<span>The first thing that the states (former colonies) did after the Declaration of Independence was the following: </span>
The west African Kingdom of Mali grew in wealth and power by controlling the trading of gold and salt.
Matthew begins by calling Jesus the son of David, indicating his royal origin, and also son of Abraham, indicating that he was an Israelite; both are stock phrases, in which son means descendant, calling to mind the promises God made to David and to Abraham.
It would be "England" and "Germany" that have large populations of Protestants, due mostly to the fact that the Protestant Reformation actually began in what is now Germany, and quickly spread north.