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.

-From the CIA World Fact Web Site, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook

In March 2006, the U.S. Office opened in Portland, Oregon.  Affiliated with Portland State University's Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, the office is located in the College of Urban Studies and Planning Building.  The local mission is to raise awareness, advise local and federal law enforcement and government on trafficking related issues, and help integrate an academic perspective into the fight against human trafficking.