Frequently Asked Questions about the U.S.
- What is the national anthem of the U.S.?
- Who were the former Presidents of the U.S.?
- How can I contact living former presidents?
- What are the dates of the public holidays in the U.S.?
- How many stars and how many stripes? When are new stars added?
- Where can I locate information about Foundations in the U.S.?
- Statistics On U.S.
- State Facts
- How many members of Congress are there, and how long are their terms of office?
- How does a Congressional bill become Federal law?
- Where can I find rules, regulations and notices and notices issued by the U.S. government?
A 1 : "The Star Spangled Banner", was ordered played at military and naval occasions by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, but was not designated the national anthem by an Act of Congress until 1931. The words were written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, who had been inspired by the sight of the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry after a night of heavy British bombardment. The text was immediately set to a popular melody of the time, To Anacreon in Heaven. The National Anthem consists of four verses. On almost every occasion only the first verse is sung.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out of of their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave'
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A 2: Presidents of the United States
No. | Name | Politics | Date and state of birth | Year inaugurated | Date of Death |
1 | George WASHINGTON | Federalist | 1732, Feb 22. VA | 1789 | 1799, Dec 1 |
2 | John ADAMS | Federalist | 1735, Oct 30. MA | 1797 | 1826, July 4 |
3 | Thomas JEFFERSON | Democrat-Republican | 1743, Apr 13. VA | 1801 | 1826, July 4 |
4 | James MADISON | Democrat-Republican | 1751, Mar 16. VA | 1809 | 1836, June 28 |
5 | James MONROE | Democrat-Republican | 1758, Apr 28. VA | 1817 | 1831, July 4 |
6 | John Quincy ADAMS | Democrat-Republican | 1767, July 11. MA | 1825 | 1848, Feb 23 |
7 | Andrew JACKSON | Democrat | 1767, Mar 15. SC | 1829 | 1845, June 8 |
8 | Martin Van BUREN | Democrat | 1782, Dec 5. NY | 1837 | 1862, July 24 |
9 | William Henry HARRISON | Whig | 1773, Feb 9. VA | 1841 | 1841, Apr 4 |
10 | John TYLER | Whig | 1790, Mar 29. VA | 1841 | 1862, Jan 18 |
11 | James Knox POLK | Democrat | 1795, Nov 2. NC | 1845 | 1849, June 15 |
12 | Zachery TAYLOR | Whig | 1784, Nov 24. VA | 1849 | 1850, July 9 |
13 | Millard FILLMORE | Whig | 1800, Jan 7. NY | 1850 | 1874, Mar 8 |
14 | Franklin PIERCE | Democrat | 1804, Nov 23. NH | 1853 | 1869, Oct 8 |
15 | James BUCHANAN | Democrat | 1791, Apr 23. PA | 1857 | 1868, June 1 |
16 | Abraham LINCOLN | Republican | 1809, Feb 12. KY | 1861 | 1865, Apr 15 |
17 | Andrew JOHNSON | ¹ | 1808, Dec 29. N | 1865 | 1875, July 31 |
18 | Ulysses Simpson GRANT | Republican | 1822, Apr 27. OH | 1869 | 1885, July 23 |
19 | Rutherford Birchard HAYES | Republican | 1822, Oct 4. OH | 1877 | 1893, Jan 17 |
20 | James Abram GARFIELD | Republican | 1831, Nov 19. OH | 1881 | 1881, Sept 19 |
21 | Chester Alan ARTHUR | Republican | 1830, Oct 5. VT | 1881 | 1886, Nov 18 |
22 | Grover CLEVELAND | Democrat | 1837, Mar 18. NJ | 1885 | 1908, June 24 |
23 | Benjamin HARRISON | Republican | 1833, Aug 20. OH | 1889 | 1901, Mar 13 |
24 | Grover CLEVELAND | Democrat | 1837, Mar 18. NJ | 1893 | 1908, June 24 |
25 | William McKINLEY | Republican | 1843, Jan 29. OH | 1897 | 1901, Sept 14 |
26 | Theodore ROOSEVELT | Republican | 1858, Oct 27. NY | 1901 | 1919, Jan 6 |
27 | William Howard TAFT | Republican | 1857, Sept 15. OH | 1909 | 1930, Mar 8 |
28 | Woodrow WILSON | Democrat | 1856, Dec 28. VA | 1913 | 1924, Feb 3 |
29 | William Gamaliel HARDING | Republican | 1865, Nov 2. OH | 1921 | 1923, Aug 2 |
30 | Calvin COOLIDGE | Republican | 1872, July 4. VT | 1923 | 1933, Jan 5 |
31 | Herbert Clark HOOVER | Republican | 1874, Aug 10. IA | 1929 | 1964, Oct 20 |
32 | Franklin Delano ROOSEVELT | Democrat | 1882, Jan 30. NY | 1933 | 1945, Apr 12 |
33 | Harry S. TRUMAN | Democrat | 1884, May 8. MO | 1945 | 1972, Dec 26 |
34 | Dwight David EISENHOWER | Republican | 1890, Oct 14. TX | 1953 | 1969, Mar 28 |
35 | John Fitzgerald KENNEDY | Democrat | 1917, May 29. MA | 1961 | 1963, Nov 22 |
36 | Lyndon Baines JOHNSON | Democrat | 1908, Aug 27. TX | 1963 | 1973, Jan 22 |
37 | Richard Milhous NIXON ²
| Republican | 1913, Jan 9. CA | 1969 | 1994, Apr 22 |
38 | Gerald Rudolph FORD | Republican | 1913, July 14. NE | 1974 | 2006, Dec 26 |
39 | Jimmy (James Earl) CARTER | Democrat | 1924, Oct 1. GA | 1977 | |
40 | Ronald REAGAN | Republican | 1911, Feb 6. IL | 1981 | 2004, June 5 |
41 | George BUSH | Republican | 1924, June 12. MA | 1989 | |
42 | Bill (William Jefferson) CLINTON | Democrat | 1946, Aug 19. AR | 1993 | |
43 | George Walker BUSH | Republican | 1946, July 6. CT | 2001 | |
¹ Andrew Johnson was a Democrat, nominated vice president by Republicans, and elected with Lincoln on National Union ticket.
² Richard Nixon resigned Aug. 9, 1974.
The Presidents of the United States of America, a page at the White House web site, also lists former Presidents, with their dates in office, plus links to individual biographical information, "fun facts", "fast facts", texts of inaugural addresses, and links onward to presidential libraries.
The Office of Presidential Libraries of the National Archives and Records Administration maintains a network of presidential libraries and materials project. These are not traditional libraries, but rather repositories for preserving and making available the papers, records, and other historical materials of U.S. Presidents since Herbert Hoover.
A 3: Contacting Former Presidents
President Jimmy Carter
The Honorable Jimmy Carter
The Carter Center
One Copenhill
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30307
tel: (1) 404-331-3900
President George Bush
The Honorable George Bush
10000 Memorial Drive, Ste. 900
Houston TX 77024
tel: (1) 713-686-1188
President Bill Clinton
The Honorable William J. Clinton
55 W. 125th Street, 14th Floor
New York NY 10027
tel: (1) 212-348-8882
fax: (1) 212-348-9245
A 4: U.S. Public Holidays & Celebrations
Federal Public Holidays
- January 1st : New Year's Day
- 3rd Monday in January : Martin Luther King's Birthday
- 3rd Monday in February : Washington's Birthday
- Last Monday in May : Memorial Day
- July 4th : Independence Day
- 1st Monday in September : Labor Day
- 2nd Monday in October : Columbus Day
- November 11th : Veterans Day
- 4th Thursday in November : Thanksgiving Day
- December 25th : Christmas Day
Virtually all the states observe certain other days during the year; the principal ones are:
February 12th Lincoln's Birthday Good Friday
Note: normally, if a holiday falls on a Sunday the following Monday is observed; if on a Saturday, the previous Friday.
Other American Celebration Days
- Groundhog Day : February 2nd¹
- Mother's Day : Second Sunday in May
- Father's Day : Third Sunday in June
¹ Traditionally, if the sun is shining on this day, and a groundhog sees his shadow, he returns to his burrow , and winter continues for six more weeks.
Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is achieved by advancing the clock one hour. Most states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions observe Daylight Saving Time beginning at 2.00 am on the first Sunday in April, and ending at 2.00 am on the last Sunday in October. Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands do not observe DST.
nb. Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving will start at 2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March and end at 2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November.
5. How many stars and how many stripes? When are new stars added?
A 5: There are 50 stars representing the 50 states and there are 13 stripes representing the 13 original states.
Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.
Any other questions on U.S. Flag, Please see below.
The Flag of the United States(http://www.usflag.org) includes the history of the flag, graphics of historic and current flags and an invaluable collection of flag FAQs.
The Star Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem(http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/), The Smithsonian site
A 6 : The Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org/), which was set up in 1956, is a national, nonprofit organization providing information on corporate and foundation philanthropy. The Center's standard reference source, The Foundation Directory, lists most of the major foundations in the U.S. The Directory is available by subscription online, or may be purchased in CD or book form. It may be possible to consult this publication in a good reference library in the United Kingdom.
Some inquiries for specific information may be made to the Foundation Center Online Librarian and it is possible to look for contact details of a named foundation in the Foundation Finder (http://lnp.fdncenter.org/finder.html).
- What Is The Current Population Of The U.S.??
- I Need A Basic Set Of Statistics About The U.S. Covering Population, Economics And So On??
- I Want To Know The Population Of A Particular Town??
- Where Will I Find The Very Latest Statistics On The Economy, Employment, Prices, Transportation, Crime, Population, Education And Health?
A 7: U.S. law requires a census be taken every ten years, an undertaking that's been performed every decade since 1790. It forms the basis for determining how the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are equitably distributed among the 50 states. The census also is critical in determining how federal funds are distributed to states and localities.
U.S. Census 2000(http://www.census.gov) provides further information about the Census process.
American Fact Finder(http://factfinder.census.gov) will give easy access to much of the Census data as it is released over the next three years.
FedStats(http://www.fedstats.gov), a U.S. government web site, provides a one-stop web site for all U.S. government statistics, including:
- A-Z index with direct access to data listings in 275 categories
- Fast Facts Web links that allow users to get major economic and social statistics and online versions of the most frequently requested tables from the U.S. Statistical Abstract
- Keyword search capability for Internet users to search Web sites linked to FedStats
The Statistical Abstract of the United States (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/) published annually by the U.S. Government Printing Office (USGPO) is the basic resource for a very wide range of U.S. statistics. A valuable and compendious resource in itself, it also functions as a guidebook to other statistical series produced by the U.S. Government.
- How many states are there??
- What is Washington D.C. if it isn't a state??
- What is Puerto Rico if it isn't a state??
- Plus links to state government web sites and other sources
A 8. States of the Union
There are fifty (50) states and Washington D.C.
The last two states to join the Union were Alaska (49th) and Hawaii (50th). Both joined in 1959.
Washington D.C. is a federal district under the authority of Congress. Local government is run by a mayor and 13 member city council. Washington DC is represented in Congress by an elected, nonvoting Delegate to the House of Representatives and residents have been able to vote in Presidential elections since 1961.
Puerto Rico is a commonwealth associated with the U.S. Its indigenous inhabitants are U.S. citizens. Puerto Ricans are unable to vote in U.S. Presidential elections but they do elect a nonvoting resident commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island ?
note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986)
Source: The CIA Factbook 2003
State Governors
The National Governors' Association (http://www.nga.org) provides a list of names and contact details for the governors of the states and territories. There are also links to brief biographies of each of the officials.
Other Sources of State Information
A 9. The U.S. Congress is bicameral, composed of two bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate (http://www.senate.gov) has 100 members: two senators for each of the fifty states. Senators are elected for six years. One third of the Senate is elected every two years. The House of Representatives (http://www.house.gov) comprises 435 Representatives. The number representing each state is determined by the population, but every state is entitled to one representative. Representatives are elected every two years. A Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico, and Delegates from American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands complete the composition of Congress. The Resident Commissioner and Delegates have no vote in the full House but they do vote in the committees to which they were assigned.
A 10.This complicated process is explained in the House of Representatives document How Our Laws are Made (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html). Broadly speaking, a proposed law, whether initially introduced in the House or the Senate, and some bills are introduced in both houses simultaneously, must be passed by both the House and the Senate, in exactly the same form, and then approved by the President, before becoming law.
A 11. The Federal Register (FR), available full text since 1994 at GPO Access(http://www.access.gpo.gov), is published each federal working day. Final rules, regulations and decisions are cumulated annually in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The Information Resource Center (http://seoul.usembassy.gov/irc.html) may be able to advise on how to locate these publications.
