A nation is a group of people who share— or believe they share— a common culture, ethnic origin, language, historical experience, artifacts, and symbols. Some nations are presently stateless— the Kurdish, Palestinian , or Québécois nations, for instance.
The lines on the map slash through cohesive cultures, creating massive cultural fissures in states like Maryland, Oregon, or New York, whose residents have often found they have more in common with their neighbors in other states than they do with one another.
Definitions of the Nations (highlights added on traits relevant to biopolitics):
Yankeedom was founded on the shores of Massachusetts Bay by radical Calvinists. Most interested in education, Local political control, and the pursuit of the "greater good" of the community, even if it meant self-denial. Yankees have the greatest faith in the potential of government to improve people's lives, see it as an extension of the citizenry. Value social engineering and the middle class. Citizen involvement in government. aggressive assimilation of foreigners. It is centered in New England, ranging from upper New York State to the northern strips of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana , Illinois, and Iowa; parts of the eastern Dakotas; and on up into Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Canadian Maritimes.
New Netherland- the greater New York City area. Values commercial trading, Multi-ethnic, Multi-religious, speculative, materialistic, mercantile, free-trading. Not entirely democratic. Functions much as a city-state. a profound tolerance of diversity, commitment to the freedom of inquiry. Spans New York City, the lower Hudson River, Northern New Jersey, Western Long Island, and Southwestern Connecticut.
Midlands (heartlands)- Pluralistic and organized around the middle-class , ethnic and ideological purity have never been a priority, government has been seen as an unwelcome intrusion, and political opinion has been moderate, even apathetic, extremely skeptical of top-down governmental intervention, began in Pennsylvania, spans southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware, Maryland, Central Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Northern Missouri, Most of Iowa, Eastern half of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Also extends into Canada, in southern Ontario.
Tidewater- Fundamentally conservative. Values respect for authority, tradition. Does not value equality or public participation in politics. Settled by wealthy aristocrats seeking to create a "country gentleman's paradise" who brought along their indentured servants.
Greater Appalachia- this culture had formed in a state of near-constant war and upheaval, fostering a warrior ethic and a deep commitment to individual liberty and personal sovereignty. Intensely suspicious of aristocrats and social reformers.
The Deep South - Founded by Barbados slave lords as a west indies-style society. the least democratic of the nations, a one-party entity where race remains the primary determinant of one’s political affiliations. Spans the southern lowlands, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Western Tennessee, Southeastern parts of North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas
New France- Most overtly Nationalistic of the Nations. Down-to-earth, egalitarian, and consensus-driven, The most liberal voters on the continent. multiculturalism and negotiated consensus are treasured. Spans the lower third of Quebec, Northern and Northeastern Brunswick, Cajun enclaves of Southern Louisiana. (New Orleans being a mix of New France and Deep South)
El Norte- Overwhelmingly Hispanic, straddling the American-Mexican border. Norteños (“ northerners”) have a well-earned reputation for being more independent, self-sufficient , adaptable, and work-centered than Mexicans from the more densely populated hierarchical society of the Mexican core. encompasses south and west Texas, southern California and the Imperial Valley, southern Arizona, most of New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, as well as the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California.
The Left Coast- (We know this best as Cascadia, and the author, in fact, mentions this movement. But I'll layout the region as he describes it) A long strip from Monterrey, California to Juneau, Alaska. Includes decidedly four progressive metropolises: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver B.C. Combines the Yankee good faith in Government and Social reform with a commitment to self-exploration and discovery.
The Far West- Settlement was only possible with the help of large corporations due to lack of natural resources and thus remains an semi-dependant nation. tends to revile the federal government for interfering in its affairs while demanding it continue to receive federal largesse. rarely challenges its corporate masters, Encompasses the interior West, Northern Arizona, interiors of California, Washington, and Oregon, much of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alaska; portions of Yukon and the Northwest Territories; the arid western halves of the Dakotas, Nebraska , and Kansas; and all or nearly all of Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.
First Nation- Made up of Indigenous peoples of North America, these people can survive in barren environments on their own terms. First Nation is rapidly taking control of vast portions of what were previously the northern fringes of the Far West, including much of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Labrador; the entirety of Nunavut and Greenland; the northern tier of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta; much of northwestern British Columbia; and the northern two-thirds of Québec.
Woodard then goes into how many of these differences- and even the borders of the regions- can be spotted on political strategy maps, dialect charts, county votes, and many other. He writes "California is split into three nations, and the divide is visible, plain as day, on a map of which counties voted for or against same-sex marriage in 2008. " So my inquiry isn't exactly ground-breaking, but I do think it will be interesting to look at it through a bio-politics lens.
All Content on this post:
Woodard, Colin (2011-09-29). American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (Kindle Locations 105-107). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.
Other notes:
I noticed Woodard's work is suddenly making the rounds on the internet today, which is funny, and makes me talking about this less interesting to my friends. On the up-side, somebody put together a better map, so now I won't have to do that. Perhaps I can check mid-week to see if anyone has made anymore substantial criticisms, seeing as this work has received some more attention.
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