Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

Genealogy Resource Research Tip

One of the best tips given in genealogy beginners guides is to see what has already been done on your family tree before trying to reconstruct your family tree from scratch. One excellent genealogy resource is the GenealogyPlace.com search engine. Easily search the Internet for those genealogy records that will help you build your family tree and extend your known ancestry.