1.
United States
–
Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Galveston County, Texas
–
Galveston County is a county in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 291,309, league City is the most populous city in Galveston County, between 2000 and 2005 it surpassed Galveston as the countys largest city. The county was founded in 1838, Galveston County is part of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. One of the first major settlements in the area that is now Galveston County was the town of Campeche on Galveston Island, Lafitte created a prosperous pirate kingdom around the Galveston Bay until the United States Navy ousted him from the area. The area came under Mexican rule where Galveston became a significant port through the Texas Revolution, Galveston County was formally established under the Republic of Texas on May 15,1838. The county was formed from territory taken from Harrisburg, Liberty, the island and city of Galveston was by far the most important population center. The city of Galveston was the republics largest city and its center of commerce, Port Bolivar on the Bolivar Peninsula was a port of secondary importance. Other development in the area was initially mostly ranching interests and small farming communities, Texas soon joined the United States and Galvestons importance continued to grow as it came to dominate the worldwide cotton trade. As railroads between Galveston, Harrisburg, Houston and other towns were built during the 19th century, small communities grew up along the rail lines. At the end of the 19th century, a group of investors established Texas City directly across the West Bay from Galveston with the hope of making it a port city. The port began operations just before the start of the 20th century, the 1900 Galveston Hurricane devastated the county killing an estimated 6000 people on the island alone and numerous others in the rest of the county. The Port of Galveston was closed for time as rebuilding occurred. The Port of Texas City, however, was able to re-open almost immediately allowing shipping through Galveston County to continue largely unimpeded and proving the merit of the new port city. Investors had long worried that the Texas coast was a place to establish major commercial operations because of the threat of hurricanes. Though Galveston rebuilt its port and other major operations quickly, major investment moved inland, soon Houston and Texas City had outpaced Galveston as major ports. The oil boom in Texas began in 1901 and soon pipelines and refineries were built in Texas City, industrial growth blossomed, especially during World War II. Galvestons manufacturing sector, however, was stagnant during the 20th century. Galveston, traditionally an attractive tourist destination even before the storm, transformed itself into a major and this trend reached its height with the rise of the Maceo crime syndicate which controlled Galveston establishing a business empire based on gambling, bootlegging, and prostitution
3.
Harris County, Texas
–
Harris County is a county located in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,092,459, making it the most populous county in Texas and its county seat is Houston, the largest city in Texas and fourth-largest city in the United States. The county was founded in 1836 and organized in 1837 and it is named for John Richardson Harris, an early settler of the area. By the July 2016 Census Bureau estimate Harris Countys population had grown to 4,589,928, Harris County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area. John Richardson Harris, early Harris County settler and founder of Harrisburg, on May 7,1813, he married Jane Birdsall. John and Jane Birdsall Harris settled near Waterloo, New York, in 1819 they were living in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, where their daughter Mary Jane Harris Briscoe was born, a third son, John Birdsall Harris, was born in 1821. Genevieve Harris met Moses Austin and decided to move to Texas and he came to Texas in his own vessel in 1824 and received title to 4,428 acres of land at the junction of Brays and Buffalo bayous in what is now Harris County. He boarded with William Scott while he built a house on the peninsula between the bayous and a store and warehouse on Buffalo Bayou, in 1826 he employed Francis W. Johnson to lay out the town of Harrisburg. With his brother David Harris, John Harris established a trading post at Bells Landing on the Brazos River. Their sloops and schooners plied between Texas and New Orleans, One of these vessels, the Rights of Man, carried eighty-four bales of cotton to New Orleans in 1828. Harris was building a steam sawmill-gristmill at Harrisburg in 1829, when he went to New Orleans to buy equipment, after his death on August 21,1829, his sawmill and shipping enterprise were operated by his brothers David, Samuel, and William Plunkett Harris. His widow and son DeWitt moved to Texas in 1833, the children came later. Litigation over Harriss estate prevented Harrisburg from becoming the seat of the new Texas government in 1836, when Houston was named instead. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,777 square miles. Both its total area and land area are larger than the state of Rhode Island. 6% of Harris Countys population, black Americans made up 18. 9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0. 7% of Harris Countys population, Asian Americans made up 6. 2% of the population. Pacific Islander Americans made up just 0. 1% of the population, individuals from other races made up 14. 3% of the population, people from two or more races made up 3. 2% of the countys population
4.
Brazoria County, Texas
–
Brazoria County is a county in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population of the county was 313,166, Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas, regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southernmost fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a number of counties that are part of the known as the Texas Coastal Bend. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland, Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River. The county also includes what was once Velasco, Texas, which was the first capital of the Republic of Texas and it served as the first settlement area for Anglo-Texas, when the Old Three Hundred emigrated from the United States in 1821. Brazoria County, like Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River, Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austins authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a municipal district by the Mexican government. An early resident of Brazoria County, Joel Walter Robison, fought in the Texas Revolution, Stephen F. Austins original burial place is located at a church cemetery, Gulf Prairie Cemetery, in the town of Jones Creek, on what was his brother-in-laws Peach Point Plantation. His remains were exhumed in 1910 and brought to be reinterred at the capital in Austin. The town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, Temple Lea Houston, youngest son of Sam Houston, was c.1880 the county attorney of Brazoria County. His life story is reflected in the 1963 film The Man from Galveston, lake Jackson is a community developed beginning in the early 1940s to provide housing to workers at a new Dow Chemical Company plant in nearby Freeport. The county has elements of rural and suburban communities, as it is part of the Greater Houston area. On June 2,2016, the flooding of the Brazos River required evacuations for portions of Brazoria County. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,609 square miles. The population density was 174 people per square mile, there were 90,628 housing units at an average density of 65 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 77. 09% White,8. 50% Black or African American,0. 53% Native American,2. 00% Asian,0. 03% Pacific Islander,9. 63% from other races, and 2. 22% from two or more races
5.
Fort Bend County, Texas
–
Fort Bend County is a county in the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 585,375, the county seat is Richmond, while its largest city is Sugar Land. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year and it is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River, the fort was the start of the community in early days. Fort Bend County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area and it was listed by Forbes as the 5th fastest-growing county in the United States. Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Karankawa Indians, mexican colonists had generally not reached this area, settling more in south Texas. After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, Anglo-Americans started entering from the east, in 1822, a group of Stephen F. Austins colonists, headed by William Travis, built a fort at the present site of Richmond. The fort was called Fort Bend, since it was built in the bend of the Brazos River, the city of Richmond was incorporated under the Republic of Texas along with nineteen other towns in 1837. Fort Bend County was created from parts of Austin, Harris, Fort Bend developed a plantation economy based on cotton and, due to the high number of African-American slaves held as laborers, it was one of six majority-black counties in the state by the 1850s. In 1860 the slave population totaled 4,127, more than twice that of the 2,016 whites, there were very few free blacks, as Texas refused them entry. While the area began to attract immigrants in the late 19th century, it continued as majority black during and after Reconstruction, by the 1880s, most white residents belonged to the Democratic Party, but factional tensions were fierce, largely along racial lines. Fort Bend County was the site of the Jaybird–Woodpecker War in 1888-1889, governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross sent in militia forces and declared martial law. With his support, the Jaybirds ordered a list of certain blacks, the Jaybirds took over county offices and established a white-only pre-primary, disenfranchising the African Americans from the only competitive contests in the county. This device lasted until 1950 when Willie Melton and Arizona Fleming won a lawsuit against the practice in United States District Court, though it was overturned on appeal. In 1953 they ultimately won their suit when the Jaybird primary was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in Terry v. Adams, the last of the white primaries cases. In the middle 1950s, Fort Bend and neighboring Galveston counties were plagued by organized crime, a crusading newspaper editor, Clymer Wright of the Fort Bend Reporter, joined with state officials and the Texas Rangers to rid the area of such corruption. Wright defied death threats to report on the issues and clean up the community, Wright soon sold his paper, now known as the Fort Bend Herald and Texas Coaster. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of 885 square miles. Waller County Harris County Austin County Brazoria County Wharton County As of the census of 2000, there were 354,452 people,110,915 households, the population density was 405 people per square mile
6.
Texas
–
Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
7.
St. Mary Cathedral Basilica (Galveston, Texas)
–
St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, also known as St. Marys Cathedral Basilica is a Roman Catholic place of worship situated in Galveston, Texas. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Church in Texas, as well as a minor basilica. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, St. Marys serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese. In 1840, the Rev. John Timon, the newly appointed Apostolic Prefect of Texas, named fellow Vincentian priest Rev. John Odin, Odin embarked from New Orleans on a schooner bound for the Texas coast, arriving in Galveston early in 1841. There he found a community of Catholics eager to build a church for their small congregation, in the months that followed, Father Odin procured enough money to begin construction of a wooden-frame church. He was assisted in this venture by Colonel Michael B, Menard and Dr. Nicholas Labadie, prominent Galvestonians. Colonel Menard is to be remembered as one of the founders of the City of Galveston, on February 6,1842, one month before his consecration as a bishop, Odin dedicated the completed structure to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The small, rectangular building measured 22 feet, Odin, now the Apostolic Vicar of Texas, purchased a five-room cottage as the episcopal residence. He made an addition to the structure of a small sacristy. In 1845, Bishop Odin purchased 500,000 bricks from Belgium and he would use the bricks in the construction of his dream, a larger, permanent church. The little frame church was moved out into the street, the ceremony of laying the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 14. Father Timon came to Galveston for the event and preached the sermon before a large crowd, on May 4,1847 Pope Pius IX approved the establishment of the Diocese of Galveston and named Odin as its first bishop. On November 26,1848, the Cathedral was ready for dedication, once more Father John Timon was chosen as the principal speaker because of his close association with, and his pioneer work in the diocese. The Cathedral Basilica is notable as being one of the few buildings in Galveston that survived the devastating 1900 Galveston Hurricane with only minimal damage. Due to the growth in the City of Houston, in 1959 the Most Reverend Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of the diocese. This created a co-capital or see city in Houston, and Sacred Heart Church in Houston was named the Co-Cathedral of the Diocese and this did not change the status of Galveston as a see city nor St. Mary Cathedrals place in the Diocese. Since St. St. Mary Cathedral was named a Texas state historic landmark in 1968, Mary Cathedral to the status of a minor basilica. The Cathedral Basilica sustained significant water damage during Hurricane Ike in 2008 and was closed for repairs until Easter 2014, in 2009, the Archdiocese appointed a director of special projects to oversee the Cathedral Basilicas restoration
8.
Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Houston)
–
The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is a place of worship located at 1111 St. Joseph Parkway in downtown Houston. The co-cathedral seats 1,820 people in its 32, 000-square-foot sanctuary, together with the venerable St. Marys Cathedral Basilica in Galveston, Sacred Heart serves more than 1.2 million Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. In 1847, Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Galveston for the 20,000 Catholics who lived in the new state of Texas and this new diocese covered an area as large as France and was served by one bishop and ten missionary priests. Construction of the second St. Marys parish began in 1847 in Galveston, St. Marys was the first catholic Cathedral in the state of Texas and for over 100 years it was the only cathedral in the Diocese of Galveston. Because of its location, he chose Sacred Heart Church, built in 1911, to serve as co-cathedral. This did not change the status of the City of Galveston as an Episcopal see, however it did permit full pontifical ceremonies to be held in Houston, Marys to the status of Cathedral Basilica. The Reverend Thomas Keaney, became the first pastor of Sacred Heart Church, on March 11,1897, Keaney purchased property facing Pierce and Fannin Streets and architect Olle J. Lorehn drew plans for a gothic-style church. However, construction on Lorehns design would not begin until 1911, to serve the congregation in the interim, a small church was built on the corner of Pierce and San Jacinto Streets. Bishop Gallagher laid the cornerstone for the sanctuary on May 16,1897. On June 11,1911, Bishop Gallagher laid the cornerstone of the present Sacred Heart Church, the church was dedicated to God’s service on April 14,1912, at a final cost of $96,669. The new Sacred Heart Church accommodated 800 people, and was three stories, after the completion of the new Sacred Heart, the temporary church became the school building. Father Morgan J. Crow, the pastor of Sacred Heart, constructed a two-story. In 1922, the church building was demolished to make way for a new school building at a cost of $52,800. Monsignor Jerome A. Rapp, the pastor of Sacred Heart. His successor, Monsignor John J. Roach, installed heating and air-conditioning in 1953 and in 1954, expanded the parish footprint by acquiring adjacent property at Fannin. With this purchase, the owned a entire city block. Under Father Troy Gately, in December 2006, the Co-Cathedral parish purchased the former Federal Reserve Bank Building, adjacent to the new Co-Cathedral for $5,000,000, and named it Cathedral Centre. It will replace the 1922 Sacred Heart School building to classrooms, offices, parish hall, youth rooms, child care center, music rooms, library
9.
Immaculate Conception
–
The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was conceived by normal biological means in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, but God acted upon her soul, keeping it immaculate. The Immaculate Conception is commonly confused with the Virgin Birth of Jesus, jesuss birth is covered by the Doctrine of Incarnation, while the Immaculate Conception deals with the conception of Mary, not that of her son. The defined dogma of the Immaculate Conception regards original sin only, therefore, being always free from original sin, the doctrine teaches that from her conception Mary received the sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. The definition makes no declaration about the Churchs belief that the Blessed Virgin was sinless in the sense of freedom from actual or personal sin, however, the Church holds that Mary was also sinless personally, free from all sin, original or personal. The doctrine of the conception is not to be confused with the virginal conception of her son Jesus. This misunderstanding of the immaculate conception is frequently met in the mass media. Catholics believe that Mary was not the product of a virginal conception herself but was the daughter of a father and mother, traditionally known by the names of Saint Joachim. In 1677, the Holy See condemned the belief that Mary was virginally conceived, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, exactly nine months before celebrating the Nativity of Mary. The feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on 25 March, nine months before Christmas Day, another misunderstanding is that, by her immaculate conception, Mary did not need a saviour. When defining the dogma in Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX explicitly affirmed that Mary was redeemed in a more sublime. He stated that Mary, rather than being cleansed after sin, was prevented from contracting Original Sin in view of the foreseen merits of Jesus Christ. In Luke 1,47, Mary proclaims, My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour and this is referred to as Marys pre-redemption by Christ. A feast of the Conception of the Most Holy and All Pure Mother of God was celebrated in Syria on 8 December perhaps as early as the 5th century, note that the title of achrantos refers to the holiness of Mary, not specifically to the holiness of her conception. Marys complete sinlessness and concomitant exemption from any taint from the first moment of her existence was a familiar to Greek theologians of Byzantium. Beginning with St. St. Gregory Nazianzen designated Mary as prokathartheisa, gregorys doctrines surrounding Marys purification were likely related to the burgeoning commemoration of the Mother of God in and around Constantinople very close to the date of Christmas. Nazianzens title of Mary at the Annunciation as prepurified was subsequently adopted by all interested in his Mariology to justify the Byzantine equivalent of the Immaculate Conception. This is especially apparent in the Fathers St. Sophronios of Jerusalem and St. John Damascene, about the time of Damascene, the public celebration of the Conception of St. Ann was becoming popular. It is admitted that the doctrine as defined by Pius IX was not explicitly mooted before the 12th century and it is also agreed that no direct or categorical and stringent proof of the dogma can be brought forward from Scripture
10.
Pope Francis
–
Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City. He chose Francis as his name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentinas provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and he led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on Gods mercy, concern for the poor, populist causes and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He maintains that the church should be open and welcoming. He does not support unbridled capitalism, Marxism, or Marxist versions of liberation theology, Francis maintains the traditional views of the church regarding abortion, euthanasia, contraception, homosexuality, ordination of women, and priestly celibacy. He opposes consumerism, irresponsible development, and supports taking action on climate change, in international diplomacy, he helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the U. S. and Cuba. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on 17 December 1936 in Flores and he was the eldest of five children of Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori. Mario Bergoglio was an Italian immigrant accountant born in Portacomaro in Italys Piedmont region, Regina Sívori was a housewife born in Buenos Aires to a family of northern Italian origin. Mario Josés family left Italy in 1929, to escape the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini, María Elena Bergoglio, the Popes only living sibling, confirmed that their emigration was not for economic reasons. His other siblings were Alberto Horacio, Oscar Adrián and Marta Regina, two great-nephews, Antonio and Joseph, died in a traffic collision. In the sixth grade, Bergoglio attended Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles and he attended the technical secondary school Escuela Técnica Industrial N°27 Hipólito Yrigoyen, named after a past President of Argentina, and graduated with a chemical technicians diploma. He worked for a few years in that capacity in the section at Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory where his boss was Esther Ballestrino. Before joining the Jesuits, Bergoglio worked as a bar bouncer and as a janitor sweeping floors, in the only known health crisis of his youth, at the age of 21 he suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts. He had part of a lung excised shortly afterwards, Bergoglio has been a lifelong supporter of San Lorenzo de Almagro football club. Bergoglio is also a fan of the films of Tita Merello, neorealism, Bergoglio found his vocation to the priesthood while he was on his way to celebrate the Spring Day. He passed by a church to go to confession, and was inspired by the priest
United States
.jpg)
