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Earth political map

21st century era map depicting the countries of the world

The United States of America (United States, US, USA, or America) was a country in the North American continent on Earth. This was the fourth largest country on the planet, after Russia, Canada and China. The capital was Washington, DC. Its unofficial language was English. (TOS-R: "The Cage"; TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")

This was a representative republic. Founded in the 18th century, the United States played a significant role in the history of Earth prior to the world's unification. The people and culture of the United States were known as American. The federal government was known as the United States Government.

According to Doctor Paul Stubbs, baseball, centuries ago, "was the beloved national pastime of the Americas." (TNG: "Evolution")

When the Michael Sullivan character of the Fair Haven program was beamed to the bridge of the USS Voyager, he described at one point how he had a relative that had gone to America, what he thought previously was one of the strangest places. (VOY: "Spirit Folk")

America also referred to the combined landmasses of North America and South America (collectively, the Americas). This usage was more common amongst residents of the Americas who were not from the United States. In context, the reference to America in "Spirit Folk" would have meant the United States.

History

Crew observes the american revolution

American Revolution, as seen through the Guardian of Forever

File:Constitution Omega.jpg

The Constitution found on Omega IV

First World War

The First World War embarked a new era in technological warfare

File:World Trade Center attack.jpg

World Trade Center attack

1600s - English colonization
English settlers established colonies on the eastern coast of North America. The New England colonists acquired the moniker, Yankees, a nickname eventually used to refer to Americans in general.
1692 - Salem witch trials
An alien race, the Megans briefly mingled among the Puritan population of Massachusetts, until their presence kindled the Salem witch trials. (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu")
1775 to 1783 - American Revolution
In the United States Declaration of Independence, the colonies declared their independence from the British Empire in 1776. Under the military leadership of General George Washington and with the support of the French King, the rebellion was successful. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever"; TNG: "The High Ground")
1788 - Constitution
The Constitution of the United States was adopted, and thereafter George Washington was elected President. (TOS: "Court Martial", "The Omega Glory")
19th century - Westward Expansion
The country, through war and negotiation, expands its territory to the Pacific Coast. (TOS: "Spectre of the Gun")
1861 to 1865 - American Civil War
The US was divided over the issues of slavery and limitations of the Federal government, leading to the secession of the Southern states (forming the Confederate States of America) and the Civil War in the 1860s. Under the political leadership of Abraham Lincoln, with a military led by Ulysses S. Grant, the Union was restored and slavery was abolished within the nation. (TOS: "The Savage Curtain"; VOY: "Death Wish", "The Q and the Grey")
1917 to 1918 - World War I
The US became involved in the European conflict that broke out in 1914. (TOS: "Bread and Circuses")
1920s - Prosperity and prohibition
The US was in a period of great prosperity until the Crash of 1929. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action")
1930s - Great Depression
After the Crash of 1929, the US entered a period of economic upheaval and misery. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
1940s - World War II
The USA was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan in the Second World War.
1940s to 1990s - Cold War
High tensions emerged between the US and the Soviet Union, the two largest military and economic powers. (DS9: "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir"; VOY: "Future's End")
2001 - Terrorist attack
Two airliners were piloted into New York City's World Trade Center. (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")
2020 to 2024 - Sanctuary Districts
The US established the Sanctuary Districts in an effort to alleviate rising unemployment and poverty, leading to the Bell Riots. These Riots, led by Gabriel Bell, led to the dissolution of the Sanctuary Districts. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I", "Past Tense, Part II")
2026 to 2053 - World War III
The US participated in, and survived, the devastating Third World War in the mid 21st century, as part of a Western (North American and European) alliance against the Eastern Coalition. In 2053, a peace treaty was negotiated and signed in the American city of San Francisco.
2033
The US added a 52nd star to its flag, indicating the inclusion of a 52nd state to the union. The flag had 52 stars until 2079. (TNG: "The Royale")
2063 - First Contact
The Vulcans made first contact with Earth in the North American town of Bozeman, Montana. (Star Trek: First Contact)
2153 - Xindi incident
The region of the United States known as Florida was devastated by the first Xindi superweapon. (ENT: "The Expanse")
22nd century - United Earth
The United States of America joined in the establishment of a United Earth government in 2150 as well as the United Federation of Planets in 2161.
As a political entity, the United States still seemed to exist into the late 24th century according to VOY: "Imperfection". According to an unused scene from the script of Star Trek: First Contact it ceased to exist in World War III
Much of US history through the 20th century was paralleled on Miri's Earth and Omega IV.

States

The United States was a federal union of semi-autonomous political units, called states. From 1959 through the balance of the 20th century, there were 50 States in the Union; by 2033, there were 52.

Districts, territories, and cities

The United States of America was the location of some of Earth's most important and largest cities. Among these include New York City, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco which would later become the location of Starfleet Headquarters.

The capital of the United States was Washington which was located in the District of Columbia, with the city of Washington and the District having exactly the same boundaries. (ENT: "Storm Front", "Storm Front, Part II") The District of Columbia was also the location of all the major United States government headquarters as well as several monuments and museums, among them the Smithsonian Institution. (Star Trek: First Contact; ENT: "Storm Front")

Organization

Political

Defense and security

Space program

Americans

Appendices

Background information

Retroactive continuity: 20th century-era maps of the northern hemisphere Pacific region were stored in the USS Enterprise library computer in 2254. One map depicted the east coast of Asia's USSR nation and Alaska on the west coast of North America. Another map depicted the globe from the point of view of the Arctic Circle, showing the same region. These maps were among the materials viewed by the Talosians when they scanned the Enterprise computer. (TOS: "The Cage")

District of Columbia map

20th century map depicting location of Washington, DC

Retroactive continuity: A map of the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States depicting the location of Washington, DC was downloaded from the USS Enterprise library computer by the Talosians in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage") This map was from educational texts available at the time of filming, 1964.

In "The Royale", Data states that the American flag with 52 stars determines the date of the Charybdis wreckage as originating between 2033 and 2079. From this it can be inferred that:

  • In 2033 the number of states in the US became 52
  • In 2079 the United States could have:
    • Added one or more states
    • Seceded or dissolved one or more states
    • Changed or modified the flag format

Ominously, 2079 was also mentioned in "Encounter at Farpoint". It was the year of Q's court, defined by the time period post-atomic horror. Evidence from Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Enterprise indicate that parts of the planet, particularly Zefram Cochrane's area (Montana), were improving due to contact with the Vulcans.

A San Francisco address seen on-screen in "Affliction" included "USA, Earth", suggesting that "USA" exists at least as a political/geographic designation in 2154. Also, during the NX-01 holoprogram seen in "These Are the Voyages...", Malcolm Reed tells Chef, played by Commander Riker, that "his countrymen" might describe Florida native Trip as a hick, suggesting the US was still intact when the Federation was founded in 2161. Since the United Kingdom's Royal Navy continued to exist in 2154, this indicates that all nations did not completely surrender their sovereignty in joining the United Earth Government in 2150. Certainly, James T. Kirk was well-versed in, and quite passionate about, United States documents and customs, so much so that he was able to give an impassioned, memorized recital of the Preamble to the Constitution to the Yangs of planet Omega IV in "The Omega Glory". Samuel T. Cogley referenced the Constitution to the court at Kirk's trial in "Court Martial", so the United States obviously looms large in the minds of Starfleet officers in the 23rd century. There are many references to individual American states throughout the run of all the series, but it is not specified if the references are solely geographical or if they retain a political implication as well.

The 52-star flag seen in "The Royale" is unusual in that the field of stars rests on a red stripe instead of a white stripe. The 15-star "Star-Spangled Banner" flown over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 was the last such flag, and since then, all flags (then returning to 13 instead of 15 stripes) have had the familiar arrangement of the field being to the left of the first seven stripes and resting on the 8th, a white. This was probably an error in the art department, but being a future flag, it could be "official," with the government making that change for one reason or another, though it seems unlikely.

"The Omega Glory" makes it clear that the war there occurred generations ago, and that post war the lifespan lengthened to about a thousand years. This places the war well before 1200 AD, meaning that Omega IV had the United States of America, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the United States Constitution several centuries (at least) before Earth; on the other hand, in the non-canon novel Forgotten History, the "American" elements of Yang society are not indigenous, but were left behind by a passing ECS freighter in the 2140s.

The German map of the continental United States from the episodes "Storm Front" and "Storm Front, Part II" includes a combination of real and fictitious locations. Alongside Springfield, IL and Annapolis, MD - both of which are the capital city of their respective states - there is Crossroads, MO and Sun Valley, AL.

External links

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