American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America

Colin Woodard

Penguin, Sep 25, 2012 - History - 400 pages

• A New Republic Best Book of the Year • The Globalist Top Books of the Year • Winner of the Maine Literary Award for Non-fiction •

Particularly relevant in understanding who voted for who in this presidential election year, this is an endlessly fascinating look at American regionalism and the eleven “nations” that continue to shape North America

According to award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, North America is made up of eleven distinct nations, each with its own unique historical roots. In American Nations he takes readers on a journey through the history of our fractured continent, offering a revolutionary and revelatory take on American identity, and how the conflicts between them have shaped our past and continue to mold our future. From the Deep South to the Far West, to Yankeedom to El Norte, Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) reveals how each region continues to uphold its distinguishing ideals and identities today, with results that can be seen in the composition of the U.S. Congress or on the county-by-county election maps of any hotly contested election in our history.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Dirt006 - LibraryThing

I listened to this as an audiobook, which was definitely the right way to go as most of the book is a dry recounting of historical events in the context of the cultural nations. The actual book might ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - PattyLee - LibraryThing

The subject matter for this book is fascinating. I’ve taken tons of history courses, but after reading certain key books, including this one, it is clear we teach mythology rather than history in U.S ...

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• 1590 to 1769: 21
• Founding El Norte: 23
• Founding New France: 34
• Founding Tidewater: 44
• Founding Yankeedom: 57
• Founding New Netherland: 65
• The Colonies First Revolt: 73
• Founding the Deep South: 82
• Founding the Midlands: 92
• Founding Greater Appalachia: 101
• 1770 to 1815: 113
• A Common Struggle: 115
• Six Wars of Liberation: 127
• Independence or Revolution?: 141
• Nations in the North: 150
• First Secessionists: 157
• 1816 to 1877: 171
• Yankeedom Spreads West: 173
• The Midlands Spread West: 183
• Appalachia Spreads West: 189
• The Deep South Spreads West: 200
• Conquering El Norte: 208
• Founding the Left Coast: 216
• War for the West: 224
• 1878 to 2010: 241
• Founding the Far West: 243
• Immigration and Identity: 254
• Gods and Missions: 263
• Culture Clash: 274
• War Empire and the Military: 285
• The Struggle for Power I The Blue Nations: 295
• The Struggle for Power II The Red and the Purple: 302
• Epilogue: 314
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND SUGGESTED READING: 323
• NOTES: 327
• INDEX: 355

About the author

Colin Woodard is a Maine native and the author of Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas. He is a regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bibliographic information

• Title: American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
• Author: Colin Woodard
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Penguin, 2012
• ISBN: 0143122029, 9780143122029
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: History / Historical Geography; History / North America; Social Science / Human Geography