Critical Essay on American Nations by Colin Woodard

American Nations by Colin Woodward is an attempt at providing a better understanding of US politics, culture and history. the author looks at the history of not only the United States, but the whole continent of North America to provide the reader with a better understanding of the cultures, the rivalries and the alliances in the region that have shaped the politics to what it is today. It is from this understanding that the book presents an explanation on why the American values and cultures differ from one region to the next. It is why for instance, the definition and idea of freedom as understood by an East Texan or a native of Idaho can mean an entirely different thing especially from the perspective of either a San Franciscan or a New Englander. The author identifies how the differences at an intra-national level have played a crucial role at all through the history of North America and in particularly, the US politics up until the 2016 elections (Woodard 1-313). The book is a revelation of some sort on America and its identity and how these conflicts that exist among the nations identified in the book have had an effect in US politics today. This book report is an attempt at illuminating the book and giving a better understanding from my point of view as a reader.

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Introduction

It is important to first consider the main agenda of the book as it draws on a map that separates the continent of North America particularly the three federations: the US, Canada and Mexico. Rather than looking at these nations, and the boundaries that define them today, the book identifies that there has never been one America but several Americas. Even though these boundaries that exist today constitute the legal entities of the states that are important for political powers, they mask and hide the real powers that provide the true continent affairs. As such, the author has identified 11 stateless nations of North America that hold the true meaning of politics, voting patterns, and results particularly in the US. These states include: Yankeedom, New Netherland, the Midlands, Tidewater, Greater Appalachia, Deep South, New France, El Norte, The Left Coast, The Far West, and the First Nation. These explain why there have been deep divisions ever since the days of Jamestown and Plymouth (Woodard 1-21).

They also identify why some regions championed individualism whereas others were for the utopian social reforms. It also explains why some believe in being guided by divine purpose while others look and promote the freedom of inquiry and conscience. It is why some regions embraced ethnic and religious pluralism while others identified themselves with Anglo-Saxon Protestant identities. Other regions valued democratic participation and equality while others were all for the deference of the traditional aristocratic order. Even though they came together to form the US, these differences still exist as the regions still uphold their respective values and ideals to this day. Indeed, this can be evidenced in the composition of the US congress or by taking a look at the county-by-county election maps during the elections over the past two centuries (Woodard 1-12).

Indeed, the author takes us far back into the history and origins of the American nations by identifying that the original North American colonies were constituted of settlements by distinct regions constituted by settlers from the European nations of Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Each of these had their own distinct religious practices, political inclination and ethnographic characters that defined them. All through North American colonial period, these regions regarded each other as competitors and to some extent as enemies. They only came together to win a revolution and create a joint government occasioned by Britain's regard of the region as a single unit and their insistence on enacting policies that were meant to guide the single unit by placing it under imperial rule threatening the other colonies (Woodard 12-22).

Part 1

Chapter 1: The first part of the book begins with an identification of how these regions came to be or simply the origins of the eleven American Nations. It constitutes a large segment of the book considering its importance towards the true image of American classification. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI offered the Western Hemisphere to Spain with the condition that Spain would spread Catholicism to the new area converting everyone in their wake and train them in good morals. America was at the time inhabited by indigenous locals who had different cultures and a better living standard as compared to Europe at the time. Thus, they were more in number, and at the time, the Americas had a fifth of the world's population. However, they were not warriors and did not know the art of war. As such, the inhabitants died even before the Spanish invasion. Spain focused on converting protestant Europe, acquired a huge army and navies for this purpose. However, they were largely unsuccessful which led to 100 years of war with the Spanish heavily weakened, and its empire is decaying. The other European nations hated Spain and El Norte the new found Spanish territory, and this is evidenced in the cultures of Appalachia, Yankeedom, the Deep South, and Tidewater. Anti-Mexican racism that is existent today can be traced back to this period (Woodard 23-33).

Chapter 2: 1604 saw 79 Frenchmen in two vessels settle in Maine. They envisioned a feudal rural French society with Catholicism as the official religion although French Protestants were allowed to practice their faith freely. This was the founding of New France. The French were all about assimilating the indigenous tribes into Christianity rather than ostracizing them and driving them away like the Spanish, and the English did. They even intermarried with the locals. The winter nearly killed the French although their policy of friendly relationships saved them. Even with the success of their policy, the colony grew slowly, and they were never able to challenge the English and Protestant nations to the South (Woodard 34-43).

Chapter 3: The English arrived a few years after the French and chose to base around James River. They were not farmers and expected the locals to farm for them which they did not. Their settlement was so dirty with malarial swamps and garbage that more than 60% of those who made the first voyage did not survive the first winter. Wave after wave of settlers arrived and the same happened. Indeed, between 1607 and 1624, approximately 7200 English settlers arrived, but only 1200 survived. Even with that, the English were successful because of the discovery of tobacco which they planted and exported. The English Civil War saw them move to Tidewater area where they continued to grow. At the time, freedom was guaranteed although indentured servants were treated poorly. The Tidewater gentry however gradually chose to follow and embrace Republicanism model after Rome and Greece. It based largely on slaveholding, and towards the 1680s, slaves were commonplace and became the property of their masters (Woodard 44-56).

Chapter 4: Yankeedom was founded from Tidewater by men from New England who opposed all ideals that Tidewater stood for. Their argument was that they did not move from England to recreate a rural English life but rather a completely new society from the aristocratic, nobility, and the Anglican Church from back home. They were all about forming a new Zion based on John Calvin teachings. The Puritans settled in Massachusetts in the 1630s. To enter society, one needed to be a Calvinist which was proven through testing. The Yankee settlers were middle-class families that were well educated and had equality in material wealth. None was entitled huge tracts of lands and believed in equality. Indeed, the Yankeedom was vastly successful and grew more and more (Woodard 57-64).

Chapter 5: New Netherland was designed as a trading center by the Dutch East India Company who were interested in a trade. They were all about money and engaged in any undertaking that had a monetary value attached to it with disregard about its moral or ethical connotation. It is no wonder the first slave trade happened here and remained till 1860. The Dutch lost their colony to the British although they regained it but later lost it again. The British acted under James, the Duke of York who was King Charles' brother. Hence, they renamed it New York which is its name to date (Woodard 65-72).

Chapter 6: The Glorious revolution that saw King Charles overthrown by William of Orange led to the colonies' first revolt in the 1680s. It involved the Tidewater, New Yorkers and New Englanders who were clamoring for authority over the colonies. The colonies differed in acknowledging and paying allegiance to William. It led to the growth of insurgencies all over the Americas (Woodard 73-81).

Chapter 7: The Deep South was founded by sons and grandsons of the founder of Barbados which was an English colony at the time. They were hell bent in replicating the West Indian slave trade and treated their slaves worse than in other locations. Indeed, so bad was the treatment that as compared to Tidewater whose slaves replaced themselves over time through natural birth, Barbados planters imported slaves to replenish those lost in the island. However, the island became tiny for the plantations, and they were forced to move to the east coast of North America where they settled and formed the Deep South (Woodard 82-91).

Chapter 8: The Midlands according to the author was founded by William Penn, a rich Quaker who got land from King Charles as a debt settlement to his late father. The land was called Pennsylvania and had economic success in its early years. Pennsylvania's Quaker run government was a disaster as it identified everyone to be innately good since they were Christian. They allowed for self-governance and discipline which proved to be a disaster and led to the formation of splinter groups such as the Delaware colony in 1704 and 1717. These incoming Irish and Scottish settlers were more violent and led to a series of raids that angered and dismayed the Quakers (Woodard 92-100).

Chapter 9: Greater Appalachia was the last colony made of refugees from Scotland, Ireland, and England. They arrived from the British Isles landing in Philadelphia. They preferred living in the countryside because the city was prone to attacks as they had witnessed during the wars. Appalachia regarded whiskey as the currency, and it allowed for a lifestyle of indulgence and pleasure that was condemned by outsiders. They fought for their border and had no allegiance to whoever only fighting side by side with whoever fit into their reason for fighting which was their Klansman's freedom. These patterns especially during the revolution defined Appalachia to what it is today (Woodard 101-113) Chapter 1: The first part of the book begins with an identification of how these regions came to be or simply the origins of the eleven American Nations. It constitutes a large segment of the book considering its importance towards the true image of American classification. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI offered the Western Hemisphere to Spain with the condition that Spain would spread Catholicism to the new area converting everyone in their wake and train them in good morals. America was at the time inhabited by indigenous locals who had different cultures and a better living standard as compared to Europe at the time. Thus, they were more in number, and at the time, the Americas had a fifth of the world's population. However, they were not warriors and did not know the art of war. As such, the inhabitants died even before the Spanish invasion. Spain focused on converting protestant Europe, acquired a huge army and navies for this purpose. However, they were larg...