American Nations: A History of Eleven Rival Regional Cultures by Colin Woodard There’s no denying a deep social divide exists in the United States. Most anyone in the country has asked, “Who in their right mind could think that?” when reading or listening to the latest national news. The feeling is universal and independent of where one’s political beliefs fall on the ever-widening political spectrum in the United States. I turned to Colin Woodard’s book with the goal of gaining more insight into the regional and social divides prevalent in the U.S. today. Woodard’s primary argument is that the United States is not a single nation-state but rather a state composed of multiple nations. The book can be divided into three main sections: the foundation of the different nations, historical rivalry between the nations and the present expression of these nations in modern politics. “American Nations” lays out the differences among the different groups of Europeans who settled North America, with emphasis on the United States. The reader is reminded of the importance and lasting impact of French, Spanish and Dutch settlements in addition to the British settlements. The author outlines how British settlement varied as distinct subgroups from the […]
