Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The United States of America, located in the northern hemisphere of the American continent, is a federal republic that consists of 50 states and the District of Columbia (capital: Washington). The population comprises 311.6 million people. The USA was created in 1776 out of 13 British colonies. The head of state is the president, and responsible for the legislation are two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The political system is dominated by two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. The first → newspaper published in the British North American colonies was Publick Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick . One issue appeared in 1690 in Boston. It was soon closed down by the colonial government. The first continuously published newspaper was the Boston News-Letter , which began publication in 1704 and continued for several decades. The oldest daily paper still publishing is the Hartford Courant , which was founded in 1764. Newspapers and especially pamphlets such as Thomas Paine's Common Sense played an active role in the movement for independence. Although it was ignored by many, the Stamp Act of 1765 required tax stamps to be purchased for a wide range of documents, including newspapers. The controversy surrounding the act provided a rallying point for both supporters and opponents of independence and reinforced a style of → journalism that ... log in or subscribe to read full text