The American Civil War transformed how Americans understood and described their country. The “United States” shifted from a plural to a singular noun (as measured by the contents of newspapers and congressional speeches). This shift was largely driven by the discourse of Northern Republicans.
cambridge.orgSubmitted by smurfyjenkins t3_11mt3gh in science
Discount_gentleman t1_jbl0jtn wrote
Was this not well known? I learned this in junior high ("the United States went into the Civil War a plural and came out a singular"). It was an intentional process that was understood at the time.