after-20-weeks-b99540949z1-317539131.html Scott Walker signs 20-week abortion ban, trooper pay raise]. ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''. Retrieved October 21, 2016.</ref>

==Bibliography==
===Surveys===
* Campbell, Henry C. ''Wisconsin in Three Centuries, 1684-1905'' (4 vols., 1906), highly detailed popular history
* James K. Conant. ''Wisconsin Politics And Government: America's Laboratory of Democracy'' (2006)
* Richard Current, ''Wisconsin: A History'' (2001)
* Larry Gara; ''A Short History of Wisconsin'' 1962
* Holmes, Fred L. ''Wisconsin'' (5 vols., Chicago, 1946), detailed popular history with many biographies
* Robert C. Nesbit, ''Wisconsin: A History'' (rev. ed. 1989)
* Quaife, Milo M. ''Wisconsin, Its History and Its People, 1634-1924'' (4 vols., 1924), detailed popular history & biographies
* Raney, William Francis. ''Wisconsin: A Story of Progress'' (1940),
* A. H. Robinson and J. B. Culver, ed., ''The Atlas of Wisconsin'' (1974)
* I. Vogeler, ''Wisconsin: A Geography'' (1986);
* WPA, ''Wisconsin: A Guide to the Badger State'' 1941; detailed guide to every town and city, and cultural history

===Detailed scholarly studies===
* Anderson, Theodore A. ''A Century of Banking in Wisconsin'' (1954)
* Braun, John A ''Together in Christ: A history of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod'' (2000), 55 pp
* Buenker, John D. ''The History of Wisconsin. Volume IV The Progressive Era, 1893-1914'' (1998), highly detailed history
* Brøndal, Jørn. ''Ethnic Leadership and Midwestern Politics: Scandinavian Americans and the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin, 1890-1914.'' University of Illinois Press, 2004 ISBN 0-87732-095-0.
* Bungert, Heike, Cora Lee Kluge, and Robert Ostergren, eds. ''Wisconsin: German Land and Life.'' (Madison: Max Kade Institute, 2006. 260 pp. isbn 0-92411-926-8.)
* Butts, Porter. ''Art in Wisconsin'' ( Madison, 1936).
* Clark, James I. ''Education in Wisconsin'' (1958).
* Cochran, Thomas C. ''The Pabst Brewing Company'' (1948), the best history of any brewery
* Mike Corenthal. ''Illustrated History of Wisconsin Music 1840-1990: 150 Years'' (1991)
* Richard Nelson Current. ''History of Wisconsin: The Civil War Era, 1848-1873'' (1976) standard state history
* Curti, Merle and Carstensen, Vernon. ''The University of Wisconsin: A History'' (2 vols., 1949)
* Curti, Merle. ''The Making of an American Community A Case Study of Democracy in a Frontier County'' (1969), in-depth quantitative social history
* Fries, Robert F. ''Empire in Pine: The Story of Lumbering in Wisconsin, 1830-1900'' (1951).
* Paul Geib; "From Mississippi to Milwaukee: A Case Study of the Southern Black Migration to Milwaukee, 1940-1970" ''The Journal of Negro History'', Vol. 83, 1998
* Glad, Paul W. ''The History of Wisconsin, Volume 5: War, a New Era and Depression, 1914-1940'', standard state history
* Haney, Richard C. ''A History of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since World War II''
* Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971)
* Lampard, Eric E. ''The Rise of the Dairy Industry in Wisconsin'' (1962).
* McBride, Genevieve G. ''On Wisconsin Women: Working for Their Rights from Settlement to Suffrage''
* [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=96272178 Herbert F. Margulies; ''The Decline of the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin, 1890-1920'' (1968)]
* Merrill, Horace S. ''William Freeman Vilas: Doctrinaire Democrat'' (1954) Democratic leader in 1880s and 1890s
* Olson, Frederick I. ''Milwaukee: At the Gathering of the Waters''
*[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.HistAgSchaf ''A History of Agriculture in Wisconsin''], by Schafer, Joseph (1922)
* Schafer, Joseph. "The Yankee and Teuton in Wisconsin", ''Wisconsin Magazine of History,'' Vol. 6, No. 2, Dec. 1922, pp. 125–145, compares Yankee and German settlers
* Still, Bayrd. ''Milwaukee, the History of a City'' 1948 [http://www.questia.com/library/book/milwaukee-the-history-of-a-city-by-bayrd-still.jsp online edition]
* Thelen, David. ''Robert M. LaFollette and the Insurgent Spirit'' 1976.
* Unger, Nancy C. ''Fighting Bob LaFollette: The Righteous Reformer'' (2000)

===Primary sources===
*[http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/WIReader/Contents.html Wisconsin Electronic Reader] full text of many primary source books
* ''The Badger State: A documentary history of Wisconsin'' (1979)
*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=750 La Follette's Autobiography, a personal narrative of political experiences, 1913]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wisconsin.gov/Pages/home.aspx Official State of Wisconsin website]
*[https://www.britannica.com/place/Wisconsin Profile] at ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
*[http://www.encyclopedia.com/places/united-states-and-canada/us-political-geography/wisconsin Profile] at ''Encyclopedia.com''

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

West Virginia

2019-01-19T02:00:53Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=West Virginia
|flag=West_Virginia_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Montani semper liberi" (Mountaineers are always free)
|nick=The Mountain State
|capital=Charleston
|language=English
|governor=Jim Justice
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Joe Manchin
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-3954
|s2email=http://manchin.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm Contact
|senator1=Shelley Moore Capito
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-6472
|s1email=https://www.capito.senate.gov/contact/contact-shelley Contact
|population=
|date=June 20, 1863 (35th)
}}
[[Image:West-virginia.gif|right|thumb|Map of West Virginia]]
'''West Virginia''' became the thirty-fifth state on June 20, 1863, after separating from [[Virginia]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Its official nickname is "The Mountain State," which is apt considering that West Virginia has the highest mean elevation of any state east of the [[Mississippi River]]. West Virginians commonly refer to themselves as Mountaineers. The team name of the state's flagship university—West Virginia University—is also the Mountaineers. "Montani semper liberi," the state's slogan, translates to "Mountaineers are always free."

The state Constitution of West Virginia, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia, in and through the provisions of this Constitution, reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God and seek diligently to promote, preserve and perpetuate good government in the state of West Virginia for the common welfare, freedom and security of ourselves and our posterity.''

==Founding==

West Virginia was granted statehood during the [[American Civil War]]. The Commonwealth of [[Virginia]], which had since colonial times included the counties that now comprise West Virginia, voted to secede from the Union; however, the counties in western Virginia were more sympathetic to the Union. To avoid seceding from the Union, these counties seceded from Virginia in 1861 in order remain part of the United States. President Lincoln granted the counties of Western Virginia formal statehood in 1863.

==State Facts==

West Virginia is comprised of 55 counties lying between the Ohio River on the west and the high Allegheny ridges of the Appalachian Mountains on the East. The northern border is formed by the North Branch Potomac River, the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, and the Ohio River. Its odd shape and long panhandles are the result of irregular borders with other states that follow rivers and ridges. A Mountaineer once quipped, "It is a pretty good state for the shape it's in."

The population is 1,844,128 as of July 2015.<ref name="census">[http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/54,00 West Virginia]. ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved October 2, 2016.</ref>

The State Flower is the Rhododendron; the State Tree is the Sugar [[Maple]]; the State Bird is the [[Cardinal]]; and the State Animal is the Black [[Bear]].

Tourism brochures, driver's licenses, license plates, and road signs describe West Virginia with the slogan "Wild and Wonderful." John Denver's hit song 'Country Roads' has helped make West Virginia a symbol of Appalachian life throughout the world.

The capital city, [[Charleston]], has a population of 49,736 as of July 2015<ref>[http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/5414600,54,00 Charleston city, West Virginia]. ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved October 2, 2016.</ref> and is located on the Kanawha River in the south-central region of the state known as "Metro Valley." In addition to Charleston, there are nine other metropolitan areas in West Virginia (some include parts of bordering states):

* Cumberland, MD-WV
* Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
* Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
* Morgantown, WV
* Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH
* Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
* Wheeling, WV-OH
* Winchester, VA-WV

The highest elevation in West Virginia is Spruce Knob in Pendleton County at 4,862 feet.

The state has been the birthplace of many notable men and woman, including [[Pearl S. Buck]], General [[Thomas J. Jackson|Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson]], General [[Charles Yeager|Chuck Yeager]], John Henry, Don Knotts, and Senator [[Robert Byrd]].

==Physical Geography==

West Virginia is about 80% forested and supports a strong [[logging|timber industry]]. It is also one of the leading [[coal]] producing states, in past decades often rotating with [[Kentucky]] as the number one coal producer. [[Wyoming]] has recently surpassed both states as the #1 coal producer. West Virginia is also a productive agricultural state, and was a leader in steel and chemical production in the early and mid 20th century.

Because of the state's rugged terrain and vast wildlands, it has become an international attraction for campers, fisherman, hunters, spelunkers, whitewater rafters, hang gliders, and hikers.

==Politics==

From 1928 through 1996, West Virginia usually voted for Democrat presidential candidate when a new president was being elected, but the state did help reelect [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in 1956 and [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1984. Since 2000, it has voted for the Republican presidential nominee.

From its founding in 1863 until 1870, the Republican Party dominated West Virginia. From 1871 until 1896, the Democrats dominated, and then again from 1896 until about 1932, the GOP dominated. After that, West Virginia became a solidly Democrat-controlled state. Much of the allegiance to the Democrats in West Virginia stems from labor disputes in which Democrat candidates sided with the coal miners unions during the [[Great Depression]]. However, since 2000, there has been a slow but strong shift to the GOP in West Virginia politics, starting on the presidential level, and slowly shifting to the federal level and then the state level. The 2014 election clearly demonstrated this shift, as the GOP made large gains, winning a U.S. Senate seat, the entire Congressional delegation to the U.S. House for the first time since 1921, and winning majorities in both houses in the state legislature.<ref>Willis, Derek (November 24, 2014). [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/upshot/election-was-rough-for-democrats-it-was-worse-for-west-virginia-democrats.html?_r=2&abt=0002&abg=1 Election Was Rough for Democrats. It Was Worse for West Virginia Democrats.] ''The New York Times''. Retrieved September 17, 2016.</ref> In the 2016 elections, the GOP held all of its previous gains and made new ones in the State Senate and took three statewide offices.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article113238573.html The Latest: GOP maintains majority in West Virginia Senate]. ''Miami Herald'' (from ''AP''). November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref><ref>McElhinny, Brad (November 9, 2016). [http://wvmetronews.com/2016/11/09/w-va-republicans-celebrate-trump-win-and-gop-gains/ W.Va. Republicans celebrate Trump win and GOP gains]. ''wvmetronews.com''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref>

The Republican-controlled legislature has made several business-friendly and [[small government]] reforms, including making the election of judges nonpartisian,<ref>[http://www.statejournal.com/story/29265365/nonpartisan-election-of-judges-law-in-west-virginia Nonpartisan election of judges becomes law in WV]. ''The State Journal''. June 8, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2016.</ref> banning abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy,<ref>Eyre, Eric & Nuzum, Lydia (March 6, 2015). [http://www.wvgazettemail.com/article/20150306/GZ01/150309374/1101 20-week abortion ban to become W.Va. law; Senate overrides Tomblin veto]. ''Charleston Gazette-Mail''. Retrieved September 18, 2016.</ref> legalizing [[concealed carry]] without need for a permit,<ref>Gutowski, Stephen (March 8, 2016). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/08/west-virginia-legalizes-concealed-carry-without-permit.html West Virginia legalizes concealed carry without a permit]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved September 18, 2016.</ref> repealing the state's [[prevailing wage]] law,<ref>[http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/West-Virginia-lawmakers-OK-bill-to-eliminate-prevailing-wage-367689401.html UPDATE: Lawmakers override Tomblin prevailing wage veto]. ''WSAZ'' (from ''AP''). February 12, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.</ref> and enacting a [[Right to Work]] law.<ref>Horowitz, Carl (February 26, 2016). [http://nlpc.org/2016/02/26/west-virginia-enacts-right-work-law-over-governors-veto/ West Virginia Enacts Right to Work Law over Governor’s Veto]. ''National Legal and Policy Center''. Retrieved September 18, 2016.</ref><ref>Mattise, Jonathan - AP (July 1, 2016). [http://loganbanner.com/news/7927/cigarette-tax-hike-other-west-virginia-laws-taking-effect Cigarette tax hike, other West Virginia laws taking effect]. ''The Logan Banner''. Retrieved September 18, 2016.</ref> The latter four bills were enacted over the Democrat governor's veto.

West Virginians are generally very conservative in such issues as gun control, abortion, and same-sex marriage. When the Democratic Party was dominant, their elected officials were slightly more conservative than the national party.

==Elected Officials==
As of 2018.

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Joe Manchin]] (D)
*Sen. [[Shelley Moore Capito]] (R)
*Rep. [[David McKinley]] [R, WV-01]
*Rep. [[Alex Mooney]] [R, WV-02]
*Rep. [[Carol Miller]] [R, WV-03]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Jim Justice]] (R)
*Lieutenant Governor [[Mitch Carmichael]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Mac Warner]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Patrick Morrisey]] (R)
*Auditor [[J.B. McCuskey]] (R)
*Treasurer [[John Perdue]] (D)
*Agricultural Commissioner [[Kent Leonhardt]] (R)

==Economy==
===Coal===
Since the 1880s, bituminous soft coal mining has been the dominant industry. Since 1901 the United Mine Workers union has been a major presence.

Today, West Virginia is the second largest coal-producing state in the country behind Wyoming and accounts for about 15% of the nation's coal output. Coal generates a payroll of nearly $2 billion per year, and accounts for more than $3.5 billion annually in the gross state product. Most of the coal is burned in power plants to produce electricity, and some is used in the chemical industry.

West Virginia leads the nation in underground coal production, and is in first place in coal exports, with over 50 million tons shipped to 23 countries. The state accounts for half of American coal exports.

The coal industry provides 40,000 direct jobs in the state, including miners, mine contractors, coal preparation plant employees and mine supply company workers. Thousands more work in coal transportation inside and outside the state.

The state's Coal Severance Tax pays about $214 million a year to the state treasury; the mine owners pay an additional $70 million in property taxes annually.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Virginia

2019-01-19T01:54:01Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Virginia
|flag=11121.gif
|motto="Sic Semper Tyrannis" (Thus Always to Tyrants)
|nick=The Old Dominion State
|capital=Richmond
|language=English
|governor=Ralph Northam
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Mark Warner
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-2023
|s2email=http://warner.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Contact
|senator1=Tim Kaine
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-4024
|s1email=http://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact Contact
|population=
|date=June 25, 1788 (10th)
}}

'''Virginia''' (Officially '''''The Commonwealth of Virginia''''') is one of the fifty [[United States]]. Named in honor of [[Queen Elizabeth I]] of [[England]], Virginia was also nicknamed the ''Old Dominion'' by King Charles II because it remained loyal to the crown during the [[English Civil War]] and throughout [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s years. Virginia was the first colony in [[Colonial America]] in the 1600s and was a leader in the [[American Revolution]].

The state Constitution of Virginia, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. As a part of the ''Virginia Bill of Rights'', it says:
:''That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.''

==Politics==
In partisan terms, the two parties compete furiously for the legislature and the governorship. In presidential elections Virginia was reliably Republican from 1968 until 2004, but in 2008 Obama won, thanks to the growing liberal strength in the Washington suburbs.

[[File:Va-gov.jpg|thumb|330px]]

The 2009 election for governor was a referendum on the Obama administration. Republican [[Bob McDonnell]], Virginia's former attorney general, defeated Democrat State Senator [[Creigh Deeds]]. Since 1977, the political party that has won the presidency has, in every case, lost the Virginia governorship in the next election.

McDonnell explained that, "The business community was the first to recoil" from policies such as "card check"—legislation to allow union organization by signing cards instead of by a secret ballot—and cap-and-trade environmental policies. "But health care now dwarfs previous concerns -- handing over the best medical system in the world to the federal government. It affects everyone." Conservatives, he contends, are more activated than at any time since 1993. A young McDonnell campaign worker exuded confidence, boasting, "We have the enthusiasm Obama's people had last time."<ref>Michael Gerson, "A Virginia Model For a GOP Comeback?" [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082703256.html?hpid=opinionsbox1 '"Washington Post'' Aug. 28, 2009]</ref>

The Virginia Senate has 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans. The House of Delegates, however, consists of 59 Republicans, 39 Democrats, and two Independents who caucus with Republicans.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Tim Kaine]] (D)
*Sen. [[Mark Warner]] (D)
*Rep. [[Robert Wittman]] [R, VA-01]
*Rep. [[Elaine Luria]] [D, VA-02]
*Rep. [[Robert Scott]] [D, VA-03]
*Rep. [[Donald McEachin]] [D, VA-04]
*Rep. [[Denver Riggleman]] [R, VA-05]
*Rep. [[Ben Cline]] [R, VA-06]
*Rep. [[Abigail Spanberger]] [D, VA-07]
*Rep. [[Don Beyer]] [D, VA-08]
*Rep. [[Morgan Griffith]] [R, VA-09]
*Rep. [[Jennifer Wexton]] [D, VA-10]
*Rep. [[Gerry Connolly]] [D, VA-11]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Ralph Northam]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Justin Fairfax]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Mark Herring]] (D)

==Geological Regions of Virginia==
Virginia is commonly divided into five geological regions, Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge and the Appalachia Plateau. There are no formal lines marking these regions and any political boundaries, such as county or city boundaries are coincidental. However, these regions have identifiable geology which differentiates them.

===Fall Line===
The ''Fall Line'' is so named because it marks a line where many waterfalls occur in Virginia Rivers. Below the Fall Line most rivers, such as the James and Potomac and Rappahannok, are broad, deep and gentle, but above the Fall Line the rivers are rockier and swifter. Below the Fall Line rivers are navigable by ocean-going vessels. Above the Fall Line canoes and flat boats are the only means to navigate most rivers.

Because of this the C&O Canal (Chesapeake and Ohio Canal) was constructed above the Fall Line. The goal was to unite the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River system the way the Erie Canal had opened up the Great Lakes below Niagara. Many important Virginia cities such as Alexandria, Richmond and Petersburg are just below the Fall Line.

===Tidewater===
The Tidewater or "Coastal Plain" of Virginia is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the ''Fall Line''.

The Tidewater Region was the first region of Virginia to be settled by Europeans, and is home to many of the oldest English settlements in North America, such as [[Jamestown]]. The dominant geographical feature of the region is the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Rivers in the region rise and fall with the tides because they flow into the Chesapeake or other salt-water bays. Major ports such as [[Norfolk]] or Newport News are found in the region as are historical port cities such as the tobacco ports of Alexandria and Yorktown are found on the Coastal Plain. The British surrender at Yorktown was considered a tipping point in the [[Revolutionary War]].

====Eastern Shore====
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is that part of Virginia situated on the Delmarva Peninsula between the [[Chesapeake Bay]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The region is fairly undeveloped due to the remoteness imposed by the bay and ocean, but many fishers, farmers and chicken farms are found here. These region is geographically part of the Tidewater region and its connected to the mainland by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.<ref>http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554210/Delmarva_Peninsula.html</ref>

===Piedmont===
Above the Fall Line are the foothills of the Appalachian and the region whose name means "foot mountain". The Piedmont is rockier and higher than the coastal plain of the Tidewater. The Piedmont was settled by English pioneers in the earliest days of colonial America and later by African slaves who worked the plantations of the region. Tobacco and corn are still an important part of the Piedmont economy. Scenic and historic cities such as Charlottesville and Lynchburg are two important Piedmont cities. The famed Appomattox courthouse is in the Piedmont.

===Blue Ridge===
The Blue Ridge is a range of mountains rise up above the Piedmont and mark the point where the Appalachian Mountains rise up above the Piedmont. The [[Shenandoah National Park]] and the Skyline Drive are Blue Ridge tourist destinations. Apples orchards are common in this region, but the industry is not as vibrant as it was historically. [http://www.whitehousefoods.com/ White House Foods], a major apple juicer and product packager, draws many of its apples from this region. Cities are uncommon, perhaps unknown in this region, but "mountain people" inhabited much of the highlands before they were converted to parks. Mountain people, sometimes called ''hillbillies, rednecks, or or other liberal slurs for reverse discrimination'', had a unique culture devoted to life in the highland.<ref>Memories of a Lewis Mountain Man by John W. Stoneberger published by Potomac Appalachian Trail Club</ref><ref>http://www.patc.net/store/PC320.htm</ref>

===Valley and Ridge===
Beyond the Blue Ridge is the ''Valley and Ridge Region''. Perhaps the most famous part of the Valley and Ridge Region west of the Blue Ridge is the Shenandoah Valley. Stonewall Jackson's Valley campaign was fought throughout this region. Cities in this region developed in proximity to the early railroad system, and this figured into the strategy of the [[American Civil War|War Between the States]]. Manassas, Harrisonburg and Roanoke are important cities in this region.

===Appalachian Plateau===
The southwest corner of Virginia between [[West Virginia]], [[Kentucky]], and [[Tennessee]] makes up Virginia's Appalachian Plateau. The region is similar geographically to West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky with rugged terrain not well-suited to the development of large cities like the westernmost metropolitan area, Roanoke, though some parts of the region, such as the Grundy area, have major educational facilities which attracts many out of state residents (i.e., the Appalachian School of Law). The [[Coal]] industry is an important industry and way of life in this part of Virginia. Also, this region is one of the leading producers of natural gas due to large methane deposits found within deep (underground) mines. The region is also known for its national parks (i.e. the Breaks Interstate Park, which is on the VA/KY border.)

==Regions, Counties and Cities==
Virginia has evolved into several different cultural regions which have very divergent economic interests, lifestyle goals and ways of life. Northern Virginia is one of the wealthiest, best educated and most developed parts of the United States and thus the entire world. Traffic congestion is a common problem and the [[Metrorail|Metro]] ([[subway]] system) aids commuters into and out of Washington D.C., [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]] and Alexandria. High technology industries and U.S. government jobs are leading employers in this region. Southwestern Virginia is mountainous with coal mining and few other industries. The Virginia Beach/Norfolk Region is home to several major military installations and [[ship]]-building foundries. Central Virginia is dominated by mid-sized cities with disproportionate political strength such as [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]. The [[Chesapeake Bay]] separates the Eastern Shore of Virgina from the rest of Virgina. The Eastern Shore is the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and is sparsely populated, flat, and sandy.

Virginia is organized into a system of [[county|counties]] and [[independent city|independent cities]]. Towns are incorporated in counties, and towns have the power to levy taxes in addition to those imposed by the county. Arlington is organized as a county, but it is completely urbanized, and there are [[unincorporated area|no towns]] in the county limits, so for all practical purposes, Arlington is a city.

===Cities & Towns===
* Alexandria
* Abingdon
* Bedford
* Bridgewater
* Chesapeake
* Danville
* Fairfax City
* Falls Church
* Fredericksburg
* Galax
* Grundy
* Hampton
* Hampton Roads Region
* Lebanon
* Lynchburg
* Manassas
* Norfolk
* Petersburg
* Richmond
* Roanoke
* Staunton
* Tangiers Island
* Virginia Beach
* Williamsburg
* Winchester

===Counties===
*Accomack
*Albemarle
*Alleghany
*Amelia
*Amherst
*Appomattox
*Arlington
*Augusta
*Bath
*Bedford
*Bland
*Botetourt
*Brunswick
*Buchanan
*Buckingham
*Campbell
*Caroline
*Carroll
*Charles City
*Charlotte
*Chesterfield
*Clarke
*Craig
*Culpeper
*Cumberland
*Dickenson
*Dinwiddie
*Essex
*Fairfax
*Fauquier
*Floyd
*Fluvanna
*Franklin
*Frederick
*Giles
*Gloucester
*Goochland
*Grayson
*Greene
*Greensville
*Halifax
*Hanover
*Henrico
*Henry
*Highland
*Isle of Wight
*James City
*King and Queen
*King George
*King William
*Lancaster
*Lee
*Loudoun
*Louisa
*Lunenburg
*Madison
*Mathews
*Mecklenburg
*Middlesex
*Montgomery
*Nelson
*New Kent
*Northampton
*Northumberland
*Nottoway
*Orange
*Page
*Patrick
*Pittsylvania
*Powhatan
*Prince Edward
*Prince George
*Prince William
*Pulaski
*Rappahannock
*Richmond
*Roanoke
*Rockbridge
*Rockingham
*Russell
*Scott
*Shenandoah
*Smyth
*Southampton
*Spotsylvania
*Stafford
*Surry
*Sussex
*Tazewell
*Warren
*Washington
*Westmoreland
*Wise
*Wythe
*York

<nowiki>*Information obtained from VA state site.</nowiki>

==Flag, Seal and Official Symbols & Emblems==
The unofficial motto and tourist marketing slogan of the Commonwealth is ''Virginia is for Lovers'' but the official State Motto is ''Sic Semper Tyrannis'', a Latin phrase meaning "Thus Always to Tyrants".<ref>http://www.state.va.us/cmsportal2/facts_and_history_4096/facts_4104/trivia_facts.html</ref>

The front of the Great Seal of Virginia (called the obverse) features the Roman goddess Virtus standing over a defeated opponent. Virtus wears a blue tunic exposing her left breast. One arm rests on a spear, the other carries a sheathed sword. This goddess stands in a triumphant victor's with one foot on the chest of a fallen tyrant, whose crown lies at Virtus' feet. ''Sic Semper Tyrannis'' arches at the bottom the image and "Virginia" symmetrically arches above Virtus.<ref>http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/seals/va_seal.htm</ref> The reverse (or back side) of the Seal features the Latin word ''Perseverando'' (Persevering) and a depiction of three robed Roman goddesses figures who represent Libertas, Ceres and Aeternitas. Ceres the goddess of agriculture holds a horn of plenty with other symbols of agricultural bounty. In the center of the reverse, Libertas, the goddess of liberty, holds a wand at the top of the wand hangs a Phrygian Cap, also known as a [[Liberty Cap]]. To the right of Libertas is Aeternitas or "Eternity" holding an orb representing Virginia's authority.
<ref>http://legis.state.va.us/cap_class/4-5/4_5_emb_symb.html#Emblems</ref>

Virginia's flag features the Great Seal of the Commonwealth on white center over a field of royal blue. Many web images depict a light blue flag, but the actual flag is a rich purplish blue. The General Assembly adopted an official flag salute in 1954:

::''I salute the flag of Virginia, with reverence and patriotic devotion to the ‘Mother of States and Statesmen,’ which it represents—the ‘Old Dominion,’ where liberty and independence were born.''<ref>http://legis.state.va.us/cap_class/4-5/4_5_emb_symb.html#Emblems</ref>

The cardinal and the dogwood petal are among Virginia's most well-known emblems, but Virginia's has many emblems:

* State Bat: Virginia Big Eared [[Bat]] (an endangered species)
* State Beverage: [[Milk]]
* State Bird: Northern [[cardinal]]
* State Boat: Chesapeake Bay Deadrise
* State Dog: American Foxhound
* State Dance: Square Dance (Virginia Reel)
* State Fish: Brook [[Trout]]
* State Flower (and tree): American Dogwood
* State Fossil: Chesapeten Jeffersonius
* State Insect: Tiger Swallowtail [[Butterfly]]
* State Shell: Oyster Shell <ref>http://legis.state.va.us/cap_class/4-5/4_5_emb_symb.html#Emblems</ref>

==Transportation==
Virginia is well served by the [[Interstate Highway System]] including at least two of the busiest highways on the Eastern Coast of the US, I-81 and I-95. Interstate 81, which moves through the city of Bristol, TN/VA is popular with tractor-trailers and some travelers, while 95 is a popular tourist highway. The famed [[Beltway]] (I-495) surrounds Washington DC by looping through Northern Virginia. Richmond is served by I-95 and a beltway looping off I-64. Rail lines are not as busy as they were historically, but important coal lines still make their way through the Valley and Ridge Region of Virginia. [[Amtrak]] lines Richmond and Alexandria to the cities in the Eastern US. Dulles International is one of the busiest airports in the US and the Northern Virginia area is also served by Ronald Reagan National Airport. Norfolk Virginia is one of the largest ports on the East Coast. The Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal Virginia is linked by rail line to Norfolk.

==History==
See [[History of Virginia]]

The '''History of Virginia''' began with the settlement of the geographic region now known as the Commonwealth of Virginia in the U.S. thousands of years ago by Native Americans. Permanent European settlement began with English settlers at Jamestown in 1607. Tobacco emerged as a profitable export crop, and the Virginia Colony became the richest and largest British colonies in North America. The year 2007 marked the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown.

As one of the original 13 United States which won their independence from Great Britain during the [[American Revolution]], Virginia produced more national leaders than any state, including four of the first five presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe). The new state gave up its western lands to form Kentucky and Ohio. During the first half of the 19th century, Virginia grew less rapidly than industrial states to the north, or cotton states to the south. The state exported young people and slaves to form plantations and farms to the west and south.

Virginia was a slave state but refused to join the cotton states in the new Confederacy until Lincoln called for troops to invade the Confederacy. Then it seceded and Richmond became the new Confederate capital. After many decades of sectional hostility in 1861 West Virginia broke away as a separate state and joined the Union.

With the Yankees intent on capturing Richmond, Virginia became the main battlefield of the war, which it lost in 1865 as its greatest general, Robert E. Lee, surrendered.

Reconstruction brought the liberation of the state's slaves, and proved less contentious than elsewhere in the South. Virginia was poor after 1865, though the new popularity of cigarettes boosted its tobacco industry. After 1940, prosperity returned. [[World War II]] gave the state a major naval and industrial economic base. Desegregation of schools and the integration of African Americans in many other aspects of the society were major issues from the 1950s to the 1970s and the changes did not come without considerable efforts. However, in 1989 [[Douglas Wilder]] became the first elected black governor anywhere in the country. By the 1980s the suburban fringes of Washington D.C. known as Northern Virginia saw the greatest growth and prosperity, a trend which was also seen in the [[Hampton Roads]] region.

Politically, the state was a stronghold of conservative Democrats for most of the 20th century, with a new strength shown by conservative Republicans in the final decade. In the early 21st century, funding for transportation needs emerged as the most controversial single issue.

In partisan terms, the two parties compete furiously for the legislature and the governorship. In presidential elections Virginia was reliably Republican from 1968 until 2004, but in 2008 Obama won, thanks to the growing liberal strength in the Washington suburbs.

===Mother of Presidents===
Virginia is often called the ''Mother of Presidents'' or ''Birthplace of Presidents'' because eight U.S. Presidents have been born in there. Four of the first five presidents, [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and [[James Monroe]], were Virginians. The remaining Presidents from Virginia are [[William Henry Harrison]], [[John Tyler]], [[Zachary Taylor]], and [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Many of their Virginia homes such as Jefferson's [[Monticello]] and Washington's Mount Vernon are popular tourist destinations.<ref>http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureID=94</ref>

Virginia is perhaps the only state in the U.S. to have been the birthplace of four presidents of a foreign nation, Liberian presidents Joseph Jenkins Roberts, James Spriggs Payne, Anthony W. Gardiner, and Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas.<ref>http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sam-houston-born</ref>

==See also==
*[[State Governors]]

==References==
[http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal3/ Governor website]
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Virginia| ]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Purple States]]

Utah

2019-01-19T01:48:36Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Utah
|flag=Utah_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Industry"
|nick=The Beehive State
|capital=Salt Lake City
|language=English
|governor=Gary Herbert
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Mike Lee
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-5444
|s2email=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/Lee_Mike.htm Contact
|senator1=Orrin Hatch
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5251
|s1email=http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact Contact
|population=
|date=January 4, 1896 (45th)
}}

'''Utah''', known as the ''Beehive State'', is the forty-fifth state to enter into the union, achieving statehood on Jan. 4, 1896. Approximately 62% of Utah's residents are members of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] ([[Mormons]]), although this number is on the wane.
<ref>http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596</ref>

The state's capital and largest city is [[Salt Lake City]]. The [[Great Salt Lake]], located in northern Utah, is the largest saltwater lake in the Western hemisphere.<ref>http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake.htm</ref>

The state bird is the California Seagull. The state insect is the European Honey Bee.

The state Constitution of Utah, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we, the people of Utah, in order to secure and perpetuate the principles of free government, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION.''

==History==

The first permanent European settlement of Utah came in 1847 when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, led by [[Brigham Young]], settled there, which ended their long westward trek to escape persecution. Peace would prove illusory, as relations with [[Native American]]s and white non-Mormons would turn sour. The infamous [[Mountain Meadows Massacre]] of 1857 led to over 100 deaths.<ref>[http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1c234dc029133110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&locale=0 The Mountain Meadows Massacre]</ref><ref>http://www.cesnur.org/testi/morm_01.htm</ref> Utah was admitted into the Union in 1896, after the Church banned [[polygamy]] on the basis that a new revelation from God had commanded this.

==Politics==
[[File:Great Salt Lake ISS 2003.jpg|thumb|right|Great Salt Lake]]
Utah is among the reddest of red states, having elected [[President Bush]] by some of the highest margins of any state in both 2000 and 2004 and supporting [[John McCain]] in 2008. [[Salt Lake City]] is generally the only exception, having a mayor, Rocky Anderson, who is very liberal.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17154193/</ref> Both of the state's Senators ([[Orrin Hatch]] and [[Mike Lee]]) are [[Republican]]s, and all four of the state's Representatives are Republicans.<ref>http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=UT</ref>

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Mitt Romney]] (R)
*Sen. [[Mike Lee]] (R)
*Rep. [[Rob Bishop]] [R, UT-01]
*Rep. [[Chris Stewart]] [R, UT-02]
*Rep. [[John Curtis]] [R, UT-03]
*Rep. [[Ben McAdams]] [D, UT-04]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Gary Herbert]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Spencer Cox]] (R)

==Out of wedlock births==

Utah has the lowest rate in the nation of out of wedlock births at 18%. The highest is [[Mississippi]] with 53%.<ref>San Diego Union-Tribune Newspaper, Nov. 9th, 2008</ref>

==Notable people from Utah==

*[[Orson Scott Card]], science-fiction writer best known for the ''Ender's Game'' series, has lived in Orem.
*[[Orrin Hatch]] - Republican U.S. Senator from Utah, serving since 1977.
*[[Jon Huntsman, Jr.]], 2012 presidential candidate, current U.S. ambassador to Russia
*[[Thomas S. Monson]], President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as of 2008, was born in Salt Lake City.
*[[Ken Jennings]], who made a record 74 straight appearances on the game show ''Jeopardy'', lives in Utah.
*[[Donny Osmond]] and [[Marie Osmond]] - singers and actors; both were born in Ogden.
*[[Brigham Young]], perhaps the most important person in the history of the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints other than the founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., was part of the aforementioned settling of the state in the 1840s.
*[[Steve Young]] - Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Steve is a direct descendant of [[Brigham Young]].
*[[Mario Capecchi]] - Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "Discoveries for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells."

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.city-data.com/city/Utah.html Utah Cities] on [[City-data.com]]
==See also==
*[[Bountiful Utah Temple]]
*[[Logan Utah Temple]]
*[[Manti Utah Temple]]
*[[Monticello Utah Temple]]

{{USstates}}
[[Category:Utah]]

Texas

2019-01-19T01:47:01Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Texas
|flag=Texas_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Friendship"
|nick=The Lone Star State
|capital=Austin
|language=English
|governor=Greg Abbott
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=John Cornyn
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2934
|s2email=http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm Contact
|senator1=Ted Cruz
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5922
|s1email=http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=December 29, 1845 (28th)
}}
'''Texas''' became the 28th state to join the union on December 29, 1845. It was a territory of [[Mexico]] from 1821–1835, before [[Texas War of Independence|gaining independence]] from [[Mexico]] as the [[Republic of Texas]] from 1836–1845. This state has the largest [[conservative]] state in population, and is predicted to surpass [[California]] in population within a few decades. Texas is the second largest in population after California and has the second largest land-area after [[Alaska]]. It has the largest land-area in the continental [[United States]].

The capital of Texas is [[Austin]], and the largest city is [[Houston]]. Texas was a solidly [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] state from the end of [[Reconstruction]] in the early 1870s until the 1970s, when [[Republican Party]] started gradually taking control, until it dominated the political atmosphere of the state. Nevertheless, Democrats dominate the largest cities of Houston, [[San Antonio]], Austin, [[Dallas]], and [[El Paso]] along with the counties along the Mexican border.

Up until the 1980s Texas had a booming [[oil]] industry, starting with the Spindletop oil gusher. For many years Texas was one of the largest oil producers in the world, with the West of Texas oilfields famous around the globe. Currently, Texas is shifting from the oil industry to the service sector. It has a growing tech industry and is home to many well-known corporations such as [[Dell]], [[Texas Instruments]] and [[Hewlett Packard]]. The North Texas area also has a large concentration of defense contractors: Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, L3 Technologies, and Raytheon all have a large presence in the area.

The state Constitution of Texas, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''Humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God, the people of the State of Texas, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==History==
:{{main|History of Texas}}

Six national flags have flown over Texas. Spain, France (which had a small brief settlement), Mexico, the [[Republic of Texas]], the [[Confederate States of America]], and the [[United States of America]] have ruled Texas.<ref name="txonlinehandbook">http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online
</ref>

===Spain: 1519–1821===
Spain sent in several exploration teams, but they found no gold and gave negative reports that warned about the arid land and the hostile Indian tribes. Spanish settlers moved to [[New Mexico]] instead.

Spain opened a mission at San Antonio in 1718 along with several small missions and military outposts, primarily to keep France from expansing from its base in Louisiana. Spain began issuing permission for American settlement, but was replaced by Mexico in 1821.

===France: 1685–1690===
France was looking to expand its new colony in the Louisiana area, and French nobleman Robert de La Salle led an expedition looking for the mouth of the Mississippi river. However, he got lost and shipwrecked on the coast of Texas, and founded the colony Fort St. Louis in 1695. However, the colony was beset with many problems, including famine, disease, and attack from Native Americans. After five years, many of the inhabitants were dead, La Salle was murdered by his own crew, and the survivors had abandoned the colony.

===Mexico===
In January 1821, the Spanish authorities in Mexico City granted American [[Moses Austin]] permission to settle 300 families in Texas. After the death of Austin and after Mexico's successful revolt against Spain, the Mexican provisional government confirmed this concession to [[Stephen F. Austin]], the "Father of Texas." The younger Austin obtained contracts to settle 900 additional families, most of whom arrived by 1833. Austin's colonies formed the nucleus of the American settlements in Texas.

===Republic of Texas===
:''March 2, 1836 – December 29, 1845''
[[Image:Texas1835.jpg|thumb|550px|Texas in 1835]]

Texas leaders gathered at Washington-on-the-Brazos to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. Four days later the [[Alamo]] fell after a 13-day siege by Mexican troops led by [[Antonio López de Santa Anna|Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna]]. The massacre of all the defenders gave rise to the rallying call "Remember the Alamo". Santa Anna's Mexican troops were defeated on April 21 at the Battle of [[San Jacinto]] near present-day Houston. Mexico, however, refused to recognize the independence and when Texas joined the U.S. in 1845, the [[Mexican American War]] became inevitable.

Texas was a favorite destination of German immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s. The state grew rapidly because of cattle herds and cotton farming; there were few cities.

===Confederate States of America===
Texas joined the [[Confederate States of America]] on March 2, 1861, and remained firmly in it until March 15, 1865. The coast was blockaded, and after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863, it became almost impossible to send men, horses or cattle to the east. Texas became a backwater with little military action.

===United States of America===
:''December 29, 1845 – March 2, 1861, March 15, 1865 – present''

Texas' [[Reconstruction]] experience was similar to other rebel states. Texas was hardly damaged by the war, and attracted a large number of immigrants from the deep South after 1865, while few Europeans arrived. Cotton and cattle continued as the dominant economic base, with [[cattle drives]] used to move the cattle to railheads in Kansas and Missouri before the railroads reached Texas.

Beginning around the mid-20th century, Texas began to transform from a rural and agricultural state to one that was urban and industrialized.<ref name="TSHAsince">{{cite web | last1=Calvert | first1= Robert A. | title=Texas Since World War II | url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/npt02 | publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]] | accessdate=January 19, 2017}}</ref> The state's population grew quickly during this period, with large levels of migration from outside the state.<ref name="TSHAsince"/> As a part of the [[Sun Belt]] Texas experienced strong economic growth, particularly during the 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name="TSHAsince"/> Texas's economy diversified, lessening its reliance on the [[petroleum]] industry.<ref name="TSHAsince"/> By 1990, [[Hispanics]] overtook blacks to become the largest minority group in the state.<ref name="TSHAsince"/>

==Politics==
Texas is a mostly conservative state. It has consistently voted [[Republican]] in presidential elections since 1980, last favoring the [[Democrats]] in 1976 when [[Jimmy Carter]] won the state. In 2012 Romney received 4.56 million votes, compared to Obama's 3.31 million.<ref>http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/presidential.shtml</ref> As of 2016, the Texas Senate has 20 Republicans and 11 Democrats, and the State House consists of 99 Republicans, 50 Democrats, and one independent. Republicans also have a 25-11 edge in the federal House delegation.

Historically, Texas was a [[Democratic Party (USA)|Democratic Party]] stronghold.<ref name="TSHA">[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wap02 Political Parties - Handbook of Texas Online]. ''Texas State Historical Association''. Retrieved August 16, 2016.</ref> This was the case until the 1960s, and was especially the case in the early 20th Century.<ref name="TSHA"/> Due to the Dominance of the Democrats, the Democrat primaries were considered "the real election", during this time.<ref name="TSHA"/> In the party however, there were competing factions, and during the [[New Deal]], a conservative-liberal divide within the Democratic Party emerged.<ref name="TSHA"/> As the Democratic Party became more liberal (in a conservative state), and as different changes occurred in the state, conservative voters switched to the growing,more conservative Republican Party,<ref>Sirois, Francis (November 8, 2016). [http://www.newschannel10.com/story/33661247/history-of-texas-voters History of Texas voters]. ''KFDA''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref> until it took the Democrats place as the dominant party in Texas.<ref name="TSHA"/><ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/texas/realignment.html How Texas Became a "Red" State - Frontline]. ''PBS''. April 12, 2005. Retrieved August 16, 2016.</ref> However, Democrats maintain liberal strongholds in Austin (the state capital), most of the large cities, and along the Texas-Mexico border.

In the 2014 Texas elections, the [[Tea Party Movement]] made large gains, with numerous Tea Party favorites being elected into office, like [[Dan Patrick]] as lieutenant governor,<ref name="Holdssway">{{cite news | last1=Fernandez | first1=Manny | title=Lieutenant Governor Loses Texas Runoff as Tea Party Holds Sway | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/28/us/politics/tea-party-favorite-beats-lieutenant-governor-in-texas.html | date=May 27, 2014 | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | accessdate=April 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>Koppel, Nathan (January 21, 2015) - [https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick-moves-quickly-to-advance-conservative-agenda-1421883867 "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Moves Quickly to Advance Conservative Agenda"]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved April 2, 2015.</ref> [[Ken Paxton]] as attorney general,<ref name="Holdssway"/><ref name="Grissom">Grissom, Brandi. [http://www.texastribune.org/2014/05/28/tea-party-conservatives-win-top-gop-runoff-contest/ Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests], ''[[Texas Tribune]]'', May 28, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2015.</ref> in addition to numerous other candidates<ref name="Grissom"/> including conservative Republican [[Greg Abbott]] as governor.<ref>Fernandez, Manny (January 20, 2015). [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/us/politics/new-texas-governor-greg-abbott-expected-to-continue-on-perrys-path.html Texas’ New Governor Echoes the Plans of Perry]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 1, 2016.</ref>

However, as Texas's economy was performing very well – unlike states with liberal economic policies – many non-Texans moved into the state. This caused the political left-wing to grow in power, and political analysts predicted Texas would soon become a swing state.<ref>Wilson, Reid (November 18, 2018). [https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/417140-rise-of-big-cities-push-texas-to-swing-state-territory-maybe-by-2020 Rise of big cities push Texas to swing-state territory — maybe by 2020]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved November 18, 2018.</ref>

===Several Texas Cities Rank Among the Most Conservative American Cities===
The most conservative Texas cities among the [[most conservative American cities]] are #2 [[Lubbock]], #3 Abilene, #5 [[Plano]], and #14 [[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]].<ref>[http://americancityandcounty.com/content/study-ranks-americas-most-liberal-and-conservative-cities 2005 study rankings on liberal and conservative cities]. Posted Oct 27, 2014. Accessed March 18, 2015</ref>

==Elected Officials==
As of 2018.

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Ted Cruz]] (R)
*Sen. [[John Cornyn]] (R)
*Rep. [[Louie Gohmert]] [R, TX-01]
*Rep. [[Dan Crenshaw]] [R, TX-02]
*Rep. [[Van Taylor]] [R, TX-03]
*Rep. [[John Ratcliffe]] [R, TX-04]
*Rep. [[Lance Gooden]] [R, TX-05]
*Rep. [[Ron Wright]] [R, TX-06]
*Rep. [[Lizzie Fletcher]] [D, TX-07]
*Rep. [[Kevin Brady]] [R, TX-08]
*Rep. [[Al Green]] [D, TX-09]
*Rep. [[Michael McCaul]] [R, TX-10]
*Rep. [[Mike Conaway]] [R, TX-11]
*Rep. [[Kay Granger]] [R, TX-12]
*Rep. [[Mac Thornberry]] [R, TX-13]
*Rep. [[Randy Weber]] [R, TX-14]
*Rep. [[Vincente Gonzales]] [D, TX-15]
*Rep. [[Veronica Escobar]] [D, TX-16]
*Rep. [[Bill Flores]] [R, TX-17]
*Rep. [[Sheila Jackson Lee]] [D, TX-18]
*Rep. [[Jodey Arrington]] [R, TX-19]
*Rep. [[Joaquin Castro]] [D, TX-20]
*Rep. [[Chip Roy]] [R, TX-21]
*Rep. [[Pete Olson]] [R, TX-22]
*Rep. [[Will Hurd]] [R, TX-23]
*Rep. [[Kenny Marchant]] [R, TX-24]
*Rep. [[Roger Williams (Texas)|Roger Williams]] [R, TX-25]
*Rep. [[Michael Burgess]] [R, TX-26]
*Rep. [[Michael Cloud]] [R, TX-27]
*Rep. [[Henry Cuellar]] [D, TX-28]
*Rep. [[Sylvia Garcia]] [D, TX-29]
*Rep. [[Eddie Bernice Johnson]] [D, TX-30]
*Rep. [[John Carter]] [R, TX-31]
*Rep. [[Colin Allred]] [D, TX-32]
*Rep. [[Marc Veasey]] [D, TX-33]
*Rep. [[Filemon Vela, Jr.]] [D, TX-34]
*Rep. [[Lloyd Doggett]] [D, TX-35]
*Rep. [[Brian Babin]] [R, TX-36]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Greg Abbott]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Dan Patrick]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Ken Paxton]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Sid Miller]] (R)
*Land Commissioner [[George P. Bush]] (R)
*State Comptroller [[Glenn Hegar]] (R)

==Energy==
[[File:Texas-oil.jpg|thumb|350px|right]][[File:Oil-symbol.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]

Texas leads the Nation in fossil fuel reserves and in non-hydropower renewable energy potential. Texas crude oil reserves represent almost one-fourth of total U.S. oil reserves, and Texas natural gas reserves account for almost three-tenths of total U.S. natural gas reserves. Although Texas’s oil reserves are found throughout the State in several geologic basins, the largest remaining reserves are concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas, which contains more than 20 of the Nation’s top 100 oil fields. Similarly, deposits of natural gas are found in abundance in several Texas production basins, with the largest fields heavily concentrated in the East Texas Basin in the northeastern part of the State. Texas’s fossil fuel reserves also include substantial deposits of lignite coal, found in narrow bands in the Gulf Coast region, and bituminous coal, found in north central and southwestern Texas.<ref>See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=TX Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>

Texas is also rich in renewable energy potential, including wind, solar, and biomass resources. Wind resource areas in the Texas Panhandle, along the Gulf Coast south of Galveston, and in the mountain passes and ridgetops of the Trans-Pecos offer Texas some of the greatest wind power potential in the United States. Solar power potential is also among the highest in the country, with high levels of direct solar radiation (suitable to support large-scale solar power plants) concentrated in West Texas. Due to its large agricultural and forestry sectors, Texas has an abundance of biomass energy resources. Although Texas is not known as a major hydropower State, substantial untapped potential exists in several river basins, including the Colorado River of Texas and the Lower Red.

Due to its large population and an energy-intensive economy, Texas leads the Nation in energy consumption, accounting for more than one-tenth of total U.S. energy use. Energy-intensive industries in Texas include aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, and petroleum refining.

===Petroleum===
The State’s signature crude oil type, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), remains the major benchmark of crude oil in the Americas.

Texas leads the United States in both crude oil production and refining capacity. Texas’s first major oil boom began in 1901 with the discovery of the Spindle Top oil field in the upper Gulf Coast basin. Since then, major discoveries have been made in East Texas, West Texas, and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas oil production increased until 1972, when it peaked at more than 3.4 million barrels per day. Afterward, production declined rapidly, and in recent years Texas crude oil output has fallen to less than one-third of its 1972 peak.

Although Texas oil production is in decline, the State’s signature crude oil type, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), remains the major benchmark of crude oil in the Americas. Because of its light consistency and low-sulfur content, the quality of WTI is considered to be high, and it yields a large fraction of gasoline when refined. Most WTI crude oil is sent via pipeline to Midwest refining centers, although much of this crude oil is also refined in the Gulf Coast region.

Texas’s 26 petroleum refineries can process nearly 4.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, and they account for more than one-fourth of total U.S. refining capacity. Most of the State’s refineries are clustered near major ports along the Gulf Coast, including Houston, Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi. These coastal refineries have access to local Texas production, foreign imports, and oil produced offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the U.S. government’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which operates two large storage facilities in Bryan Mound and Big Hill, Texas. Many of Texas’s refineries are sophisticated facilities that use additional refining processes beyond simple distillation to yield a larger quantity of lighter, higher value products, such as gasoline. Because of this downstream capability, Texas refineries often process a wide variety of crude oil types from around the world, including heavier, lower value varieties.

Refineries in the Houston area, including the Baytown refinery, the Nation’s largest refinery, make up the largest refining center in the United States. From Houston, refined product pipelines spread across the country, allowing Texas petroleum products to reach virtually every major consumption market east of the Rocky Mountains. This network includes the Colonial Pipeline system (Koch), which is the largest petroleum product pipeline system in the United States and is vital for supplying markets throughout the South and East Coast.

Texas’s total petroleum consumption is the highest in the Nation, and the State leads the country in consumption of asphalt and road oil, distillate fuel oil, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), and lubricants. Texas LPG use is greater than the LPG consumption of all other States combined, due primarily to the State’s active petrochemical industry, which is the largest in the United States. Four separate motor gasoline blends are required in Texas to meet the diverse air quality needs of different parts the State, including reformulated motor gasoline blended with ethanol required in the metropolitan areas of Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. The agriculture-rich Texas Panhandle has several corn- and milo-based ethanol plants that are operational or under construction.

===Natural Gas===
Texas is the Nation’s leading natural gas producer, accounting for more than one-fourth of total U.S. natural gas production. In the early days of Texas oil production, natural gas found with oil was largely considered a nuisance and was often flared (burned off) at the wellhead. Although some Texas cities and towns located near oil fields began using natural gas for energy, it was not until the State banned flaring after World War II that oil producers began to find new markets for natural gas. Two pipelines that once carried crude oil to the East Coast were converted to carry natural gas and a new natural gas pipeline to California was built, setting the stage for strong natural gas production growth in the 1950s and 60s. Texas natural gas production reached its peak in 1972 at more than 9.6 billion cubic feet of annual production. Since then, output has declined steadily to less than three-fifths of that level.

Today, an expansive network of interstate natural gas pipelines extends from Texas, reaching consumption markets from coast to coast, including those in California, the Midwest, the East Coast, and New England. Texas has 10 natural gas market hubs located in both East and West Texas, more than any other State, and its natural gas storage capacity is among the highest in the Nation. Most of Texas’s 34 active storage facilities are depleted oil and gas fields converted for storage use, although many sites have also been developed in salt dome formations. These storage facilities allow Texas to store its natural gas production during the summer when national demand is typically lower and to ramp up delivery quickly during the winter months when markets across the country require greater volumes of natural gas to meet their home heating needs. However, due to the growing use of natural gas for electricity generation in the United States, Texas has occasionally withdrawn natural gas from storage during the summer months to help meet peak electricity demand for air-conditioning use.

Texas consumes more natural gas than any other State and accounts for about one-fifth of total U.S. natural gas consumption. Texas natural gas demand is dominated by the industrial and electric power sectors, which together account for more than four-fifths of State use. Because Texas demand is high, and because the State’s natural gas infrastructure is well connected to consumption markets throughout the country, several companies have proposed building liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals along the Gulf Coast in Texas.

===Coal, Electricity, and Renewables===
Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for about one-half of the electricity produced in Texas and coal-fired plants account for much of the remaining generation. Although Texas produces a substantial amount of coal from 13 surface mines, including five of the 50 largest in the United States, the State relies on rail deliveries of subbituminous coal from Wyoming for the majority of its supply. Nearly all of the coal mined in Texas is lignite coal, the lowest grade of coal, and all of it is consumed in the State, mostly in arrangements where a single utility operates both the mine and an adjacent coal-fired power plant. Although lower in energy content than other varieties of coal, lignite coal is also low in sulfur, an important consideration in the State’s efforts to lower emissions. Texas consumes more coal than any other State and its emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are among the highest in the Nation.

Texas is a major nuclear power generating State. Two nuclear plants, Comanche Peak and South Texas Project, typically account for about one-tenth of the State’s electric power production. Until the recent uprating (capacity improvement) of the Number 2 reactor at Palo Verde in Arizona, the two South Texas Project nuclear reactors were the largest in the Nation.

Although renewable energy sources contribute minimally to the Texas power grid, Texas leads the Nation in wind-powered generation capacity, and substantial new wind generation capacity is under construction in Texas. Texas surpassed California as the country’s largest wind energy producer in 2006. Currently, there are over 2,000 wind turbines in West Texas alone, and the numbers continue to increase as development costs continue to drop and wind turbine technology improves. At 736 MW, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in central Texas is the largest wind power facility in the world.

Texas produces and consumes more electricity than any other State. Despite large net interstate electricity imports in some areas, the Texas Interconnect power grid is largely isolated from the integrated power systems serving the eastern and western United States, and most areas of Texas have little ability to export or import electricity to and from other States. Texas per capita residential use of electricity is significantly higher than the national average, due to high demand for electric air-conditioning during hot summer months and the widespread use of electricity as the primary energy source for home heating during typically mild winter months.

==Education==
The weakness of education in Texas has always (and still is) an important priority. The Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico included the following grievance against the government of Mexico pertaining to education:

<blockquote>''It has failed to establish any public system of education, although possessed of almost boundless resources, (the public domain,) and although it is an axiom in political science, that unless a people are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self government.''</blockquote>

Even today, Texas is considered in the forefront of education in the country as the [[No Child Left Behind|No Child Left Behind Act]] was implemented. The administration of George W. Bush used Texas as a model for many of the reforms in the NCLB Act because of his previous experiences as governor of Texas.

In 2006 Texas ranked #25 out of 50 states on a composite index of public education.<ref>[http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm See "Which State Is Smartest?" (2007) at]</ref>
Texas ranks:<ref>see Carol Keeton Strayhorn, Texas State Comptroller, "Major Challenges Facing Texas Education Today" at [http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/wwstand/wws0512ed/]</ref>
* #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
* #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
* #33 in the nation in teacher salaries. Teacher salaries in Texas are not keeping pace with the national average. The gains realized from the last state-funded across-the-board pay raise authorized in 1999, which moved the ranking from 33 to as high as 26th in the nation, have disappeared over the last five years.
* Texas was the only state in the nation to cut average per pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2005, resulting in a ranking of #40 nationally; down from #25 in fiscal year 1999.
* #6 in the nation in student growth. The general student population in Texas public schools grew by 11.1% between school years 1999 and 2005, with the largest percentage of growth seen among low income and minority children.

===Public Education===
The Texas public education system consists of 1,033 independent and common school districts. There are an additional 190 charter school districts. Public school enrollment has continued to increase at a rapid pace. In the 2000-2001 school year, public school enrollment was at 4,059,619 students. By the 2006-2007 school year, the public school enrollment had increased by over 500,000 students to a mark of 4,594,942 students.
===Higher Education===
The University of Texas System and the Texas A&M System are two of the largest higher education systems in the nation, with numerous branch campuses. The [[University of Texas at Austin]] is the largest institution in the UT System, while Texas A&M is the flagship of the rival system. Thanks to ownership of oil fields, their endowments in 2006 reached $13.2 billion and $5.6 billion. The best endowed private schools were Rice University in Houston with $4.0 billion, Southern Methodist University in Dallas ($1.1 billion); Baylor College of Medicine ($1.0 billion), and Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth ($1.0 billion).

The state of Texas is home to many notable institutions of higher learning.

* [[Baylor University]]
* [[Rice University]]
* [[Texas A and M University|Texas A&M]]
* [[University of Texas at Austin]]

==Notable Texans==
[[Image:Texascapbuilding.JPG‎ |thumb|350px|The Texas capitol building in [[Austin]]]]
*[[Greg Abbott]], prominent Texas politician who served as Attorney General from 2002 to 2015 and as Texas governor since 2015
*[[Lance Armstrong]], who held the record for most consecutive [[Tour de France]] victories before being stripped of his titles, was born in Plano.
*[[George W. Bush]], 43rd President of the United States, former Governor of Texas.
*[[Dan Crenshaw]], Texas Republican congressional nominee in 2018 who lost an eye in the Afghanistan War
*[[Ted Cruz]], Texas Solicitor General, U. S. Senator, and Republican presidential candidate
*[[Rick Perry]], prominent Texas politician, served as Texas Governor and U.S. Secretary of Energy
*[[Ron Paul]], U.S. Representative, physician, and notable libertarian-conservative activist, lived and worked in Texas
*[[Lou Dobbs]], television/radio host and conservative commentator, born and raised in Texas
*[[Henry Morris]], hydrologist and prominent [[creation scientist]], born and raised in Texas
*[[Chuck Norris]], actor, producer, and conservative/Christian activist, lives in Texas
*[[Bill Engvall]], standup comedian
*[[Pat Garrett]], the policeman who shot [[Billy the Kid]], lived in multiple locations in Texas.
*[[Sam Houston]], the first president of the Republic of Texas; the large city of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] is named in his honor.
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]], former president, lived and died in Stonewall.
*[[Alex Jones]], [[libertarian]] and [[paleoconservative]] commentator
*[[George Jones]], deceased country, rock, and gospel singer
*[[Dan Patrick]], prominent sportscaster, conservative talk radio host, and Texas lieutenant governor
*[[Ken Paxton]], Texas attorney general since 2015
*[[Ross Perot]], former presidential candidate, lives in Dallas

==See also==
* [[Dallas]]
* [[History of Texas]]

==Bibliography - Further Reading==
*[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/ The Handbook of Texas Online] ''- Published by the Texas State Historical Association'' thousands of scholarly articles on every aspect of Texas history
* [http://www.texasalmanac.com/ ''texas Almanac'' annual compendium of statistics]
* Bailey, Alvin R., Jr. and Light Townsend Cummins, eds. ''A Guide to the History of Texas.'' 1988. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=71910759 online edition]
* Campbell, Randolph B. ''Gone to Texas: a History of the Lone Star State'' (Oxford University Press, 2003, 500 pages), standard scholarly survey [http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Texas-History-Lone-State/dp/0195138430/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]; also [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103945805 complete online edition]
* Fehrenbach, T. R. ''Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans '' (2007), popular survey [http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Star-T-R-Fehrenbach/dp/1579125379/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* McDonald, Archie P. ''Texas: A Compact History'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Compact-Archie-P-McDonald/dp/193333715X/ref=pd_bbs_4/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]
*Wooster, Ralph A. and Robert A. Calvert, eds. ''Texas Vistas'' (1987) reprinted scholarly essays

==External links==
* [https://www.texas.gov/ Official State of Texas website]
* [http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/48,54,00 Demographic profile] on [[U.S. Census Bureau]] official website
* [https://www.tshaonline.org/home/ Texas State Historical Association]
* [http://www.city-data.com/city/Texas.html Texas Cities] on [[City-data.com]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Texas| ]]

Tennessee

2019-01-19T01:39:28Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Tennessee
|flag=Tennessee_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Agriculture and Commerce"
|nick=The Volunteer State
|capital=Nashville
|language=English
|governor=Bill Haslam
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Lamar Alexander
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-4944
|s1email=http://alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home Contact
|senator2=Bob Corker
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3344
|s2email=http://corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactMe Contact
|population=
|date=June 1, 1796 (16th)
}}

'''Tennessee''' is one of the most [[conservative]] states in the [[United States]], with [[evangelical Christian]]s comprising a significant proportion of the electorate. Tennesseans have traditionally volunteered for [[military]] duty or to support freedom at a very high rate, giving the state the nickname "the Volunteer State" (the name came about mainly due to Tennesseans fighting for Texas independence at the Alamo). The capital of the state is Nashville.

Tennessee consistently votes Republican in presidential elections.

Some wanted Tennessee to be named after [[Benjamin Franklin]], but supposedly the Indian name of "Tennessee" was suggested by [[Andrew Jackson]], who became its first member of the U.S. House of Representatives after Tennessee became the 16th State.

As a frontier territory in colonial America, Tennessee developed many marksmen who were skilled with [[rifle]]s. When fellow Tennessean General [[Andrew Jackson]] called for volunteers to help him fight the [[British]] in [[New Orleans]] at the end of the [[War of 1812]], Tennessee marksmen volunteered in droves and provided the young nation of America with its most decisive victory at the [[Battle of New Orleans]].
[[File:Protesters of Occupy Knoxville oct 2011.jpg|thumb|left|Protesters in Knoxville, Oct 2011.]]

Notwithstanding Tennessee's overall decision to secede during the Civil War, the eastern portion of the state (which is mountainous and not suited to plantation farming) remained loyal to the Union. In fact, except for two elections in the mid-1870s (and notwithstanding the political shifts between the Republican and Democrat parties as to viewpoints), it has voted for Republican congressmen in every election since prior to the Civil War.

In 1920, Tennessee was the state that provided the necessary number of states to ratify the [[Nineteenth Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]], a victory for the suffragists.

In 2000, Tennessee voted against its own former [[Senator]] and [[Vice President]] [[Democrat]] [[Al Gore]], an example of the independent-minded [[Christian]] [[voter]]s casting their ballots based on principle. This was the first time a presidential candidate has lost his own home state; had he won Tennessee he would have won the election, and the controversy surrounding Florida balloting would not have mattered.

In February 2007, State Senator Raymond Finney (R-District 8) introduced a resolution <ref>[http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/BILL/SR0017.pdf Text of the Resolution] PDF</ref> essentially asking why is "[[creationism]] not taught as an alternative concept, explanation, or theory, along with the [[theory]] of [[evolution]] in Tennessee [[public school]]s?"<ref>[http://www.trіcitіes.com/trіstate/trі/opinions.apx.-content-artіcles-TRI-2007-03-01-0005.html Bristol Herald Courier Editorial]</ref> Tennessee has had a prominent role in this debate, dating back to the [[Scopes trial]] of 1925.

Tennessee has long been one of the few states not to have an [[income tax]], although its [[sales tax]] is one of the highest in the nation (and is also assessed on food).

In 2017, the state enacted a law providing major protections to free speech on [[Campus|college campuses]].<ref>Mason, Ian (May 11, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/11/tennessee-enacts-nations-most-comprehensive-campus-free-speech-law/ Tennessee Enacts Nation’s ‘Most Comprehensive’ Campus Free Speech Law]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 11, 2017.</ref>

The state Constitution of Tennessee, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any minister against his consent; that no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and that no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Lamar Alexander]] (R)
*Sen. [[Marsha Blackburn]] (R)
*Rep. [[Phil Roe]] [R, TN-01]
*Rep. [[Tim Burchett]] [R, TN-02]
*Rep. [[Chuck Fleischmann]] [R, TN-03]
*Rep. [[Scott DesJarlais]] [R, TN-04]
*Rep. [[Jim Cooper]] [D, TN-05]
*Rep. [[John Rose]] [R, TN-06]
*Rep. [[Mark E. Green]] [R, TN-07]
*Rep. [[David Kustoff]] [R, TN-08]
*Rep. [[Steve Cohen]] [D, TN-09]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Bill Haslam]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Randy McNally]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Herbert Slatery]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Tre Hargett]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[David Lillard]] (R)

== See also ==
*[[Andrew Black]]
*[[Battle of Athens (1946)]]

== References ==
<references />

{{Tennessee}}
<br>
{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Tennessee]]

South Dakota

2019-01-19T01:36:45Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=South Dakota
|flag=South_Dakota_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Under God the people rule"
|nick=Mount Rushmore State
|capital=Pierre
|governor=Dennis Daugaard
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Mike Rounds
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5842
|s1email=http://www.rounds.senate.gov/contact/email-mike Contact
|senator2=John Thune
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2321
|s2email=http://thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email Contact
|population=
|date=November 2, 1889 (40th)
}}
'''South Dakota''' is part of the [[Midwest]], and is on the northern [[Great Plains]]; it was the fortieth state to enter into the Union, on November 2, 1889. It entered the same day as [[North Dakota]], but is considered to be second because of the alphabetical order. The state capital is [[Pierre]], and the largest city is [[Sioux Falls]].<ref>http://www.state.sd.us/</ref>

Acquired in the [[Louisiana Purchase]], the region that is now South Dakota was originally part of the [[Dakota Territory]], before being separated from North Dakota.

The state is bordered on the north by [[North Dakota]], on the south by [[Nebraska]], on the east by [[Minnesota]] and [[Iowa]], and on the west by [[Wyoming]] and [[Montana]].<ref>http://www.sdstatelibrary.com</ref>

South Dakota is known for its Black Hills, the highest point of which is 7,242 ft at Harney Peak. The indigenous Indian peoples are the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota tribes, which make up the [[Sioux Nation]]. [[Lewis and Clark]] traveled through South Dakota in 1804 and 1806 on their journey to the West Coast.<ref>http://www.travelsd.com/</ref>

The state Constitution of South Dakota, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties, in order to form a more perfect and independent government, establish justice, insure tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and preserve to ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the state of South Dakota.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Mike Rounds]] (R)
*Sen. [[John Thune]] (R)
*Rep. [[Dusty Johnson]] (R)

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Dennis Daugaard]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Matt Michels]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Shantel Krebs]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Marty Jackley]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Steve Barnett]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Rich Sattgast]] (R)

==Famous Places in South Dakota==

*[[Mount Rushmore]] is the most famous site in South Dakota, it is a mountain carved to show the heads of 4 United States Presidents: [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Abraham Lincoln]].
Other notable sites include:

*[[Badlands National Park]]
*[[Black Hills National Forest]]
*Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
*Black Hills Caves

==State Facts==

*Population: 781,919 <ref>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/46000.html</ref>
*State Tree: Black Hills Spruce
*State Flower: Pasque
*State Animal: Coyote
*State Bird: Chinese ring-necked pheasant
*State Mineral: Rose quartz

==Notable people from South Dakota==

*[[Tom Brokaw]] (TV newscaster)
*[[Hubert H. Humphrey]] (former US Vice President 1965-1969)
*Cheryl Ladd (Actress)
*Mary Hart (TV talk show host)
*[[Tom Daschle]] (former Senator) <ref>http://www.50states.com/bio/sdakota.htm</ref>

==References==

<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Western United States]]

South Carolina

2019-01-19T01:35:08Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=South Carolina
|flag=South_Carolina_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Animis Opibusque Parati" (Prepared in mind and resources)
|nick=The Palmetto State
|capital=Columbia
|language=English
|governor=Henry McMaster
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Tim Scott
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-6121
|s2email=http://www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me Contact
|senator1=Lindsey Graham
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5972
|s1email=http://lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EmailSenatorGraham Contact
|population=
|date=May 23, 1788 (8th)
}}
'''South Carolina''' was the eighth state to enter into the [[Union]]. The capital city is [[Columbia (city)|Columbia]].

South Carolina is a key primary state in Presidential Elections, in that it holds the first presidential primary within the Southern United States.

South Carolina relies heavily on the textile industry and trade with foreign countries, especially [[trade with Germany]]. In [[December]] 2001, it had 299,100 manufacturing jobs. This fell by over 15% to 253,000 manufacturing jobs in December 2006. The state also has fewer than 38,000 textile manufacturing jobs left, while ten years ago it had 80,000 textile jobs.

While non-farm employment overall has increased, the manufacturing jobs were much higher-paying than the service-related jobs. The average weekly wage for non-supervisory workers in January 2007 were:<ref>Source: U.S. Department of Labor</ref>
May 23, 1788 (8th)
*$518 in textile mills
*$404 in apparel facilities
*$250 in the leisure/hospitality sector.

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Several months later, South Carolina's [[Fort Sumter]], located near [[Charleston]], became the site of the first shots of the [[Civil War]] were fired.

The state Constitution of South Carolina, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the preservation and perpetuation of the same.''

==History==
[[File:Col-sc.jpg|thumb|300px|Charleston was a major Atlantic port]]

South Carolina and North Carolina both claim to be the birthplace of [[Andrew Jackson]], the seventh President of the United States.

==Politics==
South Carolina is usually a [[red state]] in presidential elections; the last [[Democrat]] to win the state was [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976. Before Jimmy Carter, a Democrat hadn't won since [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1960.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Lindsey Graham]] (R)
*Sen. [[Tim Scott]] (R)
*Rep. [[Joe Cunningham]] [D, SC-01]
*Rep. [[Joe Wilson]] [R, SC-02]
*Rep. [[Jeff Duncan]] [R, SC-03]
*Rep. [[William Timmons]] [R, SC-04]
*Rep. [[Ralph Norman]] [R, SC-05]
*Rep. [[James Clyburn]] [D, SC-06]
*Rep. [[Tom Rice]] [R, SC-07]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Henry McMaster]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Kevin Bryant]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Mark Hammond]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Curtis Loftis]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Alan Wilson]] (R)
*Comptroller General [[Richard Eckstrom]] (R)
*Superintendent of Education [[Molly Spearman]] (R)
*Adjutant General [[Bob Livingston]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Hugh Weathers]] (R)

== References ==

<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:South Carolina]]
[[Category:The South]]

Pennsylvania

2019-01-19T01:32:17Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Pennsylvania
|flag=Pennsylvania_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Virtue, Liberty, and Independence"
|nick=The Keystone State
|capital=Harrisburg
|language=None
|governor=Tom Wolf
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Bob Casey, Jr.
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-6324
|s1email=http://casey.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|senator2=Pat Toomey
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-4254
|s2email=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/Toomey_Pat.htm Contact
|population=
|date=December 12, 1787 (2nd)
}}
'''Pennsylvania''' was one of the original thirteen colonies in the [[United States]]. Its capital is [[Harrisburg]] and it borders [[Ohio]], [[Maryland]], [[New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Delaware]], and [[West Virginia]]. For two decades Pennsylvania repeatedly voted for the [[Democrat]] candidate for president, but in 2016 [[Republican]] [[Donald Trump]] carried the state by 44,000 votes with his message of "Make America Great Again" along with his criticism of [[free trade]] and illegal [[immigration]].

Pennsylvania will be the key [[swing state]] for the 2020 presidential election, such that it will be almost impossible for a candidate to win the race without winning Pennsylvania. As early as April 29, 2017, [[Donald Trump]] is holding a rally there in [[Harrisburg]]. The [[Republican Party]] will likely hold its national political convention in the summer of 2020 in either [[Pittsburgh]] or [[Philadelphia]].

The state Constitution of Pennsylvania, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==History==
When Europeans settlers arrived in the early 17th century the area was inhabited by about 15,000 Indians; they belonged to three main tribal groups, the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Shawnee. The English, Dutch, and Swedes all sought to occupy the land, but the English won the wars and took control. Dutch trading posts were established first; in 1637 Swedes built Fort Christina, and in 1643, began the first permanent settlement, located at the mouth of the Schuylkill River. The Dutch seized New Sweden in 1655, only to lose it to the English in 1664. King Charles II gave it to William Penn to pay off debts; the Penn family were the proprietors (owners) until 1776, when they were overthrown by the patriots as part of the American Revolution.
===Religious tolerance===
The colony was founded and owned by [[William Penn]], an English Quaker who wanted a place where [[Quaker]]s and other denominations could worship freely without persecution. The first Colonial Legislative Act, the Great Law of Pennsylvania, December 7, 1682, mandated: <blockquote>"That no person ... who shall confess and acknowledge one Almighty God
to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World ... shall in any case be molested or prejudiced for his, or her Conscientious persuasion or practice." <ref>http://www.docheritage.state.pa.us/documents/constitutiontrans.asp</ref></blockquote>

[[Benjamin Franklin]] helped write Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitution. In Frame of Government, Chapter 2, Section 10, it states: "Each member of the legislature, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration: 'I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.'"

===18th century===
Quakers came to the Philadelphia area, where many became successful merchants, handling the long-distance trade to London and other parts of the British Empire. Pennsylvania attracted large numbers of Germans, including Lutherans and many smaller sects. They were farmers in the southeast. Scots-Irish (mostly Presbyterians) settled the frontier regions.
Pennsylvania was the third largest colony by 1775, with 275,000 people (including a few thousand black slaves who worked mostly as house servants).
[[File:Col-pa.jpg|thumb|300px|Philadelphia]]

[[Philadelphia]] grew quickly into the largest city in colonial America and with 35,000 people in 1776 was the second largest city in the British Empire. The city's economy was based on growing agricultural wealth from prosperous inland farms which sent their surplus grains, cattle and horses for export. Entrepreneurs set up prosperous shipbuilding works on the Delaware River, and opened an iron industry. The Quaker merchants favored education and civic culture, creating a rich cultural and intellectual life that gave Philadelphia the nickname, "the Athens of America."

The [[Continental Congress]] met in Philadelphia from 1774 to 1783, with an interruption when the British occupied the city in 1777 and the government moved to Lancaster and York. The [[Declaration of Independence]] was signed there in 1776, the [[Liberty Bell]] is there, and the [[Continental Army]] spent the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge outside Philadelphia, where they suffered severe hardships for want of supplies.

===Early national period===
The [[Constitution of the United States|American Constitution]] was written in [[Philadelphia]] in 1787. Pennsylvania was the 2nd State to join [[United States of America|the Union]] on December 12, 1787 and the city was the national capital from 1790 to 1800. In 1790 the state adopted a more conservative state constitution; state capital was relocated in 1800 to Lancaster, and then to Harrisburg in 1812.

The population grew with high birth rates, and low death rates, but little immigration. Scotch Irish filled out the frontier. A strong sense of commitment to [[Jeffersonian Democracy]] and [[Jacksonian Democracy]] gave the Jeffersonian Republicans and (after 1830) the Democratsa strong position. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 saw western farmers angrily protest the federal tax on their most portable product. President Washington personally led an army against it, and the rebels immediately gave in. A new and more democratic state constitution was adopted in 1838.
===Civil War Era===
The antislavery movement flourished after Quaker originated the anti-slavery cause and freed their own slaves.

The need for Philadelphia to maintain access to the expanding interior and the West, both as markets and as sources of materials, such as coal and iron, to be sold and manufactured, led to aggressive state programs to improve the transportation system. The Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, first in the nation, was completed in 1794; the state built hundreds of miles of canals; mules pulled boats loaded with commerce and passengers. The canal system was linked by the Allegheny Portage Railroad over the Allegheny mountains in 1835. Private enterprise built railroads that opened up the anthracitge coal region, which became the premier energy source for America by 1850. Philadelphia became an industrial city, famous for textiles, iron and steel, and railroad equipment along with commerce and shipbuilding. The world's first major oil wells were drilled near Titusville in 1859 and the northwestern part of the state became the center for [[Standard Oil]] and other companies.

Pennsylvania's only president, [[James Buchanan]], proved a failure in allowing seven southern states to break away under his watch. During the war Gettysburg was the scene of the war's most decisive battle, July 1–3, 1863—and Pennsylvania furnished men and leaders, including generals George B. McClellan, Winfield S. Hancock, and George Meade and Adm. David D. Porter, for the Union army and navy. Philadelphia banker, Jay Cooke was the leading financier of the Civil War; he invented a sytstem of savings bonds that allowed ordinary people to help finance the war. Philadelphia continued as a financial leader in the nation until after 1870, when it was far overshadowed by New York.

==Politics==
[[File:Pennsylvania State Capitol.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Pennsylvania State Capitol]]
Pennsylvania is a [[purple state]], it voted Democrat in presidential elections since 1992. It swung to red in 2016 when [[Donald Trump]] won. The Pennsylvania State Senate consists of 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The State House has 112 Republicans and 90 Democrats. Republicans also have a 12-7 edge in Pennsylvania's federal House delegation.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Robert Casey]] (D)
*Sen. [[Patrick Toomey]] (R)
*Rep. [[Brian Fitzpatrick]] [R, PA-01]
*Rep. [[Brendan Boyle]] [D, PA-02]
*Rep. [[Dwight Evans]] [D, PA-03]
*Rep. [[Madeleine Dean]] [D, PA-04]
*Rep. [[Mary Gay Scanlon]] [D, PA-05]
*Rep. [[Chrissy Houlahan]] [D, PA-06]
*Rep. [[Susan Wild]] [D, PA-07]
*Rep. [[Matt Cartwright]] [D, PA-08]
*Rep. [[Dan Meuser]] [R, PA-09]
*Rep. [[Scott Perry]] [R, PA-10]
*Rep. [[Lloyd Smucker]] [R, PA-11]
*Rep. [[Tom Marino]] [R, PA-12]
*Rep. [[John Joyce]] [R, PA-13]
*Rep. [[Guy Reschenthaler]] [R, PA-14]
*Rep. [[Glenn Thompson]] [R, PA-15]
*Rep. [[Mike Kelly]] [R, PA-16]
*Rep. [[Conor Lamb]] [D, PA-17]
*Rep. [[Michael F. Doyle]] [D, PA-18]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Tom Wolf]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Mike Stack]] (D)

==Major cities==
*[[Allentown]]
*[[Erie]]
*[[Harrisburg]]
*[[Philadelphia]]
*[[Pittsburgh]]
*[[Scranton]]

==Miscellaneous==

Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State".

Pennsylvania is the birthplace and home of President [[James Buchanan]].

Pennsylvania was the only one of the 13 original colonies to be completely landlocked—it did not border an ocean.

==Sports==

Pennsylvania is home to the [[NBA]]'s Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL's [[Philadelphia Flyers]] and [[Pittsburgh Penguins]], Major League Baseball's [[Philadelphia Phillies]] and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], and the [[NFL]]'s [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. Additionally, Pennsylvania State University is a traditional college football powerhouse, and Villanova University and the University of Pittsburgh have had great success in college basketball as of late.

==Name==
Pennsylvania was named by the king after William Penn's father (Penn himself did not want the name used.)<ref>
He wrote, "This day, my country was confirmed to me under the great seal of England, with privileges, by the name of Pennsylvania, a name the King would give it in honor of my father. I chose New Wales, being as this, a pretty, hilly country, but Penn being Welsh for head as in Penmanmoire, in Wales, and Penrith, in Cumberland, and Penn, in Buckinghamshire . . . called this Pennsylvania, which is the high or head woodlands; for I proposed, when the secretary, a Welshman, refused to have it called New Wales, Sylvania and they added Penn to it, and though I opposed it and went to the King to have it struck out and altered he said it was past . . nor could twenty guineas move the under-secretary to vary the name" See [http://www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/facts/facts1.html#americaname source]</ref> The name means "Penn's woods".

==Further reading==
* Miller, Randall M. and William A. Pencak, eds. ''Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth'' (2002), detailed scholarly history
* Beers, Paul B. ''Pennsylvania Politics Today and Yesterday'' (1980), government textbook
* Klein, Philip S and Ari Hoogenboom. ''A History of Pennsylvania'' (1973), solid college textbook
* Weigley, Russell. ''Philadelphia: A 300-Year History'' (1982)
* WPA Federal Writers' Project. ''Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State,'' 1940.

==See also==
*[[Blue state]]s
*[[Purple state]]s - swing states that can vote either [[Republican]] or [[Democrat]]
*[[Johnstown flood tax]]

== References ==
<References/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Purple States]]

Oklahoma

2019-01-19T01:22:45Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Oklahoma
|flag=Oklahoma_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Labor omnia vincit
|nick=The Sooner State
|capital=Oklahoma City
|language=None
|governor=Mary Fallin
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=James Lankford
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-5754
|s2email=http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCoburn.Home Contact
|senator1=James Inhofe
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-4721
|s1email=http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm Contact
|population=
|date=November 16, 1907 (46th)
}}
'''Oklahoma''' is located in the Southern region of the [[United States]] and on November 16, 1907 became the forty-sixth state to enter into the union. The capital of Oklahoma is [[Oklahoma City]], which is also its largest city. According to the 2000 Census, the state's population was 3,450,654 people.[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40000.html]

Located in the [[Bible Belt]], Oklahoma has one of the most [[conservative]] populations in the Nation. The Republican Party holds all statewide offices, supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, both United States Senate seats and all United States House of Representative seats.

The most famous personality was [[Will Rogers]], a cowboy celebrity and humorist of the 1920s.

The state Constitution of Oklahoma, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of liberty; to secure just and rightful government; to promote our mutual welfare and happiness, we, the people of the State of Oklahoma, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[James Inhofe]] (R)
*Sen. [[James Lankford]] (R)
*Rep. [[Kevin Hern]] [R, OK-01]
*Rep. [[Markwayne Mullin]] [R, OK-02]
*Rep. [[Frank Lucas]] [R, OK-03]
*Rep. [[Tom Cole]] [R, OK-04]
*Rep. [[Kendra Horn]] [D, OK-05]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Marry Fallin]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Todd Lamb]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Mike Hunter]] (R)
*Insurance Commissioner [[John Doak]] (R)
*Corporation Commissioner [[Bob Anthony]] (R)
*Superintendent of Public Instruction [[Joy Hofmeister]] (R)
*Auditor Inspector [[Gary Jones]] (R)
*Labor Commissioner [[Melissa McLawhorn Houston]] (R)
*State Treasurer Ken Miller (R)

==History==
===Early visits===
The written history of Oklahoma began in 1541 with the Spanish travel journals of the Coronado expedition. Two groups of Native Americans lived in the region: the nomadic, bison-hunting Plains groups (Kiowas, Comanches, and Kiowa-Apaches) and the sedentary, agricultural Caddoan-speaking groups (Wichitas and the Caddos). In 1803 [[Thomas Jefferson]] purchased the region from France in the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. A few U.S. Army officers, naturalists, adventurers, traders, and missionaries visited the area.
===Relocation===
Starting in 1820, the federal government started using the region to resettle tribes relocated from the Southeast. The tribes received federal subsidies in terms of food and supplies. Named the '''Indian Territory''', it became home to over sixty tribes. The largest were the "Five Civilized Tribes," ([[Cherokee]], [[Choctaw]], [[Chickasaw]], [[Creek]], and [[Seminole]]). Intermarriage with whites had produced a modernizing leadership class that adopted American ways, often in the face of resistance from traditionalists. Christian missionaries were active with all the tribes, and were increasingly successful in converting them. In 1830, [[Andrew Jackson]] had Congress pass the [[Indian Removal Act]] giving the Army power to forcibly remove the tribes to their new territory. Exposed to disease, lack of supplies, and emotional distress, there was great suffering during the removal; the ordeal is called the [[Trail of Tears]]. Apart from missionaries and a few federal agents, the population was entirely Native American at this point.
===Civil War===
At the outbreak of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] in 1861, federal agents abandoned Indian Territory. The [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] moved in and negotiated treaties with the Five Civilized Tribes. The tribes owned black slaves, which they fought to keep. The Confederacy paid the subsidies the U.S. government had paid, permanently guarantee their lands and their right to tribal self-government, and provide military protection and guns. The Cherokees and Choctaws were authorized to send a delegate to the Confederate Congress, with the prospect of eventually become a Confederate state.<ref>Dale and Wardell, ''History of Oklahoma'' (1948) p. 164</ref>

As the Confederacy secured alliances with most of the tribes, some tried to remain neutral or pro-U.S., which led to violent conflict with the Confederate Indians. The first battle in occurred at Round Mountain, where Confederates defeated Unionist Creek and Seminoles led by Opothleyahola. The Confederates dominated the territory until early 1862, as Union forces returned and won battles at Pea Ridge, Fort Gibson, and Honey Springs. The Confederate Indians were the last to surrender, three months after Robert E. Lee surrendered.<ref>Baird and Goble, ''The Story of Oklahoma'', (1994) p. 179</ref>

===Reconstruction===
Going to war against the United States proved to be the downfall of Indian independence. The Five Tribes were punished and forced to cede their lands in western Oklahoma to new tribes that were moved in, including the Arapahoe, Kiowa, Apache, Wichita, Caddo and Osage. By 1885, 45 new tribes had relocated to Indian Territory. Cattle drives brought large herds from Oklahoma and Texas across the state to railheads in Kansas, making Oklahoma synonymous with the [[cowboy]].
The new treaties granted the railroads the right to lay track across Indian Territory and by 1905, 5,231 miles of track had been laid and the cattle drives had ended.<ref>Baird and Goble, ''The Story of Oklahoma'', (1994) p.191</ref>
===Railroads and white settlement===
Railroads brought new economic opportunities, and for the first time led to an influx of white settlers; soon the Indians were outnumbered. Hunters (both white and Indian) slaughtered the buffalo (bison) herds, a primary food source of some tribes. Crime and lawlessness became rampant. The tribes appealed to the federal government for help, which was granted in 1871 with the establishment of a federal court to deal with issues in the territory. This new court usurped the power of less powerful Indian courts. The [[Dawes Act of 1887]] gave Indians title to land individually (rather than tribally), and they started to sell it off.

By the 1880s many Americans were looking for a new start and sought to use the [[Homestead Act]] as the legal right to settle the unassigned lands in Oklahoma. The federal government unsuccessfully attempted to disallow this. Eventually the government relented and the Land Run of 1889 opened the lands of Oklahoma to white settlement on April 22, 1889. Over 50,000 homesteaders arrived and at noon raced to claim 160 acre homesteads. Those settlers who made an illegal head start were called "sooners".<ref>Edward Everett Dale and Morris L. Wardell, ''History of Oklahoma'' (1948), 249-250 explain their actions were highly illegal.</ref>

Gradually more reservations were opened up as whites bought parcels of lands from Indian owners and formed farm and ranching settlements. The western part was separated and named '''Oklahoma Territory'''; a territorial government was formed by Congress in 1890. Cities sprang up overnight, including Oklahoma City, Stillwater, Kingfisher, Edmond, and Guthrie. Guthrie became the new capital of Oklahoma Territory, in the west, with Indian Territory in the east.

===Statehood===
The combined population reached 1 million, but they resisted being joined together and desired to be admitted to the United States as separate states. Indian Territory had even gone to the lengths of creating a constitution to form a new state named Sequoyah. The Roosevelt administration had no desire to see this happen, as he was a Republican and Indian Territory would have almost certainly been a Democrat stronghold. Congress in 1906 authorized a constitutional convention to merge the two territories. The convention and early government was dominated by Democrats. The '''State of Oklahoma''' was officially admitted to the Union on November 16, 1907, with a democratic constitution that prohibited liquor, established [[Jim Crow]] laws, provided for the initiative and referendum, created strong county governments, regulated railroad rates, and limited the governor to one elected term.

===Politics===
The early years of statehood were marked with political activity. In 1910, the Democrats moved the capital to Oklahoma City, three years before the Oklahoma Organic Act allowed, in order to move away from the Republican hotbed of Guthrie. Socialism became a growing force among struggling farmers, and Oklahoma grew to have the largest Socialist vote in the United States at the time, with the Socialist vote doubling in every election until the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914.<ref>Baird and Goble, ''The Story of Oklahoma'', (1994) p. 346</ref> However, the war drove food prices up, allowing the farmers to prosper, and the movement faded away. By the 1920s, the Republican Party, taking advantage of rifts within the Democratic Party, gained control in the state. The economy continued to improve in the areas of cattle ranching, cotton, wheat, and especially oil. Since 1968 Oklahoma has voted for the [[Republican Party]] in Presidential elections.

The Republican Party dominates the state in every level of government and the state is very conservative. In the 2016 election, voters approved a referendum strengthening the legal position of the [[death penalty]] by amending the state's constitution to specifically state that it is not cruel or unusual punishment, with 61.2 percent in favor.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-penalty-affirmations-lead-in-three-states-oklahoma-nebraska-california/ Death penalty measures approved in Okla., Neb.] ''CBS News''. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref><ref>Frumin, Aliyah (November 9, 2016). [http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/election-2016-nebraska-oklahoma-vote-favor-death-penalty-n681301 Election 2016: Nebraska, Oklahoma Vote in Favor of Death Penalty]. ''NBC News''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/nebraska-ballot-measure-426-repeal-lb-268 Nebraska Referendum 426 — Nebraska Death Penalty Repeal Veto — Results: Rejected]. ''The New York Times''. November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.</ref> In May 2017, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring [[abortion]] murder and criticizing the Supreme Court for its role in legalizing the practice.<ref>Wilson, Reid (May 9, 2017). [https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/332496-oklahoma-house-declares-abortion-murder Oklahoma House declares abortion murder]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved May 20, 2017.</ref>

===Oil===
Throughout the 1920s, new [[oil]] fields were continually discovered, and Oklahoma produced over 1.8 billion barrels of petroleum, valued at over 3.5 million dollars for the decade.<ref>Baird and Goble, ''The Story of Oklahoma'', (1994) p. 366</ref> In 1920, the spectacular Osage County oil field was opened, followed in 1926 by the Greater Seminole Oil Field. During the [[Great Depression]] Oklahoma and [[Texas]] oil was flooding the market, and prices fell to pennies a barrel. In 1931 Governor William H. Murray, acting with characteristic decisiveness, used the National Guard to shut down all of Oklahoma's oil wells in an effort to stabilize prices. From the 1930s to the 1970s, oil producing states enacted conservation laws which limited the amount of oil that could be produced from wells. In practice, the [[Texas Railroad Commission]] set production quotas (called "allowables") in Texas, which raised prices as well for Oklahoma crude. However, there are so many oil pipelines and oil storage facilities near Cushing, Oklahoma, that from that time until the present, the spot price of oil in Cushing is used as the trading benchmark for mid-continental oil generally.

===Depression===
The combination of the [[Great Depression]] and the [[Dust Bowl]] put an end to economic prosperity in the 1930s. Farmers were hit the hardest and many relocated to the cities. Others, called "Okies", began a mass migration of to [[California]] in search of a better life, an image that would be popularized in American culture by [[John Steinbeck]]'s novel, ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' and Henry Fonda's movie. The economy recovered during World War II, when conservative Governor [[Robert S. Kerr]] utilized friendships in Washington to secure federal money to help the state recover. Oklahoma built and expanded numerous army and navy installations and air bases, which in turn brought thousands of jobs to out of work citizens. By the 1950s Oklahoma was prosperous and growing.

==Further reading==
* [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/toc.html ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' from Oklahoma Historical Society], highly recommended online resource
* Baird, W. David, and Danney Goble. ''The Story of Oklahoma'' (2nd ed. 1994), 511 pages, survey by leading scholars
* Dale, Edward Everett, and Morris L. Wardell. ''History of Oklahoma'' (1948), 574 pp; standard scholarly history [http://www.questia.com/library/book/history-of-oklahoma-by-edward-everett-dale-morris-l-wardell.jsp online edition from [[Questia]]]
* Gibson, Arrell Morgan. ''Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries'' (1981) [http://www.amazon.com/Oklahoma-Centuries-Arrell-Morgan-Gibson/dp/0806117583/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199768836&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Goble, Danny. ''Progressive Oklahoma: The Making of a New Kind of State'' (1979)
* Goins, Charles Robert et al. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Atlas-Oklahoma-Charles-Robert/dp/0806134828/ref=pd_bbs_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199768836&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]
* Gregory, James N. ''American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture'' (1991) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Exodus-Migration-Culture-California/dp/0195071360/ref=sid_av_dp excerpt and text search]
* Reese, Linda Williams. ''Women of Oklahoma, 1890-1920,'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Women-Oklahoma-1890-1920-Linda-Williams/dp/0806129999/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199769187&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search]
* Wickett, Murray R. ''Contested Territory: Whites, Native Americans, and African Americans in Oklahoma 1865-1907'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Contested-Territory-Americans-Oklahoma-18651907/dp/0807126470/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199769187&sr=8-5 excerpt and text search]

====References====
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Oklahoma]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Oil]]
[[Category:Oil Industry]]

Ohio

2019-01-19T01:20:25Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Ohio
|flag=Ohio_State_Flag.gif
|motto=With God all things are possible
|nick=The Buckeye State
|capital=Columbus
|language=English
|governor=John Kasich
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Sherrod Brown
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2315
|s1email=http://brown.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|senator2=Rob Portman
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3353
|s2email=http://portman.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=March 1, 1803 (17th)
}}
'''Ohio''' is a "[[Rust Belt]]" state located in the [[Midwest]]ern region of the [[United States]], which on March 1, 1803, became the seventeenth state. The capital of Ohio is [[Columbus (city)|Columbus]]. Other large cities in Ohio include [[Cincinnati]] and [[Cleveland]], where the 2016 [[Republican National Convention]] was held. Ohio borders the states of [[Indiana]], [[Kentucky]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Michigan]], and [[West Virginia]]. The current [[Governors of Ohio|governor of Ohio]] is [[John Kasich]], a [[Republican]] who campaigned as a [[conservative]] but governs as a social [[liberal]] who vetoed the [[Heartbeat Bill]].

Ohio voters include a substantial percentage of [[pro-life]], [[working class]] [[Democrats]] who shifted enough to the [[Republican]] column to enable [[Donald Trump]] to garner 52% in 2016, despite [[Obama]] winning the state easily in 2008 and 2012. Rampant [[early voting]] of roughly a month in duration plagues its elections.

The state Constitution of Ohio, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare, do establish this Constitution.''

==History==
Chillicothe was the capital from the formation of the Ohio Territory from the [[Northwest Territory]] in 1800, until 1809, when it was moved to Zanesville for three years. Chillicothe was again the capital from 1812 until 1816, when Columbus became the capital because it was the geographical center of the state. Cincinnati was the largest and most important city until surpassed by Cleveland in the early 20th century.

Since 1940 fiscal conservatism has been a hallmark of Ohio leaders, including such Republicans governors as John Bricker, Thomas Herbert, and C. William O’Neill, as well as some Democrats, notably Martin Davey and Frank Lausche. Especially in the small towns and cities voters expressed low-tax, low-spending and pro-business sentiments.

Michael V. DiSalle, a Democrat elected in 1958, tried to convert Ohio to high spending, but angered the taxpayers after one term.<ref>Richard G. Zimmerman, ''Call Me Mike: A Political Biography of Michael V. DiSalle'' (2003)</ref> He was defeated by Republican [[James A. Rhodes]] (1909-2001), who branded DiSalle "Tax Hike Mike" and went on to become Ohio’s longest serving governor (1962–70 and 1974–82). Rhodes eliminated or cut back the wasteful programs and concentrated instead on building of airports, state office buildings, prisons, and other public structures. Rhodes lowered taxes on small business owners, thereby building up the economy, while increasing funding to schools and universities.

Democrat Richard F. Celeste was defeated by Rhodes in 1978, but won the governorship in 1982 and defeated Rhodes's comeback effort in 1986. Celeste sought to increase state funding to education, health services, and welfare program; with the legislature in liberal hands he increased the state income tax by 90%. A referendum to overturn the tax increase failed, but in 1984, voters returned the Ohio Senate to Republican control.

==Boundary==
Congress defined Ohio's borders in the Enabling Act of 1802 as follows:

<blockquote>Bounded on the east by the Pennsylvania line, on the south by the Ohio River, to the mouth of the Great Miami River, on the west by the line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami aforesaid, and on the north by an east and west line drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan, running east after intersecting the due north line aforesaid, from the mouth of the Great Miami until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the territorial line, and thence with the same through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid.</blockquote>
This was based on the mistaken impression that the southern tip of Lake Michigan was further north than Toledo, Ohio. Fur trappers reported that this was incorrect at the time that the Ohio Constitution was drafting its border provisions. As a result, the Toledo Strip was created as a zone that was claimed by both Ohio and Michigan, resulting in the [[Toledo War]]. Ultimately, Michigan gave up the Toledo Strip in exchange for gaining the western portion of its Upper Peninsula when it was admitted to the union.

In 1980, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] held that Ohio's southern boundary is the northern low-water mark of the Ohio River as it existed in 1792.<ref name="Ohio_v_Kentucky">{{Cite journal | url=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=444&invol=335 | publisher = Find law | title = Ohio v. Kentucky, 444 U.S. 335 | date = January 21, 1980 | accessdate=2016-08-15}}</ref>

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Sherrod Brown]] (D)
*Sen. [[Rob Portman]] (R)
*Rep. [[Steve Chabot]] [R, OH-01]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_oh|title=Directory of Representatives|accessdate=February 15, 2015}}</ref>
*Rep. [[Brad Wenstrup]] [R, OH-02]
*Rep. [[Joyce Beatty]] [D, OH-03]
*Rep. [[Jim Jordan]] [R, OH-04]
*Rep. [[Bob Latta]] [R, OH-05]
*Rep. [[Bill Johnson]] [R, OH-06]
*Rep. [[Bob Gibbbs]] [R, OH-07]
*Rep. [[Warren Davidson]] [R, OH-08]
*Rep. [[Marcy Kaptur]] [D, OH-09]
*Rep. [[Michael Turner]] [R, OH-10]
*Rep. [[Marcia Fudge]] [D, OH-11]
*Rep. [[Troy Balderson]] [R, OH-12]
*Rep. [[Tim Ryan]] [D, OH-13]
*Rep. [[David Joyce]] [R, OH-14]
*Rep. [[Steve Stivers]] [R, OH-15]
*Rep. [[Anthony Gonzalez]] [R, OH-16]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[John Kasich]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Mary Taylor]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Mike DeWine]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jon Husted]] (R)
*State Auditor [[David Yost]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Josh Mandel]] (R)

==Presidents From Ohio==
Ohio was known as the "mother of presidents"; the last one was Harding, who won in 1920 by defeating another Ohioan, Governor James Cox.
*[1773-1841] 9th President -[[William Henry Harrison]]. Whig
*[1822-1885] 18th President -[[Ulysses Simpson Grant]], Republican
*[1822-1893] 19th President -[[Rutherford B. Hayes]], Republican
*[1831-1881] 20th President -[[James Garfield]], Republican
*[1833-1901] 23rd President -[[Benjamin Harrison]], Republican
*[1843-1901] 25th President -[[William McKinley]], Republican
*[1857-1930] 27th President -[[William Howard Taft]], Republican
*[1865-1923] 29th President -[[Warren Gamaliel Harding]], Republican

Taft's son [[Robert A. Taft]], a leading conservative, sought the GOP nomination in 1940, 1948 and 1952, losing each time to liberal Republicans from [[New York City]].

Ohio is a [[swing state]] in presidential elections. No Republican has won the presidency without Ohio's electoral votes.

==Chant==
Ohioans usually engage in a call and reply type chant when celebrating their state. The leader yells "O,H" and the crowd replies with "I,O". Both presidential candidates have used this at rallies across the state in 2012.

==Bibliography==
* [http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/browse.php Ohio History Central], authoritative short articles, with images, audio and video files
===Surveys and textbooks===
* Bell, Carol Willsey. ''Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources.'' (1988). 372 pp.
* Benedict, Michael Les and Winkler, John F., eds. ''The History of Ohio Law.'' (2 vol. 2004). 946 pp.
* Booth, Stephane Elise. ''Buckeye Women: The History of Ohio's Daughters.'' (2001). 239 pp.
* Borcyczka, Raymond and Cary, Lorin Lee. ''No Strength without Union: An Illustrated History of Ohio Workers, 1803-1980.'' (1982). 328 pp.
* Cayton, Andrew R. L. ''Ohio: The History of a People'' (2002), 473pp
* Grant, H. Roger and Clarence Wunderlin. ''Ohio On The Move: Transportation In Buckeye State'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Ohio-Move-Transportation-Buckeye-Bicentennial/dp/0821412841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212898827&sr=8-1 excerpt]
* Knepper, George W. ''Ohio and Its People''. (3rd ed. 2003), textbook; ISBN 0-87338-791-0 [http://www.questia.com/read/112035631?title=Ohio%20and%20Its%20People online edition]
* Lafferty, Michael B., ed. ''Ohio's Natural Heritage.'' (1979). 324 pp.
* Parker, Gregory; Sisson, Richard; and Coil, William Russell, eds. ''Ohio & the World: Essays toward a New History of Ohio.'' (2005). 199 pp.
* Sisson, Richard, ed. ''The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia'' (2006), very right regional encyclopedia by scholars
* Smith, Thomas H., ed. ''An Ohio Reader. Vol. 1, 1750 to the Civil War. Vol 2. Reconstruction to the Present.'' (1975). 763 pp. articles by historians
===History to 1860===
* Blue, Frederick J. ''Salmon P. Chase: A Life in Politics'' (1987) [http://www.questia.com/read/22807164?title=Salmon%20P.%20Chase%3a%20A%20Life%20in%20Politics online edition]
* Bond Jr., Beverley W. ''The Foundations of Ohio. Volume: 1.'' 1941. detailed history to 1802. [http://www.questia.com/read/24153066?title=The%20Foundations%20of%20Ohio%20-%20Vol.%201 online edition]
* Brown, Jeffrey P., and Andrew R. L. Cayton, eds. ''The Pursuit of Public Power: Political Culture in Ohio, 1787-1861'' (1994)
* Buley, R. Carlyle. ''The Old Northwest'' (1950), Pulitzer Prize winner
* Carter, Harvey Lewis. ''The Life and Times of Little Turtle: First Sagamore of the Wabash.'' (1987). 275 pp.
* Cayton, Andrew R. L. ''The Frontier Republic: Ideology and Politics in the Ohio Country, 1780-1825'' (1986)
* Cayton, Andrew R.L. and Stuart D. Hobbs. ''The Center of a Great Empire: The Ohio Country in the Early Republic'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Center-Great-Empire-Country-Republic/dp/0821416480/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212898827&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* Fox, Stephen C. ''The Group Bases of Ohio Political Behavior, 1803-1848.'' (1989). 349 pp.
* Giesen, Myra Jayne. "Late Prehistoric Populations in the Ohio Area: Biological Affinities and Stress Indicators." PhD dissertation, anthropology. Ohio State U. 1992. 271 pp. DAI 1993 53(8): 2872-A. DA9238180 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Hendrick, Booraem V. ''The Road to Respectability: James A. Garfield and His World, 1844-1852'' (1988)
* Hurt, R. Douglas. ''The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830''. (1996). ISBN 0-253-21212-X 418pp
* Jones, Robert Leslie. ''History of Agriculture in Ohio to 1880.'' (1983). 416 pp.
* Leet, Don R. ''Population Pressure and Human Fertility Response: Ohio, 1810-1860.'' (1978). 291 pp.
* Maizlish, Stephen E. ''The Triumph of Sectionalism: The Transformation of Ohio Politics, 1844-1856'' (1983), 310pp
* O'Donnell, James H. ''Ohio's First Peoples''. (2004). Indian tribes.
* Ratcliffe, Donald J. ''The Politics of Long Division: The Birth of the Second Party System in Ohio, 1818-1828.'' (2000). 455 pp.
* Ratcliffe, Donald J. ''Party Spirit in a Frontier Republic: Democratic Politics in Ohio, 1793-1821'' (1998). 336 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=9223922805209 online review]
* Rokicky, Catherine M. ''Creating a Perfect World: Religious and Secular Utopias in Nineteenth-Century Ohio.'' (2002). 181 pp.
* Utter, William T. ''The Frontier State: 1803-1825,'' vol. 2 of History of the State of Ohio (1942).
* VanVugt, William E. ''British Buckeyes: The English, Scots, and Welsh in Ohio, 1700-1900.'' (2006). 295 pp.
* Weisenburger, Francis P. ''The Passing of the Frontier, vol. 3'' (1941), detailed history of 1830s and 1840s
* Winkle, Kenneth J. ''The Politics of Community: Migration and Politics in Antebellum Ohio.'' (1988). 239 pp.
===History 1860-1920===
* Comer, James Ray. "Immigration and Foodways in Ohio, 1870-1920." PhD dissertation Bowling Green State U. 2001. 369 pp. DAI 2001 62(6): 2217-A. DA3016141 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Downes, Randolph C. ''The Rise of Warren Gamaliel Harding, 1865-1920.'' (1970). 734 pp
* Gerber, David A. ''Black Ohio and the Color Line, 1860-1915.'' (1977). 500 pp.
* Hoogenboom, Ari. ''Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President.'' (1995). 626 pp.
* Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971)
* Jordan, Philip D.''Ohio Comes of Age: 1873-1900 Volume 5'' (1968)
* Klement, Frank L. ''The Limits of Dissent: Clement L. Vallandigham and the Civil War.'' (1998). 351 pp.
* Morton, Jack Devon. "Ohio's Gallant Fight: Northern State Politics during the Reconstruction Era, 1865-1878." PhD dissertation. U. of Virginia 2005. 274 pp. DAI 2005 66(1): 313-A. DA3161251 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Roseboom, Eugene. ''The Civil War Era, 1850-1873, vol. 4'' (1944), detailed general history
* Semsel, Craig Robert. "Built to Move Millions: Transit Vehicle Manufacture in Ohio, 1880-1938." PhD dissertation Case Western Reserve U. 2001. 720 pp. DAI 2002 62(9): 3162-3163-A. DA3027315 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Weeks, Philip, ed. ''Buckeye Presidents: Ohioans in the White House.'' (2003). 240 pp.
* Wheeler, Kenneth W., ed. ''For the Union: Ohio Leaders in the Civil War.'' (1968) 497 pp.
===History 1920 to present===
* Bower, Kevin Patrick. "Relief, Reform, and Youth: The National Youth Administration in Ohio, 1935-1943." PhD dissertation U. of Cincinnati 2003. 201 pp. DAI 2003 64(5): 1787-A. DA3092078 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Coil, William Russell. "'New Deal Republican': James A. Rhodes and the Transformation of the Republican Party, 1933-1983." PhD dissertation Ohio State U. 2005. 345 pp. DAI 2005 66(6): 2357-A. DA3180621 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Davies, Richard O. ''Defender of the Old Guard: John Bricker and American Politics.'' (1993). 271 pp.
* Giffin, William W. ''African Americans and the Color Line in Ohio, 1915-1930.'' (2005). 312 pp.
* Lamis, Alexander P. and Sharkey, Mary Anne, eds. ''Ohio Politics.'' (1994). 417 pp. textbook
* Lieberman, Carl, ed. ''Government, Politics, and Public Policy in Ohio.'' (1995). 277 pp. textbook
* Patterson, James T. ''Mr. Republican: A Biography of Robert A. Taft.'' (1972). 749 pp.
* Van Tine, Warren, et al. ''In the Workers' Interest: A History of the Ohio AFL-CIO, 1958-1998.'' (1998). 219 pp.
* Zimmerman, Richard G. ''Call Me Mike: A Political Biography of Michael V. Disalle'' (2003)

===Localities and regions===
* Curl, Donald W. ''Murat Halstead and the Cincinnati Commercial.'' (1980). 186 pp
* Hirsimaki, Eric. ''Lima: The History. '' (1986). 351 pp.
* Moore, Jonathan Barrons. "Local Economic Development in the Post-industrial Service Economy: Manufacturing Communities in the Ohio River Valley." PhD dissertation Ohio State U. 2003. 255 pp. DAI 2004 65(3): 1065-A. DA3124375 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Painter, Sue Ann. ''Architecture in Cincinnati: An Illustrated History of Designing and Building an American City.'' (2006) 368pp; ISBN 978-0-8214-1701-0 [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=213131210777630 online review]
* Ross, Steven J. ''Workers on the Edge: Work, Leisure, and Politics in Industrializing Cincinnati, 1788-1890'' (1985), new social history [http://www.questia.com/read/58918181?title=Workers%20on%20the%20Edge%3a%20Work%2c%20Leisure%2c%20and%20Politics%20in%20Industrializing%20Cincinnati%2c%201788-1890 online edition]
* Van Tassel, David D.. and John J. Grabowski, eds. ''The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History'' (1987), also online
* Van Tassel, David D.. and John J. Grabowski, eds. ''Cleveland: A Tradition of Reform'' (1986)
* Ware, Jane. ''Building Ohio: A Traveler's Guide to Ohio's Urban Architecture.'' (2001). 330 pp.
* Wheeler, Kenneth H. "Local Autonomy and Civil War Draft Resistance: Holmes County, Ohio" ''Civil War History'', Vol. 45, 1999
* WPA. ''Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors'' (1943), 574pp; famous guide book, with history [http://www.questia.com/read/72509386?title=Cincinnati%3a%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Queen%20City%20and%20Its%20Neighbors online edition]
===Primary historical sources===
* Bentley, Anna Briggs. ''American Grit: A Woman's Letters from the Ohio Frontier.'' ed. by Emily Foster, (2002). 344 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=168301062659261 online review]
* Dee, Christine, ed. ''Ohio's War: The Civil War in Documents.'' (2007). 244 pp. [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=80721191089204 online review]
* Foster, Emily, ed. ''The Ohio Frontier: An Anthology of Early Writings.'' (1996). 229 pp.
* Gebby, Margaret. ''Farm Wife: A Self-Portrait, 1886-1896.'' ed. by Virginia E. McCormick. (1990). 243 pp.
* Johnson, Tom L. ''My Story'' (1993), reform mayor of Cleveland
* Saxbe, William B. and Franklin, Peter D. ''I've Seen the Elephant: An Autobiography.'' (2000). 267 pp. Saxbe was a politician and US Senator 1946-74
* Shriver, Phillip R., Jr. and Clarence E. Wunderlin. eds. ''Documentary Heritage Of Ohio'' (2001)

==See also==
* [[John W. Bricker]]
* [[Cleveland]]
* [[Columbus]]
* [[Cincinnati]]
* [[Toledo]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Ohio]]

North Dakota

2019-01-19T01:17:49Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=North Dakota
|flag=North_Dakota_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Liberty and Union Now and Forever; One and Inseparable"
|nick=The Peace Garden State
|capital=Bismarck
|governor=Doug Burgum
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Heidi Heitkamp
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2043
|s1email=http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact Contact
|senator2=John Hoeven
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2551
|s2email=http://hoeven.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=November 2, 1889 (39th)
}}
'''North Dakota''' is a northern [[Midwest]]ern state; it is part of the [[Great Plains]] and became the thirty-ninth state to enter into the union on November 2, 1889.<ref>It entered on the same day as [[South Dakota]], but is given status first because of alphabetical order.</ref> The state capital is Bismarck, and the largest city is Fargo. North Dakota is the only state that has a state-owned bank in the nation.<ref>http://www.banknd.nd.gov/bndhome.jsp</ref> North Dakota is located in the center of the North American continent. The exact geographical center is located 97 miles NE of [[Bismarck]], 15 miles SW of [[Rugby]].<ref>http://hypertextbook.com/bent/photos/geographic.center.html</ref>

The state Constitution of North Dakota, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==Politics==
[[File:ND-map-1958.jpg|340px|thumb|1958 map.]]
Since 1940 North Dakota has voted [[Republican]] for president (except in 1964), but elects many [[Democrat]]s to [[Congress]]. The current governor of North Dakota is [[Jack Dalrymple]], a Republican.<ref>http://governor.nd.gov/</ref>

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Kevin Cramer]] (R)
*Sen. [[John Hoeven]] (R)
*Rep. [[Kelly Armstrong]] (R)

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Doug Burgum]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Brent Sanford]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Wayne Stenehjem]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Alvin Jaeger]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Doug Goehring]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Joshua Gallion]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Kelly Schmidt]] (R)

==Population==
The original Native American tribes in what is now North Dakota were the [[Mandan]], [[Sioux]], Arikara, [[Chippewa]], [[Cheyenne]], Assiniboine, and Hidatsa. Today only the Sioux and Chippewa remain; they comprise about 4% of the population.
[[File:Fargo.jpg|thumb|310px|Fargo and other cities are growing steadily as they absorb the people leaving the declining rural areas.]] Most settlers arrived from the 1880s to 1910, usually straight from Europe. Since then the population has held steady at about 650,000. Young people are moving out of rural areas to other states or to the few cities. The four urban counties (containing Fargo, Grand Forks Bismark and Minot) grew from 134,000 people in 1930 to 338,000 in 2007, while the other 49 counties—heavily rural—declined from 546,000 in 1930 to only 301,000 in 2007, and the decline continues. Thanks to high prices for oil and wheat, the state is prosperous and the state budget has a surplus. Higher education is a priority; he state ranks first in spending per capita on state colleges and universities.

==Ethnicity==
Three out of four residents today are descended from [[German Americans|German]] and Norwegian pioneers who arrived as farmers in growth years, 1880 to 1914. Many of the German speakers came from Russia, and are known as "Russian Germans." [[Yankees]] arrived too; they became townspeople, not farmers. Religion has always been strong, especially in Lutheran and Catholic churches.

===Norwegians===
Norwegian folk came to North Dakota with a reputation for honesty, hospitality, and thrift; they were modernizers and prohibitionists and soon acquired new traits involving good manners, a greater respect for women, more democratic ideas, and disregard for European class distinctions. "In Norway," one pioneer recalled, "we were in many respects a helpless tool in the hands of the state. There we had the state church. The child must be baptized or a fine must be paid." Ole Lima said that when his people came to America they became "a more wideawake people and more independent thinking. . . . The Norwegian, who has lived a while in America, is more civilized than if he had not been here. He has seen more, experienced more, thought more, and all this has opened his eyes and broadened his view."<ref>Quoted in Robinson (1966) p 548</ref>
[[File:ND-Leal.jpg|thumb|340px|The town of Leal in Barnes County in 1920, when it had 88 people; only 36 remain today--it's typical of many fading villages.]]

===Volga Germans===
On the other hand, the "Russian Germans" or "Volga Germans" were traditionalists. They were Germans who had lived isolated lives for generations in the Volga River region of Russia. They settled mostly in the south-central part of the state, the so-called German-Russian triangle. They brought little money and so worked poorer land, and were not as well off as other groups. No educated Germans-speaking pastors, teachers, professional men, or tradesmen had joined the peasants who migrated to America. The older generation was still speaking German (they never spoke Russian) in the 1940s, while the next generation was bilingual. Negatively influenced by their miseries and isolation in Russia, they saw themselves a downtrodden class cheated by businessmen and railroads; they raised large families with harsh discipline; they wanted their children to be farmers so took them out of school around age 14; they treated their womenfolk as inferior, and were slow to diversify their farms. Many grew sugar beets. In World War I (1917–18) their patriotism was ambiguous; distrusted by their neighbors they rejected prohibition and Americanization efforts and supported radical far-left political movements such as the NPL ("Non-Partisan League") in state elections and [[Robert LaFollette]] in 1924.<ref>Robinson (1966) pp. 285-87, 557; Gordon L. Iseminger, "The McIntosh County German-Russians: the First Fifty Years," ''North Dakota History'' 1984 51(3): 4-23; Iseminger, "Are We Germans, or Russians, or Americans? The McIntosh County German-Russians During World War I," ''North Dakota History'' 1992 59(2): 2-16.</ref>

==Climate==
The climate is harsh [[winter]] and [[summer]], with light rainfall. Eric Sevareid (1912-1992), who survived to become a famous newscaster, recalls growing up in a village north of Minot:
:"It was a trial of the human spirit just to live there, and a triumph of faith and fortitude for those who stayed on through the terrible blasting of the summer winds, the merciless suns, through the frozen darkness of the winters when the deathly mourn of the coyote seemed at times the only signal of life."

==Farming==
[[File:Nd-farm-map.jpg|thumb|290px]] North Dakota has always been a farm state. The most productive area is the eastern strip in the Red River Valley, where the soils are good and the water is abundant. Too abundant, sometimes, as the Red River (which flows north into Canada) often floods. Farming here is diversified, with wheat dominant, along with sugar beets and other crops.

[[File:Sod-house.jpg|thumb|300px|There are few trees on the plains, so many pioneers built houses from sod and lived in them for years despite the dirt, darkness and insects. This hand-colored photo was taken about 1905.<ref>See Everett Dick, ''Sod-House Frontier'' (1937)</ref>]]

The East Central and West Central regions are dry and are given over to wheat and other grains.

The West region has considerable [[ranching]], but there is so little moisture that crops are seldom grown.

Wheat farming boomed in the late 19th century, in part because of improvements in harvesting technology, particularly the automated reaper/binder that relied on twine to tie wheat into bundles for threshing. In 1899, to meet the rising demand for twine and confront International Harvester's monopolization of twine production, North Dakota and other Great Plains states set up their own twine factories using prison labor.
[[File:Nd-wheat.jpg|560px|thumb|left|Wheat harvest in Benson county, 1910]]

===Farmers Union===
[[File:Nd-Farm-union.jpg|thumb|400px|State headquarters of Farmers Union in Jamestown]]
The Farmers Union, the state branch of the National Farmers [[Labor union|Union]] (NFU), was founded in 1927 and emerged from the NPL in the 1920s. The Union grew rapidly in the 1930s when the [[New Deal]] (through the [[Farm Security Administration]]) began funding rural cooperatives. The coops were businesses—grain elevators and retail stores—that are owned by the farmers collectively, and enjoy special tax privileges. Norwegians in particular favored the coops and the Farmers Union. The Union has always leaned to the left, as opposed to the conservative farm Bureau Federation. North Dakota is one of the few states where the Union has a much larger membership than the Bureau, thanks to those coops. In 1956 there were 58,000 farmers in the state, of whom 44,000 belonged to the Union In the 1956 the Union took over the remnants of the NPL and merged it into the Democratic Party, which is officially the Democratic-NPL Party. The Farmers Union in 2009 still has 42,000 members, because it is signing up town folk to join the coops. It still lobbies on the left on major state and national issues.

==Transportation==
The Red River and the Missouri River are navigable, with steamships active by the 1840s. They provided the easiest transportation until the opening of the railroads in the 1880-1900 period. The Northern Pacific, Soo Line, Great Northern, and Milwaukee Road railroads served over 90% of the population, and sold land on very easy terms to immigrants. However, once they were settled in farmers and local merchants complained of high freight rates. The populated areas of east and central North Dakota are flat, making it easy for counties in the 1920s to build gravel roads to serve farmers.
[[File:Nd-old-home.jpg|thumb|400px|Before the 1950s counties operated "Old People's Homes" like this one in Grand Forks County for welfare recipients; today welfare is in cash payments, rental allowances and food stamps.]]

===Tourism===
[[Hunting]], [[fishing]] and boating are popular pastimes and draw summer tourists. The 2,300 acre tract of the '''International Peace Garden''' straddling the Canadian border was located near the geographical center of the American continent in 1932. The land was given by the Province of Manitoba and the State of North Dakota, after four years of planning by a group of distinguished gardeners. A cairn of native stone bears the inscription, 'To God in His Glory, we two nations dedicate this garden and pledge ourselves that as long as men shall live, we will not take up arms against one another.' Articles of incorporation were filed in Manitoba and North Dakota. A 100 percent Federal grant was received from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. A Civilian Conservation Corps camp was installed in 1934 and aided in the garden's development until 1941. Other organizations contributed. The garden houses an International Music camp, weekly encampments of the Royal Canadian Legion, the North Dakota Farm Bureau, the North Dakota Farmers' Union, Boy Scouts, church groups, and other youth activities.<ref>John A. Stormon, "A History of the International Peace Garden," ''North Dakota History'' 1964 31(4): 205-215,</ref>

==Energy==
[[File:Nd-oil.jpg|thumb|350px]]
North Dakota has considerable fossil fuel reserves. Coal is extracted from large surface mines in central North Dakota. Substantial crude oil and natural gas reserves are located in the Williston Basin, in the western part of the State. Although a low population largely accounts for the State’s low total energy consumption, North Dakota’s per capita energy consumption ranks among the highest in the Nation, in large part due to high demand for heating during cold winters and an energy-intensive economy. Industry accounts for nearly one-half of the State’s total energy consumption.<ref>See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ND Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>

===Petroleum===
North Dakota is a substantial [[crude oil]]-producing State with an output typically equal to roughly 2% of total annual U.S. production. The State is also an entrance point for Canadian crude oil transported via pipeline to U.S. Midwest refining markets. A small petroleum refinery near Bismarck refines crude oil extracted from the Williston Basin, which covers eastern Montana and the western Dakotas, as well as a small amount of Canadian crude. The refinery produces transportation fuels primarily for the northern Great Plains States and the Twin Cities area. A small new refinery has been proposed on the Fort Berthold Indian reservation in western North Dakota. If constructed, it would be the first new crude oil refinery in the United States in decades.

[[File:Nd-oil-drill.jpg|thumb|390px|Drilling for oil in 1963 in the Williston Basin, near the western border]]
[[Ethanol]] is produced at four ethanol plants in North Dakota, and a fifth is under construction, giving the State considerable ethanol production capacity. North Dakota is a moderate consumer of ethanol in blended motor gasoline, although it is one of the few states that allow the statewide use of conventional motor gasoline. (Most States require the use of specific gasoline blends in non-attainment areas due to air-quality considerations.) Ethanol is fast losing popularity because it is expensive and by taking crops out of the food chain it raises food prices.

===Natural Gas===
North Dakota typically produces roughly 1% of the Nation’s annual [[natural gas]] production. The majority of the State’s supply is transported via major pipelines originating in Montana and western Canada on their way to U.S. Midwest consumption markets. North Dakota has the distinction of being one of only two States that produce synthetic natural gas. The single largest source of synthetic gas in the United States is the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in Beulah, North Dakota, which annually produces more than 54 billion cubic feet of gas from coal. Overall State usage of natural gas is low, with the industrial sector leading State consumption. Over two-fifths of the households in North Dakota use natural gas as their primary source of energy for home heating.

===Coal, Electricity, and Renewables===
[[Electricity]] generation and demand are both low in North Dakota, commensurate with the State’s population. [[Coal]]-fired plants provide nearly all of North Dakota’s electricity generation. Most of the coal used for power generation is supplied by several large surface mines in the central part of the State. State coal production is substantial, and North Dakota brings in only small amounts of coal from other States. Hydroelectric dams account for most of the State’s non-coal-generated electricity. The Garrison Dam, located about 75 miles northwest of Bismarck, is North Dakota’s fifth largest plant in electricity generation capability. The vast majority of the State is rich in wind energy potential, a dozen wind power projects are currently operational, and the State has plans for further development. Nearly three-tenths of North Dakota households use electricity as their primary energy source for home heating.

==History==

Beginning in 1915, the [[Non-Partisan League]] ('''NPL''') quickly developed from a protest movement into a political force in North Dakota and neighboring [[Alberta]], Canada. Alienated farmers, especially Germans, demanded state government action to balance the widening gap between the price consumers paid and the amount producers received for their farm products, especially wheat. A. C. Townley and William Irvine rallied farmers into the Non-Partisan League's ranks with the organization's commitment to voting and democracy that were not influenced by traditional party politics. Conservative Republicans and Democrats formed an alliance to stope the NPL radicalism.

==Notable people from North Dakota==
[[File:ND-Missouri.jpg|thumb|380px|Badlands in western N.D.]]
*[[Dick Armey]], a former US Representative who played a significant role in the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives in 1994, was born in Cando, then moved to Texas.
*[[Louis L'Amour]], an author who specialized in writing Westerns, was born in Jamestown.
*[[Sacagawea]], who served as a guide on Lewis and Clark's expedition, spent several years living in a village in what is now North Dakota.
* [[Lawrence Welk]], band leader; his parents were Volga German Catholics who left Russia in 1893 and migrated to Strasburg
* [[Roger Maris]], from Fargo; playing with the New York Yankees, he broke Babe Ruth's home-run record in 1961

==Bibliography==
* Anderson, Kathie Ryckman. ''Dakota: The Literary Heritage of the Northern Prairie State.'' (1990), quick look at 200 authors
* Arends, Shirley Fischer. ''The Central Dakota Germans: Their History, Language, and Culture.'' (1989). 289 pp.; the state's largest ethnic group
* Berg, Francie M., ed. ''Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota.'' (1983). 174 pp.
* Blackorby, Edward C. ''Prairie Rebel: The Public Life of William Lemke'' (1963), radical leader in 1930s [http://www.questia.com/read/11908002?title=Prairie%20Rebel%3a%20The%20Public%20Life%20of%20William%20Lemke online edition]
* Bochert, John R. ''America's Northern Heartland'' (1987), regional geography
* Collins, Michael L. ''That Damned Cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and the American West, 1883-1898'' (1989). Teddy was a rancher here in the 1880s
* Cooper, Jerry and Smith, Glen. ''Citizens as Soldiers: A History of the North Dakota National Guard.'' (1986). 447 pp.
* Crawford, Lewis F. ''History of North Dakota'' (3 vol 1931), excellent history in vol 1; biographies in vol. 2-3
* Danbom, David B. ''"Our Purpose Is to Serve": The First Century of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.'' (1990). 237 pp.
* Danbom, David B. "North Dakota: The Most Midwestern State," in ''Heartland: Comparative Histories of the Midwestern States,'' ed. by James H. Madison, (1988) pp 107–126
* Drache, Hiram M. ''The Day of the Bonanza: A History of Bonanza Farming in the Red River Valley of the North.'' (1964), giant wheat farms with many employees
* Eisenberg, C. G. ''History of the First Dakota-District of the Evangelical-Lutheran Synod of Iowa and Other States.'' (1982). 268 pp. now part of [[ELCA]]
* Ginsburg, Faye D. ''Contested Lives: The Abortion Debate in an American Community.'' (1989). 315 pp. the issue in Fargo
* Hampsten, Elizabeth. ''Settlers' Children: Growing Up on the Great Plains'' (1991)
* Hargreaves, Mary W. M. ''Dry Farming in the Northern Great Plains: Years of Readjustment, 1920-1990.'' (1993). 386 pp.
* Howard, Thomas W., ed. ''The North Dakota Political Tradition.'' (1981). 220 pp.; essays on on Alexander McKenzie, Governor John Burke, Senator William Langer, Governor Fred G. Aandahl, Elizabeth Preston Anderson, NPL and the Independent Voters' Association.
* Hudson, John C. ''Plains Country Towns.'' (1985). 189 pp. geographer studies small towns
* Junker, Rozanne Enerson. ''The Bank of North Dakota: An Experiment in State Ownership.'' (1989). 185 pp.
* Lamar, Howard R. ''Dakota Territory, 1861-1889: A Study of Frontier Politics'' (1956).
* Lounsberry, Clement A. ''Early history of North Dakota'' (1919) excellent history by editor of ''Bismark Tribune''; 645pp [https://books.google.com/books?id=BHQUAAAAYAAJ&dq=inauthor:Clement+inauthor:Lounsberry&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0&source=gbs_navlinks_s online edition]
* Lysengen, Janet Daley and Rathke, Ann M., eds. ''The Centennial Anthology of "North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains."'' (1996). 526 pp. articles from state history journal covering all major topics in the state's history
* Morlan, Robert L. ''Political Prairie Fire: The Nonpartisan League, 1915-1922.'' (1955). 414 pp. radical-left NPL came to power briefly
* Murray, Stanley Norman. ''The Valley Comes of Age: A History of Agriculture in the Valley of the Red River of the North, 1812-1920'' (1967)
* Peirce, Neal R. ''The Great Plains States of America: People, Politics, and Power in the Nine Great Plains States'' (1973) [http://www.amazon.com/Great-Plains-States-America-Politics/dp/0393053490/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256351845&sr=1-2 excerpt and text ssearch], chapter on North Dakota
* Robinson, Elwyn B., D. Jerome Tweton, and David B. Danbom. ''History of North Dakota'' (2nd ed. 1995) standard history, by leading scholars; extensive bibliography
** Robinson, Elwyn B. ''History of North Dakota'' (1966) [http://www.questia.com/read/89553282?title=History%20of%20North%20Dakota First edition online]
* Schneider, Mary Jane. ''North Dakota Indians: An Introduction.'' (1986). 276 pp.
* Sherman, William C. and Playford V. Thorson, eds. ''Plains Folk: North Dakota's Ethnic History.'' (1988). 419 pp.
* Sherman, William C. ''Prairie Mosaic: An Ethnic Atlas of Rural North Dakota.'' (1983). 152 pp.
* Smith, Glen H. ''Langer of North Dakota: A Study in Isolationism, 1940-1959.'' (1979). 238 pp. biography of influential conservative Senator
* Snortland, J. Signe, ed. ''A Traveler's Companion to North Dakota State Historic Sites.'' (1996). 155 pp.
* Stock, Catherine McNicol. ''Main Street in Crisis: The Great Depression and the Old Middle Class on the Northern Plains.'' (1992). 305pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/15562850?title=Main%20Street%20in%20Crisis%3a%20The%20Great%20Depression%20and%20the%20Old%20Middle%20Class%20on%20the%20Northern%20Plains online edition]
* Stradley, Scot A. ''The Broken Circle: An Economic History of North Dakota'' (1993)
* Tauxe, Caroline S. ''Farms, Mines and Main Streets: Uneven Development in a Dakota County.'' (1993). 276 pp. coal and grain in Mercer county
* Tweton, D. Jerome, and Daniel F. Rylance. ''The Years of Despair: North Dakota in the Depression.'' (1973) politics of 1920s
* Tweton, D. Jerome and Jelliff, Theodore B. ''North Dakota: The Heritage of a People.'' (1976). 242 pp. basic textbook
* Wilkins, Robert P. and Wilkins, Wynona Hutchette. ''North Dakota: A Bicentennial History.'' (1977) 218 pp. popular history
* Wishart, David J. ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains'' (2004), many articles by scholars on many topics
===Primary sources===
* Benson, Bjorn; Hampsten, Elizabeth; and Sweney, Kathryn, eds. ''Day In, Day Out: Women's Lives in North Dakota.'' (1988). 326 pp.
* Maximilian, Prince of Wied. ''Travels in the Interior of North America in the rears 1832 to 1834'' (Vols. XXII-XXIV of "Early Western Travels, 1748-1846," ed. by Reuben Gold Thwaites; 1905- 1906). Maximilian spent the winter of 1833-1834 at Fort Clark.
* Meek, Martha, and Jay Meek, eds. ''Prairie Volcano: An Anthology of North Dakota Writing.'' (1995), short works by 50 recent authors
* Raaen, Aagot. ''Grass of the Earth'' (1950) true, highly revealing story of one Norwegian family in 1880s
* University of North Dakota, Bureau of Governmental Affairs, ed., ''A Compilation of North Dakota Political Party Platforms, 1884-1978.'' (1979). 388 pp.
* WPA. ''North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State'' (2nd ed. 1950), the classic guide [http://www.questia.com/read/16322595?title=North%20Dakota%3a%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Northern%20Prairie%20State online edition]
* Woiwode, Larry. ''Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album'' (1975) novel about growing up in N.D.
* Young, Carrie. ''Prairie Cooks: Glorified Rice, Three-Day Buns, and Other Reminiscences.'' (1993). 136 pp.

==External links==
* [http://history.nd.gov/publications/ndhistory.html ''North Dakota History: Journal of the Northern Plains''], with cumulative index

== References ==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:North Dakota]]
[[Category:The Dakotas]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:Purple States]]
[[Category:Great Plains]]
[[Category:Plains of the United States]]
[[Category:Wild West]]
[[Category:Oil]]
[[Category:Oil Industry]]

North Carolina

2019-01-19T01:16:11Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=North Carolina
|flag=North_Carolina_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Esse quam videri" (To be, rather than to seem)
|nick=The Tar Heel State
|capital=Raleigh
|language=English
|governor=Roy Cooper
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Richard Burr
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-3154
|s1email=http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home Contact
|senator2=Thom Tillis
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-6342
|s2email=http://www.tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me Contact
|population=10,247,632 (2017 estimate)
|date=November 21, 1789 (12th)
}}
'''North Carolina''', in the southeastern region of the [[United States]], on [[November]] 21st, 1789 became the twelfth state to enter into the union. North Carolina was part of the [[Confederate States of America]], 1861-65. The capital of North Carolina is [[Raleigh]] and its largest city is [[Charlotte]]. The current governor of North Carolina is Roy Cooper, a [[Democrat]].

North Carolina is the birthplace of two American presidents, [[James Polk]] and [[Andrew Johnson]], both of whom left young. The most prominent recent conservative leader was Senator [[Jesse Helms]]. The state's two current [[Moderate Republican|Moderate]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] senators, [[Richard Burr]] and [[Thom Tillis]], are fully unlike Helms in style and philosophy of government.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of North Carolina was 9,943,964 on July 1, 2014, a 4.28% increase since the 2010 U.S. Census; currently North Carolina the eleventh-most populous state in the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://roofingroger.com/wp-content/uploads/NST-EST2014-01.csv |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|language=English|accessdate=29 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Hulsink2008">{{cite book|last=Hulsink|first=Willem|coauthors=J. J. M. Dons|title=Pathways to High-Tech Valleys and Research Triangles: Innovative Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Transfer and Cluster Formation in Europe and the United States|accessdate=29 August 2015|date=23 May 2008|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|language=English |isbn=1402083386|page=30|quote=North Carolina is the eleventh-most-populous state in the United States, and it ranks eighth largest in the United States in terms of manufacturing base.}}</ref>

The state Constitution of North Carolina, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==Politics==
North Carolina typically favors [[Republican]] presidential candidates. Since 1968, only two [[Democrats]] have won the state in presidential elections: [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[Barack Hussein Obama]]. In the [[2010 Midterm Elections]], Republicans gained control of both chambers of the North Carolina Legislature for the first time in 202 years.

However, it is very much a [[purple state]] with Democrats doing well there, due to large liberal concentrations in Charlotte (the state's largest city) and in the Research Triangle area (location of its three major universities).

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Thom Tillis]] (R)
*Sen. [[Richard Burr]] (R)
*Rep. [[G. K. Butterfield]] [D, NC-01]
*Rep. [[George Holding]] [R, NC-02]
*Rep. [[Walter B. Jones, Jr.]] [R, NC-03]
*Rep. [[David Price]] [D, NC-04]
*Rep. [[Virginia Foxx]] [R, NC-05]
*Rep. [[Mark Walker]] [R, NC-06]
*Rep. [[David Rouzer]] [R, NC-07]
*Rep. [[Richard Hudson]] [R, NC-08]
*(vacant) [NC-09]
*Rep. [[Patrick McHenry]] [R, NC-10]
*Rep. [[Mark Meadows]] [R, NC-11]
*Rep. [[Alma Adams]] [D, NC-12]
*Rep. [[Ted Budd]] [R, NC-13]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Roy Cooper]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Dan Forest]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Josh Stein]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Elaine Marshall]] (D)
*State Auditor [[Beth Wood]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Dale Folwell]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Steve Troxler]] (R)
*Insurance Commissioner [[Mike Causey]] (R)
*Labor Commissioner [[Cherie Berry]] (R)
*Public Instruction Superintendent [[Mark Johnson]] (R)

==External links==
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-crossing-of-jesse-helms-larry.html#!/2012/11/the-crossing-of-jesse-helms-larry.html The Crossing of Jesse Helms, Larry McDonald, Noelle Anne, and Little Stacy Marie]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Powell, William S. and Jay Mazzocchi, eds. ''Encyclopedia of North Carolina'' (2006) 1320pp; 2000 articles by 550 experts on all topics; ISBN 0807830712. The best starting point for most research.
===Surveys===
* Clay, James, and Douglas Orr, eds., ''North Carolina Atlas: Portrait of a Changing Southern State'' U. of North Carolina Press, 1971
* Crow; Jeffrey J. and Larry E. Tise; ''Writing North Carolina History'' U. of North Carolina Press, [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59237933 (1979) online]
* Fleer; Jack D. ''North Carolina Government & Politics'' [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=98712979 University of Nebraska Press, (1994) online] political science textbook
* Hawks; Francis L. ''History of North Carolina'' 2 vol 1857
* Kersey, Marianne M., and Ran Coble, eds., ''North Carolina Focus: An Anthology on State Government, Politics, and Policy'', 2d ed., (Raleigh: North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, 1989).
* Lefler; Hugh Talmage. ''A Guide to the Study and Reading of North Carolina History'' [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=65419833 University of North Carolina Press, (1963) online]
* Lefler, Hugh Talmage, and Albert Ray Newsome, ''North Carolina: The History of a Southern State'' University of North Carolina Press (1954, 1963, 1973), standard textbook
* Luebke, Paul. ''Tar Heel Politics: Myths and Realities'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1990).
* Powell William S. ''Dictionary of North Carolina Biography.'' Vol. 1, A-C; vol. 2, D-G; vol. 3, H-K. UNC Press, 1979-88.
* Powell, William S. ''Encyclopedia of North Carolina.'' University of North Carolina Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0807830710.
* Powell, William S. ''North Carolina Fiction, 1734-1957: An Annotated Bibliography'' UNC Press 1958
* Powell, William S. ''North Carolina through Four Centuries'' University of North Carolina Press (1989), standard textbook
* Ready, Milton. ''The Tar Heel State: A History of North Carolina'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Tar-Heel-State-History-Carolina/dp/1570035911/ref=sr_1_8/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190827576&sr=1-8 excerpt and text search]
* WPA Federal Writers' Project. ''North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State.'' 1939. famous [[WPA]] guide to every town

===Localities===
* Boyd William Kenneth. ''The Story of Durham.'' Duke University Press, 1925.
* Lally, Kelly A. ''Historic Architecture of Wake County, North Carolina.'' Raleigh: Wake County Government, 1994. ISBN 0-9639198-0-6.
* Payne, Roger L. ''Place Names of the Outer Banks.'' Washington, North Carolina: Thomas A. Williams, 1985. ISBN0-932707-01-4.
* Morland John Kenneth. ''Millways of Kent.'' UNC 1958.
* Powell, William S. ''The First State University.'' 3rd ed. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1992.
* Powell, William S. ''North Carolina Gazetteer.'' Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1968. Available as an electronic book with ISBN 0807867039 from NetLibrary.
* Vickers, James. ''Chapel Hill: An Illustrated History.'' Chapel Hill: Barclay, 1985. ISBN 0-9614429-0-5.
====Special topics====
* Bishir, Catherine. ''North Carolina Architecture.'' Chapel Hill: UNC, 1990.
* North Carolina China Council [a regional affiliate of the China Council of the Asia Society.] ''North Carolina's "China Connection," 1840-1949: A Record.'' N.P.: North Carolina China Council, 1981. No ISBN. Catalog of a photographic exhibit shown at the North Carolina Museum of History and elsewhere, 1980-1981.
====Pre 1920====
* Eric Anderson, ''Race and Politics in North Carolina, 1872-1901'' (Louisiana State University Press, 1981).
* Beatty Bess. "Lowells of the South: Northern Influence on the Nineteenth-Century North Carolina Textile Industry, 1830-1890". ''Journal of Southern History'' 53 (Feb 1987): 37-62. online at JSTOR
* Billings Dwight. ''Planters and the Making of a "New South": Class, Politics, and Development in North Carolina, 1865-1900.'' UNC Press, 1979.
* Bolton; Charles C. ''Poor Whites of the Antebellum South: Tenants and Laborers in Central North Carolina and Northeast Mississippi'' Duke University Press, 1994 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3589001 online edition]
* Cathey, Cornelius O. ''Agricultural Developments in North Carolina, 1783-1860.'' UNC Press, 1956.
* Clayton Thomas H. ''Close to the Land. The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1820-1870.'' UNC Press, 1983.
* A. Roger Ekirch, ''"Poor Carolina": Politics and Society in Colonial North Carolina, 1729-1776'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1981)
* Escott Paul D., and Jeffrey J. Crow. "The Social Order and Violent Disorder: An Analysis of North Carolina in the Revolution and the Civil War". ''Journal of Southern History'' 52 (August 1986): 373-402. in JSTOR
* Escott; Paul D. ''Many Excellent People: Power and Privilege in North Carolina, 1850-1900'' [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59237933 University of North Carolina Press, (1985) online]
* Fenn, Elizabeth A. and Peter H. Wood. ''Natives and Newcomers: The Way We Lived in North Carolina Before 1770'' University of North Carolina Press 1983
* Gilpatrick; Delbert Harold. ''Jeffersonian Democracy in North Carolina, 1789-1816'' Columbia University Press. (1931) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=10537433 online edition]
* Gilmore; Glenda Elizabeth. ''Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920'' U of North Carolina Press, 1996 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94820630 online edition]
* Griffin Richard W. "Reconstruction of the North Carolina Textile Industry, 1865-1885". ''North Carolina Historical Review'' 41 (January 1964): 34-53.
* Harris, William C. "William Woods Holden: in Search of Vindication." ''North Carolina Historical Review'' 1982 59(4): 354-372. ISSN 0029-2494 Governor during Reconstruction
* Harris, William C. ''William Woods Holden, Firebrand of North Carolina Politics.'' Louisiana State U. Press, 1987. 332 pp.
* Johnson, Charles A. "The Camp Meeting in Ante-Bellum North Carolina". ''North Carolina Historical Review'' 10 (April 1933): 95-110.
* Johnson Guion Griffis. ''Antebellum North Carolina: A Social History.'' UNC Press, 1937
* Kars, Marjoleine. ''Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina'' UNC Press, 2002 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=101419501 online edition]
* Kruman Marc W. ''Parties and Politics in North Carolina, 1836-1865.'' Louisiana State University Press, 1983.
* Leloudis, James L. ''Schooling the New South: Pedagogy, Self, and Society in North Carolina, 1880-1920'' University of North Carolina Press, 1996 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94841854 online edition]
* McDonald Forrest, and Grady McWhiney. "The South from Self-Sufficiency to Peonage: An Interpretation". ''American Historical Review'' 85 (December 1980): 1095-1118. in JSTOR
* McDonald Forrest, and Grady McWhiney. "The Antebellum Southern Herdsmen: A Reinterpretation". ''Journal of Southern History'' 41 (May 1975): 147-66. in JSTOR
* Morrill, James R. ''The Practice and Politics of Fiat Finance: North Carolina in the Confederation, 1783-1789. UNC Press, 1969 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14682320 online edition]
* Mabel Newcomer; ''Economic and Social History of Chowan County, North Carolina, 1880-1915'' Columbia UP, 1917 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=2990988 online edition]
* Nathans Sydney. ''The Quest for Progress: The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1870-1920.'' UNC Press, 1983.
* O'Brien Gail Williams. ''The Legal Fraternity and the Making of a New South Community, 1848-1882.'' U. of Georgia Press, 1986.
* Opper Peter Kent. "North Carolina Quakers: Reluctant Slaveholders". ''North Carolina Historical Review'' 52 (January 1975): 37-58.
* Perdue Theda. ''Native Carolinians: The Indians of North Carolina.'' Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1985.
* Ramsey Robert W. ''Carolina Cradle. Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762.'' UNC Press, 1964.
* Risjord, Chesapeake politics
* Joseph Carlyle Sitterson. ''The Secession Movement in North Carolina'' (1939) 285 pages
* Louise Irby Trenholme; ''The Ratification of the Federal Constitution in North Carolina'' Columbia U. Press, 1932 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=358244 online edition]
* Watson Harry L. ''An Independent People: The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1770-1820.'' UNC Press 1983.
* Woodward C. Vann. ''Origins of the New South, 1877-1913.'' Louisiana State U. Press, 1951

====Since 1920====
* Abrams; Douglas Carl; ''Conservative Constraints: North Carolina and the New Deal'' U. Press of Mississippi, 1992 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24231467 online edition]
* Badger; Anthony J. ''Prosperity Road: The New Deal, Tobacco, and North Carolina'' U. of North Carolina Press, (1980) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9700308 online edition]
* Bell John L., Jr. ''Hard Times: Beginnings of the Great Depression in North Carolina, 1929-1933.'' North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1982.
* Clancy, Paul R. ''Just a Country Lawyer: A Biography of Senator Sam Ervin.'' Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1974. A biography of the U.S. Senator from North Carolina who helped to bring down Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon, and who defended civil liberties in many cases but also opposed the Civil Rights movement and the Equal Rights Amendment.
* Ehle, John. ''The Free Men.'' Harper & Row, 1965. Reprinted with a new afterword by Press 53 (Lewisville, N.C.), 2007, with ISBN 0979304911.
* Willard B. Gatewood; ''Preachers, Pedagogues & Politicians: The Evolution Controversy in North Carolina, 1920-1927'' UNC Press, 1966 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95985854 online edition]
* Gilmore; Glenda Elizabeth. ''Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920'' U of North Carolina Press, 1996
* Grundy; Pamela. ''Learning to Win: Sports, Education, and Social Change in Twentieth-Century North Carolina'' U of North Carolina Press, 2001 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=101457616 online edition]
* Hagood, Margaret Jarman. ''Mothers of the South: Portraiture of the White Tenant Farm Woman'' 1939
* Key, V. O. ''Southern Politics in State and Nation'' (1951)
* Odum, Howard W. ''Folk, Region, and Society: Selected Papers of Howard W. Odum,'' UNC Press, 1964.
* Parramore Thomas C. ''Express Lanes and Country Roads: The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1920-1970.'' UNC Press, 1983.
* Pope, Liston. ''Millhands and Preachers.'' New Haven: Yale, 1976 (reprint of 1942 edition). A history of the 1929 Loray Mill strike in Gastonia, N.C., especially the role of the church.
* Puryear, Elmer L. ''Democratic Party Dissension in North Carolina, 1928-1936'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1962).
* Seymour, Robert E. ''"Whites Only".'' Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1991. An account of the Civil Rights movement in North Carolina, and churches' involvement in it (on both sides) in particular, by a white Baptist pastor who was a supporter of the movement. ISBN 0-8170-1178-1.
* Taylor, Elizabeth A. "The Women's Suffrage Movement in North Carolina", ''North Carolina Historical Review'', (January 1961): 45-62, and ibid. (April 1961): 173-89;
* Tilley Nannie May. ''The Bright Tobacco Industry, 1860-1929.'' UNC 1948.
* Tilley Nannie May. ''The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.'' UNC Press, 1985.
* Tullos, Allen. ''Habits of Industry: White Culture and the Transformation of the Carolina Piedmont.'' UNC Press. 1989. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=15039957 online edition], based on interviews
* Weare; Walter B. ''Black Business in the New South: A Social History of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company'' U. of Illinois Press, 1993 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=8925883 online edition]
* Wood; Phillip J. ''Southern Capitalism: The Political Economy of North Carolina, 1880-1980'' Duke University Press, 1986 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=79412618 online edition]

===Primary sources===
* Lindley S. Butler and Alan D. Watson, eds., ''The North Carolina Experience: An Interpretive and Documentary History'' UNC Press, 1984, essays by historians and selected related primary sources.
* John L. Cheney, Jr., ed., ''North Carolina Government, 1585-1979: A Narrative and Statistical History'' (Raleigh: Department of the Secretary of State, 1981)
* Jack Claiborne and William Price, eds. ''Discovering North Carolina: A Tar Heel Reader'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1991).
* Hugh Lefler, ''North Carolina History Told by Contemporaries (University of North Carolina Press, numerous editions since 1934)
* H. G. Jones, ''North Carolina Illustrated, 1524-1984'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1984)
* Alexander S. Salley, ed. ''Narratives of Early Carolina, 1650-1708'' (1911) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=394304 online edition]
* Woodmason Charles. ''The Carolina Backcountry on the Eve of the Revolution.'' UNC Press, 1953.
* Yearns, W. Buck and John G. Barret; ''North Carolina Civil War Documentary'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1980)
* ''North Carolina Manual'', published biennially by the Department of the Secretary of State since 1941.

===Primary sources: governors and political leaders===
* Luther H. Hodges; ''Businessman in the Statehouse: Six Years as Governor of North Carolina'' UNC Press 1962 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94828252 online edition]
* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/holden/holden.html ''Memoirs of W. W. Holden'' (1911)] complete text
* Holden, William Woods. ''The Papers of William Woods Holden. Vol. 1: 1841-1868.'' Horace Raper and Thornton W. Mitchell, ed. Raleigh, Division of Archives and History, Dept. of Cultural Resources, 2000. 457 pp.

{{USstates}}
[[Category:North Carolina]]
[[Category:The South]]

New York

2019-01-19T01:08:13Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=New York
|flag=Newyorkflag.gif
|motto="Excelsior"
|nick=The Big Apple
|capital=Albany
|language=None
|governor=Andrew Cuomo
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Kirsten Gillibrand
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-4451
|s2email=no contact info
|senator1=Charles Schumer
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-6542
|s1email=http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=July 26, 1788 (11th)
}}
'''New York''' state, one of the original [[Colonial America|13 colonies]], became a state in 1776 and was the 11th state to ratify the Constitution on July 26, 1788. In common use, "New York" most often refers to [[New York City]], the financial, news and cultural capital of the U.S.

The state Constitution of New York, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Charles Schumer]] (D)
*Sen. [[Kirsten Gillibrand]] (D)
*Rep. [[Lee Zeldin]] [D, NY-01]
*Rep. [[Peter King]] [R, NY-02]
*Rep. [[Thomas Suozzi]] [D, NY-03]
*Rep. [[Kathleen Rice]] [D, NY-04]
*Rep. [[Gregory Meeks]] [D, NY-05]
*Rep. [[Grace Meng]] [D, NY-06]
*Rep. [[Nydia Velazquez]] [D, NY-07]
*Rep. [[Hakeem Jeffries]] [D, NY-08]
*Rep. [[Yvette Clarke]] [D, NY-09]
*Rep. [[Jerrold Nadler]] [D, NY-10]
*Rep. [[Max Rose]] [D, NY-11]
*Rep. [[Carolyn Maloney]] [D, NY-12]
*Rep. [[Adriano Espaillat]] [D, NY-13]
*Rep. [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]] [D, NY-14]
*Rep. [[Jose Serranol]] [D, NY-15]
*Rep. [[Eliot Engel]] [D, NY-16]
*Rep. [[Nita Lowey]] [D, NY-17]
*Rep. [[Sean Maloney]] [D, NY-18]
*Rep. [[Antonio Delgado]] [D, NY-19]
*Rep. [[Paul Tonko]] [D, NY-20]
*Rep. [[Elise Stefanik]] [R, NY-21]
*Rep. [[Anthony Brindisi]] [D, NY-22]
*Rep. [[Tom Reed]] [R, NY-23]
*Rep. [[John Katko]] [R, NY-24]
*Rep. [[Joseph D. Morelle [D, NY-25]
*Rep. [[Brian Higgins]] [D, NY-26]
*Rep. [[Chris Collins]] [R, NY-27]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Kathy Hochul]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Barbara Underwood]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Rossana Rosado]] (D)
*State Comptroller [[Thomas DiNapoli]] (D)

==History==
see [[History of New York State]]

==Facts==
[[File:Liberty2.jpg|thumb|Statue of Liberty.]]
* Nickname: The Big Apple.
* State Capital: [[Albany]].
* Total area: 54,471.144 square miles (47,223.839 land and 7,247.305 inland water).
* Population: Based on the 2000 census – 18,976,457; 3rd most populous US state after California and Texas. Much of this population lives in New York City. "Upstate" New York has most of the land area in the state.
* State Song: "I Love New York"
* [[State flower|State Flower]]: [[Rose]]
*There are four mountain ranges in New York State: Adirondack, Catskill, Shawangunk and Taconic.
*The highest point in New York State is Mount Marcy in Essex County in the Adirondacks - 5,344 feet above sea level.
*The State has 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, 9,767 miles of shoreline which includes 8,778 miles of lake shoreline.

==Major Cities==
* [[New York City]] (largest both in its state and the U.S.).
* [[Albany]] (capital)
* [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
* [[Rochester]]
* [[Schenectady]]
* [[Syracuse]]

==Politics==
New York City is the center of American liberalism. "Upstate" is much more conservative and the suburbs are split. Republicans have a narrow 32-30 seat majority in the State Senate. However, Democrats dominate the State Assembly with a 99-50 seat majority.

In 1980 the state elected 17 Republicans to the House; in 2010 it elected only eight. However, due to population loss, New York only had 29 seats in 2010 compared to 39 in 1980 so the change isn't as dramatic as it seems at first glance.

==Miscellaneous==
New York is the home and birthplace of five American presidents, [[Martin Van Buren]], [[Millard Filmore]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Franklin Roosevelt]], and [[Donald Trump]].

==External links==
*[http://www.iloveny.com/ Official New York State Tourism Web Site]
*[http://www.ny.gov/governor/ New York State]

==Further reading==
* Blond, Becca, and China Williams. ''Lonely Planet New York State'' (2004) [http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-New-York-State/dp/1741041252/ref=sr_1_8/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189477988&sr=1-8 excerpt and online search from Amazon.com], a guide book.
* Eisenstadt, Peter, Laura-Eve Moss, and Carole F. Huxley, eds. ''The Encyclopedia Of New York State'' (2005) 1900 pages of articles by experts. The best starting point.
* Jackson, Kenneth, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of New York City'' (1995), [http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-New-York-City/dp/0300055366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240594479&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Urban History]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]

New Mexico

2019-01-19T01:03:28Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=New Mexico
|flag=New_Mexico_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Crescit eundo (It grows as it goes)
|nick=The Land of Enchantment
|capital=[[Santa Fe]]
|language=English, Spanish
|governor=Michelle Lujan Grisham
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Martin Heinrich
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-5521
|s1email=
|senator2=Tom Udall
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-6621
|s2email=http://tomudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=January 6, 1912 (47th)
}}
'''New Mexico''', the colony and territory of '''Santa Fe de Nuevo México''' from 1598-1912 was a Mexican territory from 1821-1848 and an American territory from 1848-1912, became the 47th state to join the union on January 6, 1912. It is the fifth largest of the [[United States]], with a total land area of 121,412 square miles.<ref>http://www.newmexico.gov/</ref> New Mexico has the largest [[Hispanic]] population, and second largest [[Native American]] population, percentage-wise, of any US State. The State has a bold history and colorful culture, the official state question is "red or green?" in reference to the State's unique [[Chile (Capsicum)|chile pepper]]. Politically the State is very much as Independent swing state that usually votes for incumbents and, much like West Texas, the state also leans towards [[Libertarian]] political stances especially in Central and Western New Mexico. The capital of the state is [[Santa Fe]], and its largest city is [[Albuquerque]].

Despite popular opinion, New Mexico's name originates from long before it was a territory of Mexico or the United States. New Mexico was named by Spanish explorers who mistook the advanced Pueblo natives as being related to the Mexica ([[Aztecs]]). The full name of the colony, as well as the Mexican and American territories, was Santa Fe de Nuevo México (Holy Faith of New Mexico).

The state is bordered by [[Colorado]], [[Arizona]], [[Utah]], [[Oklahoma]] and [[Texas]]. It also borders [[Mexico]].

The state Constitution of New Mexico, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==History==
===Native Americans===
The Native American groups of New Mexico are the Pueblo, and the Athabaskan groups of the Apache and Navajo. The Navajo Nation also is present in Arizona and Utah. Prior to these modern peoples, the current area of New Mexico was the home of the Mogollon, Hohokam, and the ancestors to the modern Pueblo peoples called the Ancient Pueblo, commonly known as the [[Anasazi]].
====Ancient Pueblo====
The Ancient Puebloans (commonly known by the Navajo name Anasazi), were great builders that built monolithic cities throughout the American Southwest, they were primarily centered around the current area of New Mexico. Some of the monolithic cities have stood the test of time, such as Sky City at the Acoma Pueblo and the ancient structures at Taos Pueblo; both of these Pueblos are widely believed to be longest continuously inhabited places in the United States. Some of their cities have long been abandoned, such as the ruins at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The government of the Pueblos was extremely similar to the Greek [[city-state]]s, and they continue to run as city-states.
===Santa Fe de Nuevo México (1598-1912)===
The Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was started by Juan de Oñate in 1598, who initially believed that, similar to the Aztecs, the town dwelling Pueblo natives to be rich in Gold. He attempted to make the colony into a vice-royalty, but was unable to convince the leaders back in Europe. Instead the Spanish leadership from Europe made increasingly brutal laws against the Spanish colonists and the Pueblo natives. They banned Pueblo religious practices, and punished poorer colonists and Pueblos with forced labor and taxes.
====Pueblo Revolt (1680)====
The Pueblo first attempted to request more religious liberty, as the Pueblo religion was largely peaceful in nature, but Pueblo leaders that attempted the request were publicly executed. Popé, a Pueblo man from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo near Santa Fe, became a charismatic leader of the Pueblo groups. He lead the Pueblos in a unified revolt against the Spanish, this was the first successful revolt of Americans against oppressive European rule.<ref>[http://newmexico.heavensentgaming.com/encyclopedia/history/ New Mexico History] on the [[New Mexico Cultural Encyclopedia, Lexicon, and News]]</ref> The Pueblos allowed the Spanish colonists to flee to [[El Paso]].
====Return of the colonists (1692)====
The Pueblo continued to use and maintain the facilities in Santa Fe, the Palace of the Governors became a small place of government for the Pueblos, but since the Pueblos continued to be city-states nothing more came of it. The Pueblo also converted numerous Catholic churches into Pueblo kivas. Diego de Vargas lead the colonists back to New Mexico in 1692, in what was called the Bloodless Reconquest. The Spanish gave clemency to the Pueblos, and the Pueblo people agreed to peace under the agreement of greater representation and better religious freedoms. The Pueblo and Spanish still had several contentions, but relations between them was much better this time around, especially since forced labor and taxes were no longer enforced. They would often work together to stave off attacks from the Apache, Navajo, and Comanche. Eventually peace was also made with the Apache, Navajo, and Comanche.
====Mexican territory (1821)====
Mexico declared independence in 1821. Mexico's policies worsened relations with the Native Americans, and again caused the resurgence in raids upon Spanish and Pueblo towns. This was the beginning of the Wild West, which lasted through the Mexican and American territorial phases, New Mexico was a major part of the Wild West supplying major Western icons such as the cowboy, the Sheriff, [[Billy the Kid]], old Spanish town squares, and the settings of deserts, prairies, and mountains. Troubles from the neighbors to the east also became an issue, [[Texas]] declared its own Independence from Mexico, and attempted to annex everything east of the Rio Grande. All the while, Mexico was taking land from the original settlers of New Mexico as well as American land-grantees.
====American territory (1848)====
The Mexican–American War resulted in New Mexico becoming an American territory, mostly due to the promise of the American government again repairing relations with the Apache, Navajo, and Comanche. U.S. Presidents [[Zachary Taylor]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]] both called for the immediate statehood of New Mexico, in order to side-step the impending [[Civil War]], since New Mexico's law had already prohibited slavery since the Pueblo Revolt. Unfortunately, statehood did not come to New Mexico until 1912. The New Mexico Campaign during the Civil War was an important battlefield, the Confederacy attempted to capture Albuquerque but was only temporarily successful. This instead bolstered the American soldiers, consisting mostly of descendants of New Mexican Spanish and Pueblo, to chase the Texan Confederate soldiers to the largest Civil War battle in the American West at Glorieta Pass.
===The State of New Mexico (1912)===
New Mexico became the 47th State of the Union in 1912. The Daughters of the American Revolution pushed for a State flag in 1920, and that call was answered in 1925 by Dr. Harry P. Mera. The flag consists of the Zia Pueblo sun symbol in Spanish red on a field of Spanish yellow, this design has won the North American Vexillological Association's best flag design for U.S. states, territories, or Canadian provinces numerous times.

:I salute the flag of the state of New Mexico, the Zia symbol of perfect friendship among united cultures.
::from the New Mexico Statutes and Court Rules, Section 12-3-3, to be said after the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

During [[World War II]], New Mexico played a pivotal role as not only the namesake of the [[New Mexico-class battleship]], but also as the birthplace of the Navajo Code Talkers who created the only uncracked code of WWII which saved countless lives in the Pacific Theatre, and more importantly as the primary place of research and technology at Los Alamos which housed some of the smartest men in the country including [[Albert Einstein]], and the White Sands Military Testing Facility for testing the Nuclear bomb.

New Mexico has continued to be at the forefront of science, including Sandia Labs and the Los Alamos Laboratories. Technology by Ed Roberts' MITS, with their Altair computer kits, attracted both [[Paul Allen]] and [[Bill Gates]] to start [[Microsoft]] in [[Albuquerque]]; [[Intel]] has continued this trend by having a fabricating facility in Rio Rancho, near Albuquerque, where they build [[Central processing unit|CPU]]s. Innovate ABQ, a free-market concept in Albuquerque, is currently under development as a "start-up for start-ups" that is set to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, in order to continue New Mexico's scientific and technological progress.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Martin Heinrich]] (D)
*Sen. [[Tom Udall]] (D)
*Rep. [[Deb Haaland]] [D, NM-01]
*Rep. [[Xochitl Torres Small]] [D, NM-02]
*Rep. [[Ben Ray Luján]] [D, NM-03]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Susana Martinez]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Howie Morales]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Hector Balderas]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Maggie Toulouse Oliver]] (D)
*State Auditor [[Brian Colon]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Tim Eichenberg]] (D)
*Land Commissioner [[Stephanie Richard]] (D)

== Population ==
The total population of 2,085,572 includes a high number of peoples of Hispanic origin and of [[Native American]] (Indian) descent.<ref>http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/35000.htm</ref> The most populous group of Hispanic origin peoples are the descendants of the original settlers, those prior to the 1848 American territorial phase, they are referred to as [[Nuevomexicano]]s or Hispanos. The largest groups of Native American descent are the [[Pueblo]], [[Navajo]], and [[Apache]].

The cities with the largest populations are:
=== Metropolitan ===
*[[Albuquerque]], 545,852 (887,077 in its metropolitan area including; [[Belen]], [[Jemez Pueblo]], [[Rio Rancho]], [[Sandia Pueblo]], [[Santa Ana Pueblo]], [[Moriarty]], and [[Zia Pueblo]])
*[[Las Cruces]], 97,618 (209,233 in its metropolitan area including; [[Hatch]], [[Mesilla]], and [[Sunland Park]])
*[[Santa Fe]], 67,947 (144,170 in its metropolitan area including; [[Edgewood]], [[Española]], [[Nambé Pueblo]], and [[San Ildefonso Pueblo]])
*[[Farmington]], 45,877 (130,004 in its metropolitan area including; [[Aztec, New Mexico|Aztec]], [[Bloomfield]], and [[Shiprock]])
*[[Clovis, New Mexico|Clovis]]-[[Portales]] Combined Statistical Area, 63,224 (including [[Cannon Air Force Base]], [[Elida]], [[Texico]], [[Grady]], and [[Melrose]])

===Micropolitan===
The top five micropolitan areas, by population, are:
*[[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]], 21,678 (71,492 in its micropolitan area including [[Zuni Pueblo]])
*[[Roswell]], 48,411 (65,645 in its micropolitan area including; [[Dexter, New Mexico|Dexter]], [[Hagerman]], and [[Lake Arthur]])
*[[Hobbs]], 34,122 (64,727 in its micropolitan area including; [[Eunice]], [[Jal]], and [[Lovington]])
*[[Alamogordo]], 30,403 (63,797 in its micropolitan area including; [[Cloudcroft]] and [[Tularosa]])
*[[Carlsbad]]-[[Artesia]], 45,877 (53,829 in its micropolitan area including; [[Hope, New Mexico|Hope]] and [[Loving, New Mexico|Loving]])

Other non-metropolitan population centers are; [[Silver City]], [[Las Vegas, New Mexico|Las Vegas]], [[Taos]], [[Grants, New Mexico|Grants]], [[Deming]], [[Ruidoso]], [[Los Alamos]], and [[Tucumcari]].

== Language ==
New Mexico is often falsely assumed to be a bilingual state, however, it is officially known as an English Plus state. [[American English]] is considered the de facto language, with [[New Mexican English]] being the dominant dialect. Citizens are encouraged to be multi-lingual, and/or to interact and familiarize themselves with other languages. According to the "English Plus Declaration" the reasoning was for the "economic and cultural benefit of our state and the nation." It could also be surmised that is was also for the preservation of [[New Mexican Spanish]] and the Native American languages of Jemez, Jicarilla, Keresan, Mescalero-Chiricahua, Navajo, Picuris, Southern, Tiwa, Taos, Tewa, and Zuni; as the resolution was urged by the New Mexico State Task Force on Modern and Classical Languages.

There was initially a movement to push for the state declaration of English as the official language of the state. This, instead, produced a counter-trend based on the "position of English in the United States needs no official legislation to support it." The state also recognized "the national interest since it promotes the concept that all members of our society have full access to opportunities to effectively learn English plus develop proficiency in a second or multiple languages." This decision proved beneficial to the United States during World War II, as the Navajo Code Talkers, by simply speaking Navajo, created the most effective code of the war which saved numerous allied troops.

== Culture ==
The culture of New Mexico was nearly lost to history, during the Mexican and American territorial phases, liberalism took hold throughout the major city centers within the state. Suppression and shunning of the native cultures almost left the state without an identity. Once Route 66 ran through the central cities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, travelers began to look for authentic New Mexican culture, which was nowhere to be found within the newer "downtown" areas; Native Americans, [[Nuevomexicano]]s, descendants of the Wild West including cowboys and buffalo soldiers, and the impoverished railroad working Asian Americans had moved to poorer parts of town referred to as "old towns". Travelers and tourists began visiting these old town areas looking for authentic New Mexican cuisine and culture. Thanks to the free market, these groups became wealthy enough to reinvigorate the old town areas, and expanded into buying land in the downtown areas. The culture of New Mexico again came under fire during the [[Californication]] of the American West during the 1970s.

Much to the chagrin of those wishing to suppress the American culture of New Mexico; the New Mexican culture eventually became so pervasive within the state that the folk [[New Mexico music]] became a local popular music, and the [[New Mexican cuisine]] staple [[Chile (Capsicum)|chile pepper]] being found in everything from traditional New Mexican stews, enchiladas, and tamales to popular American foods such as french fries, hamburgers, and ranch dressing.

== Climate ==

New Mexico's weather is usually sunny and dry, with little rainfall all year. This is especially true in the south, however in the northern and central parts of the state, especially in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and along the Rio Grande, there is more moderate precipitation and usually snow during the winter.<ref>http://weather.nmsu.edu/News/climate-in-NM.htm</ref>

[[Image:nmexico.jpg|200px|right]]
== Geography ==

The land was most prominently featured in Wild West films; [[desert]]s, [[prairie]]s, [[forest]], and several [[mountain]]ous regions, being at the southernmost end of the [[Rocky Mountains]] including the [[Sangre de Cristo]] mountain range, the [[Jemez Mountains]],<ref>http://www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/jemez_mountains/</ref> and the Sandia Mountains. One of the most prominent rivers west of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]], the [[Rio Grande]], runs through the center of the State from north to south.

The highest point in New Mexico is [[Wheeler Peak]] at 13,161 feet above sea level, and the lowest point is at [[Red Bluff Reservoir]], 2,842 feet above sea level.<ref>http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/nm_geography.htm</ref>

== Agriculture and Mining ==

Agriculture is important to New Mexico, but the lack of irrigation hinders using much of the land for farming. Much of the land is used for [[ranching|grazing]] [[livestock]], especially [[sheep]]. More than two-thirds of New Mexico's farm income comes from livestock products. Including dairy, honey, and meat; New Mexico's desert honey is offers a unique flavor profile, and in Tucumcari there is a cheese factory that specializes in New Mexican artisan cheeses.

Much of the farmed land is located around the three major rivers which flow through the state: the [[Rio Grande]], [[Pecos River]], and [[San Juan River]]. Most of the cash crops grown in New Mexico are grown in The Mesilla Valley, on the Rio Grande, around the town of [[Hatch, New Mexico|Hatch]], which is well known for its peppers, particularly the New Mexico [[Chile (Capsicum)|chile pepper]] which has numerous varieties, such as Big Jim, Joe E. Parker, and Roy Naky; other places grow their own varieties of said chile pepper such as the Albuquerque metropolitan area in Corrales down south into Isleta, and each of the Pueblos and old Spanish towns have their own varieties of the chile as well.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugoCk5fv2zg</ref> Other crops grown in the State include; beans (pinto, black, anasazi, mitla, garpanzo, fava, etc.), pecans, squash, melons, watermelons, pistachios, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, sunflowers, peanuts, and pistachios.<ref>http://www.dreamingnewmexico.org/food/ff-crops/50-crops</ref> New Mexico has the oldest wine growing market in the country, as monks were growing wine grapes as early as the 1500s.

Another large industry in the state is mining, particularly [[copper]], [[silver]], and [[uranium]].<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108250.html</ref>

==Transportation ==

Interstate [[Highway]]s 10, 25 and 40 traverse the state. New Mexico's largest commercial airport is Albuquerque's [[Albuquerque International Sunport|International Sunport]].<ref>http://nmshtd.state.nm.us/</ref>

== Places of Interest ==
[[File:The Rio Grande River running through Albuquerque, New Mexico.jpg|thumb|The Rio Grande River running through Albuquerque.]]
*[[Carlsbad Caverns National Park]]
*Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monuments
*[[Bandelier National Monument]]
*Elephant Butte Reservoir
*Inscription Rock at [[El Morro National Monument]]
*[[White Sands National Monument]]

== Notable people associated with New Mexico ==
[[Image:O'Keefe Belladonna.jpg|frame|right|Bella Donna by [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], 1939.]]

*[[Ralph Bunche]] (Nobel Peace Prize winner)
*[[John Denver]] (singer)
*Holly Holm (UFC fighter)
*Henry McCarty ([[Billy the Kid]])
*[[Demi Moore]] (actress)
*[[Georgia O'Keeffe]] (painter)
*[[Mario J. Lucero]] and [[Isabel Ruiz Lucero]] (co-founders of [[Heaven Sent Gaming]])
*[[Susana Martinez]] (Governor)
*Juan de Oñate (founder of New Mexico)
*Porfirio Podres (folk hero San Popo)
*Popé (leader during the Pueblo Revolt)
*[[Bill Richardson]] (former Governor)
*Johnny Tapia (champion boxer)
*Albert Sanchez (musician [[Al Hurricane]])
*Al Unser and Bobby Unser (auto racers)
*Diego de Vargas (leader during the Bloodless Reconquest)

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:New Mexico]]
[[Category:Latinos]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:Manhattan Project]]

New Hampshire

2019-01-19T01:01:21Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=New Hampshire
|flag=New_Hampshire_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Live Free or Die
|nick=The Granite State
|capital=Concord
|language=English
|governor=Chris Sununu
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Maggie Hassan
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-3324
|s2email=no contact info
|senator1=Jeanne Shaheen
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2841
|s1email=no contact info
|population=
|date=June 21, 1788 (9th)
}}
[[Image:New_hampshire.jpg|thumb|right|A map of New Hampshire.]]
'''New Hampshire''' is an American state, and was one of the first 13 states. It was the 9th state to ratify the [[United States Constitution|Constitution of the United States of America]]. '''New Hampshire is best known for holding the [[New Hampshire primary|first primary election for president]] in the nation, a position that it maintains every four years'''. Its largest city is Manchester and its capital is [[Concord]]. Its highest point is [[Mount Washington]], the highest point in [[New England]] at 6288' (1917m) and one of the windiest places on Earth.

New Hampshire had a fairly conservative foundation for example the "Live Free or Die" motto. The state has no personal [[income tax]] and no general [[sales tax]]. It is the first state to hold primary elections for US Presidential candidates. Recently, it was counted on as a solid center-left state with Democrat majorities in government and the population has more registered Democrats than Republicans. Its electoral votes went to [[Barack Obama]] in the 2008 Presidential election and on June 3, 2009, the New Hampshire legislature passed a bill which made it the sixth state to allow [[gay marriage]]. However, during the [[2010 Midterm Elections]], [[Republican]]s won the U.S. Senate seat and both House seats, and gained clear majorities in both chambers of the State Legislature from the Democrats.

[[Dartmouth College]], the smallest of the [[Ivy League]] universities, is located in [[Hanover, New Hampshire]]. Despite its small size, it is a full-scale university, with medicine, engineering and business schools.

The state Constitution of New Hampshire, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his peers on, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession, sentiments, or persuasion; provided he doth not disturb the public peace or disturb others in their religious worship.''

==Politics==
New Hampshire is a [[swing state]] in presidential elections. By state law, it is the first state in the union to hold its [[primary election]] for [[President of the United States]] although the [[Iowa]] [[caucus]]es generally precede it. The village of [[Dixville Notch]], in the north of the state, is traditionally the first community to declare its result in the Presidential Election.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Jeanne Shaheen]] (D)
*Sen. [[Maggie Hassan]] (D)
*Rep. [[Chris Pappas]] [D, NH-01]
*Rep. [[Ann Kuster]] [D, NH-02]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Chris Sununu]] (R)

==Notable residents==
* [[Dan Brown]], author of controversial novels, one of which, ''The [[Da Vinci Code]]'', made spurious claims attacking the Catholic Church.
* New Hampshire was the birthplace and home of President [[Franklin Pierce]].
* [[Gene Robinson]], the first openly homosexual [[bishop]] of an [[Episcopalian]] church, is the former bishop of the diocese of New Hampshire.
* [[Alan Shepard]], [[astronaut]] - first American in space, commander of [[Apollo 14]], and one of the men who have walked on the [[Moon]].
* [[David Souter]], [[Associate Justice]] of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] 1990-2009, who switched positions from [[conservative]] to [[liberal]] early in his term on the bench.

== See also ==
* '''[[Free State Project]] of New Hampshire''' and its "[[vote with your feet]]" [[strategic relocation]] offshoot The [[Free State Wyoming]] Project
* [[State Governors]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Libertarians]]
[[Category:Libertarianism]]
[[Category:Strategic Relocation]]
[[Category:New England]]
[[Category:Purple States]]
[[Category:Thirteen Colonies]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]

Nevada

2019-01-19T00:59:24Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Nevada
|flag=Nevada_State_Flag.gif
|motto="All for Our Country"
|nick=The Silver State
|capital=Carson City
|language=None
|governor=Brian Sandoval
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Dean Heller
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-6244
|s2email=https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form Contact
|senator1=Catherine Cortez Masto
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-3542
|s1email=http://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/content/contact-senator Contact
|population=
|date=October 31, 1864 (36th)
}}
'''Nevada''' is the 7th largest state geographically and the 35th largest state by population in the [[United States]]. Although it is known for legalized [[gambling]] and semi-legalized [[prostitution]],<ref>Prostitution is prohibited by state law in Clark County (Las Vegas) and by local law in Lincoln County (north of Las Vegas) and in Washoe County (Reno), the independent city of Carson City (the state capital), and Douglas County (south of Carson City; the latter three areas listed effectively make it illegal in the area surrounding [[Lake Tahoe]]).</ref><ref>http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost/community/archives/com.gormley.prostitute.html</ref> its voters are generally [[conservative]] and voted for [[George W. Bush]] twice; however, influx of liberals escaping their self-created problems in California have turned Nevada into a [[blue state]] or at least placed it into the competitive category. Its senators include [[Harry Reid]], the [[Democratic]] Senate Majority Leader, and Dean Heller, a Republican.

Nevada was admitted to the Union on October 31, 1864 by [[Abraham Lincoln]] during the [[Civil War]]; as a result, one of the State's mottos is "Battle Born."<ref>http://www.leg.state.nv.us/general/FACTS.cfm</ref>

The state Constitution of Nevada, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We the people of the State of Nevada Grateful to Almighty God for our freedom in order to secure its blessings, insure domestic tranquility, and form a more perfect Government, do establish this Constitution.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Catherine Cortez Masto]] (D)
*Sen. [[Jackie Rosen]] (D)
*Rep. [[Dina Titus]] [D, NV-01]
*Rep. [[Mark Amodel]] [R, NV-02]
*Rep. [[Susie Lee]] [D, NV-03]
*Rep. [[Steven Horsford]] [D, NV-04]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Brian Sandoval]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Mark Hutchinsoni]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Barbara Cegavske]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Adam Laxalt]] (R)
*State Controller [[Ron Knecht]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Dan Schwartz]] (R)
[[Image:Nevada test site.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The first tests of nuclear weapons were conducted in Nevada]]

==Notable people from Nevada==
*Andre Agassi, one of the most successful tennis players of all time, was born in Las Vegas.
*Gee Jon, the first person to be executed in a gas chamber, was executed at Nevada State Prison.
*Pat Nixon, former First Lady, was born in Ely.
*[[Harry Reid]], the current Senate Majority Leader and the first Mormon to attain this position, was born in Searchlight.
*[[Karl Rove]], President George W. Bush's Chief of Staff, grew up in Sparks.

== References ==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Western United States]]

Missouri

2019-01-19T00:52:27Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Missouri
|flag=Missouri_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Salus populi suprema lex esto (The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law)
|nick=The Show Me State
|capital=Jefferson City
|language=None
|governor=Mike Parson
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Roy Blunt
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-5721
|s2email=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/Blunt_Roy.htm Contact
|senator1=Claire McCaskill
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-6154
|s1email=http://mccaskill.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|population=
|date=August 10, 1821 (24th)
}}
'''Missouri''' is a Midwestern state that was admitted to the Union as a slave state on August 10, 1821. Its nickname is the "Show Me State". Its capital is [[Jefferson City]] and its largest cities are, respectively, [[Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], and Springfield. Missouri borders [[Illinois]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Arkansas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], [[Iowa]], and [[Nebraska]]. The current Governor is [[Mike Parson]].

The state Constitution of Missouri, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, do establish this Constitution for the better government of the state.''

==Politics==
Missouri is a [[swing state]] in presidential elections. It had consistently supported the winning candidates since 1960 until 2008 when it favored [[John McCain]], who lost to [[Barack Hussein Obama]]. Before Obama, the last losing candidate to win Missouri was [[Adlai Stevenson]] in 1956.
===Gun Laws===
Under Missouri law it's illegial to transfer a gun to a person under the age of 18 without without the consent of the child's custodial parent or
guardian.<ref>[http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/statelaws/23rdedition/missouri.pdf Missouri Gun Statutes]</ref> However, under federal law, the minimum age to possess a handgun is 18. The minimum age to get a concealed carry permit is 23.<ref>[http://www.missouricarry.com/apply1.htm MissouriCarry.com]</ref>

==Elected Officials==
As of 2017.

===Federal===

*Sen. [[Josh Hawley]] (R)
*Sen. [[Roy Blunt]] (R)
*Rep. [[William Lacy Clay, Jr.]] [D, MO-01]
*Rep. [[Ann Wagner]] [R, MO-02]
*Rep. [[Blaine Luetkemeyer]] [R, MO-03]
*Rep. [[Vicky Hartzler]] [R, MO-04]
*Rep. [[Emanuel Cleaver]] [D, MO-05]
*Rep. [[Sam Graves]] [R, MO-06]
*Rep. [[Billy Long]] [R, MO-07]
*Rep. [[Jason Smith]] [R, MO-08]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Mike Parson]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Mike Kehoe]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Josh Hawley]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jay Ashcroft]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Nicole Galloway]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Eric Schmitt]] (R)

==Miscellaneous==

The term "Missouri" comes from an Algonquin word roughly translating to "river of the big canoes".<ref>http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/missouri/</ref>

St. Louis hosted the World's Fair in 1904, where the ice cream cone was invented.<ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/mo.htm</ref>

The mule is the state animal.

The term "iron curtain" referring to the line separating Communist countries from non-Communist countries in [[Europe]] was first used by [[Winston Churchill]] at a speech in Fulton.

==Notable Missourians==

*Former Attorney General [[John Ashcroft]] served as governor and senator for the state.
*Deceased rock and roll singer [[Chuck Berry]] was from St. Louis.
*Five star general [[Omar Bradley]] was from Clark.
*Frontiersman [[Daniel Boone]] settled in Missouri late in his life.
*Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as [[Mark Twain]], was from Hannibal.
*Rapper [[Eminem]] is originally from St. Joseph.
*Poet [[T.S. Eliot]] was from St. Louis.
*Political commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]] is from Cape Girardeau.
*President [[Harry Truman]] lived in Lamar and Independence.
*Journalist [[Catherine J. Sambark]]
*Agricultural scientist [[George Washington Carver]], born in Diamond Grove
*Film director and actor [[John Huston]], born in Nevada
*Outlaws [[Jesse James]] and [[Frank James]], born in Clay County
*[[Phyllis Schlafly]], conservative political activist, author
*US Army General [[John J. Pershing]], born near Laclede

==See also==
*[[Better Courts for Missouri]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Mississippi

2019-01-19T00:50:19Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Mississippi
|flag=Mississippi_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Virtute et armis" (By valor and arms)
|nick=The Magnolia State
|capital=Jackson
|language=English
|governor=Phil Bryant
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Cindy Hyde-Smith
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5054
|s1email=
|senator2=Roger Wicker
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-6253
|s2email=http://wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EMailSenatorWicker Contact
|population=
|date=December 10, 1817 (20th)
}}
'''Mississippi''' is located in the South of the [[United States]] and on December 10, 1817 became the twentieth state to enter the Union. Mississippi was once a member of the [[Confederate States of America]]. The capital of Mississippi is [[Jackson]] which is also its largest city. The current governor of Mississippi is [[Haley Barbour]], a [[Republican]]. It was the third most [[Obesity|obese]] state in 2011.

The state Constitution of Mississippi, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking his blessing on our work, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]] (R)
*Sen. [[Roger Wicker]] (R)
*Rep. [[Trent Kelly]] [R, MS-01]
*Rep. [[Bennie Thompson]] [D, MS-02]
*Rep. [[Michael Guest]] [R, MS-03]
*Rep. [[Steven Palazzo]] [R, MS-04]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Phil Bryant]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Tate Reeves]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Jim Hood]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Delbert Hosemann]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Shad White]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Lynn Fitch]] (R)

==Economy==
Although Mississippi's [[economy]] has traditionally been heavily agriculture-based, the state has experienced some industrial growth in recent years. The economy near the southern coastline of the state was severely disrupted by [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005.<ref>http://www.usm.edu/afterkatrina/Baugh.html</ref> Mississippi is currently the most impoverished state in the Union, with 20% of the populace under the poverty line and a $36,000 median salary.<ref>https://money.cnn.com/2010/09/16/news/economy/Americas_wealthiest_states/index.htm</ref>

==Higher Education==
Mississippi's public universities include:
*Alcorn State University
*Delta State University
*Jackson State University
*Mississippi State University (MSU)
*Mississippi University for Women (now a co-ed university)
*Mississippi Valley State University
*[[University of Mississippi]] (also has a law and medical school)
*University of Southern Mississippi

Private universities include:
*Belhaven College (affiliated with the conservative Presbyterian Church (PCA))
*Blue Mountain College
*Millsaps College
*Mississippi College (Ole Miss)
*Rust College
*Tougaloo College
*William Carey University
<ref>http://www.mississippi.gov/ms_sub_sub_template.jsp?Category_ID=26</ref>

==Notable people from Mississippi==
*[[Ellis Bodron]], member of both houses of the Mississippi state legislature from 1948 to 1984; lost U. S. House race in 1972 to [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Thad Cochran]].
*[[Minnesota Vikings]] quarterback [[Brett Favre]] is from Kiln.
*[[Confederate]] general [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] was from Mississippi.
*[[Erle Johnston]], former director of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, journalist, and mayor of Forest, Mississippi
*Actor James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla.
*Former [[United States Senate]] Majority Leader [[Trent Lott]] represented Mississippi in the Senate from 1989 to 2007.
*[[James Meredith]] made headlines as the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi in 1962.
*[[H. L. Merideth]] was a state representative from from 1960 to 1992, who introduced riverboat gambling into the state.
*[[Oprah Winfrey]] was born in Kosciusko.
*[[Elvis Presley]] was born in Tupelo.
*Muppets creator Jim Henson was born in Greenville.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Mississippi]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Minnesota

2019-01-19T00:49:05Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Minnesota
|flag=Minnesota_State_Flag.gif
|motto=L'Etoile du nord (The star of the north)
|nick=The North Star State; the Gopher State; Land of 10,000 Lakes
|capital=Saint Paul
|language=None
|governor=Mark Dayton
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Amy Klobuchar
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-3244
|s1email=http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm Contact
|senator2=Tina Smith
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=202-224-5641
|s2email=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/franken.htm Contact
|population=5,220,393 (est.)
|date=May 11, 1858 (32nd)
}}
[[Image:Stout27.gif|right|thumb|County Map]]

[[Image:Seal mncolor.gif|right|thumb|State Seal]]
'''Minnesota''' (from the Dakota "Mini sota") is located in the Midwestern region of the [[United States]] and on May 11, 1858 became the thirty-second state to enter into the union. During the [[American Civil War]] Minnesota supported the Union Army. The capital of Minnesota is [[Saint Paul (city)|Saint Paul]] and the largest city is [[Minneapolis]]. These cities are sometimes referred to as the [[Twin cities|Twin Cities]], due to their close proximity. The current governor of Minnesota is [[Mark Dayton]], a wealthy [[Leftist]] [[Democrat]] who is a principal heir to the Target retail store fortune.

President [[Donald Trump]] did well in Minnesota in 2016, but could not quite carry this [[liberal]] State.

The state Constitution of Minnesota, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the state of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings and secure the same to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==Climate==
Minnesota's climate ranges from hot, humid Summers to cold, snowy Winters. The state experiences all four seasons distinctly. Severe weather ranges from thunderstorms, hail and occasional tornadoes during the mid-Spring and Summer to subzero temperatures, heavy snowfalls and blizzards during the late-Fall, Winter and early-Spring.

==Geography==
Minnesota is nicknamed the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" due to its large number of natural freshwater lakes. The nickname is not an exaggeration as the actual number of lakes is about 11,842. The southern third and western edge of the state have very few lakes, but the rest of the state is dotted with small (less than 50 acres) to very large (over 100,000 acres) lakes only a few miles apart at most. The largest lake entirely within the state is Red Lake in Beltrami County, which is divided by a natural peninsula into Upper Red Lake and Lower Red Lake. The lake is 288,831 acres, or about 451.3 sq. miles, in size. The estimated total miles of shoreline of all of Minnesota's lakes is greater than the shorelines of California, Florida and Hawaii combined. As a result of this large number of lakes, Minnesota has a booming resort business, with over 1000 resorts of various kinds spread throughout the state. Year-round fishing is also a major draw for residents and visitors.

Excluding the southern border, a large portion of Minnesota's borders are defined by rivers and lakes. Big Stone Lake, Lake Traverse and the Red River compose most of the state's western border with North and South Dakota. The northern border with Canada is primarily defined by the Rainy River and Rainy Lake. Finally, the eastern border with Wisconsin includes Lake Superior and the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers.

The Mississippi River's headwaters are located at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota.

==Politics of Minnesota==
Minnesota has been historically a [[Democratic]] state. They have not gone Republican in a Presidential election since [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972. However, in the 2010 elections, Republicans won a majority of both chambers of the Minneota Legislature for the first itme since 1970. The 2008 Republican National Convention was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Minnesota is the only state in the Union in which the national Democratic Party actually is represented by the state-level [[Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party]] (DFL). All Democratic politicians in and from Minnesota work under the DFL header, though this now is an issue primarily of tradition than actual meaning.

==2011 Government Shutdown==
The state government of Minnesota shut down on July 1, 2011, due to DFL politicians' unwillingness to compromise on taxes and spending, despite the GOP's best efforts to avert a crisis with a compromise measure. Governor Mark Dayton, in particular, held a rigid line on taxes, and compromised only when it became clear how much the shutdown was hurting ordinary Minnesotans.

The shutdown ended July 20, 2011, with a spending bill negotiated by the GOP, DFLers, and Dayton.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Amy Klobuchar]] (DFL)
*Sen. [[Tina Smith]] (DFL)
*Rep. [[Jim Hagedorn]] [R, MN-01]
*Rep. [[Angie Craig]] [DFL, MN-02]
*Rep. [[Dean Phillips]] [DFL, MN-03]
*Rep. [[Betty McCollum]] [DFL, MN-04]
*Rep. [[Ilhan Omar]] [DFL, MN-05]
*Rep. [[Tom Emmer]] [R, MN-06]
*Rep. [[Collin Peterson]] [DFL, MN-07]
*Rep. [[Pete Stauber]] [R, MN-08]

===Statwide===
*Governor [[Mark Dayton]] (DFL)
*Lt. Governor [[Michelle Fischbach]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Steve Simon]] (DFL)
*Attorney General [[Lori Swanson]] (DFL)
*State Auditor [[Rebecca Otto]] (DFL)
{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Michigan

2019-01-19T00:45:41Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Michigan
|flag=Michigan_State_Flag.gif
|motto=''Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice'' (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you)
|nick=The Great Lakes State
|capital=Lansing
|language=None
|governor=Gretchen Whitmer
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Gary Peters
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-6221
|s1email=http://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary Contact
|senator2=Debbie Stabenow
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-4822
|s2email=http://stabenow.senate.gov/email.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=January 26, 1837 (26th)
}}
[[Image:Michigan ref 2001.jpg|300 px|thumb|right|Michigan]]
'''Michigan''' was the twenty-sixth state to enter into the union, on Jan. 26, 1837. It is known for its interesting geographical location, bordering four of the five [[Great Lakes]] (it does not border Lake Ontario). It also comprises two parts, the Upper Peninsula (known as the U.P.) and the Lower Peninsula (which is by far the larger of the two). The two are separated by water. Its capital is [[Lansing]], and its largest city is [[Detroit]].

Though traditionally controlled by [[Democrat]]s, with disastrous [[economic]] results, Michigan stunned the [[liberal media]] by voting for [[Donald Trump]] for president in 2016. In the final days of the campaign Democrat leaders rushed to Michigan to try unsuccessfully to keep it from switching to the [[Republican]] side.

While it was a territory, Michigan's militia fought the [[Toledo War]] with Ohio's militia. This border dispute delayed recognition of Michigan as a state, and the dispute was settled as a condition of Michigan attaining statehood.

The state Constitution of Michigan, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges [[God]] or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Gary Peters]] (D)
*Sen. [[Debbie Stabenow]] (D)
*Rep. [[Jack Bergman]] [R, MI-01]
*Rep. [[Bill Huizenga]] [R, MI-02]
*Rep. [[Justin Amash]] [R, MI-03]
*Rep. [[John Moolenaar]] [R, MI-04]
*Rep. [[Dale Kildee]] [D, MI-05]
*Rep. [[Fred Upton]] [R, MI-06]
*Rep. [[Tim Walberg]] [R, MI-07]
*Rep. [[Elissa Slotkin]] [D, MI-08]
*Rep. [[Andy Levin]] [D, MI-09]
*Rep. [[Paul Mitchell]] [R, MI-10]
*Rep. [[Haley Stevens]] [D, MI-11]
*Rep. [[Debbie Dingell]] [D, MI-12]
*Rep. [[Rashida Tlaib]] [D, MI-13]
*Rep. [[Brenda Lawrence]] [D, MI-14]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Gretchen Whitmer]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Garlin Gilchrist]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Dana Nessel]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Joceyln Benson]] (D)

==Notable people from Michigan==
*Neurosurgeon and 2016 Republican Primary candidate [[Ben Carson]] is from Detroit
*Singer Alice Cooper
*Inventor [[Thomas Edison]] lived in Port Huron.
*President [[Gerald Ford]] grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and represented the state in the [[House of Representatives]] before replacing [[Spiro Agnew]] as Vice President.
*Automaker [[Henry Ford]] was born in what is now Dearborn.
*Aviator [[Charles Lindbergh]] was born in Detroit.
* Singer [[Ted Nugent]]
* Singer [[Kid Rock]]
* Politician [[Mitt Romney]]
* Actor [[Tom Selleck]]
*Pro-life activist and Domino's Pizza Founder [[Tom Monaghan]] was born in Ann Arbor.
*Civil rights pioneer [[Rosa Parks]] lived in Detroit for some of her life.
*[[Bob Seger]]
* Historian [[Bruce Catton]]
* Comedian [[Danny Thomas]]
*General [[George Custer]]
*Liberal filmmaker [[Michael Moore]] was born in Flint.
*Ex-[[Metallica]] bassist Jason Newsted

==Sports==

Michigan is home to the [[NBA]]'s Detroit Pistons, the [[NFL]]'s Detroit Lions, the [[NHL]]'s [[Detroit Red Wings]], and [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Detroit Tigers]].

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter grew up and attended high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

[[File:Livingston County Courthouse.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Livingston County Courthouse, Howell, Michigan.]]

==See also==
*[[1821 Treaty of Chicago]]

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Massachusetts

2019-01-19T00:41:47Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Massachusetts
|flag=Massachusetts_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty)
|nick=The Bay State
|capital=Boston
|language=English
|governor=Charlie Baker
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Ed Markey
|s1party=Democratic
|s1phone=(202) 224-2742
|s1email=http://www.markey.senate.gov/contact Contact
|senator2=Elizabeth Warren
|s2party=Democratic
|s2phone=(202) 224-4543
|s2email=http://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator Contact
|population=6.745 million
|date=February 6, 1788 (6th)
}}

The '''Commonwealth of Massachusetts''' is a state in the [[New England]] region of the northeastern [[United States]]. Its capital city is [[Boston]]. The name is derived from the Indian tribe that lived there, the "Massachusett". It is one of four states officially known as "commonwealths"; there are no practical differences between a "commonwealth" and a "state". It is well known for being a bastion of American liberalism and is known, along with [[California]] and [[New York]], for being one of the "bluest" of [[blue state]]s.

In December, 2015, Massachusetts was ranked first in a survey of the best states to live in.<ref>http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/11/23/most-livable-states/</ref>

The state Constitution of Massachusetts, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.''

==History==
Massachusetts was first settled by the [[Pilgrims]] who emigrated from [[England]] on the ''[[Mayflower]]'' in 1620 and founded a settlement at [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]], and soon afterward by the much larger group the [[Puritans]], who founded the "Massachusetts Bay Colony". Both groups came to America seeking religious freedom.
[[File:Col-mass.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Harvard College was founded in 1638 making Boston the intellectual center of New England]]
The colony was a major center of the [[American Revolution]], as events such as the [[Boston Massacre]] and [[Boston Tea Party]] helped to create a desire for national independence among the Americans. The first battles of the war were fought on April 19, 1775 at [[Lexington]] and [[Concord, MA|Concord]]; the first great American victory was the expulsion of the British from Boston on "Evacuation Day," March 17, 1776.

Shortly after the war ended, tax protesters in the western part of the state revolted in [[Shays' Rebellion]], a major factor leading to demands for a stronger national government at the [[Constitutional Convention]] in 1787. Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783 and ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788.

During the 1800s, Massachusetts was marked by increasing industrialization, including the founding of textile mills in towns such as Lowell. Important historical figures during this time included [[Horace Mann]], an important educational reformer, and [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] and [[Henry David Thoreau]], two of the main contributors to the [[Transcendentalism|Transcendental]] movement.

In the 1900s, Massachusetts moved from a factory-based economy to a more service-based economy, sparked by growth in its local colleges and universities as well as by a collapse in the textile industry during the 1920s. This encouraged increased suburbanization, leading to the current demographic situation in which the population is concentrated in suburbs around the city of [[Boston]]. In 1987, the state received federal highway funding for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, known colloquially as the [[Big Dig]]. The $14.7 billion grant is the largest federal highway project ever approved.

==Politics==
Massachusetts was home of the Kennedy family, with President [[John Kennedy]], Attorney general and later New York Senator [[Robert Kennedy]], and Massachusetts Senator [[Ted Kennedy]], who was the third longest-serving Senator in U.S. history. During the [[2004 Presidential Election]] the Democratic super-majority in the state legislature blocked the Republican Governor [[Mitt Romney]] from appointing an interim senator should [[John Kerry]] be elected President. The legislature changed the law back again after Ted Kennedy's death, allowing Governor [[Deval Patrick]], a Democrat, to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy. He chose former Democratic National Committee chairman [[Paul Kirk]]. Kirk did not seek a full term of his own, and a special election was held on January 19, 2010.

Republican State Senator [[Scott Brown]] pulled a major upset, defeating Democratic Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] in the election. Brown rode on a wave of voter anger at President Obama and his [[health care]] overhaul and won by a 52%-47% margin.<ref>See [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html?hp statistical analysis of 2010 vote]</ref>

Although once a bastion of social conservatism (the term "Banned in Boston" is still in widespread use)<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref> Massachusetts is known as one of the most Catholic and most liberal states. It is the most populous state to have all-Democratic congressional representation. In the 1980s Republicans called it "Taxachusetts" because of its high tax rate, which has since been lowered by a series of Republican governors in the 1990s and 2000s ([[William Weld]], [[Paul Cellucci]], [[Jane Swift]] and [[Mitt Romney]]); they were among the most liberal Republican governors in the country.<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref>

Its current [[United States Senate|U.S. Senators]] are [[John Kerry]] (who unsuccessfully ran for [[President]] in 2004) and [[Elizabeth Warren]], who defeated Scott Brown's re-election bid in 2010.

The current governor is [[Charlie Baker]], a Republican, who took office in early 2015.

Baker's predecessor was [[Deval Patrick|Deval L. Patrick]], who was the first Democrat to take the office in 16 years, and the first African American to win the post.<ref>http://www.mass.gov/</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/gov/911/000051758/</ref> He was elected in 2006 over Republican and former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey,<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/governor/patrick/</ref> is A strong liberal in the state that legalized [[homosexual marriage]], Patrick signed a bill which allowed out-of-state gay couples to marry in Massachusetts. In a speech afterward, Patrick was recorded openly mocking gay marriage opponents by stating, "In five years now, ... the sky has not fallen, the earth has not opened to swallow us all up."<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/07/31/massachusetts-gov-patrick-signs-allowing-gay-marriage-non-residents</ref> Patrick did not run for re-election in 2014.

Massachusetts is the home of Presidents [[John Adams]], [[John Quincy Adams]], and [[John F. Kennedy]].

Massachusetts has been a [[blue state]] in presidential elections since 1928 except when it favored [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] and [[Ronald Wilson Reagan]] both terms. In the 1972 Presidential election it was the only state (along with the District of Columbia) to support [[George McGovern]] over [[Richard Nixon]]. Though its congressional and legislative delegations have been almost entirely Democtratic for decades, Massachusetts often elects Republican Governors.

In 2012, an Elementary school in Bellingham, MA attempted to take out the word, "God" from the song, "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood for a school concert. The attempt failed, as parents in the community complained. [http://video.foxnews.com/v/1549117644001/]

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Elizabeth Warren]] (D)
*Sen. [[Ed Markey]] (D)
*Rep. [[Richard Neal]] [D, MA-01]
*Rep. [[Jim McGovern]] [D, MA-02]
*Rep. [[Lori Trahan]] [D, MA-03]
*Rep. [[Joseph Kennedy III]] [D, MA-04]
*Rep. [[Katherine Clark]] [D, MA-05]
*Rep. [[Seth Moulton]] [D, MA-06]
*Rep. [[Ayanna Pressley]] [D, MA-07]
*Rep. [[Stephen Lynch]] [D, MA-08]
*Rep. [[William Keating]] [D, MA-09]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Charlie Baker]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Karyn Polito]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Suzanne Bump]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Bill Galvin]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Maura Healy]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Deborah Goldberg]] (D)

==Notes and references==
<references/>

==See also==
* [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Massachusetts]]
[[Category:New England]]
[[Category:Blue States]]
[[Category:Thirteen Colonies]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

Maryland

2019-01-19T00:39:12Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Maryland
|flag=Maryland_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Fatti maschii parole femine" (strong deeds, gentle words)
|nick=The Free State
|capital=Baltimore
|language=None
|governor=Larry Hogan
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Ben Cardin
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-4524
|s2email=http://cardin.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|senator1=Chris Van Hollen
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-4654
|s1email=http://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/content/contact-senator Contact
|population=
|date=April 28, 1788 (7th)
}}
'''Maryland''' is bordered to the north by [[Pennsylvania]], to the east by [[Delaware]], to the south by [[Virginia]] and the [[District of Columbia]], and to the west by [[West Virginia]]. It has a total area of 12,192.97 square miles.<ref>http://www.maryland.gov/</ref>

The state Constitution of Maryland, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says in the preamble:
:''We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty, and taking into our serious consideration the best means of establishing a good Constitution in this State for the sure foundation and more permanent security thereof, declare:''

==History==
The '''Colony of Maryland''' was established by [[Lord Baltimore]] as a haven for [[Catholicism|Catholics]], as [[England]] was mostly [[Protestantism|Protestant]]. [[Judaism|Jews]] also enjoyed freedom in Maryland. [[Lord de la War]] (also one of the possible origins of the name [[Delaware]]) was one of Maryland's early leaders.

Maryland won its independence from [[Britain]] in the [[American Revolution|American War for Independence]] in 1783.

In the 1850s America's parties realigned: Whigs disappeared while Republicans and Democrats struggled over sectionalism and anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant nativism. In the South, including Maryland, sectionalism appealed to rural voters and nativism to urban. Nativism was weaker than in the North because the South attracted fewer immigrants. Nevertheless, the nativist American (Know-Nothing) Party captured the Baltimore government in 1854. The party used patronage and, especially, coercion; its armed forces scared off Democratic voters and forced drunks and immigrants to vote multiple times. The party elected a congressman and governor during its short reign. In 1860 the Democrat-controlled legislature took back the city police, the militia, patronage, and the electoral machinery, and prosecuted some Know-Nothings for electoral fraud. By 1861 the Know-Nothings had split over secession.<ref>Frank Towers, ''The Urban South and the Coming of the Civil War'' (2004) covers Baltimore.</ref>

==Politics==
The current governor of Maryland is [[Martin O'Malley]](D) (2007- ). The capital of Maryland is [[Annapolis]], located in [[Anne Arundel County]]. It is subdivided into 23 counties and [[Baltimore]] City, which, as an [[independent city]], is in many respects the 24th county.<ref>http://www.maryland.gov/</ref>

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Chris Van Hollen]] (D)
*Sen. [[Ben Cardin]] (D)
*Rep. [[Andy Harris]] [R, MD-01]
*Rep. [[Dutch Ruppersberger]] [D, MD-02]
*Rep. [[John Sarbanes]] [D, MD-03]
*Rep. [[Anthony Brown]] [D, MD-04]
*Rep. [[Steny Hoyer]] [D, MD-05]
*Rep. [[David Trone]] [D, MD-06]
*Rep. [[Elijah Cummings]] [D, MD-07]
*Rep. [[Jamie Raskin]] [D, MD-08]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Larry Hogan]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Boyd Rutherford]] (G)
*Attorney General [[Brian Frosh]] (D)
*State Comptroller [[Peter Franchot]] (D)

==Counties==
*[[Allegany County]]
*[[Anne Arundel County]]
*[[Baltimore]], the city is independent of any county
*[[Baltimore County]]
*[[Calvert County]]
*[[Caroline County]]
*[[Carroll County]]
*[[Cecil County]]
*[[Charles County]]
*[[Dorchester County]]
*[[Frederick County]]
*[[Garrett County]]
*[[Harford County]]
*[[Howard County]]
*[[Kent County]]
*[[Montgomery County]]
*[[Prince George's County]]
*[[Somerset County]]
*[[St. Mary's County]]
*[[Talbot County]]
*[[Queen Anne's County]]
*[[Washington County]]
*[[Wicomico County]]
*[[Worcester County]]

== See also ==

*[[Baltimore]]
*[[Albert Ritchie]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Maine

2019-01-19T00:37:36Z

AlvinR: update

{{outdated|2012}}
{{USState
|name=Maine
|flag=Maine_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Dirigo" (I lead)
|nick=The Pine Tree State
|capital=Augusta
|language=None
|governor=Janet Mills
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Susan Collins
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2523
|s2email=http://collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCollins.Email&CFID=39113496&CFTOKEN=99427497 Contact
|senator1=Angus King
|s1party=Independent
|s1phone=(202) 224-5344
|s1email=https://www.king.senate.gov/contact Contact
|population=
|date=March 15, 1820 (23rd)
}}
'''Maine''' was the twenty-third state to enter into the union. Its capital is Augusta. It is one of the [[liberal]] bastions in the Northeast, along with much of [[New England]], and is generally has a high concentration of gay activist legislators. This is somewhat out of balance with the general trend of U.S. voters, a majority of whom consistently vote [[Republican]] and identify as [[conservative]].

The rocks of Maine are one of the oldest parts of the US, dating from the Devonian period.<ref>http://www.statefossils.com/me/me.html</ref> The last [[glaciers]] of the ice age shaped the coastline into the many [[peninsula]]s we see today and formed Maine's 2,000 [[island]]s.

The state Constitution of Maine, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says :
:''We the people of Maine, in order to establish justice, insure tranquility, provide for our mutual defense, promote our common welfare, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, so favorable to the design; and, imploring God's aid and direction in its accomplishment, do agree to form ourselves into a free and independent State, by the style and title of the State of Maine and do ordain and establish the following Constitution for the government of the same.''

==The earliest Mainers==
[[File:Portland Maine.jpg|frame|right|Portland, Maine.]]
Descendants of Ice Age hunters, the earliest Mainers were nicknamed Red Paint People, because they lined the graves of their dead with red clay. These graves are thought to date back five thousand years. There are also large heaps of oyster shells on the coast that are thought to date back to the Red Paint People.

The two earliest Native American tribes of Maine were the Micmacs in eastern Maine and the Abanakis, who are also sometimes called Wabanakis. The former were warlike, but the latter were mainly peaceful farmers and fishers. The only remaining Native Americans today, of the many tribes who once inhabited Maine, are 1500 Passamaquoddies, who live on two reservations, and 1200 Penobscots, who live on Indian Island in the Penobscot River.<ref>http://www.mainehistory.info/history.html</ref>

==Vikings in Maine==

Five hundred years earlier than [[Columbus]], the Viking raider Leif Ericson with a crew of 30 sailors are thought to have explored the Maine coast and possibly tried to establish a settlement here. The only piece of real evidence for this is the finding of an 11th century Norse coin in Brooklin, Maine along with other artifacts when a former Native American trading center was excavated. This is not conclusive though, as the coin may have been used in trade from Newfoundland or may have been brought very much later by the English or Portuguese.<ref>http://www.answers.com/topic/leif-ericson</ref>

==Colonization==

In 1498 John Cabot, who was employed by King Henry VII of England, may have explored the Maine coast, although there is no concrete evidence of his visit. A hundred years later, some European ships came ashore to repair the ships and gather fresh supplies.

The [[Plymouth Company]] established the first settlement at Popham in 1607, the same year that the Jamestown, VA, settlement was established. However, the severe Maine winter defeated the Popham colony so Jamestown is considered the first permanent settlement in America. The rigors of climate, difficulties of agriculture and attacks by Indians also wiped out many later English settlements that were established in the 1620s.

By 1700 there were only six surviving settlements. Massachusetts had acquired most of the land claims in Maine by that time, and this arrangement continued until Maine acquired its own statehood in 1820.<ref>http://www.mainehistory.info/timeline.html</ref>

==Disputes over ownership==

England and France disputed the ownership of Maine during the early eighteenth century. The French actively supported Indian raids on white settlements, thinking this would drive English settlers out.

William Pepperell of Kittery led Maine forces in the capture of the French fort at Louisburg, NS, in 1745. In 1763 the French surrendered all claims to the territory in the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

Massachusetts offered free 100-acre lots to prospective settlers once the Indian threat subsided and the French had withdrawn, and the population of Maine doubled to 24,000 by 1763, and to over 150,000 by 1800.<ref>http://www.mainehistory.info/history.html</ref>

==Maine during the Revolutionary War==

Mainers resisted the oppressive British taxes ten years before the Revolutionary War, seizing tax stamps at what was then called Falmouth but is now [[Portland]]. Customs agents were frequently attacked. A version of the [[Boston Tea Party]] happened in York, Maine in 1774 when a tea shipment was burned in York.

Hundreds of Mainers joined the struggle for independence. About 1,000 men died, sea trade was almost destroyed, and the British bombarded Falmouth (Portland). Maine's share of the Revolutionary War debt was higher than that later incurred by Maine's debt from the Civil War.

In 1775 the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War occurred off the coast of Machias and [[Benedict Arnold]] marched a band of revolutionaries through Maine in a valiant but doomed attempt at capturing [[Québec City]] and [[Montreal]].<ref>http://www.mainehistory.info/timeline.html</ref>

==Becoming a State==

After the [[Revolutionary War]], settlers on what was then a frontier area resented being ruled from 'away' in Boston and campaigned for separation from Massachusetts.

Politically powerful merchants resisted the separation movement until after the [[War of 1812]], when [[Massachusetts]] proved unable or unwilling to protect Mainers against the British.

Maine eventually became the 23rd State under the [[Missouri Compromise]] of 1820. Maine's position as a free state balanced Missouri's entry as a slave state the following year. The state constitution was rooted in political independence, [[freedom of religion|religious freedom]] and popular control of government.

William King, who served as president of the Constitutional Convention, was a shipbuilder and merchant from Bath. He subsequently became Maine's first governor.

At first Portland was the state capital, but in 1832 the capital was moved to [[Augusta]] because of its more central location.<ref>http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/</ref>

==Maine and the Abolitionist movement==

Maine was admitted to the Union as a free state, but some Mainers were involved in activities related to [[slavery]], such as the [[Triangle Trade]].

However, the famous abolitionist speaker and writer [[William Lloyd Garrison]] made a speaking tour of Maine in 1832 arousing discussion and dispute. By 1834 there were branches of the American Antislavery Society in Maine and state and local organizations were taking part in antislavery activities and the dissemination of information.

Some Mainers, especially those who depended on southern trade, felt that the issue was best left alone, as a dispute might endanger the union, and felt that the South would abolish slavery in its own time if the North left it alone.

In 1836 the mayor of [[Portland]] refused permission for the Antislavery Society to meet in City Hall, but the meeting was held at the [[Quaker]] meetinghouse instead, despite being the target anti-abolition mobs. Similar disputes broke out in other towns, but public opinion began to be swayed by the information put out by antislavery societies.

In the spring of 1837, Maine and Georgia nearly came to blows over abolitionism after a group of Maine seamen took a runaway slave named Atticus home with them. Atticus was eventually betrayed back to his owner, but many Mainers played a subsequent part as stops on the [[Underground Railway]] that saw many slaves safely away from captivity.<ref>http://imaginemaine.com/mainestories/Atticus.html</ref>

Hannibal Hamlin was a Democratic Senator. However, he left the party in 1854 over the slavery issue and was a leading force in the formation of the Republican Party in Maine. He served as the state's first Republican governor and became the nation's first Republican vice president after the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]].

==Maine and Prohibition==

The world's first Total Abstinence Society was founded in Portland in 1815 and other temperance societies over the next two decades. Eventually, a state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal and mechanical purposes" was passed. By 1851 a law banning the manufacture and sale of liquor was passed in 1851 and not repealed until 1934, along with the repeal of Prohibition in the rest of the United States.

==Maine and the Civil War==

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" at Brunswick, where her husband was a professor at Bowdoin College. The popular book aroused anti-slavery feelings throughout the northern states in the 1850s.

Around 73,000 Mainers served with the Union army, and about one in ten died during the Civil War.

Two great generals, Oliver Otis Howard and Joshua L Chamberlain. Howard distinguished himself at Gettysburg and Bull Run, and Chamberlain is remembered for his heroism at Little Round Top and for commanding the Union troops to whom Lee surrendered at Appomattox. After the war, Chamberlain became governor of Maine.

Howard was one of the main founders of Howard University and was its first president. Chamberlain later became president of Bowdoin College.

==Maine Politics==

Maine politics was dominated by the Republican Party from 1854 until the Democrat [[Edmund S. Muskie]] became governor in 1954. He and others broadened the Democratic base.

Muskie became one of Maine's Senators in 1958. He was prominent in the [[environmental movement]] and also considered expert in urban legislation and budget control. He was Hubert Humphrey's Vice Presidential nominee in 1968, and in 1972 was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. President [[Jimmy Carter]] appointed Senator Muskie Secretary of State in 1979.

Senator George Mitchell of Waterville succeeded Senator Muskie, and became Senate majority leader from 1988 until he retired in 1994. After his retirement, he was much respected for his attempts to work with both sides of the dispute to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

[[Margaret Chase Smith]] of Skowhegan was the first American woman elected to both houses of Congress. She was in the House of Representatives for nearly ten years, and then a Senator. She was a liberal Republican, and was notably honest, independent and courageous.

Maine is a hotbed of independent voters, who outnumber both enrolled Democrats and Republicans and determine the outcome of most elections today. Two political independents have been governors of Maine: James B Longley of Lewiston in 1974, and Angus S King of Brunswick in 1994.

Maine's current U.S. Senators, [[Olympia J. Snowe]] and [[Susan Collins]], are both moderate Republicans. The current Representatives, [[Mike Michaud]] and [[Chellie Pingree]], are both Democrats.<ref>http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/</ref>

Since 2004, Maine has offered [[domestic partnership]]s, which are similar to [[same sex marriage]]<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-partnership-in-the-united-states Answers.com]</ref>

== Elected Officials ==

===Federal===
* Sen. [[Susan Collins]] (R)
* Sen. [[Agnus King]] (I)
* Rep. [[Chellie Pingree]] [D, ME-01]
* Rep. [[Jared Golden]] [D, ME-02]

===Statewide===
* Governor [[Paul LePage]] (R)
* Attorney General [[Janet Mills]] (D)
* Secretary of State [[Matthew Dunlap]] (D)
* State Auditor [[Neria Douglass]] (D)
* State Treasurer [[David Lemoine]] (D)

==Notable people from Maine==

Kennebunkport, Maine is the summer home of the Bush family, including former President [[George H. W. Bush]] and former President [[George W. Bush]].

[[Joshua Chamberlain]], a Union officer during the Civil War who quite possibly saved the Union in the Battle of Gettysburg with his "swinging gate maneuver", was born in Brewer and served as Maine's governor.

[[James G. Blaine]] dominated state and national Republican politics from the mid-1860s to the end of the century. He was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Maine's senator, and served three Republican presidents as secretary of state. He was the presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1884, but lost by a narrow margin to [[Grover Cleveland]].

[[Thomas B. Reed]] was Speaker of the House for three terms. He campaigned for reforms in House rules and wrote Reed's Rules of Order, which are still used in the Maine Legislature.

[[Margaret Chase Smith]] of Skowhegan was the first American woman elected to both houses of Congress.

[[George Mitchell]], a well-respected former senator. Instrumental in the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.

[[Stephen King]], a wildly popular horror novelist, is a lifelong resident of Maine and sets many of his novels in the state.

[[E.B. White]], a writer best known for his children's books ''Stuart Little'' and ''Charlotte's Web'', lived in North Brooklin.

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Maine]]

Kansas

2019-01-19T00:30:53Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Kansas
|flag=Kansas_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Ad astra per aspera]]" (To the Stars Through Difficulties)
|nick=The [[Sunflower]] State
|capital=Topeka
|language=English
|governor=Jeff Colyer
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Jerry Moran
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-6521
|s2email=http://moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=e-mail-jerry Contact
|senator1=Pat Roberts
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-4774
|s1email=http://roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.EmailPat Contact
|population=
|date=January 29, 1861
}}
'''Kansas''' is a Midwestern state which became the 34th state admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861. Its capital is [[Topeka]], and its largest cities are, in order, [[Wichita]], Overland Park, and Kansas City. The name ''Kansas'' comes from a Sioux word meaning "people of the south wind." Its most prominent state college is the [[University of Kansas]], long a basketball powerhouse.

The state Constitution of Kansas, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges, in order to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens, do ordain and establish this constitution of the state of Kansas, with the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at a point on the western boundary of the state of Missouri, where the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude crosses the same; thence running west on said parallel to the twenty-fifth meridian of longitude west from Washington; thence north on said meridian to the fortieth parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel to the western boundary of the state of Missouri; thence south with the western boundary of said state to the place of beginning.''

==History==
Kansas was admitted as a [[free state]] in the midst of [[Bleeding Kansas|guerilla warfare]] between pro-slavery and abolitionist forces that erupted in the wake of the passage of the [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]] of 1854.<ref>http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OZ-BleedingKansas.html</ref> This act had provided for an election to determine whether Kansas would be a free state or a slave state, and many people flooded into the state to vote. The vote process was not easy, and was rife with accusations of voter fraud.<ref>http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/kansas.htm</ref> Noted abolitionist [[John Brown]] led anti-slavery forces during some of this time period. This violence continued after Kansas was admitted to the union on January 29, 1861, and the worst example was the virtual destruction of the city of [[Lawrence]] by pro-slavery guerilla [[William Quantrill]] on August 21, 1863, which killed most of the male population of the town.<ref>http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OZ-Lawrence2.html</ref>

==Politics==
Kansas is a reliable example of a conservative state, having voted for the [[Republican]] candidate in every Presidential election since 1968. Their federal delegation is entirely Republican, [[Pat Roberts]] and [[Sam Brownback]], are Republicans. Pat Roberts' current term of office is up in 2008. However, the state had a Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, from 2003 until 2009. The past ten Governors have alternated between Republican and Democrats, which shows the independent nature of Kansans in politics going back to pre-statehood. Kansas has a rich history of influence on the Republican party going back to [[William Allen White]] to [[Bob Dole]].

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Pat Roberts]] (R)
*Sen. [[Jerry Moran]] (R)
*Rep. [[Roger Marshall]] [R, KS-01]
*Rep. [[Steve Watkins]] [R, KS-02]
*Rep. [[Sharice Davids]] [D, KS-03]
*Rep. [[Ron Estes]] [R, KS-04]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Jeff Colyer]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Tracey Mann]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Kris Kobach]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Derek Schmidt]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Jacob LaTurner]] (R)
*Insurance Commissioner [[Ken Selzer]] (R)

==Miscellaneous==
Kansas exports more wheat than any other state. Kansas's economy is heavily dependent upon agriculture.<ref>http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/CAFTA/ks.html</ref>

Kansas's motto is ''ad astra per aspera'', which is Latin for "to the stars through difficulties." Its state flower is the sunflower, its state tree is the cottonwood, and its state bird is the Western meadowlark.

[[Helium]] was first found in natural gas at the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1905.<ref>http://www.news.ku.edu/2000/00N/AprNews/Apr7/bailey.html</ref>

The term "What would Jesus do?" was first used by Charles Sheldon, a Topeka minister, in 1896.<ref>http://www.mastersimage.com/articles/ihs.htm</ref>

Cawker City is home to the world's largest ball of twine, which has a 40-foot circumference,<ref>http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Cawker/twine.html</ref> and Greensburg is home to the world's deepest hand dug well, which is 109 feet deep.<ref>http://www.bigwell.org/bigwell.html</ref> This well survived a large [[tornado]] that destroyed most of the town on May 4, 2007.<ref>http://www.kansas.com/233/story/65407.html</ref>

Although Dorothy Gale, in the 1900 book and 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz'', is from Kansas, L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz books, had never been to Kansas, and based his description of a state where 'everything was grey' on his experiences as a newspaper man in [[North Dakota]].

The operational headquarters of telecommunications giant Sprint Nextel is located in Overland Park.

The default position for the mapping program [[Google Earth]] is Lawrence.<ref>http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/dec/21/lawrence_pinpointed_center_google_earth/</ref>

The largest tallgrass prairie reserve remaining in the [[United States]] is the [[Flint Hills]] in eastern Kansas.

The state flower of Kansas is the [[Sunflower]].

==Notable Kansans==

[[Sam Brownback]], current US Senator and former 2008 Presidential candidate, was born in Parker, attended Kansas State University, and currently represents Kansas in the Senate.

[[Bob Dole]], former US Senator and the 1996 Republican nominee for President, grew up in Russell.

[[Amelia Earhart]], the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, was from Abilene.

[[Dwight Eisenhower]], president of the United States from 1952 to 1960, grew up in Abilene.

[[Thomas Frank]], an author who is most well known for his book ''What's the Matter with Kansas?'', a look at the political history of Kansas written from a liberal perspective.

[[Dwight Frye]], actor, best known for playing as Renfield in Dracula and Igor in Frankenstein (both in 1931), was from Salina

[[Dennis Hopper]], actor, was from Dodge City

[[James Naismith]], inventor of the game of basketball, was a professor and coach at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

[[Gordon Parks]], an award-winning African-American photographer and writer, was from Fort Scott.

[[Fred Phelps]], founder of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]]

[[Jim Ryun]], a three time Olympic gold medalist who held the world record in the mile run and served several terms in the House of Representatives, is originally from Wichita but now lives in Lawrence.

[[William Allen White]], a journalist who is most well known for his bitter piece of conservative satire, ''What's the Matter With Kansas?'', lived in Emporia. (Note: The title of the aforementioned Frank book is a reference to the article by White, which precedes Frank's book by over 100 years.)

The 1970s progressive rock band [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]], known for the songs [[Carry On My Wayward Son]] and [[Dust in the Wind]] takes its name from the state.

==Sports==

The [[University of Kansas]]'s men's basketball team is a traditional powerhouse, having produced such NBA greats as Wilt Chamberlain and Danny Manning, and having won the 1988 national championship. The [[Kansas State University]] football team has also been relatively successful as of late. The Wildcats have advanced to the Big XII Championship game twice.

[[Wichita]] has been home to many minor level sports including the Wichita Wings(indoor soccer), Wichita Wind (hockey), Wichita Aeros,(Baseball), Wichita Wranglers, (baseball), Wichita Stealth,(football), Wichita Aviators (football), Wichita Wild (football). Wichita is also the annual home to the [http://www.nbcbaseball.com/index.cfm?NavID=1&SubNavID=0 National Baseball Congress] tournament. The NBC hosts teams from though out the country in a two-week 24 hour a day tournament.

==Education==

The Kansas Board of Regents supervises six public universities in Kansas: The University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, and Pittsburg State University. There are also several private universities in Kansas, including Washburn University in [[Topeka]], which is known for its law school. Just a few of the others include MidAmerica Nazarene University in [[Olathe]], Friends University in [[Wichita]], and Baker University in Baldwin City.

==See also==
*[[Pullman Co. v. Kansas]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Kansas]]
[[Category:Great Plains]]
[[Category:Plains of the United States]]
[[Category:Wild West]]
[[Category:Red States]]

Iowa

2019-01-19T00:29:00Z

AlvinR: update

''See the [[Iowa caucuses]] for the political event''.
{{USState
|name=Iowa
|flag=Iowa_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain|Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain]]"
|nick=The Hawkeye State
|capital=Des Moines
|language=English
|governor=Kim Reynolds
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Chuck Grassley
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-3744
|s1email=http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm#emailform Contact
|senator2=Joni Ernst
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3254
|s2email=http://www.ernst.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact Contact
|population=
|date=December 28, 1846 (29th)
}}
'''Iowa''' is located in the Midwestern region of the [[United States]] and on December 28, 1846 became the twenty-ninth state to enter into the union. During the [[American Civil War]], Iowa supported the United States. The capital of Iowa is [[Des Moines]], which is also its largest city. The current governor of Iowa is Kim Reynolds ([[Republican]]).

The [[Iowa Caucus]] is the first primary contest for [[Democratic]] and [[Republican]] [[president]]ial candidates. That makes it an important campaigning spot for prospective candidates.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, the Iowa legislature passed an 'English-Only' bill with the effect of making English the state's only official language. The names of Des Moines, Dubuque, and Cerro Gordo counties were unaffected.

Iowa was the first Midwestern state to legalize [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>[http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101103/NEWS09/11030390/Iowans-dismiss-three-justices Iowans dismiss three justices]</ref> It was not by legislation, but through [[judicial activism]].
On April 3, 2009, in a unanimous decision, the Iowa state supreme court overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage. The decision states, "“This approach does not disrespect or denigrate the religious views of many Iowans who may strongly believe in marriage as a dual-gender union, but considers, as we must, only the constitutional rights of all people, as expressed by the promise of equal protection for all.” The only way to overturn this decision is through an amendment to the state constitution, which would not be possible until 2012 at the earliest.<ref>The Des Moines Register, ''Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman'', by JEFF ECKHOFF and GRANT SCHULTE, April 3, 2009 [http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090403/NEWS/90403010]</ref>

In 2017, the Iowa legislature, with massive GOP majorities,<ref>Russell, Joyce (November 9, 2016). [http://iowapublicradio.org/post/iowa-senate-turns-republican-tuesday-voting#stream/0 Iowa Senate Turns Republican in Tuesday Voting]. ''Iowa Public Radio''. Retrieved April 29, 2017.</ref> passed and enacted legislation massively expanding [[gun rights]], including enacting and expanding a stand-your-ground law, providing legal advantages to gun owners, and giving additional rights to minors, among other provisions.<ref>De Lea, Brittany (April 13, 2017). [http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/04/13/iowa-passes-massive-expansion-gun-rights-more-states-to-follow.html Iowa Passes Massive Expansion of Gun Rights, More States to Follow?]. ''Fox Business''. Retrieved April 29, 2017.</ref> The state also enacted [[voter ID legislation]],<ref>Klukowski, Ken (May 6, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/06/iowa-adopts-voter-id-law/ Iowa Adopts Voter-ID Law]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 6, 2017.</ref> defunded [[Planned Parenthood]],<ref>Hellmann, Jessie (May 19, 2017). [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/334199-four-planned-parenthood-clinics-to-close-in-iowa-after-defunding Four Planned Parenthood clinics to close in Iowa after defunding]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved May 20, 2017.</ref> and passed a law outlawing abortion if the child's heartbeat is detected.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iowa-abortion/iowa-governor-signs-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-into-law-idUSKBN1I52ID Iowa governor signs 'fetal heartbeat' abortion ban into law]. ''Reuters''. May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.</ref><ref>Freiburger, Calvin (May 4, 2018). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-iowa-governor-signs-bill-banning-abortions-on-babies-with-heartbea Iowa governor signs bill banning abortions on babies with beating hearts]. ''LifeSiteNews''. Retrieved May 4, 2018.</ref><ref>Berry, Susan (May 4, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/05/04/iowa-bans-all-abortions-after-point-of-detection-of-fetal-heartbeat/ Iowa Bans All Abortions After Point of Detection of Fetal Heartbeat]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 4, 2018.</ref>

The state Constitution of Iowa, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says in the preamble:
:''WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuance of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the STATE OF IOWA, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:''

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Chuck Grassley]] (R)
*Sen. [[Joni Ernst]] (R)
*Rep. [[Abby Finkenauer]] [D, IA-1]
*Rep. [[David Loebsack]] [D, IA-2]
*Rep. [[Cindy Axne]] [D, IA-3]
*Rep. [[Steve King]] [R, IA-4]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Kim Reynolds]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Adam Gregg]] (R) (acting)
*Secretary of State [[Paul Pate]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Mary Mosiman]] (R)
*Agriculture Secretary [[Bill Northey]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Michael Fitzgerald]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Tom Miller]] (D)

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Indiana

2019-01-19T00:25:25Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Indiana
|flag=Indiana_State_Flag.gif
|motto="The Crossroads of America"
|nick=[[Crossroads of America]]
|capital=Indianapolis
|language=English
|governor=Eric Holcomb
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Todd Young
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-5623
|s2email=http://www.young.senate.gov/content/contact-senator Contact
|senator1=Joe Donnelly
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) (202) 224-4814
|s1email=mailto:senator_donnelly@donnelly.senate.gov Contact
|population=
|date=December 11, 1816 (19th)
}}
'''Indiana''' was the nineteenth state to enter the union. Nicknamed "The Hoosier State", is encompasses a geographical area of 36,291 square miles (38th in size among United States), and has a population of 6,195,643, according to a 2003 census. Its capital and largest city is [[Indianapolis]]. Indiana is bordered by [[Ohio]], [[Kentucky]], [[Illinois]], and [[Michigan]].

[[File:IndianaStateCapitol.jpg|thumb|right|Indiana State Capitol]]
Indiana is recognized as the 'Limestone capital of the world' with more [[limestone]] quarried from the state than anywhere else in the world.

The state Constitution of Indiana, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''TO THE END, that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated; WE, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to ALMIGHTY GOD for the free exercise of the right to choose our own form of government, do ordain this Constitution.''

==Origin of the word "Hoosier"==
Some believe that the word ''Hoosier'' comes from the popularity of a black preacher named [[Harry Hosier]].<ref>[http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=136 Black History Issue 2005]</ref><ref>[http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/11454/16617 The Origin of the Word "Hoosier": A New Interpretation]</ref>

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Mike Braun]] (R)
*Sen. [[Todd Young]] (R)
*Rep. [[Pete Visclosky]] [D, IN-1]
*Rep. [[Jackie Warlowski]] [R, IN-02]
*Rep. [[Jim Banks]] [R, IN-03]
*Rep. [[Jim Baird]] [R, IN-04]
*Rep. [[Susan W. Brooks]] [R, IN-05]
*Rep. [[Greg Pence]] [R, IN-06]
*Rep. [[Andre Carson]] [D, IN-07]
*Rep. [[Larry Bucshon]] [R, IN-08]
*Rep. [[Trey Hollingsworth]] [R, IN-09]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Mike Pence]] (R)
*Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann
*Attorney General [[Greg Zoeller]] (R)
*Secretary of State Connie Lawson
*State Auditor Dwayne Sawyer
*State Treasurer [[Richard Mourdock]] (R)

==Notable people from Indiana==

* Hoagy Carmichael, Songwriter
* [[J. Wilbur Chapman]], [[Presbyterian]] [[clergy]]man
* Jim Davis, Creator of Garfield the Cat
* Eugene V Debs, 5-timr Socialist presidential candidate was based in terre Haute
* Orville Redenbacher, [[Popcorn]] Magnate
* Steve McQueen, Actor
* James Dean, Actor
* Karl Malden, Actor
* Kurt Vonnegut, Novelist
* Lew Wallace, Civil War General, Author ( Ben Hur )
* Wendell Willkie, GOP presidential candidate 1940.
* Alfred Kinsey, Sexual behavior researcher was based at Indiana University, Bloomington
*Senator [[Evan Bayh]], also a former governor; he is the son of former Senator Birch Bayh
*[[Astronaut]] Gus Grissom was born in Mitchell.
*Former President [[Benjamin Harrison]] lived in Indianapolis and represented Indiana as a Senator.
*[[William Henry Harrison]], a former President and the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, was the first governor of Indiana territory.
*Singer [[Michael Jackson]] is from Gary.
*David Letterman (host of Late Night and the Late Show) was born in Indianapolis.
*[[Mike Pence]], current [[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] (2017–present)
*Former [[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] [[Dan Quayle]] was born in Indianapolis and represented the states in the House and Senate.
*His son, [[Ben Quayle]], is from Fort Wayne.
*Axl Rose, lead singer for Guns N' Roses and now, [[AC/DC]] as well
*David Lee Roth, lead singer for Van Halen
*Harland David Sanders (also known as Colonel Sanders), founder of [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]], was born in Henryville.
*Adam Driver, Actor (''Girls'', ''[[Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens|Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]'') grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana and later went to the University of Indianapolis.
*Sasheer Zamata, Actress and Comedian (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
*Jim Jones, leader of the People's Temple, the cult who committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978.
*James Hellwig (later changed name to Warrior), professional wrestler known as the Ultimate Warrior

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

* [http://www.in.gov/ Official State of Indiana site]
* [http://www.h-net.org/~indiana/ H-Indiana], a daily e-mail-based discussion list sponsored by the Indiana Historical Society and H-Net, and edited by experts. The list commissionms reviews of newe books and brings together academics, history professionals, activists in local historical societies and anyone interested in the state's history to exchange ideas and foster discussion on Indiana's history and culture. They communicate current research and research interests; discuss new articles, books, papers, methods, and tools of analysis; and announce upcoming conferences and events related to Indiana history. Subscriptions are free, and the complete logs of back issues are available online from its founding in February 1998.

==Bibliography==
===Surveys===
* Boomhower, Ray E.; Jones, Darryl, photog. ''Destination Indiana: Travels through Hoosier History.''2000. 203 pp.
* Gray, Ralph D., comp., ed. ''Indiana History: A Book of Readings.'' 1995. 442 pp. articles by scholars
* Madison, James H. ''The Indiana Way: A State History'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/Indiana-Way-State-History/dp/025320609X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643233&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Peckham, Howard H. ''Indiana: A History'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Indiana-HISTORY-Howard-H-Peckham/dp/0252071468/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643431&sr=1-13 excerpt and text search]
* Reese, William J. ''Hoosier Schools: Past and Present'' (1998) [http://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Schools-Present-Midwestern-History/dp/0253211549/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643233&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Rudolph, L. C. ''Hoosier Faiths: A History of Indiana's Churches and Religious Groups.'' 1995. 710 pp.
* Skertic, Mark, and John J. Watkins. ''A Native's Guide to Northwest Indiana'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Natives-Guide-Northwest-Indiana/dp/1893121089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643207&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Taylor, Robert M., Jr. and McBirney, Connie A., ed. ''Peopling Indiana: The Ethnic Experience.'' 1996. 703 pp. covers every major ethnic group
* Taylor, Robert M. ed. ''The State of Indiana History 2000: Papers Presented at the Indiana Historical Society's Grand Opening'' (2001) [http://www.amazon.com/State-Indiana-History-2000-Historical/dp/0871951533/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643233&sr=1-3 excerpt and text search]
* Vanausdall, Jeanette. ''Pride and Protest: The Novel in Indiana.'' 1999. 169 pp.

===Pre 1880===
* Bigham, Darrel E., ed. ''The Indiana Territory, 1800-2000: A Bicentennial Perspective.'' 2001. 196 pp.
* Buley, R. Carlyle.
* Carmony, Donald Francis. ''Indiana, 1816 to 1850: The Pioneer Era'' (1998), 924 pp [http://www.amazon.com/Indiana-1816-1850-Pioneer-History/dp/0871951258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643157&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], standard scholarly history
* Cayton, Andrew R. L. ''Frontier Indiana.'' 1996. 340 pp. , standard scholarly history
* Giffin, William W. ''The Irish: Peopling Indiana.'' 2006. 127 pp.
* Kellar, James H. ''Introduction to the Prehistory of Indiana'' (1983) [http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Prehistory-Indiana-James-Kellar/dp/0871950448/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643233&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Mills, Randy K. ''Jonathan Jennings: Indiana's First Governor.'' 2005. 259 pp.
* Simons, Richard S. and Parker, Francis H., ed. ''Railroads of Indiana.'' 1997. 297 pp.
* Stampp, Kenneth M. ''Indiana Politics during the Civil War'' (1949) [http://www.questia.com/read/3782996 online edition]

===Since 1880===
* Barrows, Robert G. ''Albion Fellows Bacon: Indiana's Municipal Housekeeper.'' 2000. 229 pp.
* Fadely, James Philip. ''Thomas Taggart: Public Servant, Political Boss, 1856-1929.'' 1997. 267 pp.
* Madison, James H. ''Indiana through Tradition and Change: A History of the Hoosier State and Its People, 1920-1945'' (1982) [http://www.amazon.com/Indiana-through-Tradition-Change-Historical/dp/0871950421/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196643233&sr=1-10 excerpt and text search], standard scholarly history
* Phillips, Clifton J. ''Indiana in Transition: The Emergence of an Industrial Commonwealth, 1880-1920'' (1968), standard scholarly history
* Rund, Christopher. ''The Indiana Rail Road Company: America's New Regional Railroad.'' 2006. 254 pp.
* Thornbrough, Emma Lou. ''Indiana Blacks in the Twentieth Century.'' Indiana U. Press, 2000. 287 pp.
* Whitford, Frederick and Martin, Andrew G. ''The Grand Old Man of Purdue University and Indiana Agriculture: A Biography of William Carroll Latta.'' Purdue U. Press, 2005. 385 pp.

===Primary sources===
* Bowen, Otis R. and DuBois, William, Jr. ''Doc: Memories from a Life in Public Service.'' 2000. 232 pp. Bowen was Governor 1972-80
* Streightoff, Frances Doan. ''Indiana: A Social and Economic Survey'' (1916) [https://books.google.com/books?id=PuJCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA252&dq=intitle:social+intitle:survey+date:1900-1923&num=30&as_brr=1#PPA2,M1 full text online]
* Taylor, ed. Robert M. ''Indiana: A New Historical Guide'' (1990), highly detailed guide to citiies and recent history
* WPA Indiana Writer's Project. ''Indiana: A Guide To The Hoosier State: American Guide Series'' (1941), famous WPA Guide to every location; strong on history, architecture and culture; reprinted 1973; [http://www.questia.com/read/99249272 online edition]

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Illinois

2019-01-19T00:21:37Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Illinois
|flag=Illinois_State_Flag.gif
|motto="State" Sovereignty; National Union"
|nick=The Prairie State
|capital=Springfield
|language=English
|governor=Bruce Rauner
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Tammy Duckworth
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-2854
|s2email=http://www.duckworth.senate.gov/content/contact-senator Contact
|senator1=Richard Durbin
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2152
|s1email=http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=December 3, 1818 (21st)
}}
'''Illinois''' was the twenty-first state to enter into the [[union]]. Its capital is [[Springfield]], and the largest city is [[Chicago]]. Illinois is bordered by [[Indiana]], [[Kentucky]], [[Michigan]], [[Missouri]], [[Iowa]], and [[Wisconsin]]. It is considered to be one of the most corrupt states in the nation. It has a population of 12,830,632 according to the 2010 census. Making it the 5th most populous state.

The state Constitution of Illinois, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the People of the State of Illinois; grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He has permitted us to enjoy and seeking His blessing upon our endeavors — in order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; eliminate poverty and inequality; assure legal, social and economic justice; provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; insure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and liberty to ourselves and our posterity - do ordain and establish this Constitution for the State of Illinois.''

==Politics==
[[File:Illinois Governor Election Results by County, 2014.svg.png|thumb|left|150px|2014 gubernatorial election results. If it were not for Cook County, Rauner would have won in a landslide.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Newman | first1=James | title=Quinn/Rauner a Squeaker? Durbin/Oberweis a Cakewalk? Think Again | url=http://www.niutoday.info/2014/11/05/think-quinnrauner-was-a-squeaker-and-durbinoberweis-was-a-cakewalk-heres-why-youd-be-wrong/ | date=November 5, 2014 | publisher=''[[Northern Illinois University|NIU]] Today'' | accessdate=July 26, 2016}}</ref>]]
Overall, Illinois is a blue state. Geographically speaking, the vast majority of Illinois is Republican and conservative, but because of the large population of ultraliberal Cook County and parts of the suburbs, the Democratic Party dominates the state. The 2014 gubernatorial election was very tight, even though Bruce Rauner, who won the election, won every county except Cook. Particularly regarding presidential elections, Illinois is a liberal Democrat stronghold.

Currently, Illinois has a [[Republican Party|Republican]] governor, [[Bruce Rauner]]. One of its GOP governors in the recent past was [[George Ryan]], who controversially emptied the state's death row after an investigation by [[Northwestern University]] law students proved that one death row inmate was innocent.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/</ref> Critics charged that he only did so to gain sympathy because he was about to be tried for [[corruption]] and selling [[commercial driver's license]]s when he was the [[Illinois Secretary of State]]. There are 2 Senators and 18 Representatives in Illinois.

Illinois is one of the worst fiscally managed states in the United States.<ref>Lawler, Joseph (July 11, 2017). [http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-5-worst-fiscally-managed-states-in-the-usa/article/2628211 The 5 worst fiscally managed states in the USA]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved July 13, 2017.</ref>

==Commerce==
Illinois is not only the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, but also its leading pumpkin processor. Libby's plants 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois. Morton, where 80 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby's factory, is known as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." The town hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the start of the pumpkin canning season. Illinois is a leading producer of [[soybeans]], [[corn]] and [[hogs]].

*Gross State Product - $528 Billion (2004)
*Personal income per Capita - $32,965 (2003)
Illinois is not only the nation’s leading pumpkin producer, but also its leading pumpkin processor. Libby's plants 5,000 acres of Dickinson Select pumpkins each year in and around Morton, Illinois. Morton, where 80 percent of the world's canned pumpkin is packed at the Libby's factory, is known as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." The town hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival to celebrate the start of the pumpkin canning season. Illinois is a leading producer of [[soybeans]], corn and hogs. The state's climate and varied soil types enable farmers to grow and raise many other agricultural commodities, including cattle, wheat, oats, sorghum,hay, sheep, poultry, fruits and vegetables. Illinois also produces several specialty crops, such as buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish and Christmas trees. Marketing of Illinois' agricultural commodities generates more than $9 billion annually. Corn accounts for nearly 40 percent of that total. Marketing of soybeans contributes about one-third, with the combined marketing of livestock, dairy and poultry generating about 23 percent.
Illinois has a competitive edge over many other states due to its central location and superior
transportation system. More than 2,000 miles of interstate highways and 34,500 miles of other state highways make trucking of goods fast and efficient. Chicago is home to the largest rail gateway in the nation, connecting the eastern and western United States. The state boasts some 1,100 airports, landing areas and heliports, including Chicago's O'Hare International, through which more than 65 million travelers pass annually. Illinois' 1,118 miles of navigable waterways, including the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, make barge traffic an excellent option for shipment of grain to the Gulf of Mexico.

==Demographics==
According to the 2010 census.

*Population: 12,830,632
*Male Population: 6,080,336 (49.0%)
*Female Population: 6,338,957 (51.0%)
*White: 9,177,877 (71.5%)
*Black: 1,866,414 (14.5%)
*Asian: 586,934 (4.6%)
*American Indian: 43,963 (0.3%)
*Other race: 861,412 (56.7%)
*Two or more races: 289,982 (2.3%)
*Hispanic/Latino: 2,029,578 (15.8%)

==Elected Officials==
As of 2017.

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Richard Durbin]] (D)
*Sen. [[Tammy Duckworth]] (D)
*Rep. [[Bobby Rush]] [D, IL-1]
*Rep. [[Robin Kelly]] [D, IL-2]
*Rep. [[Dan Lipinski]] [D, IL-3]
*Rep. [[Jesus Garcia]] [D, IL-4]
*Rep. [[Mike Quigley]] [D, IL-5]
*Rep. [[Sean Casten]] [D, IL-6]
*Rep. [[Danny Davis]] [D, IL-7]
*Rep. [[Raja Krishnamoorthi]] [D, IL-8]
*Rep. [[Janice Schakowsky]] [D, IL-9]
*Rep. [[Bradley Schneider]] [D, IL-10]
*Rep. [[Bill Foster]] [D, IL-11]
*Rep. [[Mike Bost]] [R, IL-12]
*Rep. [[Rodney Davis]] [R, IL-13]
*Rep. [[Lauren Underwood]] [D, IL-14]
*Rep. [[John Shimkus]] [R, IL-15]
*Rep. [[Adam Kinzinger]] [R, IL-16]
*Rep. [[Cheri Bustos]] [D, IL-17]
*Rep. [[Darin LaHood]] [R, IL-18]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Bruce Rauner]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Evelyn Sanguinetti]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jesse White]] (D)
*Attorney General [[Lisa Madigan]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Mike Frerichs]] (D)
*State Comptroller [[Susana Mendoza]] (D)

==State Facts==

*Illinois State Tree – white oak
*Illinois State Bird – cardinal
*Illinois State Fish – bluegill
*Illinois State Animal – white-tailed deer
*Illinois State Insect – monarch butterfly
*Illinois State Mineral – fluorite
*Illinois State Prairie Grass – big bluestem
*Illinois State Reptile – painted turtle
*Illinois State Flower – violet
*Illinois State Snack – popcorn
*Illinois State Fruit – goldrush apple

==See also==
* [[Senator from Illinois]]

==Further reading==
* Buck, Solon J. ''Illinois in 1818'' (1917) excellent history [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Illinois/_Texts/Centennial_History/Illinois_in_1818/home.html complete text online]
* Biles, Roger. ''Illinois: a history of the land and its people.'' (2005). very good recent survey DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780875803494. OCLC 58526330.
* Bridges, Roger D. and Davis, Rodney O., eds. ''Illinois: its history & legacy.'' (1984). essays by experts .
* Cole, Arthur Charles. ''The era of the Civil War, 1848-1870'' [1919]. excellent history
* Davis, James E. ''Frontier Illinois.'' (1998).
* Gove, Samuel Kimball; Nowlan, James Dunlap. ''Illinois politics & government: the expanding metropolitan frontier'' (1996) government textbook
* Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin and Reiff, Janice L. ''Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago'' (2005) (Online ed.).[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/ outstanding reference on Chicagoland]
* Hallwas, John E., ed ''Illinois literature: the nineteenth century.'' (1986).
* Howard, Robert P. ''Illinois; a history of the Prairie State.'' (1972). fair textbook
* Jensen, Richard E. ''Illinois: a history'' (1977), influential interpretation, stressing traditionalism, modernization and postmodernity
* Keiser, John H. ''Building for the centuries: Illinois, 1865 to 1898.'' good survey
* Kleppner, Paul. ''Political atlas of Illinois'' (1988) election maps
* Meyer, Douglas K. ''Making the heartland quilt: a geographical history of settlement and migration in early-nineteenth-century Illinois.'' (2000).

===Primary sources===
* Peck, John Mason. ''A Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State, a General View of Each County, and a Particular Description of Each'' (1837) fascinating primary source [http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/300889206?page=frame&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DY5pKAAAAMAAJ%26checksum%3D8b8c2da173569b9ff33410019959caef&title=&linktype=digitalObject&detail= online]
* Sutton, Robert P. ed. ''The Prairie State; a documentary history of Illinois.'' (1976). primary and secondard sources
* Walton, Clyde C. ed. ''An Illinois reader' '(1970). primary and secondary sources
* Works Progress Administration. ''The WPA guide to Illinois: the Federal Writers' Project guide to 1930s Illinois.'' (1939), very good primary source
* The source for the facts [http://www.dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/IllinoisFactsFinal.pdf]

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Illinois]]

==References==

<references />

Idaho

2019-01-18T23:54:33Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Idaho
|flag=Idaho_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Esto perpetua|Esto Perpetua]]" (Let it be Perpetual)
|nick=The Gem State
|capital=Boise
|language=None
|governor=Butch Otter
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Mike Crapo
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-6142
|s1email=http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Contact
|senator2=James Risch
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2752
|s2email=No contact info
|population=
|date=July 3, 1890 (43rd)
}}
'''Idaho''' is a state in the USA, becoming the 43rd state to enter the Union on July 3, 1890. It is to the south of [[Canada]], to the north of [[Nevada]], to the west of [[Montana]] and to the east of [[Washington]] and [[Oregon]]. Idaho is known for producing [[potato]]es.

The state Constitution of Idaho, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the state of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.''

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Mike Crapo]] (R)
*Sen. [[James Risch]] (R)
*Rep. [[Russ Fulcher]] [R, ID-1]
*Rep. [[Mike Simpson]] [R, ID-2]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Butch Otter]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Brad Little]] (R)
*State Controller [[Donna Jones]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Ben Ysursa]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Ron Crane]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Lawrence Wasden]] (R)
*Superintendent of Public Instruction [[Tom Luna]] (R)

==Staotistics==
* [[Population]]: 1.3 million (and about 2.1 million cattle.)
* [[Population density|Population Density]]: 15.5 per square mile.
* Area: 83,437 square miles (rank 13 of 50).
* Average car [[insurance]] cost: $608/yr. (rank 48 of 50).
* Average home insurance cost: $326/yr. (rank 50 of 50).
* Average home price in Clearwater County: $112,725
* Average home price in Idaho County: $109,500
* Average home price in Kootenai County: $112,849
* Average home price in Latah County: $118,325 (skewed because of the large number of 120+ acre farms and ranches)
* [[Boston T. Party]]’s State Firearms Laws Ranking (see [[Essay:State Firearms Laws Ranking]]) from [[Boston's Gun Bible]]: 97%.<ref>[[Boston T. Party]], ''[[Boston's Gun Bible]]'', Chapter 34 [[Essay:Gun Laws in the 50 States and DC]], [[Common law]] [[copyright]], [[Wyoming]] [[American Redoubt]] - Printed in the "united states of America" without any 4 USC §§ 105-110 [[Federal]] area or [[State]]: [[Javelin Press]] 1997-2008: pp. 34/3-8. ISBN 1-888766-06-9</ref>
* [[Per capita]] [[income]]: $23,727 (rank 41 of 50).
* ACT & [[SAT]] Scores Ranking: 15 of 50.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html Recommended Retreat Areas]". Idaho,: [[The Survival Blog]]. Accessed February 10, 2015</ref>

== [[NRA Grades]] Rankings of the State ==

[[NRA grades|What the NRA Grades mean]]

===[[U.S. Senate]]===

===[[U.S. House of Representatives]]===

* https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/archive/2014/Idaho
* http://www.nrapvf.org/grades-archive/2012/Idaho.aspx
* http://www.nrapvf.org/grades-archive/2010/Idaho.aspx

===Local newspapers===
* [http://www.cdapress.com/classifieds Coeur d’Alene Press]
* [http://idahostatejournal.com/app/classifieds/ Idaho State Journal]
* [http://www.nwmarket.com/pages/classifieds Lewiston Tribune]
* [http://www.idahostatesman.com/jobs/ Idaho Statesman]

===Railroads===
* [https://watcocompanies.hua.hrsmart.com/hr/ats/JobSearch/index Watco Companies]
* [http://www.unionpacific.jobs/ Union Pacific]

===Utilities===
* [http://www.idahopower.com/Careers/CareerCenter/default.cfm Idaho Power]
* [http://www.intgas.com/aboutigc/employment.html Intermountain Gas Company]

===Agriculture===
* [http://www.simplot.com/careers Simplot]
* [http://www.simplot.com/careers Glanbia]
* [http://www.simplot.com/careers Cloverleaf Creamery]
* [http://www.darigold.com Darigold]
* [http://www.amalgamatedsugar.com/ Amalgamated Sugar]

===Mines===
* [http://www.hecla-mining.com/ Hecla Mining Co.]
* [http://www.agrium.com/ Agrium Conda]
* [http://www.us-silver.com/ US Silver]
* [http://www.thompsoncreekmetals.com/ Thompson Creek Mining Co.]

===Forestry===
* [http://www.idahoforestgroup.com/ Idaho Forest Group]
* [http://www.blpi.com/ Bennett Lumber]
* [http://www.potlatchcorp.com/ Potlatch Corp]
* [http://www.stimsonlumber.com/ Stimson Lumber]
* [http://www.boiseinc.com/ Boise Inc.]
* [http://www.clearwaterpaper.com/ Clearwater Paper Corp.]

===Other Large Employers===
* [http://www.albertsons.com/about/careers.html Albertsons]
* [http://www.micron.com/jobs Micron Technologies]
* [http://www.kootenaihealth.org Kootenai Health]
* [http://www.boisestate.edu/ Boise State University]
* [http://isu.edu/ Idaho State University]
* [http://www.dhr.idaho.gov/ State of Idaho Jobs]
* [http://www.sde.idaho.gov/ Idaho Dept. of Education]

===Cities/Counties===
* [http://hr.cityofboise.org/ Boise]
* [http://ci.nampa.id.us/Index.aspx?NID=208 Nampa]
* [http://www.cityoflewiston.org/Jobs.aspx Lewiston]
* [http://www.idahofallsidaho.gov/ Idaho Falls]
* [http://www.pocatello.us/main/employment_pocatello.htm Pocatello]
* [http://www.tfid.org/jobs.aspx Twin Falls]
* [http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/ Moscow]
* [http://www.adaweb.net/jobs Ada County]
* [http://www.co.bonner.id.us/personnel/index.html Bonner County]
* [http://agency.governmentjobs.com/twinfalls/default.cfm Twin Falls County]
* [http://www.co.bannock.id.us/employment/index.htm Bannock County]
* [http://www.co.nezperce.id.us/Departments/Personnel.aspx Nez Perce County]
* [http://www.latah.id.us/employment/index.php Latah County]

===List of Major Companies Headquartered in the State===
* Albertsons, a division of SuperValu
* Amalgamated Sugar Company
* Boise Cascade
* Chelton Flight Systems
* Coldwater Creek
* Empire Airlines
* Hansen-Rice
* Idahoan Foods
* King's Discount Stores
* Micron Technology
* Native American Services Corp.
* Pacific Press Publishing Association
* Salmon Air
* Simplot
* Washington Group International
* WinCo Foods
* Yellowstone Bear World

==Politics==
Idaho is a strongly conservative, with the [[Republican Party]] dominating federal and state elections there since achieving statehood.

==Counties==
===Idaho County===
Much of Idaho is sparsely populated. As an example of the [[low population density]] in [[the West]], one can cite [[Idaho County]], Idaho: This one [[county]] measures 8,485 square miles-bigger than [[Connecticut]] and [[Rhode Island]] combined. But it has a [[population]] of just 15,400. And of those residents, roughly 3,300 people live in [[Grangeville, Idaho|Grangeville]], the county seat. Who lives in the rest of the county? There are far more [[deer]] and [[elk]] than there are people. The [[population density]] of the county is 1.8 people per square mile. The county has more than 3 million [[acre]]s of [[United States Forest Service]] [[land]], [[BLM]] land, and designated [[federal]] [[wilderness]] areas.

===Idaho Cities Above 6000 Persons===
* Ammon, [[Population]] 14,199
* Blackfoot, 11,852
* Blanchard-Glengary 13,946
* [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], 212,303
* Burley, 10,425
* [[Caldwell, Idaho|Caldwell]], 47,668
* Chubbuck, 14,166
* [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho|Coeur d'Alene]], 45,579
* Eagle, 21,025
* Emmett Valley, 12,022
* Emmett, 6,516
* Garden City, 11,251
* Hailey, 7,920
* [[Hayden, Idaho|Hayden]], 13,549
* [[Idaho Falls, Idaho|Idaho Falls]], 57,899
* Jerome, 11,027
* Kuna, 16,189
* [[Lewiston, Idaho|Lewiston]], 32,051
* [[Meridian, Idaho|Meridian]], 80,386
* Moreland, 9,573
* [[Moscow, Idaho|Moscow]], 24,499
* [[Mountain Home, Idaho|Mountain Home]], 13,791
* [[Nampa, Idaho|Nampa]], 83,930
* Orchard, 18,120
* Payette, 7,451
* [[Pocatello, Idaho|Pocatello]], 54,777
* [[Post Falls, Idaho|Post Falls]], 28,651
* [[Rathdrum, Idaho|Rathdrum]], 7,024
* [[Rexburg, Idaho|Rexburg]], 25,732
* [[Sandpoint, Idaho|Sandpoint]], 7,403
* Star, 6,194
* Thornton, 24,416
* [[Twin Falls, Idaho|Twin Falls]], 45,158

==Higher education==
Three major universities are located in Idaho. In the city of Moscow, in northwestern Idaho on the border of [[Washington]], is the [[University of Idaho]]. [[Boise State University]], located in southwestern Idaho in the city of [[Boise]], is the biggest and most well known University. In the city of Pocatello, [[Idaho State University]] can be found. Recently, Boise State University has had great success in NCAA football, winning their first BCS Bowl game this past winter with their thrilling Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma.<ref>[http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/MiamiHerald/2007/01/02/2425157?extID=10051 FIESTA BOWL | BOISE STATE 43, OKLAHOMA 42 (OT): Broncos stun Sooners], ''accessed March 29, 2007''</ref>

==Miscellaneous facts==
The capital and largest city of Idaho is Boise.

The state is known as the Gem state.

The name "Idaho" is almost certainly a word made up by lobbyist George Willing, who falsely claimed it was a word in the Shoshone language.<ref>http://www1.relocate-america.com/states/id/</ref>

The movie ''Napoleon Dynamite'' was set in Idaho, and the Idaho State House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the movie.<ref>http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/2005/HCR029.html</ref>

==Notable people from Idaho==

* [[Philo Farnsworth]], a pioneer of television, was from Rigby.

* [[W. Mark Felt]], who admitted to being the government source that exposed President [[Richard Nixon]] in the [[Watergate Affair]], was born in Twin Falls.

* Author [[Ernest Hemingway]] lived in Ketchum.

* [[Ezra Pound]], a notable Modernist poet, was born in Hailey.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
* [[Idaho Falls Idaho Temple]]

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Idaho]]

Hawaii

2019-01-18T23:26:36Z

AlvinR:

{{USState
|name=Hawaii
|flag=Hawaii_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono|Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono]]" (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness)
|nick=The Aloha State
|capital=Honolulu
|language=English, Hawaiian <ref>http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html</ref>
|governor=David Ige
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Mazie Hirono
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=
|s2email=http://www.hirono.senate.gov/contact Contact
|senator1=Brian Schatz
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=
|s1email=https://www.senate.gov/senators/112/Schatz_Brian.htm Website
|population=1,211,537
|date=August 21, 1959 (50th)
}}
[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎|right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]
'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21, 1959—it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land.<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

The state Constitution of Hawaii, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."''

==Ancient History==
The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD. In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals. A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands. At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 18th Century==

===Unification under a Single King===
In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms. As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew. Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===Discovery by the West===
[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific. The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800s. Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 19th Century==

===The End of ''Kapu''===
With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place. The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society. In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned. The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===The Missionary Influence===
Early visitors from Europe introduced Christianity to the native Hawaiians, but these were not part of any organized missionary campaign. A Hawaiian from Kona, Henry Opukaha'ia, is acknowledged to be the first native Christian convert, and in 1808 he traveled to New England. He spent the next 10 years in Connecticut seeking to inspire and organize missionaries to accompany him back to the islands, but he died in New England in 1818. His work inspired others, though, and in 1819 the first missionaries (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Dutch Reformists) were sent by American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the islands. "You are to aim at nothing short of covering those islands with fruitful fields and pleasant dwellings, and schools and churches; of raising up the people to an elevated state of Christian civilization" was the parting instruction from Dr. Samuel Worchester, secretary of the commissioners.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation. A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time. They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurialism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture. One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries. The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances. The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture. The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment. With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''. Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970s, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

===Westernization===

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. The United States became the major trading partner and protected the Kingdom of Hawaii from takeover by Japan. The vast sugar plantations attracted workers from across the world, especially from Japan, as the native Hawaiians refused to work for pay.

===Revolution of 1893===

The modernization of Hawaiian society was incompatible with absolute monarchy. The Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution and seize power as an absolute ruler. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. No Hawaiians tried to fight for their queen. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.

During the Hawaiian Revolution, a few American troops landed to protect American life and property. They did not engage in fighting and did not occupy any government buildings. However, this action lead many historical revisionists to falsely claim that the United States invaded Hawaii and deposed the Queen. American President [[Grover Cleveland]] was opposed to the Hawaiian Revolution and he sent [[James Henderson Blount]] to Hawaii to discredit it. Blount was a racist southerner who did not want any more colored people and he wrote a report that reflected his bigotry. He failed to swear in witnesses, refused to speak to many involved in the revolution, and then issued a report blaming the whole matter on an elaborate American plot to invade Hawaii. His Blount Report is cited as evidence of an illegal takeover of Hawaii by Hawaiian separatists to this day.

An investigation of the Hawaiian Revolution was conducted by [[Congress]] in 1894. It was bipartisan, swore in witnesses, and interviewed many that James Blount refused to talk with. Congress issued the Morgan Report which refuted the Blount Report and cleared the United States of any wrongdoing during the Hawaiian Revolution.

The Hawaiian Republic agreed to join the United States as a territory in 1898. Congress annexed Hawaii via a Joint Resolution of Congress.

==The 20th Century==
Hawaii was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, at [[Pearl Harbor]]. This resulted in the death of over 2000 defenders and brought the United States into [[World War Two]].

The islands became a huge naval base and the staging point for the Pacific War. The islands were under martial law during the war and controlled by the military.

Hawaiian citizens voted overwhelmingly (93%) for statehood. It was accordingly added as the 50th American state in 1959.

==Politics==
Since statehood, Hawaii has been dominated by the [[Democratic Party]]. [[John Kerry]] carried the state electoral vote in 2004 and the entire Congressional delegation is made up of Democrats. The [[Republican Party]] has made some recent progress with the current governor being a Republican. Despite that, Hawaii remains one of the most liberal states in the US. 67% of residents believe in social liberal policies.

There is a tiny separatist movement on the islands which wishes to have Hawaii secede from the USA and form an independent Hawaiian nation. Proponents of this course argue that Hawaii was illegally annexed and should be "restored" to nationhood. The overwhelming majority of Hawaiians do not support this view and the separatists remain a small and powerless protest group. None of their leaders is of pure Hawaiian ancestry.

Hawaii offers a significant number of benefits to same-sex couples but has stopped short of offering [[Same Sex Marriage]].

===Elected officials===
====Federal====
*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]
*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]
*Rep. [[Ed Case]] [D, HI-1]
*Rep. [[Tulsi Gabbard]] [D, HI-2]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[David Ige]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Doug Chin]] (D)

==Religion==
Religious composition of adults in Hawaii<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/hawaii/</ref>

*[[Christian]]: 63%
**[[Evangelical Protestant]]: 25%
**[[Mainline Protestant]]: 11%
**[[Historically Black Protestant]]: 2%
**[[Catholic]]: 20%
**[[Mormon]]: 3%
**[[Orthodox Christian]]: <1%
**[[Jehovah's Witness]]: 1%
**Other Christian: 1%
*Non-Christian Faiths: 10%
**[[Jewish]]: <1%
**[[Muslim]]: <1%
**[[Buddhist]]: 8%
**[[Hindu]]: <1%
**Other World Religions: <1%
**Other Faiths: 1%
*Unaffiliated: 26%
**[[Atheist]]: 2%
**[[Agnostic]]: 5%
**Nothing in Particular: 20%
*Don't Know: 1%

==Tourism==
Hawaii is the United States' only state in the tropics (i.e., south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]) and a popular tourist attraction known for its beaches, surf, volcanoes, and [[Polynesia]]n history.

==Trivia==

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level).<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>

* President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.

==See also==
* [[Aloha]]
* [[Kauai]]
* [[Lanai]]
* [[Maui]]
* [[Molokai]]
* [[Oahu]]
* [[Kona Hawaii Temple]]
* [[Laie Hawaii Temple]]
* "[[The Hawaiians]]" - historical drama ([[James Michener]])
* [[Hawaii missionaries]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.mythichawaii.com An excellent look at how the tiki gods worshiping Hawaiians behaved before conversion to Christianity. Including their savage warriors' weapons ''Mythic Hawaii'']
*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html Hawaii Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau]
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/oceania/hawaii.html History of Hawaii]
*[http://www.hawaiihistory.org/ Hawaiihistory.org - Contains an excellent history of Hawaii in timeline format]
*[http://morganreport.org/ Morgan Report]
*[http://www.deephawaii.com/hawaiianhistory.htm Hawaiian history] - history of Hawaii from 300AD to 1900AD

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Hawaii]]

Hawaii

2019-01-18T23:26:00Z

AlvinR:

{{USState
|name=Hawaii
|flag=Hawaii_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono|Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono]]" (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness)
|nick=The Aloha State
|capital=Honolulu
|language=English, Hawaiian <ref>http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html</ref>
|governor=David Ige
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Mazie Hirono
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=
|s2email=http://www.hirono.senate.gov/contact Contact
|senator1=Brian Schatz
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=
|s1email=https://www.senate.gov/senators/112/Schatz_Brian.htm Website
|population=1,211,537
|date=August 21, 1959 (50th)
}}
[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎|right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]
'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21, 1959—it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land.<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

The state Constitution of Hawaii, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."''

==Ancient History==
The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD. In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals. A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands. At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 18th Century==

===Unification under a Single King===
In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms. As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew. Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===Discovery by the West===
[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific. The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800s. Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 19th Century==

===The End of ''Kapu''===
With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place. The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society. In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned. The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===The Missionary Influence===
Early visitors from Europe introduced Christianity to the native Hawaiians, but these were not part of any organized missionary campaign. A Hawaiian from Kona, Henry Opukaha'ia, is acknowledged to be the first native Christian convert, and in 1808 he traveled to New England. He spent the next 10 years in Connecticut seeking to inspire and organize missionaries to accompany him back to the islands, but he died in New England in 1818. His work inspired others, though, and in 1819 the first missionaries (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Dutch Reformists) were sent by American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the islands. "You are to aim at nothing short of covering those islands with fruitful fields and pleasant dwellings, and schools and churches; of raising up the people to an elevated state of Christian civilization" was the parting instruction from Dr. Samuel Worchester, secretary of the commissioners.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation. A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time. They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurialism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture. One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries. The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances. The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture. The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment. With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''. Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970s, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

===Westernization===

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. The United States became the major trading partner and protected the Kingdom of Hawaii from takeover by Japan. The vast sugar plantations attracted workers from across the world, especially from Japan, as the native Hawaiians refused to work for pay.

===Revolution of 1893===

The modernization of Hawaiian society was incompatible with absolute monarchy. The Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution and seize power as an absolute ruler. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. No Hawaiians tried to fight for their queen. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.

During the Hawaiian Revolution, a few American troops landed to protect American life and property. They did not engage in fighting and did not occupy any government buildings. However, this action lead many historical revisionists to falsely claim that the United States invaded Hawaii and deposed the Queen. American President [[Grover Cleveland]] was opposed to the Hawaiian Revolution and he sent [[James Henderson Blount]] to Hawaii to discredit it. Blount was a racist southerner who did not want any more colored people and he wrote a report that reflected his bigotry. He failed to swear in witnesses, refused to speak to many involved in the revolution, and then issued a report blaming the whole matter on an elaborate American plot to invade Hawaii. His Blount Report is cited as evidence of an illegal takeover of Hawaii by Hawaiian separatists to this day.

An investigation of the Hawaiian Revolution was conducted by [[Congress]] in 1894. It was bipartisan, swore in witnesses, and interviewed many that James Blount refused to talk with. Congress issued the Morgan Report which refuted the Blount Report and cleared the United States of any wrongdoing during the Hawaiian Revolution.

The Hawaiian Republic agreed to join the United States as a territory in 1898. Congress annexed Hawaii via a Joint Resolution of Congress.

==The 20th Century==
Hawaii was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, at [[Pearl Harbor]]. This resulted in the death of over 2000 defenders and brought the United States into [[World War Two]].

The islands became a huge naval base and the staging point for the Pacific War. The islands were under martial law during the war and controlled by the military.

Hawaiian citizens voted overwhelmingly (93%) for statehood. It was accordingly added as the 50th American state in 1959.

==Politics==
Since statehood, Hawaii has been dominated by the [[Democratic Party]]. [[John Kerry]] carried the state electoral vote in 2004 and the entire Congressional delegation is made up of Democrats. The [[Republican Party]] has made some recent progress with the current governor being a Republican. Despite that, Hawaii remains one of the most liberal states in the US. 67% of residents believe in social liberal policies.

There is a tiny separatist movement on the islands which wishes to have Hawaii secede from the USA and form an independent Hawaiian nation. Proponents of this course argue that Hawaii was illegally annexed and should be "restored" to nationhood. The overwhelming majority of Hawaiians do not support this view and the separatists remain a small and powerless protest group. None of their leaders is of pure Hawaiian ancestry.

Hawaii offers a significant number of benefits to same-sex couples but has stopped short of offering [[Same Sex Marriage]].

===Elected officials===
====Federal====
*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]
*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]
*Rep. [[Ed Case]] [D, HI-1]
*Rep. [[Tulsi Gabbard]] [D, HI-2]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[David Ige]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Doug Chin]] (D)

==Religion==
Religious composition of adults in Hawaii<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/hawaii/</ref>

*[[Christian]]: 63%
**[[Evangelical Protestant]]: 25%
**[[Mainline Protestant]]: 11%
**[[Historically Black Protestant]]: 2%
**[[Catholic]]: 20%
**[[Mormon]]: 3%
**[[Orthodox Christian]]: <1%
**[[Jehovah's Witness]]: 1%
**Other Christian: 1%
*Non-Christian Faiths: 10%
**[[Jewish]]: <1%
**[[Muslim]]: <1%
**[[Buddhist]]: 8%
**[[Hindu]]: <1%
**Other World Religions: <1%
**Other Faiths: 1%
*Unaffiliated: 26%
**[[Atheist]]: 2%
**[[Agnostic]]: 5%
**Nothing in Particular: 20%
**Don't Know: 1%

==Tourism==
Hawaii is the United States' only state in the tropics (i.e., south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]) and a popular tourist attraction known for its beaches, surf, volcanoes, and [[Polynesia]]n history.

==Trivia==

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level).<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>

* President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.

==See also==
* [[Aloha]]
* [[Kauai]]
* [[Lanai]]
* [[Maui]]
* [[Molokai]]
* [[Oahu]]
* [[Kona Hawaii Temple]]
* [[Laie Hawaii Temple]]
* "[[The Hawaiians]]" - historical drama ([[James Michener]])
* [[Hawaii missionaries]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.mythichawaii.com An excellent look at how the tiki gods worshiping Hawaiians behaved before conversion to Christianity. Including their savage warriors' weapons ''Mythic Hawaii'']
*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html Hawaii Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau]
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/oceania/hawaii.html History of Hawaii]
*[http://www.hawaiihistory.org/ Hawaiihistory.org - Contains an excellent history of Hawaii in timeline format]
*[http://morganreport.org/ Morgan Report]
*[http://www.deephawaii.com/hawaiianhistory.htm Hawaiian history] - history of Hawaii from 300AD to 1900AD

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Hawaii]]

Hawaii

2019-01-18T23:24:13Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Hawaii
|flag=Hawaii_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono|Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono]]" (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness)
|nick=The Aloha State
|capital=Honolulu
|language=English, Hawaiian <ref>http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html</ref>
|governor=David Ige
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Mazie Hirono
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=
|s2email=http://www.hirono.senate.gov/contact Contact
|senator1=Brian Schatz
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=
|s1email=https://www.senate.gov/senators/112/Schatz_Brian.htm Website
|population=1,211,537
|date=August 21, 1959 (50th)
}}
[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎|right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]
'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21, 1959—it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land.<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

The state Constitution of Hawaii, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."''

==Ancient History==
The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD. In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals. A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands. At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 18th Century==

===Unification under a Single King===
In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms. As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew. Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===Discovery by the West===
[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific. The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800s. Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 19th Century==

===The End of ''Kapu''===
With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place. The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society. In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned. The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===The Missionary Influence===
Early visitors from Europe introduced Christianity to the native Hawaiians, but these were not part of any organized missionary campaign. A Hawaiian from Kona, Henry Opukaha'ia, is acknowledged to be the first native Christian convert, and in 1808 he traveled to New England. He spent the next 10 years in Connecticut seeking to inspire and organize missionaries to accompany him back to the islands, but he died in New England in 1818. His work inspired others, though, and in 1819 the first missionaries (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Dutch Reformists) were sent by American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the islands. "You are to aim at nothing short of covering those islands with fruitful fields and pleasant dwellings, and schools and churches; of raising up the people to an elevated state of Christian civilization" was the parting instruction from Dr. Samuel Worchester, secretary of the commissioners.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation. A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time. They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurialism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture. One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries. The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances. The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture. The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment. With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''. Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970s, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

===Westernization===

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. The United States became the major trading partner and protected the Kingdom of Hawaii from takeover by Japan. The vast sugar plantations attracted workers from across the world, especially from Japan, as the native Hawaiians refused to work for pay.

===Revolution of 1893===

The modernization of Hawaiian society was incompatible with absolute monarchy. The Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution and seize power as an absolute ruler. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. No Hawaiians tried to fight for their queen. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.

During the Hawaiian Revolution, a few American troops landed to protect American life and property. They did not engage in fighting and did not occupy any government buildings. However, this action lead many historical revisionists to falsely claim that the United States invaded Hawaii and deposed the Queen. American President [[Grover Cleveland]] was opposed to the Hawaiian Revolution and he sent [[James Henderson Blount]] to Hawaii to discredit it. Blount was a racist southerner who did not want any more colored people and he wrote a report that reflected his bigotry. He failed to swear in witnesses, refused to speak to many involved in the revolution, and then issued a report blaming the whole matter on an elaborate American plot to invade Hawaii. His Blount Report is cited as evidence of an illegal takeover of Hawaii by Hawaiian separatists to this day.

An investigation of the Hawaiian Revolution was conducted by [[Congress]] in 1894. It was bipartisan, swore in witnesses, and interviewed many that James Blount refused to talk with. Congress issued the Morgan Report which refuted the Blount Report and cleared the United States of any wrongdoing during the Hawaiian Revolution.

The Hawaiian Republic agreed to join the United States as a territory in 1898. Congress annexed Hawaii via a Joint Resolution of Congress.

==The 20th Century==
Hawaii was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, at [[Pearl Harbor]]. This resulted in the death of over 2000 defenders and brought the United States into [[World War Two]].

The islands became a huge naval base and the staging point for the Pacific War. The islands were under martial law during the war and controlled by the military.

Hawaiian citizens voted overwhelmingly (93%) for statehood. It was accordingly added as the 50th American state in 1959.

==Politics==
Since statehood, Hawaii has been dominated by the [[Democratic Party]]. [[John Kerry]] carried the state electoral vote in 2004 and the entire Congressional delegation is made up of Democrats. The [[Republican Party]] has made some recent progress with the current governor being a Republican. Despite that, Hawaii remains one of the most liberal states in the US. 67% of residents believe in social liberal policies.

There is a tiny separatist movement on the islands which wishes to have Hawaii secede from the USA and form an independent Hawaiian nation. Proponents of this course argue that Hawaii was illegally annexed and should be "restored" to nationhood. The overwhelming majority of Hawaiians do not support this view and the separatists remain a small and powerless protest group. None of their leaders is of pure Hawaiian ancestry.

Hawaii offers a significant number of benefits to same-sex couples but has stopped short of offering [[Same Sex Marriage]].

===Elected officials===
====Federal====
*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]
*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]
*Rep. [[Ed Case]] [D, HI-1]
*Rep. [[Tulsi Gabbard]] [D, HI-2]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[David Ige]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Doug Chin]] (D)

==Religion==
Religious composition of adults in Hawaii<http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/hawaii/</ref>

*[[Christian]]: 63%
**[[Evangelical Protestant]]: 25%
**[[Mainline Protestant]]: 11%
**[[Historically Black Protestant]]: 2%
**[[Catholic]]: 20%
**[[Mormon]]: 3%
**[[Orthodox Christian]]: <1%
**[[Jehovah's Witness]]: 1%
**Other Christian: 1%
*Non-Christian Faiths: 10%
**[[Jewish]]: <1%
**[[Muslim]]: <1%
**[[Buddhist]]: 8%
**[[Hindu]]: <1%
**Other World Religions: <1%
**Other Faiths: 1%
*Unaffiliated: 26%
**[[Atheist]]: 2%
**[[Agnostic]]: 5%
**Nothing in Particular: 20%
**Don't Know: 1%

==Tourism==
Hawaii is the United States' only state in the tropics (i.e., south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]) and a popular tourist attraction known for its beaches, surf, volcanoes, and [[Polynesia]]n history.

==Trivia==

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level).<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>

* President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.

==See also==
* [[Aloha]]
* [[Kauai]]
* [[Lanai]]
* [[Maui]]
* [[Molokai]]
* [[Oahu]]
* [[Kona Hawaii Temple]]
* [[Laie Hawaii Temple]]
* "[[The Hawaiians]]" - historical drama ([[James Michener]])
* [[Hawaii missionaries]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.mythichawaii.com An excellent look at how the tiki gods worshiping Hawaiians behaved before conversion to Christianity. Including their savage warriors' weapons ''Mythic Hawaii'']
*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html Hawaii Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau]
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/oceania/hawaii.html History of Hawaii]
*[http://www.hawaiihistory.org/ Hawaiihistory.org - Contains an excellent history of Hawaii in timeline format]
*[http://morganreport.org/ Morgan Report]
*[http://www.deephawaii.com/hawaiianhistory.htm Hawaiian history] - history of Hawaii from 300AD to 1900AD

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Hawaii]]

Hawaii

2019-01-18T23:09:11Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Hawaii
|flag=Hawaii_State_Flag.gif
|motto="[[Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono|Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono]]" (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness)
|nick=The Aloha State
|capital=Honolulu
|language=English, Hawaiian <ref>http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html</ref>
|governor=David Ige
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Mazie Hirono
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=
|s2email=http://www.hirono.senate.gov/contact Contact
|senator1=Brian Schatz
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=
|s1email=https://www.senate.gov/senators/112/Schatz_Brian.htm Website
|population=1,211,537
|date=August 21, 1959 (50th)
}}
[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎|right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]
'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21, 1959—it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land.<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

The state Constitution of Hawaii, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."''

==Ancient History==
The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD. In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals. A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands. At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 18th Century==

===Unification under a Single King===
In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms. As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew. Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===Discovery by the West===
[[James Cook]] discovered the islands during his third voyage to the Pacific in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands after the then Lord of the Admiralty, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. He would die there the next year at the hands of the natives. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific. The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800s. Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 19th Century==

===The End of ''Kapu''===
With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place. The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society. In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned. The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===The Missionary Influence===
Early visitors from Europe introduced Christianity to the native Hawaiians, but these were not part of any organized missionary campaign. A Hawaiian from Kona, Henry Opukaha'ia, is acknowledged to be the first native Christian convert, and in 1808 he traveled to New England. He spent the next 10 years in Connecticut seeking to inspire and organize missionaries to accompany him back to the islands, but he died in New England in 1818. His work inspired others, though, and in 1819 the first missionaries (Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Dutch Reformists) were sent by American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the islands. "You are to aim at nothing short of covering those islands with fruitful fields and pleasant dwellings, and schools and churches; of raising up the people to an elevated state of Christian civilization" was the parting instruction from Dr. Samuel Worchester, secretary of the commissioners.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

The missionaries were not initially trusted by Liholiho, who instead placed them under probation. A missionary headquarters was established in Honolulu, and one of the first priorities was to develop a consistent written form for the Hawaiian language, which was only spoken up to that time. They also set up the first island printing press, and as other companies of missionaries arrived, they influenced changes in Hawaiian society as well as developments in education, organization of government and entrepreneurialism. 0<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=277&returntoname=Short%20Stories&returntopageid=460</ref>

Unfortunately, not all of these changes were for the long-term benefit of the native Hawaiian culture. One particular example was the disapproval and suppression of the ''hula'' by the missionaries. The ''hula'' is a deep and complex form of recording legends, history and insights about man and nature into patterns of movements that to the uneducated look like elaborate dances. The Hawaiians had no written version of their language prior to the arrival of the missionaries, and the rich collection of hulas passed from generation to generation was their primary form of recorded culture. The Protestant missionaries arriving in 1820 believed that the ''hula'' dangerously promoted old heathen beliefs and celebrated physical enjoyment. With this misunderstanding, they strongly pressured the Hawaiians who had converted to Christianity, including members of the monarchy, to eradicate ''hula''. Their efforts drove the practice underground, and while much of Hawaii's ancient history and heritage was lost as a result, public appreciation and study of the true ''hula'' (as opposed to dances for tourists) was reawakened in the 1970s, studied, and documented for posterity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=253</ref>

===Westernization===

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. The United States became the major trading partner and protected the Kingdom of Hawaii from takeover by Japan. The vast sugar plantations attracted workers from across the world, especially from Japan, as the native Hawaiians refused to work for pay.

===Revolution of 1893===

The modernization of Hawaiian society was incompatible with absolute monarchy. The Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution and seize power as an absolute ruler. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. No Hawaiians tried to fight for their queen. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.

During the Hawaiian Revolution, a few American troops landed to protect American life and property. They did not engage in fighting and did not occupy any government buildings. However, this action lead many historical revisionists to falsely claim that the United States invaded Hawaii and deposed the Queen. American President [[Grover Cleveland]] was opposed to the Hawaiian Revolution and he sent [[James Henderson Blount]] to Hawaii to discredit it. Blount was a racist southerner who did not want any more colored people and he wrote a report that reflected his bigotry. He failed to swear in witnesses, refused to speak to many involved in the revolution, and then issued a report blaming the whole matter on an elaborate American plot to invade Hawaii. His Blount Report is cited as evidence of an illegal takeover of Hawaii by Hawaiian separatists to this day.

An investigation of the Hawaiian Revolution was conducted by [[Congress]] in 1894. It was bipartisan, swore in witnesses, and interviewed many that James Blount refused to talk with. Congress issued the Morgan Report which refuted the Blount Report and cleared the United States of any wrongdoing during the Hawaiian Revolution.

The Hawaiian Republic agreed to join the United States as a territory in 1898. Congress annexed Hawaii via a Joint Resolution of Congress.

==The 20th Century==
Hawaii was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, at [[Pearl Harbor]]. This resulted in the death of over 2000 defenders and brought the United States into [[World War Two]].

The islands became a huge naval base and the staging point for the Pacific War. The islands were under martial law during the war and controlled by the military.

Hawaiian citizens voted overwhelmingly (93%) for statehood. It was accordingly added as the 50th American state in 1959.

==Politics==
Since statehood, Hawaii has been dominated by the [[Democratic Party]]. [[John Kerry]] carried the state electoral vote in 2004 and the entire Congressional delegation is made up of Democrats. The [[Republican Party]] has made some recent progress with the current governor being a Republican. Despite that, Hawaii remains one of the most liberal states in the US. 67% of residents believe in social liberal policies.

There is a tiny separatist movement on the islands which wishes to have Hawaii secede from the USA and form an independent Hawaiian nation. Proponents of this course argue that Hawaii was illegally annexed and should be "restored" to nationhood. The overwhelming majority of Hawaiians do not support this view and the separatists remain a small and powerless protest group. None of their leaders is of pure Hawaiian ancestry.

Hawaii offers a significant number of benefits to same-sex couples but has stopped short of offering [[Same Sex Marriage]].

===Elected officials===
====Federal====
*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]
*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]
*Rep. [[Ed Case]] [D, HI-1]
*Rep. [[Tulsi Gabbard]] [D, HI-2]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[David Ige]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Doug Chin]] (D)

==Religion==
Church Membership (as of 2010)<ref>http://www.stats.gc.ca/foriegn/usa?state#=49</ref>

*[[Roman Catholic]]: 9.2%
*[[Buddhist]]: 12.3%
*[[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (Mormon): 0.6%
*[[United Church of Christ]]: 1.6%
*[[Southern Baptist]]: 1.4%
*[[Judaism]]: 0.3%
*[[Episcopal]]: 0.8%
*[[United Methodist]]: 0.6%
*[[Lutheran]]: 0.2%
*[[Atheism|Atheist]] 28.3%

==Tourism==
Hawaii is the United States' only state in the tropics (i.e., south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]) and a popular tourist attraction known for its beaches, surf, volcanoes, and [[Polynesia]]n history.

==Trivia==

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level).<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>

* President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.

==See also==
* [[Aloha]]
* [[Kauai]]
* [[Lanai]]
* [[Maui]]
* [[Molokai]]
* [[Oahu]]
* [[Kona Hawaii Temple]]
* [[Laie Hawaii Temple]]
* "[[The Hawaiians]]" - historical drama ([[James Michener]])
* [[Hawaii missionaries]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*[http://www.mythichawaii.com An excellent look at how the tiki gods worshiping Hawaiians behaved before conversion to Christianity. Including their savage warriors' weapons ''Mythic Hawaii'']
*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html Hawaii Quick Facts from the US Census Bureau]
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/oceania/hawaii.html History of Hawaii]
*[http://www.hawaiihistory.org/ Hawaiihistory.org - Contains an excellent history of Hawaii in timeline format]
*[http://morganreport.org/ Morgan Report]
*[http://www.deephawaii.com/hawaiianhistory.htm Hawaiian history] - history of Hawaii from 300AD to 1900AD

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Hawaii]]

Georgia

2019-01-18T23:07:48Z

AlvinR: update

''For the country of Georgia, see this article: [[Republic of Georgia]].''
{{USState
|name=Georgia
|flag=Georgia_State_Flag.gif
|motto=<br/>
#"[[Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation]]"
#"Agriculture and commerce"
|nick=Empire State of the South
|capital=Atlanta
|language=English
|governor=Nathan Deal
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Johnny Isakson
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-3643
|s1email=http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm Contact
|senator2=David Perdue
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3521
|s2email=https://www.perdue.senate.gov/connect/email Contact
|population=
|date=January 2, 1788
}}
'''Georgia''' is a state in the southern [[United States]]. It was one of the original [[Colonial America|thirteen British colonies]] in the [[United States]]. It joined the Confederate States of America, [[Confederacy]], before the beginning of the [[American Civil War]].

The capital of Georgia and its largest city is [[Atlanta]].

The state Constitution of Georgia, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''To perpetuate the principles of free government, insure justice to all, preserve peace, promote the interest and happiness of the citizen and of the family, and transmit to posterity the enjoyment of liberty, we the people of Georgia, relying upon the protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

[[File:Col-ga.jpg|thumb|300px|Oglethorpe builds Savannah]]

==Politics==
Georgia has been a [[red state]] in presidential elections since 1996, favoring the [[Republican]] candidates. It last favored a [[Democrat]] candidate in 1992 when it supported [[Bill Clinton]].

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Johnny Isakson]] (R)
*Sen. [[David Perdue]] (R)
*Rep. [[Buddy Carter]] [R, GA-1]
*Rep. [[Sanford Bishop]] [D, GA-2]
*Rep. [[Drew Ferguson]] [R, GA-3]
*Rep. [[Hank Johnson|Henry Johnson]] [D, GA-4]
*Rep. [[John Lewis]] [D, GA-5]
*Rep. [[Lucy McBath]] [D, GA-6]
*Rep. [[Rob Woodall]] [R, GA-7]
*Rep. [[Austin Scott]] [R, GA-8]
*Rep. [[Doug Collins]] [R, GA-9]
*Rep. [[Jody Hice]] [R, GA-10]
*Rep. [[Barry Loudermilk]] [R, GA-11]
*Rep. [[Rick Allen]] [R, GA-12]
*Rep. [[David Scott]] [D, GA-13]
*Rep. [[Tom Graves]] [R, GA-14]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Nathan Deal]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Casey Cagle]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Brian Kemp]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Christopher Carr]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Gary Black]] (R)
*School Superintendent [[Richard Woods]] (R)
*Insurance Commissioner [[Ralph Hudgens]] (R)
*Labor Commissioner [[Mark Butler]] (R)

The Republican Party hold large majorities in both the State House and Senate, as of 2017.

==Memorials==
*Dem. Congressman, 7th District [[Larry McDonald]] (1935-1983), a conservative Member of Congress, was onboard [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] when it was shot down by Soviet warplanes in 1983. His is the only reported Cold War death by the USSR of a sitting congressman. His memory is honored in renaming Interstate Highway 75, which runs from the Chattahoochee River northward to the Tennessee state line.
*[[Georgia Guidestones]]

==See also==
*[[Zell Miller]]
*[[State Governors]]

==External links==
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/2012/11/lawrence-patton-mcdonald-b_15.html A Forgotten Man: Congressman Larry McDonald] passenger on board [[KAL 007]] shot down by the Soviets on Sept. 1, 1983
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-crossing-of-jesse-helms-larry.html#!/2012/11/the-crossing-of-jesse-helms-larry.html The Crossing of Jesse Helms, Larry McDonald, Noelle Anne, and Little Stacy Marie]

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Georgia]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:East Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Florida

2019-01-18T23:05:26Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Florida
|flag=Florida_State_Flag.gif
|motto="In God We Trust"
|nick=The Sunshine State
|capital=Tallahassee
|language=English
|governor=Rick Scott
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Marco Rubio
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3041
|s2email=http://rubio.senate.gov/office_locations.cfm Contact
|senator1=Rick Scott
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5274
|s1email= help@rickscott.senate.gov Contact
|population=
|date=March 3, 1845 (27th)
}}

'''Florida''' is a state located in the southeastern [[United States]]. It is bound by [[Georgia]] and [[Alabama]] to the north, the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to the west, the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east, and the [[Straits of Florida]] to the south. Originally a colony of [[Spain]], it was purchased by the U.S. in 1819 and in 1845 became the 27th state to join the Union. The capital of Florida is [[Tallahassee]], and the main metropolitan areas are [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Miami]], St. Petersburg and [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]. Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", and its state tree is the sabal palm. Florida has grown very rapidly, pulling in retirees from the cold, giving it the 3rd largest population of the 50 states.

The state Constitution of Florida, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of Florida, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its benefits, perfect our government, insure domestic tranquility, maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==History==
See [[History of Florida]]

Florida was first settled by Europeans in 1513, when Spaniard [[Juan Ponce de Leon]] landed near where [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] stands today. de Leon originally spotted Florida on Easter Sunday, so he named it ''Pascua Florida'', which means "Flowery Easter" in Spanish.<ref>[http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Florida/FloridaNameOrigin.html Florida state name origin]</ref>

For some time, Spain and France ran competing colonies in Florida, with the Spanish eventually expelling the French. [[John Quincy Adams]], serving as the Secretary of State for President [[James Monroe]], negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty with the Spanish in 1819, purchasing the territory of Florida from Spain.<ref>[http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1801_timeline/acquisition_of_florida.html Acquisition of Florida]</ref>

Florida seceded from the Union in 1861 and joined the [[Confederate States of America]]; there was little military action in the remote state.
[[Image:Florida ref 2001.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The state of Florida]]
==Economy==
A large sector of Florida's economy is based on the cultivation of citrus fruit. As of 2006, Florida produced 67 percent of the [[United States]]' total citrus fruit. This breaks down to 74 percent of [[oranges]] grown in the US, 58 percent of [[tangerines]] and 54 percent of [[grapefruit]].<ref>[http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Florida/fruit_orange.html Florida state fruit: orange]</ref> The orange blossom is Florida's state flower, the orange is the state fruit and orange juice is the official state beverage.

Tourism is one of the state's largest economic sectors, with over 112 million tourists visiting in 2016 and with 1.4 million people employed in the industry (as of 2016). Particularly popular attractions include the Everglades, Walt Disney World, and Miami's South Beach district.

NASA's presence in Cape Canaveral makes Florida a very good environment for the aerospace industry. Florida is the 4th largest employer of workers in the aerospace industry, with over 23,000 employed.

==Politics==
Florida is a swing state in presidential elections. The South Florida region (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach, along with the Florida Keys) along with the urban areas of Tampa and Orlando and the Tallahassee capital area, are heavily Democratic, while the rural, suburban, and northern parts of the state (Jacksonville, Pensacola, and the areas around the Air Force bases of Eglin and Tyndall) are heavily Republican. The swing state phenomenon was most pronounced during the 2000 presidential election when the margin of victory for eventual winner George W. Bush was a mere 537 votes (triggering a mandatory recount under Florida state law, an ensuing number of lawsuits and judicial rulings, and never-ending speculation as to the real winner).

==State symbols==
<center>
<gallery perrow="3">
Image:Florida_panther.jpg|The Florida panther is the state's official animal.
Image:Orange_blossom.jpg|The orange blossom is Florida's official flower.
Image: Manatee Keith Ramos WEB.jpg|The manatee is Florida's official marine mammal.
</gallery>
</center>

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Rick Scott]] (R)
*Sen. [[Marco Rubio]] (R)
*Rep. [[Matt Gaetz]] [R, FL-1]
*Rep. [[Neal Dunn]] [R, FL-2]
*Rep. [[Ted Yoho]] [R, FL-3]
*Rep. [[John Rutherford]] [R, FL-4]
*Rep. [[Al Lawson]] [D, FL-5]
*Rep. [[Michael Waltz]] [R, FL-6]
*Rep. [[Stephanie Murphy]] [D, FL-7]
*Rep. [[Bill Posey]] [R, FL-8]
*Rep. [[Darren Soto]] [D, FL-9]
*Rep. [[Val Demings]] [D, FL-10]
*Rep. [[Daniel Webster]] [R, FL-11]
*Rep. [[Gus M. Bilirakis]] [R, FL-12]
*Rep. [[Charlie Crist]] [D, FL-13]
*Rep. [[Kathy Castor]] [D, FL-14]
*Rep. [[Ross Spano]] [R, FL-15]
*Rep. [[Vern Buchanan]] [R, FL-16]
*Rep. [[Greg Steube]] [R, FL-17]
*Rep. [[Brian Mast]] [R, FL-18]
*Rep. [[Francis Rooney]] [D, FL-19]
*Rep. [[Alcee L. Hastings]] [D, FL-20]
*Rep. [[Lois Frankel]] [D, FL-21
*Rep. [[Ted Deutch]] [D, FL-22]
*Rep. [[Debbie Wasserman Schultz]] [D, FL-23]
*Rep. [[Frederica Wilson]] [D, FL-24]
*Rep. [[Mario Diaz-Balart]] [R, FL-25]
*Rep. [[Debbie Mucarsel-Powell]] [D, FL-26]
*Rep. [[Donna Shalala]] [D, FL-27]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Rick Scott]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Jennifer Carroll]] (R)
*Chief Financial Officer [[Jeff Atwater]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Adam Putnam]] (R)

==Metropolitan Areas==
*[[Daytona Beach]]
*[[Deltona, Florida|Deltona]]
*[[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]]
*[[Fort Walton Beach]]
*[[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]]
*[[Homosassa Springs]]
*[[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]
*[[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]]
*[[Miami]]
*[[Naples, Florida|Naples]]
*[[Ocala, Florida|Ocala]]
*[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]
*[[Panama City, Florida|Panama City]]
*[[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]
*[[Port St. Lucie, Florida|Port St. Lucie]]
*[[Punta Gorda, Florida|Punta Gorda]]
*[[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]
*[[Sebring, Florida|Sebring]]
*[[Tallahassee]]
*[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]
*[[Titusville, Florida|Titusville]]
*[[Vero Beach, Florida|Vero Beach]]

== References ==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:Purple States]]
[[Category:East Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Florida

2019-01-18T23:01:57Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Florida
|flag=Florida_State_Flag.gif
|motto="In God We Trust"
|nick=The Sunshine State
|capital=Tallahassee
|language=English
|governor=Rick Scott
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Marco Rubio
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-3041
|s2email=http://rubio.senate.gov/office_locations.cfm Contact
|senator1=Bill Nelson
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-5274
|s1email=http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=March 3, 1845 (27th)
}}

'''Florida''' is a state located in the southeastern [[United States]]. It is bound by [[Georgia]] and [[Alabama]] to the north, the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to the west, the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east, and the [[Straits of Florida]] to the south. Originally a colony of [[Spain]], it was purchased by the U.S. in 1819 and in 1845 became the 27th state to join the Union. The capital of Florida is [[Tallahassee]], and the main metropolitan areas are [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Miami]], St. Petersburg and [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]. Florida's nickname is the "Sunshine State", and its state tree is the sabal palm. Florida has grown very rapidly, pulling in retirees from the cold, giving it the 3rd largest population of the 50 states.

The state Constitution of Florida, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of Florida, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its benefits, perfect our government, insure domestic tranquility, maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this constitution.''

==History==
See [[History of Florida]]

Florida was first settled by Europeans in 1513, when Spaniard [[Juan Ponce de Leon]] landed near where [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] stands today. de Leon originally spotted Florida on Easter Sunday, so he named it ''Pascua Florida'', which means "Flowery Easter" in Spanish.<ref>[http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Florida/FloridaNameOrigin.html Florida state name origin]</ref>

For some time, Spain and France ran competing colonies in Florida, with the Spanish eventually expelling the French. [[John Quincy Adams]], serving as the Secretary of State for President [[James Monroe]], negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty with the Spanish in 1819, purchasing the territory of Florida from Spain.<ref>[http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1801_timeline/acquisition_of_florida.html Acquisition of Florida]</ref>

Florida seceded from the Union in 1861 and joined the [[Confederate States of America]]; there was little military action in the remote state.
[[Image:Florida ref 2001.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The state of Florida]]
==Economy==
A large sector of Florida's economy is based on the cultivation of citrus fruit. As of 2006, Florida produced 67 percent of the [[United States]]' total citrus fruit. This breaks down to 74 percent of [[oranges]] grown in the US, 58 percent of [[tangerines]] and 54 percent of [[grapefruit]].<ref>[http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Florida/fruit_orange.html Florida state fruit: orange]</ref> The orange blossom is Florida's state flower, the orange is the state fruit and orange juice is the official state beverage.

Tourism is one of the state's largest economic sectors, with over 112 million tourists visiting in 2016 and with 1.4 million people employed in the industry (as of 2016). Particularly popular attractions include the Everglades, Walt Disney World, and Miami's South Beach district.

NASA's presence in Cape Canaveral makes Florida a very good environment for the aerospace industry. Florida is the 4th largest employer of workers in the aerospace industry, with over 23,000 employed.

==Politics==
Florida is a swing state in presidential elections. The South Florida region (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach, along with the Florida Keys) along with the urban areas of Tampa and Orlando and the Tallahassee capital area, are heavily Democratic, while the rural, suburban, and northern parts of the state (Jacksonville, Pensacola, and the areas around the Air Force bases of Eglin and Tyndall) are heavily Republican. The swing state phenomenon was most pronounced during the 2000 presidential election when the margin of victory for eventual winner George W. Bush was a mere 537 votes (triggering a mandatory recount under Florida state law, an ensuing number of lawsuits and judicial rulings, and never-ending speculation as to the real winner).

==State symbols==
<center>
<gallery perrow="3">
Image:Florida_panther.jpg|The Florida panther is the state's official animal.
Image:Orange_blossom.jpg|The orange blossom is Florida's official flower.
Image: Manatee Keith Ramos WEB.jpg|The manatee is Florida's official marine mammal.
</gallery>
</center>

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Rick Scott]] (R)
*Sen. [[Marco Rubio]] (R)
*Rep. [[Matt Gaetz]] [R, FL-1]
*Rep. [[Neal Dunn]] [R, FL-2]
*Rep. [[Ted Yoho]] [R, FL-3]
*Rep. [[John Rutherford]] [R, FL-4]
*Rep. [[Al Lawson]] [D, FL-5]
*Rep. [[Michael Waltz]] [R, FL-6]
*Rep. [[Stephanie Murphy]] [D, FL-7]
*Rep. [[Bill Posey]] [R, FL-8]
*Rep. [[Darren Soto]] [D, FL-9]
*Rep. [[Val Demings]] [D, FL-10]
*Rep. [[Daniel Webster]] [R, FL-11]
*Rep. [[Gus M. Bilirakis]] [R, FL-12]
*Rep. [[Charlie Crist]] [D, FL-13]
*Rep. [[Kathy Castor]] [D, FL-14]
*Rep. [[Ross Spano]] [R, FL-15]
*Rep. [[Vern Buchanan]] [R, FL-16]
*Rep. [[Greg Steube]] [R, FL-17]
*Rep. [[Brian Mast]] [R, FL-18]
*Rep. [[Francis Rooney]] [D, FL-19]
*Rep. [[Alcee L. Hastings]] [D, FL-20]
*Rep. [[Lois Frankel]] [D, FL-21
*Rep. [[Ted Deutch]] [D, FL-22]
*Rep. [[Debbie Wasserman Schultz]] [D, FL-23]
*Rep. [[Frederica Wilson]] [D, FL-24]
*Rep. [[Mario Diaz-Balart]] [R, FL-25]
*Rep. [[Debbie Mucarsel-Powell]] [D, FL-26]
*Rep. [[Donna Shalala]] [D, FL-27]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Rick Scott]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Jennifer Carroll]] (R)
*Chief Financial Officer [[Jeff Atwater]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Adam Putnam]] (R)

==Metropolitan Areas==
*[[Daytona Beach]]
*[[Deltona, Florida|Deltona]]
*[[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]]
*[[Fort Walton Beach]]
*[[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]]
*[[Homosassa Springs]]
*[[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]
*[[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]]
*[[Miami]]
*[[Naples, Florida|Naples]]
*[[Ocala, Florida|Ocala]]
*[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]
*[[Panama City, Florida|Panama City]]
*[[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]
*[[Port St. Lucie, Florida|Port St. Lucie]]
*[[Punta Gorda, Florida|Punta Gorda]]
*[[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]
*[[Sebring, Florida|Sebring]]
*[[Tallahassee]]
*[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]
*[[Titusville, Florida|Titusville]]
*[[Vero Beach, Florida|Vero Beach]]

== References ==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:Purple States]]
[[Category:East Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]
[[Category:The South]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Connecticut

2019-01-18T22:56:40Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Connecticut
|flag=Connecticut_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Qui Transtulit Sustinet" (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains)
|nick=The Constitution State
|capital=Hartford
|language=English
|governor=Dannel Malloy
|gparty=Democrat
|senator2=Richard Blumenthal
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-2823
|s2email=https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/Blumenthal_Richard.htm Contact
|senator1=Chris Murphy
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-4041
|s1email=http://www.murphy.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|population=
|date=January 9, 1788 (5th)
}}
Located in the northeastern region of the [[United States]], '''Connecticut''' borders [[New York]], [[Massachusetts]], and [[Rhode Island]]. It was the fifth state to enter into the union. Its capital is [[Hartford]]. It is the richest state in the country,<ref>[http://www.statemaster.com/state/CT-connecticut Statemaster.com]</ref> and its populace is the third smartest.<ref>[http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank06.htm Morgan Quinto]</ref>

Like all New England states, towns rather than counties are the basic unit of local government in Connecticut. The state abolished almost all forms of county government by 1960, retaining only the county sheriff system, and this was eliminated in 2000 with the introduction of the state marshal system.

The state Constitution of Connecticut, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''The People of Connecticut acknowledging with gratitude, the good providence of God, in having permitted them to enjoy a free government; do, in order more effectually to define, secure, and perpetuate the liberties, rights and privileges which they have derived from their ancestors; hereby, after a careful consideration and revision, ordain and establish the following constitution and form of civil government.''

==History==
Connecticut is known as ''The Constitution State'' since here is where the first written constitution was born. Connecticut's first constitution was called the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut]]. The ''Fundamental Orders'' are based on Christian principles. The state was founded by [[Thomas Hooker]]

==Notable residents==

*[[Benedict Arnold]], a traitor to the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, was born in Norwich.

*Showman [[P.T. Barnum]] was born in Bethel.

*President [[George W. Bush]] was born in New Haven.

*Inventor [[Charles Goodyear]] was born in New Haven.

*Liberal activist [[Ralph Nader]] was born in Winsted, a section of the town of Winchester.

*Lexicographer [[Noah Webster]] was born in Hartford.

*Blind and deaf activist and socialist [[Helen Keller]] lived the last several decades of her life in Easton.

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Chris Murphy]] (D)
*Sen. [[Richard Blumenthal]] (D)
*Rep. [[John Larson]] [D, CT-1]
*Rep. [[Joseph Courtney|Joe Courtney]] [D, CT-2]
*Rep. [[Rosa DeLauro]] [D, CT-3]
*Rep. [[Jim Himes|James Himes]] [D, CT-4]
*Rep. [[Jahana Hayes]] [D, CT-5]

===State===
*Governor [[Dannel Malloy]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Nancy Wyman]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Denise Merrill]] (D)
*State Comptroller [[Kevin Lembo]] (D)
*Attorney General [[George Jepsen]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Denise Nappier]] (D)

==Civil Unions and Gay Marriage==

Starting in 2005, Connecticut offered [[civil union]]s with the same rights as [[same sex marriage]].<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-partnership-in-the-united-states Answers.com]</ref> In October 2008 the Connecticut high court, by a 4-3 vote, ruled that even if civil unions have all of the same rights as traditional marriage, that the state was constitutionally obligated to allow [[gay marriage|gay couples to marry]]. Connecticut was the third U.S. state to do so.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081010/ap_on_re_us/connecticut_same_sex_marriage Connecticut high court rules gay couples can marry]</ref> The people of Connecticut rejected an amendment to their constitution to remove gay marriage. For the three years that civil unions were in place for gay couples, on average 700 unions were requested per year.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450648,00.html</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.org/details/foundersandleade010800mbp Founders And Leaders Of Connecticut 1633 1783], (1934)

{{USstates}}
[[Category:New England]]
[[Category:Connecticut]]
[[Category:Colonial America]]

Colorado

2019-01-18T22:55:21Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=Colorado
|flag=Colorado_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Nil Sine Numine" (Nothing Without the Deity)
|nick=The Centennial State
|capital=Denver
|language=English
|governor=John Hickenlooper
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Cory Gardner
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5941
|s1email=www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory Contact
|senator2=Michael Bennet
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-5852
|s2email=mailto:senator_bennet@bennet.senate.gov Contact
|population=
|date=August 1, 1876 (38th)
}}
[[Image:colorado.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Colorado]]
'''Colorado''' became the 38th state of the [[United States]] with its admission to Statehood on August 1, 1876. It is known for its [[skiing]] and snowboarding resorts, such as Vail and Aspen in the [[Rocky Mountains]], which run north-south through the state. In the mountains and plains the winters are usually very cold and produce many snowstorms. However, along the front range (where Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Greeley and most large cities are located), the weather is more mild and is very sunny.

The [[United States Air Force Academy]] and [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] are located in [[Colorado Springs]], Colorado.

The state Constitution of Colorado, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, in order to form a more independent and perfect government; establish justice; insure tranquility; provide for the common defense; promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the "State of Colorado."''

==Elevation==

A number of Colorado cities are located near the Front Range of the Rockies, at elevations of around 5,000 feet. [[Denver]], its capital and largest city, is sometimes called "The Mile-High City", because the official elevation of Denver City Hall is exactly 5,280 feet.

[[Mount Elbert]] is the highest point in Colorado, at an elevation of 14,440 feet. It is one of over 500 mountains in the state that exceed 13,000 feet. The entire state lies at an elevation over 3,000 feet.

At elevations of 5,000 feet, the air is thinner and air pressure is lower than at sea level. It is not unusual for visitors to feel lightheaded for a day or two until they adjust (but actual altitude sickness is very rare). At this altitude, skies are a clearer, brighter blue than at sea level. At that elevation, water boils at only 203 degrees F, compared to 212 degrees at sea level, so cooking recipes have to be modified.

== History ==

The [[Native American]] (Indian) groups indigenous to Colorado were the [[Anasazi]] and Utes who lived in the mountainous regions, and several tribes who lived in the flatlands and near the rivers at various times including the [[Cheyenne]], Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche, Pawnee and [[Sioux]].<ref>http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/history/histfaqs.htm</ref>

It is believed that in 1541 the Spanish explorer [[Francisco Vázquez de Coronado]] was the first European on record to have entered the land that is now Colorado.<ref>http://www.colorado.gov/</ref> The Spanish called the area Colorado because of its red colored earth.<ref>The name is also sometimes credited to a [[Jesuit]], Francisco Garcia, who in 1776 named the land after the [[Colorado River]]. ''Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names'' (Oxford 2005) p 116</ref>

The United States acquired part of what is now Colorado in 1803 through the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. In 1848 [[Mexico]] ceded claims to the rest of it. There were no European settlers or forts. Before gaining statehood, Colorado was part of the [[Nebraska]], [[Utah]], [[Kansas]], and [[New Mexico]] Territories, and in 1861 Congress created the Territory of Colorado. The state now encompasses 104,247 square miles.

The state is bordered by [[Wyoming]], [[Nebraska]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Utah]]. The population of Colorado is approximately 4,750,000.

==Official Symbols==

Colorado has many official state symbols including:<ref>[http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/history/symbemb.htm Colorado Department of Personnel and Adminstration Website]</ref>
*State Bird: Lark Bunting
*[[State flower|State Flower]]: [[Rocky Mountain Columbine]]
*State Animal: Big Horn Sheep
*State Fish: Greenback Cutthroat Trout
*State Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce
*State Folk Dance: Square Dance
*State Fossil: Stegosaurus
*State [[Gemstone]]: [[Aquamarine]]
*State Insect: Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
*State Song: "Where the Columbines Grow" and "Rocky Mountain High"

==Notable Coloradoans==
*[[James Dobson]], Christian psychologist and writer. Former head of the group [[Focus on the Family]].
*[[John Elway]], former quarterback for the [[Denver Broncos]].
*[[Greg Ryder]], County, Western, Western swing, ballad, folk, and popular singer and guitarist based in Durango
*[[Tom Tancredo]], former US Representative.

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Cory Gardner]] (R)
*Sen. [[Michael Bennet]] (D)
*Rep. [[Diana DeGette]] [D, CO-1]
*Rep. [[Joe Neguse]] [D, CO-2]
*Rep. [[Scott Tipton]] [R, CO-3]
*Rep. [[Ken Buck]] [R, CO-4]
*Rep. [[Doug Lamborn]] [R, CO-5]
*Rep. [[Jason Crow]] [D, CO-6]
*Rep. [[Ed Perlmutter]] [D, CO-7]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[John Hickenlooper]] (D)
*Lt. Governor [[Donna Lynne]] (D)
*Secretary of State [[Wayne Williams]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Cynthia Coffman]] (R)
*State Treasurer [[Walker Stapleton]] (R)

==See also==
* [[Rocky Mountains]]
* [[Denver]]
* [[:Category:Colorado Universities|Colorado Universities]]
* [[Purple state]]s - swing states that can vote either [[Republican]] or [[Democratic]]
* [[Blue state]]s or [[Democratic]]
* [[Red state]]s - [[Republican]]

==Bibliography==
* Abbott, Carl, Stephen J. Leonard, and David McComb. ''Colorado: A History of the Centennial State.'' 2nd ed 1982.
* Athearn, Robert G. ''The Coloradans.'' 1976. popular history
* Athearn, Robert G. ''Rebel of the Rockies: A History of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.'' 1962.
* Baker, James H., and Leroy R. Hafen, eds. ''History of Colorado.'' 5 vol State Historical Society of Colorado, 1927, with many short biographical sketches
* Bancroft, Hubert Howe, ''History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888'' (1890) 828 pages; famous classic; [https://books.google.com/books?id=oOgNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=intitle:colorado&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
* Eugene H. Berwanger. ''The Rise of the Centennial State: Colorado Territory, 1861-76,'' (2007) 208 pages
* Cassels, E. Steve. ''The Archeology of Colorado.'' Boulder: Johnson Books, 1983
* Cronin, Thomas E. and Robert D. Loevy. ''Colorado Politics & Government: Governing the Centennial State,'' (1993) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99501359 online edition]
* Ellis, Elmer. ''Henry Moore Teller: Defender of the West.'' 1941.
* Ellis, Richard N., and Duane A. Smith. ''Colorado: A History in Photographs.'' 1991.
* Gulliford, Andrew. ''Boomtown Blues: Colorado Oil Shale, 1885-1985.'' 1989.
* Hafen, Le Roy R. ''Colorado: The Story of a Western Commonwealth.'' 1933.
* Hogan, Richard. ''Class and Community in Frontier Colorado.'' 1990.
* Lamm, Richard D., and Duane A. Smith. ''Pioneers and Politicians: 10 Colorado Governors in Profile.'' 1981. popular
* Lorch, Robert S. ''Colorado's Government.'' 5th ed. 1991. textbook
* Ormes, Robert M. ''Guide to the Colorado Mountains.'' 7th ed. 1979.
* Parsons, Eugene. ''The Making of Colorado: A Historical Sketch'' (1908) 324 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=zxpTFuvCjkwC&pg=PA13&dq=intitle:colorado&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
* Rohrbough, Malcolm J. ''Aspen: The History of a Silver Mining Town, 1879-1893.'' 1986. scholarly study
* Scamehorn, Lee. ''High Altitude Energy: A History of Fossil Fuels in Colorado'' (2002) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109824963 online edition]
* Scamehorn, Lee. ''Mill & Mine: The Cf&I in the Twentieth Century'' (1992) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=94821694 online edition]
* Schulte, Steven C. ''Wayne Aspinall and the Shaping of the American West'' (2002) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=110174827 online edition]
* Smith, Duane A. ''Henry M. Teller: Colorado's Grand Old Man,'' 2002 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=110175465 online edition]
* Sprague, Marshall. ''Money Mountain: The Story of Cripple Creek Gold'' (1979) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99375096 online edition]
* Ubbelohde, Carl, Maxine Benson, and Duane Smith. ''A Colorado History.'' 6th ed. 1988. textbook
* Wright, James Edward. ''The Politics of Populism: Dissent in Colorado.'' 1974. on 1890s

===Primary sources===
* Ubbelohde, Carl, ed. ''A Colorado Reader'' (2nd ed 1964)
* Fossett, Frank. ''Colorado: A Historical, Descriptive and Statistical Work on the Rocky Mountain Gold and Silver Mining Region'' (1878) 470 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=iscJAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA5&dq=intitle:colorado&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
* Fossett, Frank. ''Colorado, Its Gold and Silver Mines: Farms and Stock Ranges, and Health and Pleasure Resorts'' (1880), 1184 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=tbWNs55lt3kC&pg=PA1&dq=intitle:colorado&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]
* Parsons, Eugene. ''A Guidebook to Colorado'' (1911) 390 pages [https://books.google.com/books?id=AgAlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=intitle:colorado&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Colorado]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Purple States]]
[[Category:Blue States]]
[[Category:Intermountain States]]
[[Category:Mountain States]]
[[Category:Great Plains]]
[[Category:Plains of the United States]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Great Plains]]
[[Category:Plains of the United States]]
[[Category:Wild West]]
[[Category:Intermountain West]]
[[Category:Mountain States]]

California

2019-01-18T22:52:15Z

AlvinR: update

{{USState
|name=California
|flag=California_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Eureka (I have found it)
|nick=The Golden State
|capital=Sacramento
|language=English
|governor=Jerry Brown
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Dianne Feinstein
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-3841
|s1email=http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe Contact
|senator2=Kamala Harris
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-3553
|s2email=http://www.harris.senate.gov/content/contact-senator Contact
|population=35 million
|date=September 9, 1850 (31st)
}}
'''California''' is an illustration of the failure of [[liberal]] policies, as the State is virtually insolvent, has one of the worst educational systems in the world, and has lost many high-achievers to other states. Known as the Golden State, it became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. It is located on the west coast of the [[United States]], by the [[Pacific Ocean]] and bordered by [[Oregon]], [[Nevada]] and [[Arizona]]. It is the largest state in population but will be surpassed by the more [[conservative]] [[Texas]] by 2050. Its governor is [[Jerry Brown]]. It has served as a poster child for [[liberalism]] since the 1960s, as in [[Hollywood values]] and [[San Francisco values]], especially [[Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco]].

However, the California economy has surpassed the [[atheist]]ic [[United Kingdom]], which illustrates that an atheistic ideology (which prevails in the UK) is even less productive than a [[liberal]] one. Still, liberals ran California into the economic ground. In 2012, its [[leftist]] politicians proposed making its citizens pay an extra $9-billion in new taxes, with half of that going into [[government]] pensions.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/15/how-california-budget-blunders-led-to-my-divorce-from-golden-state/</ref> In 2015, California faces a worsening water shortage after years of failed liberal policies toward the problem. Attempts at voluntary self-restraint in the use of water have been unsuccessful in its [[Leftist]] culture.

The state Constitution of California, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution.''

==Economy==
The economy has been badly battered by the [[Recession of 2008]], especially by the collapse of the state's [[housing bubble]]. Unemployment in August 2009 reached 12.2%, the highest since 1940. Home building this year is less than a quarter of what it was in 2005, and 500,000 of the state's job losses have been in construction, finance, real estate and industries related to construction. The state budget is in crisis, because it relied heavily on personal income taxes. The financial collapse greatly reduced personal wealth of rich Californians, and job losses related to the housing bust combined to sharply reduce that source of revenue. After bitter debate in the legislature a budget was passed in July 2009. It closed a roughly $24 billion two-year gap with extensive cuts to social services, parks and education, which in turn reduced consumer spending among laid off and furloughed government workers.Also greatly damaging the economy is their very [[socialist]] nature, being a state in which welfare is easy to come by increasing mass numbers of homeless how live to drink and get high

==Another budget crisis==
An ugly budget crisis in 2009 was resolved after months of squabbling, with budget cuts, accounting gimmicks, and new taxes. The legislature in 2009 cut billions from education, healthcare and social services while temporarily hiking income, sales and vehicle taxes. The 2010 budget deficit is projected at $21 billion which must be closed somehow.

Suggested solutions include raising tobacco taxes; cutting pensions for retired public workers; repealing corporate tax breaks passed in 2008 and 2009; revising the tax rules for commercial and residential property; reducing the 2/3 legislative vote needed to pass a budget; and strengthening the firewall that protects local government and transportation money from being raided by the state. "There's a lot of people putting chess pieces on the board right now," said Jon Coupal, president of the anti-tax Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. "The question is which of those chess pieces will be moving."<ref>Shane Goldmacher, "California faces a projected deficit of $21 billion," [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget-deficit18-2009nov18,0,7647152.story ''LosAngeles Times'' Nov. 18, 2009]</ref>

==History==
see [[History of California]]

==Miscellaneous facts==
*California was the first state to remove [[school prayer]] from its [[public school]]s, legalize [[abortion]] in the later [[1960s]] (1967 for "therapeutic" reasons, "on-demand" in 1969) before the U.S. Supreme Court's ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' in 1973 and passed the U.S.' first [[no-fault]] [[divorce]] laws, signed by Governor [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1969.
*California surpassed France in 2000 to become the fifth largest economy in the world
*Los Angeles hosted the Summer [[Olympics]] in [[Olympics#1932 Los Angeles|1932]] and [[Olympics#1984 Los Angeles|1984]].
*The California [[Redwood]] was named the official state tree in 1937.<ref>http://www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=678</ref>
*The [[state flower]] is the [[Golden poppy]]
*San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States; [[Los Angeles]] is the largest by population.<ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/calif.htm</ref>
*Since 2000, California has offered [[domestic partnership]]s, which are similar to [[same sex marriage]].<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/domestic-partnership-in-the-united-states Answers.com]</ref> Same-sex marriage was briefly legal in 2008, but this ended when Proposition 8, a voter referendum to define marriage as only being between a man and woman, passed.

==Politics==

From 2003-2011 California's governor was liberal Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. This is the same position that was once held by conservative icon [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1966-74. California is considered to be one of the [[blue state|"blue-est" states]], consistently voting for Democratic legislative and Presidential candidates since 1992, mixed in with numerous Republican governors. Los Angeles and San Francisco are the centers of liberalism, while San Diego and other cities outside these localities are much more conservative. Prior to 1992, California was consistently a [[red state]].

[[Richard Nixon]] is the only President to have been born in California, but he lived in New York when elected in 1968. [[Ronald Reagan]] was a resident when elected in 1980.

In the past, conservative areas of California included Orange and Ventura Counties, but Ventura County (Simi Valley) is heavily [[Democrat]] now like most of California. The [[Ronald Reagan]] Presidential Library is located in Ventura County. [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] has also become significantly more left-wing because of immigration. The California GOP has become significantly weaker since the 1980s mainly because weak, liberal leadership that ostracized conservatives and tried to turn the party into a "Democrat-lite" party.<ref>Donnelly, Tim (November 20, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/midterm-election/2018/11/20/donnelly-california-republican-party/ Donnelly: The California Republican Party Was Destroyed by Its Moderate Leaders and Donors]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 20, 2018.</ref>

==Business climate==
California scores poorly in state ratings of business climate. In a CNBC survey, it ranked 32nd overall but last in "cost of business" and 49th in "business friendliness." IT (Intel, Google, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Apple, Yahoo!) and biotechnology remain strengths, but some traditional industries are struggling. High costs, as well as tax breaks from other states, have caused movie studios to shift production from California. In 1996, feature films involved 14,500 production days in Los Angeles County; in 2008, the total had fallen in half. Businessmen both in California and those who have moved out of the state have said that California has declared war on its own economy, with Los Angeles and San Francisco taking particular delight in job-killing legislation.

==Budget Crises==
The state has had two severe budget crises in 2009, caused by high spending, a plunge in tax revenue (caused by the decline in income of the wealthy who pay most of the taxes), and a refusal of enough Republicans to provide the two-thirds majority in the legislature needed to raise taxes. Long term borrowing is not allowed—the state has to balance its budget annually, but many gimmicks are used.

With a $26 billion deficit in its $92 billion budget, the state ran out of money and issued IOU's (warrants) before the solution was reached: massive spending cuts. In February 2009, the Legislature raised the state sales tax, bringing the total—including local sales taxes—to about 9 cents or more. Top income tax rates, already among the highest in the country, were raised. So were motor vehicle registration fees. Spending cuts approved in February and July are deep. Together, the cuts equal almost 30% of the general revenue fund and will affect schools, prisons, colleges and welfare. Some welfare benefits will be cut by half. California's student-teacher ratio, now about a third above the national average, will probably go even higher. The high prestige University of California system lost 20% of its state payments. It is raising tuition and student fees by 9.3%, imposing salary reductions of 4% to 10% on more than 100,000 workers, and postponing faculty hires until improvements occur.

Republicans claimed victory in the end, as they achieved large budget cuts and no new taxes.

==Elected officials==
===Federal===
*Sen. [[Kamala D. Harris]] [D, CA]
*Sen. [[Dianne Feinstein]] [D, CA]
*Rep. [[Doug LaMalfa]] [R, CA-1]
*Rep. [[Jared Huffman]] [D, CA-2]
*Rep. [[John Garamendi]] [D, CA-3]
*Rep. [[Tom McClintock]] [R, CA-4]
*Rep. [[Mike Thompson]] [D, CA-5]
*Rep. [[Doris O. Matsui]] [D, CA-6]
*Rep. [[Ami Bera]] [D, CA-7]
*Rep. [[Paul Cook]] [R, CA-8]
*Rep. [[Jerry McNerney]] [D, CA-9]
*Rep. [[Josh Harder]] [D, CA-10]
*Rep. [[Mark DeSaulnier]] [D, CA-11]
*Rep. [[Nancy Pelosi]] [D, CA-12]
*Rep. [[Barbara Lee]] [D, CA-13]
*Rep. [[Jackie Speier]] [D, CA-14]
*Rep. [[Eric Swalwell]] [D, CA-15]
*Rep. [[Jim Costa]] [D, CA-16]
*Rep. [[Ro Khanna]] [D, CA-17]
*Rep. [[Anna G. Eshoo]] [D, CA-18]
*Rep. [[Zoe Lofgren]] [D, CA-19]
*Rep. [[Jimmy Panetta]] [D, CA-20]
*Rep. [[TJ Cox]] [D, CA-21]
*Rep. [[Devin Nunes]] [R, CA-22]
*Rep. [[Kevin McCarthy]] [R, CA-23]
*Rep. [[Salud Carbajal]] [D, CA-24]
*Rep. [[Katie Hill]] [D, CA-25]
*Rep. [[Julia Brownley]] [D, CA-26]
*Rep. [[Judy Chu]] [D, CA-27]
*Rep. [[Adam Schiff]] [D, CA-28]
*Rep. [[Tony Cárdenas]] [D, CA-29]
*Rep. [[Brad Sherman]] [D, CA-30]
*Rep. [[Pete Aguilar]] [D, CA-31]
*Rep. [[Grace Napolitano]] [D, CA-32]
*Rep. [[Ted Lieu]] [D, CA-33]
*Rep. [[Jimmy Gomez]] [D, CA-34]
*Rep. [[Norma Torres]] [D, CA-35]
*Rep. [[Raul Ruiz]] [D, CA-36]
*Rep. [[Karen Bass]] [D, CA-37]
*Rep. [[Linda Sánchez]] [D, CA-38]
*Rep. [[Gil Cisneros]] [D, CA-39]
*Rep. [[Lucille Roybal-Allard]] [D, CA-40]
*Rep. [[Mark Takano]] [D, CA-41]
*Rep. [[Ken Calvert]] [R, CA-42]
*Rep. [[Maxine Waters]] [D, CA-43]
*Rep. [[Nanette Barragán]] [D, CA-44]
*Rep. [[Katie Porter]] [D, CA-45]
*Rep. [[J. Luis Correa]] [D, CA-46]
*Rep. [[Alan Lowenthall]] [D, CA-47]
*Rep. [[Harley Rouda]] [D, CA-48]
*Rep. [[Mike Levin]] [D, CA-49]
*Rep. [[Duncan D. Hunter]] [R, CA-50]
*Rep. [[Juan Vargas]] [D, CA-51]
*Rep. [[Scott Peters]] [D, CA-52]
*Rep. [[Susan Davis]] [D, CA-53]

===Statewide===
* [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Jerry Brown]] (D)
* Lieutenant Governor [[Gavin Newsom]] (D)
* Secretary of State [[Debra Bowen]] (D)
* Attorney General [[Steve Cooley]] (R)
* State Treasurer [[Bill Lockyer]] (D)
* State Controller [[John Chiang]] (D)

==Energy==
[[File:CA-oil.jpg|thumb|375px|right]][[File:Oil-symbol.jpg|thumb|300px|right]] California is rich in conventional and renewable energy resources. It has large crude oil and substantial natural gas deposits in six geological basins, located in the Central Valley and along the Pacific coast. Most of those reserves are concentrated in the southern San Joaquin Basin. More than a dozen of the Nation's 100 largest oil fields are located in California, including the Belridge South oil field, the second largest oil field in the contiguous United States. In addition, Federal assessments indicate that large undiscovered deposits of recoverable oil and gas lie offshore in the federally administered Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), although Federal law currently prohibits oil and gas leasing in that area. California's renewable energy potential is extensive. The State's hydroelectric power potential ranks second in the Nation (behind Washington State), and substantial geothermal and wind power resources are found along the coastal mountain ranges and the eastern border with Nevada. High solar energy potential is found in southeastern California's sunny deserts.<ref>See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=CA Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>

California is the most populous state in the nation and its total energy demand is second only to Texas. Although California is a leader in the energy-intensive chemical, forest products, glass, and petroleum industries, the State has one of the lowest per capita energy consumption rates in the country. The California government's energy-efficiency programs have contributed to low per capita energy consumption. Driven by high demand from California's many motorists, major airports, and military bases, the transportation sector is the State's largest energy-consumer. More motor vehicles are registered in California than any other State, and worker commute times are among the longest in the country.

===Petroleum===
California is one of the top producers of crude oil in the [[United States]], with output accounting for more than one-tenth of total U.S. production. Drilling operations are concentrated primarily in Kern County and the Los Angeles basin, although substantial production also takes place offshore in both State and Federal waters. Concerns regarding the cumulative impacts of offshore oil and gas development, combined with a number of major marine oil spills throughout the world in recent years, have led to a permanent moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing in California waters and a deferral of leasing in Federal waters. However, development on existing State and Federal leases is not affected and may still occur within offshore areas leased prior to the effective date of the moratorium.

A network of crude oil pipelines connects production areas to refining centers in the Los Angeles area, the San Francisco Bay area, and the Central Valley. California refiners also process large volumes of Alaskan and foreign crude oil received at ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and the Bay Area. Crude oil production in California and Alaska is in decline and California refineries have become increasingly dependent on foreign imports. Led by Saudi Arabia and Ecuador, foreign suppliers now provide more than two-fifths of the crude oil refined in California; however, California's dependence on foreign oil remains less than the national average.

California ranks third in the United States in petroleum refining capacity and accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. capacity. California's largest refineries are highly sophisticated; they are capable of processing a wide variety of crude oil types and are designed to yield a high percentage of light products like motor gasoline. To meet strict Federal and State environmental regulations, California refineries are configured to produce cleaner fuels, including reformulated motor gasoline and low-sulfur diesel.

Most California motorists are required to use a special motor gasoline blend called California Clean Burning Gasoline (CA CBG). In the ozone non-attainment areas of Imperial County and the Los Angeles metropolitan area, motorists are required to use California Oxygenated Clean Burning Gasoline, and the Los Angeles area is also required to use oxygenated motor gasoline during the winter months. By 2004, California completed a transition from methyl tertiary butyl-ether (MTBE) to ethanol as a gasoline oxygenate additive, making California the largest ethanol fuel market in the United States. There are four ethanol production plants in central and southern California, but most of California's ethanol supply is transported by rail from corn-based producers in the Midwest. Some supply is also imported from abroad.

Due to the relative isolation and specific requirements of the California fuel market, California motorists are particularly vulnerable to short-term spikes in the price of motor gasoline. No pipelines connect California to other major U.S. refining centers, and California refineries often operate at near maximum capacity due to high demand for petroleum products. When an unplanned refinery outage occurs, replacement supplies must be brought in via marine tanker. Locating and transporting this replacement gasoline (which must conform to the State's strict fuel requirements) can take from two to six weeks.

===Natural Gas===
California natural gas production typically accounts for less than 2 percent of total annual U.S. production and satisfies less than one-fifth of State demand. Production takes place in basins located in northern and southern California, as well as offshore in the Pacific Ocean. California receives most of its natural gas by pipeline from production regions in the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and western Canada. As with crude oil production, California natural gas production is in decline. However, State supply has remained relatively stable due to increasing amounts of natural gas shipped from the Rocky Mountains. California markets are served by two key natural gas trading centers—the Golden Gate Center in northern California and the California Energy Hub in southern California—and the State has nearly a dozen natural gas storage facilities that help stabilize supply. In part to help meet California's demand for natural gas, several companies have proposed building liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals in southern California.

===Coal, Electricity, and Renewables===
Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for more than one-half of State electricity generation. California is one of the largest hydroelectric power producers in the United States, and with adequate rainfall, hydroelectric power typically accounts for close to one-fifth of State electricity generation. California's two nuclear power plants account for almost one-fifth of total generation. Due to strict emission laws, only a few small coal-fired power plants operate in California.

California leads the nation in electricity generation from nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources. California generates electricity using wind, geothermal, solar, fuel wood, and municipal solid waste/landfill gas resources. A facility known as “The Geysers,” located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, is the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with more than 750 megawatts of installed capacity. California has numerous wind farms in five major wind resource areas, and several new projects are currently under construction. The world's largest solar power facility operates in California's Mojave Desert. Two southern California utilities are planning to build new solar farms, a 500-megawatt facility in the Mojave Desert and a 300-megawatt plant in the Imperial Valley. These proposed plants would dwarf existing U.S. solar generation capacity. To further boost renewable energy use, California's Energy Action Plan includes incentives that encourage Californians to install solar power systems on their rooftops.

===Imports===
Due to high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other State. States in the Pacific Northwest deliver power to California markets primarily from hydroelectric sources, while States in the Desert Southwest deliver power primarily from coal- and natural gas-fired sources. Hydroelectric power comes to California primarily through the Western USA interconnection, which runs from northern Oregon to southern California. The system, also known as the Pacific Intertie, is the largest single electricity transmission program in the United States. Although the Pacific Intertie was originally designed to transmit electricity south during California's peak summer demand season, flow is sometimes reversed overnight and has occasionally been reversed during periods of reduced hydroelectric generation in the Northwest. California restricts the use of coal-fired generation within its boundaries; however, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) operates the coal-fired Intermountain power plant in Utah, which delivers three-fourths of its output to LADWP and other California municipal utilities. A recent California law forbids utilities from entering into long-term contracts with conventional coal-fired power producers. Intermountain's existing contracts with southern California cities are set to expire in 2027.

===Energy crisis===
In 2000 and 2001, California suffered an energy crisis characterized by electricity price instability and four major blackouts and caused by a supply and demand imbalance. Multiple factors contributed to this imbalance, including: a heavy dependence on out-of-State electricity providers, drought conditions in the northwest that reduced hydroelectric power generation, a rupture on a major natural gas pipeline supplying California power plants, strong economic growth leading to increased electricity demand in western States, an increase in unplanned power plant outages, and unusually high temperatures that increased electricity demand for air-conditioning and other cooling uses. Following the energy crisis, the California State government created an Energy Action Plan designed to eliminate outages and excessive price spikes. To achieve these goals, the plan calls for optimizing energy conservation, building sufficient new generation facilities, upgrading and expanding the electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, and ensuring that generation facilities can quickly come online when needed.

==Spectator Sports==

California has more professional sports teams than any other state.

*[[NBA]] - [[Los Angeles Lakers]], [[Los Angeles Clippers]], [[Golden State Warriors]], [[Sacramento Kings]]
*[[NHL]] - [[Anaheim Ducks]], [[Los Angeles Kings]], [[San Jose Sharks]]
*[[NFL]] - [[Oakland Raiders]], [[San Francisco 49ers]], and [[San Diego Chargers]]
*[[Baseball]] - [[Los Angeles Angels]] of Anaheim, [[San Diego Padres]], [[Oakland Athletics]], [[San Francisco Giants]], [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]

In college sports, [[UCLA]] and [[USC]] have recently had great success, in [[basketball]] and [[football]] respectively.

==Education==

The state of California has three tiers of public higher education: the California community colleges, the [[California State University]] (CSU) system, and the [[University of California]] (UC) system. Here are some notable universities from California.
*[[California Institute of Technology]]
*[[Stanford University]]
*[[University of California, Berkeley]]
*[[University of California, Los Angeles]]
*[[University of California, San Francisco]], primarily a medical school
*[[University of Southern California]]

==Places of Interest==
[[Image:California’s Peaks.jpg|right|300px]]
*[[Alcatraz Island]] ([[San Francisco]])
*[[Beverly Hills]]
*[[Disneyland]]
*[[Golden Gate Bridge]] ([[San Francisco]])
*[[Hollywood]] and elsewhere in [[Los Angeles]]
*[[Monterey Bay Aquarium]]
*[[Redwood Forest]]
*[[Yosemite]]
{{Clear}}

==Major Cities==
*[[Los Angeles]]
*[[Berkeley]]
*[[Oakland]]
*[[San Diego]]
*[[San Francisco]]
*[[San Jose]]
*[[Sacramento]]

==See also==
* [[Jefferson State]]
* [[Strategic relocation]] - [[vote with your feet]] [[Free States Movement]]
* [[Left Coast]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.ca.gov Official Website]
* [http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-330643-year-county.html]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Blue States]]
[[Category:Gun Control]]
[[Category:Homosexual Agenda]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

Arizona

2019-01-18T22:45:12Z

AlvinR: remove image of former governor

[[File:Arizona State Seal.jpg|right|150px]]
{{USState
|name=Arizona
|flag=Arizona_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Ditat Deus"(God Enriches)
|nick=The Grand Canyon State
|capital=Phoenix
|language=English
|governor=Doug Ducey
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Kyrsten Sinema
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2235
|s1email=
|senator2=Martha McSally
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-4521
|s2email=http://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff
|population=
|date=February 14, 1912
}}
'''Arizona''' on February 14, 1912 became the forty-eighth state to enter the union, and the last of the "lower 48" (contiguous) states to enter. It is known as the [[Grand Canyon]] State. Its capital and largest city is [[Phoenix (city)|Phoenix]].<ref>http://az.gov/</ref>

Arizona has always been politically conservative, but until 1952 the conservative Democrats were in control. Thanks to [[Barry Goldwater]], Republicans built a strong base and controlled the electoral vote. In recent years, the state has gained population rapidly and the two parties are evenly matched.

The growth engine of large scale immigration from California and Mexico, and housing construction collapsed with the [[Recession of 2008]], and the economy is struggling.

The state Constitution of Arizona, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.''

== Geography & Population ==

*The state is bordered by the following states: [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], and [[New Mexico]] (the latter three meet at a single point known as the "Four Corners", the only place where four states meet; the site is a popular tourist attraction which allows people to photograph themselves physically in four states), as well as Mexico.
[[File:Tucson1.jpg|thumb|120px]]
*Total Land Area: 113,635 square miles

*Highest Elevation: 12,633 ft (Humphreys Peak)

*Population (in 2005): 5,939,292

*Most populated cities in Arizona:

:[[Phoenix (city)|Phoenix]], Population: 1,321,045
:[[Tucson]], Population: 486,699
:Mesa, Population: 396,375
:Glendale, Population: 218,812
:Scottsdale, Population: 202,705 <ref>http://www.theus50.com/arizona/cities.php</ref>

Arizona has a large population of people of [[Native American]] descent. The Indian tribes who inhabited the land that is now Arizona include the [[Apache]], [[Navajo]], [[Mojave]] and [[Yavapai]].<ref>http://www.theus50.com/arizona/history.shtml</ref>

==Political culture==
In more recent years, the [[Republican Party]] has generally dominated Arizona politics and the [[Arizona legislature|state legislature]]. In 2004, President [[George W. Bush]] won the state's ten electoral votes by a margin of 10 percentage points with 55% of the vote, and in 2008 [[John McCain]] won the state with 54% of the vote. Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature. Their two [[United States Senator]]s are Republican and no Democrat holds statewide office. This was until 2018 when the voters elected Democrat Kyrsten Sinema over Martha McSally. However, Arizona became the first U.S. state to vote against an anti-gay marriage amendment in the 2006 midterm elections. Although [[gay marriage]] is still illegal in Arizona, this amendment would have abolished civil unions and domestic partnerships for [[homosexual]] couples. Arizona has consistently been a [[red state]] in presidential elections since 1952, except in 1996 when [[Bill Clinton]] won the state. Excepting Clinton, the last [[Democrat]] to win Arizona in a presidential election was [[Harry Truman]] in 1948.

== Notable Arizonans ==

*[[Barry Goldwater]] (Conservative leader), GOP presidential nominee in 1964
* [[John McCain]] (Republican leader), GOP presidential nominee in 2008
*[[Frank Lloyd Wright]] (Architect)
*[[Stewart Udall]] (former Congressman and Secretary of the Interior)
*[[Erma Bombeck]] (Writer)
*[[William Rehnquist]] (Supreme Court chief justice)
*[[Sandra Day O'Connor]] (Supreme Court justice)
*[[James Rhodes]] (Republican leader in Congress)

==Elected Officials==
===Federal===
*Senator [[Kyrsten Sinema]] (D)
*Senator [[Martha McSally]] (R)
*Rep. [[Tom O'Halleran]] [D, AZ-1]
*Rep. [[Ann Kirpatrick]] [D, AZ-2]
*Rep. [[Raul Grijalva]] [D, AZ-3]
*Rep. [[Paul Gosar]] [R, AZ-4]
*Rep. [[Andy Biggs]] [R, AZ-5]
*Rep. [[David Schweikert]] [R, AZ-6]
*Rep. [[Ruben Gallego]] [D, AZ-7]
*Rep. [[Debbie Lesko]] [R, AZ-8]
*Rep. [[Greg Stanton]] [D, AZ-9]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Doug Ducey]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Mark Brnovich]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Katie Hobbs]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Eileen Klein]] (R)
{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[Senator from Arizona]]
* [[Survivalism]] and [[Survivalist retreat]]s

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Arizona]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:Mountain States]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]
[[Category:Free States]]
[[Category:Constitutional Carry]]

Arizona

2019-01-18T22:44:21Z

AlvinR: update

[[File:Arizona State Seal.jpg|right|150px]]
{{USState
|name=Arizona
|flag=Arizona_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Ditat Deus"(God Enriches)
|nick=The Grand Canyon State
|capital=Phoenix
|language=English
|governor=Doug Ducey
|gparty=Republican
|senator1=Kyrsten Sinema
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-2235
|s1email=
|senator2=Martha McSally
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-4521
|s2email=http://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff
|population=
|date=February 14, 1912
}}
'''Arizona''' on February 14, 1912 became the forty-eighth state to enter the union, and the last of the "lower 48" (contiguous) states to enter. It is known as the [[Grand Canyon]] State. Its capital and largest city is [[Phoenix (city)|Phoenix]].<ref>http://az.gov/</ref>

Arizona has always been politically conservative, but until 1952 the conservative Democrats were in control. Thanks to [[Barry Goldwater]], Republicans built a strong base and controlled the electoral vote. In recent years, the state has gained population rapidly and the two parties are evenly matched.

The growth engine of large scale immigration from California and Mexico, and housing construction collapsed with the [[Recession of 2008]], and the economy is struggling.

The state Constitution of Arizona, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.''

== Geography & Population ==

*The state is bordered by the following states: [[California]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], and [[New Mexico]] (the latter three meet at a single point known as the "Four Corners", the only place where four states meet; the site is a popular tourist attraction which allows people to photograph themselves physically in four states), as well as Mexico.
[[File:Tucson1.jpg|thumb|120px]]
*Total Land Area: 113,635 square miles

*Highest Elevation: 12,633 ft (Humphreys Peak)

*Population (in 2005): 5,939,292

*Most populated cities in Arizona:

:[[Phoenix (city)|Phoenix]], Population: 1,321,045
:[[Tucson]], Population: 486,699
:Mesa, Population: 396,375
:Glendale, Population: 218,812
:Scottsdale, Population: 202,705 <ref>http://www.theus50.com/arizona/cities.php</ref>

Arizona has a large population of people of [[Native American]] descent. The Indian tribes who inhabited the land that is now Arizona include the [[Apache]], [[Navajo]], [[Mojave]] and [[Yavapai]].<ref>http://www.theus50.com/arizona/history.shtml</ref>

==Political culture==
In more recent years, the [[Republican Party]] has generally dominated Arizona politics and the [[Arizona legislature|state legislature]]. In 2004, President [[George W. Bush]] won the state's ten electoral votes by a margin of 10 percentage points with 55% of the vote, and in 2008 [[John McCain]] won the state with 54% of the vote. Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature. Their two [[United States Senator]]s are Republican and no Democrat holds statewide office. This was until 2018 when the voters elected Democrat Kyrsten Sinema over Martha McSally. However, Arizona became the first U.S. state to vote against an anti-gay marriage amendment in the 2006 midterm elections. Although [[gay marriage]] is still illegal in Arizona, this amendment would have abolished civil unions and domestic partnerships for [[homosexual]] couples. Arizona has consistently been a [[red state]] in presidential elections since 1952, except in 1996 when [[Bill Clinton]] won the state. Excepting Clinton, the last [[Democrat]] to win Arizona in a presidential election was [[Harry Truman]] in 1948.

== Notable Arizonans ==

*[[Barry Goldwater]] (Conservative leader), GOP presidential nominee in 1964
* [[John McCain]] (Republican leader), GOP presidential nominee in 2008
*[[Frank Lloyd Wright]] (Architect)
*[[Stewart Udall]] (former Congressman and Secretary of the Interior)
*[[Erma Bombeck]] (Writer)
*[[William Rehnquist]] (Supreme Court chief justice)
*[[Sandra Day O'Connor]] (Supreme Court justice)
*[[James Rhodes]] (Republican leader in Congress)

==Elected Officials==
===Federal===
*Senator [[Kyrsten Sinema]] (D)
*Senator [[Martha McSally]] (R)
*Rep. [[Tom O'Halleran]] [D, AZ-1]
*Rep. [[Ann Kirpatrick]] [D, AZ-2]
*Rep. [[Raul Grijalva]] [D, AZ-3]
*Rep. [[Paul Gosar]] [R, AZ-4]
*Rep. [[Andy Biggs]] [R, AZ-5]
*Rep. [[David Schweikert]] [R, AZ-6]
*Rep. [[Ruben Gallego]] [D, AZ-7]
*Rep. [[Debbie Lesko]] [R, AZ-8]
*Rep. [[Greg Stanton]] [D, AZ-9]
[[Image:Jan Brewer.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Governor Jan Brewer]]
===Statewide===
*Governor [[Doug Ducey]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Mark Brnovich]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Katie Hobbs]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Eileen Klein]] (R)
{{clear}}

==See also==
* [[Senator from Arizona]]
* [[Survivalism]] and [[Survivalist retreat]]s

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{USstates}}

[[Category:Arizona]]
[[Category:Red States]]
[[Category:Mountain States]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Regions of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Geography]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]
[[Category:Free States]]
[[Category:Constitutional Carry]]

Leonard Lance

2019-01-18T22:37:21Z

AlvinR: update

'''Leonard Lance''' was a member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]]. He was elected from New Jersey in 2008, taking over the seat from former Rep. [[Mike Ferguson]] (also a member of the Republican party). Commentators such as [[Glenn Beck]] have questioned whether he is a progressive republican.<ref>[http://www.thefoxnation.com/glenn-beck/2010/01/27/beck-shreds-klein-calling-americans-dumb"Beck Shreds Klein for Calling Americans Dumb"].</ref> Lance calls himself a "moderate Republican," acknowledging himself to be pro-choice and an environmentalist.<ref>http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/082808/njLanceBidsForHouse.html</ref>

Lance was defeated by former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [[Tom Malinowski]] (D) in the November 2018 election.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lance, Leonard}}
[[Category:United States Representatives]]

New Jersey

2019-01-18T22:34:08Z

AlvinR: update

[[Image:New Jersey Counties.svg.png|right|thumb|130px]]
{{USState
|name=New Jersey
|flag=New_Jersey_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Liberty and Prosperity"
|nick=The Garden State
|capital=Trenton
|language=None
|governor=Phil Murphy
|gparty=Democrat
|senator1=Cory Booker
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-3224
|s1email=http://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact Contact
|senator2=Bob Menendez
|s2party=Democrat
|s2phone=(202) 224-4744
|s2email=http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=December 18, 1787 (3rd)
}}
'''New Jersey''' is one of the thirteen original colonies that formed the [[United States]]. It was the third state to enter into the Union. Its population has the highest overall density of any State, featuring 566 municipalities.<ref>http://www.nj.gov/nj/govinfo/county/localgov.html (list of municipalities, which links to each one).</ref>

New Jersey is nicknamed "the Garden State," although a patch oil refineries along the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] is what many travelers remember most. New Jersey has 127 miles of coastline, including resort areas such as [[Atlantic City]], Asbury Park, and Cape May, some with beautiful and historic [[Victorian]] [[architecture]]. Its capital city is [[Trenton]].

Politically, New Jersey once benefited from [[conservative]] leadership, but [[RINOs]] and [[liberals]] took over beginning in the 1960s and have driven it into decline since. High union membership, a very liberal primary newspaper (the ''Newark Star-Ledger''), and a small evangelical population result in a lack of conservative politicians. However, New Jersey remains one of the small number of states having completely unregulated [[homeschooling]]. New Jersey also has the lowest divorce rate in the nation.

New Jersey is home to two famous old universities: [[Princeton University|Princeton]] and [[Rutgers University|Rutgers]]. They are both ''colonial colleges,'' the nine colleges chartered in the colonies before the [[American Revolution]]. Princeton traditionally claims 1740 as its year of founding, making it the fourth oldest university in the United States; Rutgers, founded in 1766, is the eighth oldest. Princeton is a member of the [[Ivy League]]. There are numerous other colleges and universities in the state.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in New Jersey by a Superior Court decision on September 27, 2013.<ref>http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/nj_superior_court_gay_marriage_ruling.html</ref>

The state Constitution of New Jersey, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the ''Sovereign Ruler of the Universe''. It says:
:''We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution.''

==History==
[[File:Col-nj.jpg|thumb|300px|The colony was rural and was dominated by New York City to the east and Philadelphia to the west]]

===Conservapedia===
[[Conservapedia]] was founded in New Jersey on November 22, 2006. It was started by a class of 56 homeschooled children, ranging from 11 years old to 18, as a project for homework.

==Politics==
New Jersey is a mostly [[liberal]] state. It has consistently favored [[Democrats]] in presidential elections since 1992. It was last won by a [[Republican]] presidential candidate in 1988 when it favored [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. For eight years before January 16, 2018, the state had a Republican governor, [[Chris Christie]]; the last Republican governor before him was [[Christine Todd Whitman]], who left the office to serve as head of the U.S. [[Environmental Protection Agency]] under President [[George W. Bush]].

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Cory Booker]] (D)
*Sen. [[Bob Menendez]] (D)
*Rep. [[Donald Norcross]] [D, NJ-01]
*Rep. [[Jeff Van Drew]] [D, NJ-02]
*Rep. [[Andy Kim]] [D, NJ-03]
*Rep. [[Chris Smith]] [R, NJ-04]
*Rep. [[Josh Gottheimer]] [D, NJ-05]
*Rep. [[Frank Pallone]] [D, NJ-06]
*Rep. [[Tom Malinowski]] [D, NJ-07]
*Rep. [[Albio Sires]] [D, NJ-08]
*Rep. [[Bill Pascrell]] [D, NJ-09]
*Rep. [[Donald M. Payne, Jr.]] [D, NJ-10]
*Rep. [[Mikie Sherrill]] [D, NJ-11]
*Rep. [[Bonnie Watson Coleman]] [D, NJ-12]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Phil Murphy]] (D)
*Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver (D)

==Notable New Jersey Natives==
* [[Buzz Aldrin]], astronaut, born in Glen Ridge
* [[Samuel Alito]], U.S. Supreme Court justice, born in [[Trenton]]
* [[Count Basie]], jazz musician, born in Red Bank
* [[Jon Bon Jovi]], rock musician, born in Perth Amboy
* [[William Brennan]], U.S. Supreme Court justice, born in [[Newark]]
* [[Aaron Burr]], third vice president of the United States, born in Newark
* [[Grover Cleveland]], 22nd and 24th president of the United States, born in Caldwell
* [[James Fenimore Cooper]], author, born in Burlington
* [[Stephen Crane]], author, born in Newark
* [[Danny DeVito]], actor, born in Neptune Township
* [[Michael Douglas]], actor, born in New Brunswick
* [[Steve Forbes]], publishing executive, born in Morristown
* [[Barney Frank]], former member of U.S. House of Representatives (for [[Massachusetts]]), born in Bayonne
* [[Whitney Houston]], singer and actress, born in Newark
* [[Alfred Kinsey]], zoologist and sex researcher, born in [[Hoboken]]
* [[Larry Kudlow]], financial analyst, television personality, and current director of the U.S. [[National Economic Council]], born in Englewood
* [[Jared Kushner]], real estate developer and senior advisor to President [[Donald Trump]], born in Livingston
* [[Jerry Lewis]], actor and philanthropist, born in Newark
* [[Norman Mailer]], author, born in Long Branch
* [[Ozzie Nelson]], actor and band leader, born in [[Jersey City]]
* [[Jack Nicholson]], actor, born in Neptune City
* [[Shaquille O'Neal]], [[NBA]] player, born in Newark
* [[Paul Robeson]], actor, singer, and activist, born in [[Princeton]]
* [[Philip Roth]], author, born in Newark
* [[Antonin Scalia]], U.S. Supreme Court justice, born in Trenton
* [[Norman Schwarzkopf]], U.S. Army general, commander of coalition forces in the [[Persian Gulf War]], born in Trenton
* [[Paul Simon]], singer and songwriter, born in Newark
* [[Frank Sinatra]], singer and actor, born in Hoboken
* [[Bruce Springsteen]], singer and songwriter, born in Long Branch
* [[Martha Stewart]], entrepreneur, writer, and TV personality, born in Jersey City
* [[Meryl Streep]], actress, born in Summit
* [[John Travolta]], actor, born in Englewood
* [[Sarah Vaughan]], singer, born in Newark
* [[Paul Volcker]], economist and former chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], born in Cape May
* [[William Carlos Williams]], poet, born in Rutherford

==References==

<References/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:New Jersey]]
[[Category:Blue States]]
[[Category:Eastern United States]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]

Frank LoBiondo

2019-01-18T22:28:50Z

AlvinR: update

[[image: franklobiondo.jpg|right|thumb|Frank LoBiondo]]

'''Frank LoBiondo''', born May 12, 1946 (age {{age|1946|5|12}}), was a [[Republican]] [[Congressional Representative]] from [[New Jersey]]'s 2nd district from 1995 to 2019. He had one of the highest Congressional ratings from animal organizations. He worked tirelessly to sponsor, co-sponsor or pass legilation involving protection of [[animals]]. He was pretty conservative on most issues, but uniquely takes a more liberal stance on animal rights and the environment. He is one of the few Republicans endorsed by the [[Sierra Club]].

LoBiondo chose not to run for re-election in 2018.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobiondo, Frank}}

[[Category:110th United States Congress]]

David Brat

2019-01-18T22:14:24Z

AlvinR: update

{{Officeholder
|name=Dave Brat
|image=Dave Brat official congressional photo.jpg
|party=Republican
|spouse=Laura Sonderman Brat
|religion=[[Christianity]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Virginia
|district=7th
|terms=November 12, 2014 – January 3, 2019
|preceded=[[Eric Cantor]]
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Abigail Spanberger]]
}}
}}
'''David Alan "Dave" Brat''' (born July 27, 1964) is a strong [[conservative]] who served as the Republican Congressman for Virginia's 7th District. Brat shocked the nation with his historic defeat of House Majority Leader [[Eric Cantor]] in the June 2014 [[Republican]] primary after being outspent 40 to 1. Prior to politics, he was a Director of Economics at Randolph–Macon College.<ref>[http://faculty.rmc.edu/dbrat/ David A. Brat, Department of Economics and Business]</ref> His campaign message was simple, run on the Republican party platform that Cantor had ignored. In the [[2014 Midterm Elections]], Brat defeated his fellow faculty member Democrat Jack Trammell.

Brat was defeated in the 2018 general election, a bad year for House Republicans overall.<ref>Binder, John (November 6, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/06/conservative-dave-brat-defeated-by-democrat-abigail-spanberger/ Conservative Dave Brat Defeated by Democrat Abigail Spanberger]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 8, 2018.</ref> He was later hired as the dean of [[Liberty University]]'s business school.<ref>Samuels, Brett (January 2, 2019). [https://thehill.com/homenews/house/423525-recently-defeated-gop-rep-named-dean-at-liberty-university-business-school Ousted GOP lawmaker David Brat named dean at Liberty University business school]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved January 2, 2019.</ref>

David Brat's upset victory over Eric Cantor led to the creation of the verb ''[[Cantorize]]''.

==Personal life==
David Brat is married with two children and is a professed [[Christian]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://brat.house.gov/ Official House website]
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B001290 Profile] at the ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brat, Dave}}
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Patriots]]
[[Category:Tea Party Movement]]
[[Category:Virginia]]