U.S. state

"American states" redirects here. For the international organization, see Organization of American States.

State
  • Also known as:
  • Commonwealth
    (the self-designation of four states)
CategoryFederated state
LocationUnited States
Number50
Populations
Areas
  • Smallest: Rhode Island, 1,545 square miles (4,000 km2)
  • Largest: Alaska, 665,384 square miles (1,723,340 km2)[2]
Government
Subdivisions

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside.[3] State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders (such as paroled convicts and children of divorced spouses who share child custody).

State governments in the U.S. are allocated power by the people (of each respective state) through their individual state constitutions. All are grounded in republican principles (this being required by the federal constitution), and each provides for a government, consisting of three branches, each with separate and independent powers: executive, legislative, and judicial.[4] States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local governmental authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, and states also create other local governments.

States, unlike U.S. territories, possess many powers and rights under the United States Constitution. States and their citizens are represented in the United States Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is also entitled to select a number of electors (equal to the total number of representatives and senators from that state) to vote in the Electoral College, the body that directly elects the president of the United States. Additionally, each state has the opportunity to ratify constitutional amendments, and, with the consent of Congress, two or more states may enter into interstate compacts with one another. The police power of each state is also recognized.

Historically, the tasks of local law enforcement, public education, public health, intrastate commerce regulation, and local transportation and infrastructure, in addition to local, state, and federal elections, have generally been considered primarily state responsibilities, although all of these now have significant federal funding and regulation as well. Over time, the Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the federal government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over states' rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states' powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government and the rights of individuals.

The Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776 by the Thirteen Colonies, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.[5] While the Constitution does not explicitly discuss the issue of whether states have the power to secede from the Union, shortly after the Civil War (1861–1865), the U.S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, held that a state cannot unilaterally do so.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Table 2. Resident Population for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  3. ^ Erler, Edward. "Essays on Amendment XIV: Citizenship". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature". Minnesota State Legislature. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  5. ^ "Doctrine of the Equality of States". Justia.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Pavković, Aleksandar; Radan, Peter (2007). Creating New States: Theory and Practice of Secession. Ashgate Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-7546-7163-3. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  7. ^ "Texas v. White 74 U.S. 700 (1868)". Mountain View, California: Justia. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.