American Nations

[elfdream]

American Nations

First of all I admit I'm a bit of a history geek. I also admit that I do at times indulge in a bit of revisionist history. I don't always believe it but I do read it from time to time. Whether this falls into that category or not would be a good debate.

Why are the different regions in American so different? Why is the Pacific Northwest so much like the Northeast culturally and politically? Why was the South for so long resistant to change? Why did the Scots-Irish retreat into their own world in Appalachia for so long? What positives/negatives did each group bring to the table?

The folks from New England (the author calls this Yankeeland) brought us the concept of the town hall. Breaking away from monarchical aristocracy. Democracy. Sounds good except for that little problem of religious intolerance. New Amsterdam (New York) was a merchant paradise. Multi-cultural. Everyone got along except they introduced slavery. The Scots Irish, whom he calls Borderlanders were tough and independent. The first to go into battle and the first to settle the wilderness. They were a buffer against the Indians but unfortunately they could also be the most absolute hard headed jack-asses at times. (I speak as a descendant-one line on my mom's side). There was the Tidewater which was settled by the younger sons of English aristocracy. They brought culture, refinement and a feudal system. The Deep South was an out and out caste system settled by English who came by way of Jamaica and Bermuda. Then there were the Midlanders. Germans mostly who just wanted to farm and do their jobs and be left alone.

I can tell you that growing up in the south I often wondered why my family was so different from the other southerners around us. We were like a people apart and I discovered from doing family history that our family came from New England and were for the most part, Quakers. That influence went down through the generations and for whatever reason stayed with them. This book just reaffirmed what I was thinking.


The author also explained the 'why' of why some Southerners in Appalachia stayed loyal to the England at the time of Revolution then remained loyal Union during the Civil war. It was simple. They hated the people in the Tidewater. If they were for one thing then the Borderlanders took the other side. According to him those kinds of regional divides helped shape our history and are still shaping it today.

It also explores the same developments that took place in Canada over time.

The reason I mention it here on this forum is because it also delves into the role religion played in each region. Presbyterians, Anglicans, Catholics and the 'new' sects in the south. The author goes into detail about southern Protestantism and touches on the influences of fundamentalism in the south, the rise of the religious right and mentions yes...Bob Jones and friends.

Good read if you are into history both secular AND religious. A bit of an eye opener at times.

[myotch]

My family - both sides - trickled to Georgia through Appalachia. We are Scotch-Welsh, with some Irish and Indian thrown in.

What I found intriguing was that, while in Appalachia, the more British kept to Elizabethan and pre-Elizibethan English language - words and turns of phrase. Wonderfully surprising that "ain't" is absolutely the Queen's English - a fact I enjoy telling the grammar nazis when they correct my sometimes redneck patter.

I'm convinced that the American South is so different politically because the warmer climate and milder winters allow us to not be quite so "collectivist" in regards to neighbor's needs. The further north you go, the less focus on individual property ownership and more focus on government or community solutions to individual problems. Heck, if I had to live through Boston winters, I'd probably not mind at all chipping in to make sure everyone in the area has a warm home to go to at night, and food on the table. (that I wouldn't mind this probably shows more than a little Catholic conviction as well - which is also very interesting).

[bean]

I found the regional differences eye opening when I traveled to the deep south two years ago.
I am a northerner. My family was late coming here...Norwegian immigrants who settled on the wind swept great plains in the late 1860s!
Sounds like a good book. I'll have to check it out.