DOCSLIB.ORG

The Routledge History of the American South Southern Identity

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Routledge History of the American South Southern Identity This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 25 Sep 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK The Routledge History of the American South Maggi M. Morehouse Southern Identity Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315768076.ch3 Orville Vernon Burton, Anderson R. Rouse Published online on: 20 Jul 2017 How to cite :- Orville Vernon Burton, Anderson R. Rouse. 20 Jul 2017, Southern Identity from: The Routledge History of the American South Routledge Accessed on: 25 Sep 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315768076.ch3 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. 3 SOUTHERN IDENTITY Orville Vernon Burton and Anderson R. Rouse In Go Set a Watchmen, Harper Lee describes a confrontation between Jean Louise (“Scout”) and Uncle Jack, Atticus’s brother. In a scenario doubtlessly familiar to many scholars of the South, after Jean Louise had the temerity to suggest that southerners fought the Civil War because of “the slaves and tariffs and things,” Uncle Jack attempts to explain to his wayward relative the real reason for the Civil War. He asserts that the South “was . a nation with its own people, existing within a nation,” and insists that southerners “fought to preserve their identity.” 1 Uncle Jack describes the whole of southern history from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement as a struggle for identity. Many white southerners have believed, and continue to believe, that their identity is under attack. In the summer of 2015, Michael Hill, the president of the League of the South, condemned calls for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from public memorials and retailers’ shelves, declaring that “the Confederate battle flag . is not merely an historical banner that represents the South. It is a shorthand symbol of our very ethnic identity as a distinct people— Southerners.” 2 Belief in southern nationhood and identity has influenced the course of southern history, and continues to shape political discourse in the South. Considering the significance of the idea of southern identity, it can be surprisingly difficult to describe. As David L. Smiley observes, “in the quest of Southern history in America the central theme has been the quest for the central theme.” Nevertheless, he notes, in the search for southern identity “there was the axiomatic acceptance of the belief that there was in fact an American South.”3 The idea of a distinctive South, and with it, a distinct southern identity, has increasingly been challenged by historians and other scholars of the South. As the South has become increasingly “Americanized,” attempts to define southern identity have become increasingly fraught. In defining southern identity, it may be helpful first to define identity. James C. Cobb, in Away Down South , his history of southern identity, provides what might be described as a “common- sense” definition of identity, declaring that “identity typically refers to a perception of reality rather than reality itself,” and noting that “identities have not existed in isolation, but always in relation to other perceived oppositional identities.”4 As psychologist Jean Phinney observed in 1990, there are no finite definitions or measurements of ethnic identity. She con- tends that identity is not rigid, but rather constructed and constantly experiencing modifications. Social psychologist Henri Tajfel’s theory of social identity suggests that identity is closely linked to an individual’s self-concept. Psychologists Joseph E. Trimble and Ryan Dickson note that 40 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 22:19 25 Sep 2021; For: 9781315768076, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315768076.ch3 Southern Identity identities are also dependent on context and situation. Identity, then, should be understood to be a perception of self, or a self- conception. Identity is shaped by context and situation, and influ- enced by other opposing identities. Finally, identity is constructed, and the act of defining one’s identity is a political act, with important ramifications for relationships with other members of the social or ethnic group and relationships with those in the “outgroup.” While southern identity is closely linked to place, “southernness” is not determined solely by being located in the South. John Shelton Reed contends that “southerner” is a regional group, rather than a “mere geographical category,” since it “enlists the identification of its members” and “serves then as a reference group, to which they belong.” He observes that “members of a group may believe that they share certain characteristics that set them off from others, and this belief, whether accurate or not, can serve as a basis for identification.”5 David Smiley believes “the idea of the South is real”; rather than “a collection of folkways or cultural distinctive,” the South, and by extension, southern identity, “is an idea.” Thus, Smiley contends that people who believe they are southern are, in fact, southern. Southern identity is based on the perception of shared char- acteristics, rather than inherent similarities, and, like other identities, is based on an individual’s decision to be a part of a social group. The slogan “American by birth, Southern by the grace of God” is more perceptive than one might suspect; claiming a southern identity has much in common with converting to a religion. Even though “southerner” is often used unthinkingly to refer to white southerners, this usage is problematic. By assuming that southerners are all white, historians and other scholars of the South normalize whiteness and ignore the experiences of other southerners. Pippi Holloway, in her introduction for Other Souths , reminds readers that “the South is composed of individuals from different races, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and cultures.” 6 Race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation shape the way that southerners interpret their relationship with southern identity. James Cobb notes that a common past is foundational to a sense of identity; however, while black and white southerners share a past, they do not agree on the interpretation of the past. White southerners and African American southerners experience southern identity differ- ently. While for white southerners their identity as southerners can become a kind of symbolic ethnicity, for black southerners their identity as African Americans eclipses any regional identity. For black southerners, Edward L. Ayers contends, the South is “a place to love and a place to hate, a place impossible to figure out.”7 Recognizing the different ways southerners have reinterpreted, claimed, or rejected southernness is essential to understanding how southern identity has changed over time (see Figure 3.1 ). James Oakes and Charles Grier state the obvious: southerners are Americans. Nevertheless, southerners and the South are often subjected to a kind of internal “othering,” and compared negatively to American society in general. Characterizations of the South reflect the aspirations of American society. Political geographer David Jannson believes American identity is sometimes constructed as opposite to southern identity. This positive national construct is built alongside a negative southern identity. Criticism of the South by other Americans has had important ramifications for both south- ern and American identity. Southerners and other Americans have vastly different perceptions of the South. Ayers highlights the contradiction between southerners’ affection for Dixie and most Americans’ negative reaction to the South, noting that while to most Americans “the whole South appears to be a vast saucer of unpleasant associations,” to southerners “the South- ern Trough is a sheltered valley, shielded from the most corrosive effects of Yankee greed and rudeness.”8 He contends that southerners are different and this difference provides a counter to national identity. Ayers asserts that American national identity benefits from comparisons to southern identity; the latter reflects “evil tendencies overcome,” and growth and progress under 41 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 22:19 25 Sep 2021; For: 9781315768076, chapter3, 10.4324/9781315768076.ch3 Orville Vernon Burton and Anderson R. Rouse Figure 3.1 James “Son” Thomas sitting on the porch of his home displaying some of his sculptures. Sculptures include a “hepcat,” George Washington, a Chinese man with glasses, faces, and a cat with whiskers. Leland, MS, 1973. The William R. Ferris Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill., http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ferris/id/364/rec/124. development. Southern identity is mythical but meaningful. Even though southernness is con- structed, the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Civil War Differences Between the North and South Geography of The
    Differences Between the North and The Civil War South Geography of the North Geography of the South • Climate – frozen winters; hot/humid summers • Climate – mild winters; long, hot, humid summers • Natural features: • Natural features: − coastline: bays and harbors – fishermen, − coastline: swamps and shipbuilding (i.e. Boston) marshes (rice & sugarcane, − inland: rocky soil – farming hard; turned fishing) to trade and crafts (timber for − inland: indigo, tobacco, & shipbuilding) corn − Towns follow rivers inland! Economy of the North Economy of the South • MORE Cities & Factories • Agriculture: Plantations and Slaves • Industrial Revolution: Introduction of the Machine − White Southerners made − products were made cheaper and faster living off the land − shift from skilled crafts people to less skilled − Cotton Kingdom – Eli laborers Whitney − Economy BOOST!!! •cotton made slavery more important •cotton spread west, so slavery increases 1 Transportation of the North Transportation of the South • National Road – better roads; inexpensive way • WATER! Southern rivers made water travel to deliver products easy and cheap (i.e. Mississippi) • Ships & Canals – river travels fast; steamboat • Southern town sprang up along waterways (i.e. Erie Canal) • Railroad – steam-powered machine (fastest transportation and travels across land ) Society of the North – industrial, urban Society of the South – life agrarian, rural life • Maine to Iowa • Black Northerners − free but not equal (i.e. segregation) • Maryland to Florida & west to Texas − worked
    [Show full text]
  • Land Use Legacies and the Future of Southern Appalachia
    Society and Natural Resources, 19:175-190 Taylor & Francis Copyright 02006 Taylor & Francis LLC ,,&F,Grn", ISSN: 0894-1920 print/ 1521-0723 online 0 DOI: 10.1080/08941920500394857 Land Use Legacies and the Future of Southern Appalachia TED L. GRAGSON Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA PAUL V. BOLSTAD Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Southern Appalachian forests have apparently recovered from extractive land use practices during the 19th and 20th centuries, yet the legacy of this use endures in terrestrial and aquatic systems of the region. Thefocus on shallow time or the telling of stories about the past circumscribes the ability to anticipate the most likely out- comes of the trajectory of changeforecast for the Southeast as the "Old South" con- tinues its transformation into the "New South." We review land use research of the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project that addresses the nature and extent of past andpresent human land use, how land use has affected the struc- ture and function of terrestrial and aquatic communities, and the forces guiding the anticipated trajectory of change. Unlike development in the western or northeastern regions of the United States, the southeastern region has few practical, political, or geographical boundaries to the urban sprawl that is now developing. Keywords aquatic communities, land use, land-use decision making, legacy, reforestation, southern Appalachia, terrestrial communities, urban sprawl In different locations around the world and for diverse reasons, lands once dedicated to extractive use have been abandoned and forest vegetation has expanded (e.g., Foster 1992).
    [Show full text]
  • The Perceptions of Race and Identity in Birmingham
    SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Capstone Collection SIT Graduate Institute Spring 5-25-2014 The eP rceptions of Race and Identity in Birmingham: Does 50 Years Forward Equal Progress? Lisa Murray SIT Graduate Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones Part of the Political History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, and the Social History Commons Recommended Citation Murray, Lisa, "The eP rceptions of Race and Identity in Birmingham: Does 50 Years Forward Equal Progress?" (2014). Capstone Collection. 2658. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/2658 This Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Graduate Institute at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Perceptions of Race and Identity in Birmingham: Does 50 Years Forward Equal Progress? Lisa Jane Murray PIM 72 A Capstone Paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding at SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. May 25, 2014 Advisor: John Ungerleider I hereby grant permission for World Learning to publish my capstone on its websites and in any of its digital/electronic collections, and to reproduce and transmit my CAPSTONE ELECTRONICALLY. I understand that World Learning’s websites and digital collections are publicly available via the Internet. I agree that World Learning is NOT responsible for any unauthorized use of my capstone by any third party who might access it on the Internet or otherwise.
    [Show full text]
  • Private Schools for Blacks in Early Twentieth Century Richmond, Virginia
    W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2016 Private Schools for Blacks in Early Twentieth Century Richmond, Virginia Sharron Smith College of William and Mary, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Sharron, "Private Schools for Blacks in Early Twentieth Century Richmond, Virginia" (2016). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1477068460. http://doi.org/10.21220/S2D30T This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Private Schools for Blacks in Early Twentieth Century Richmond, Virginia Sharron Renee Smith Richmond, Virginia Master of Liberal Arts, University of Richmond, 2004 Bachelor of Arts, Mary Baldwin College, 1989 A Thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the College of William and Mary in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History The College of William and Mary August, 2016 © Copyright by Sharron R. Smith ABSTRACT The Virginia State Constitution of 1869 mandated that public school education be open to both black and white students on a segregated basis. In the city of Richmond, Virginia the public school system indeed offered separate school houses for blacks and whites, but public schools for blacks were conducted in small, overcrowded, poorly equipped and unclean facilities. At the beginning of the twentieth century, public schools for black students in the city of Richmond did not change and would not for many decades.
    [Show full text]
  • To Envy Its Rising Greatness, and to Dvise Every Possible Means of Doing It Injury Pittsburgh and Wheeling: the Struggle for Hegemony on the Upper Ohio, 1808 - 1855
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies 5-2014 To envy its rising greatness, and to dvise every possible means of doing it injury Pittsburgh and Wheeling: The Struggle for Hegemony on the Upper Ohio, 1808 - 1855. Jon W. Alfred Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Alfred, Jon W., "To envy its rising greatness, and to dvise every possible means of doing it injury Pittsburgh and Wheeling: The Struggle for Hegemony on the Upper Ohio, 1808 - 1855." (2014). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. 361. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/361 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Plan B and other Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “To envy its rising greatness, and to devise every possible means of doing it injury” Pittsburgh and Wheeling: The Struggle for Hegemony on the Upper Ohio, 1808- 1855. by Jon W Alfred A Plan B thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History Approved: _______________________ ________________________ Dr. Kyle Bulthuis Dr. Peter McNamara Major Professor Committee Member _______________________ Dr. Christopher Conte Committee Member UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2013 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………….. iii 2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………………….. iv 3. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………….. 1 4. HISTORIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………….. 5 5. EARLY SETTLEMENT AND URBAN GROWTH ……………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • The Foundations of Civil Rights Movement
    UNF Digital Commons UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship 2014 Before King Came: The oundF ations of Civil Rights Movement Resistance and St. Augustine, Florida, 1900-1960 James G. Smith University of North Florida Suggested Citation Smith, James G., "Before King Came: The oundF ations of Civil Rights Movement Resistance and St. Augustine, Florida, 1900-1960" (2014). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 504. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/504 This Master's Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at UNF Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UNF Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Digital Projects. © 2014 All Rights Reserved BEFORE KING CAME: THE FOUNDATIONS OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT RESISTANCE AND SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, 1900-1960 By James G. Smith A thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES April, 2014 Unpublished work © James Gregory Smith Certificate of Approval The Thesis of James G. Smith is approved: _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. James J. Broomall _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. David T. Courtwright _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. Denise I. Bossy Accepted for the History Department: _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. Charles E. Closmann Chair Accepted for the College of Arts and Sciences: _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. Barbara A. Hetrick Dean Accepted for the University: _______________________________________ Date: __________________ Dr. Len Roberson Dean of the Graduate School ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A Medley of Cultures: Louisiana History at the Cabildo
    A Medley of Cultures: Louisiana History at the Cabildo Chapter 1 Introduction This book is the result of research conducted for an exhibition on Louisiana history prepared by the Louisiana State Museum and presented within the walls of the historic Spanish Cabildo, constructed in the 1790s. All the words written for the exhibition script would not fit on those walls, however, so these pages augment that text. The exhibition presents a chronological and thematic view of Louisiana history from early contact between American Indians and Europeans through the era of Reconstruction. One of the main themes is the long history of ethnic and racial diversity that shaped Louisiana. Thus, the exhibition—and this book—are heavily social and economic, rather than political, in their subject matter. They incorporate the findings of the "new" social history to examine the everyday lives of "common folk" rather than concentrate solely upon the historical markers of "great white men." In this work I chose a topical, rather than a chronological, approach to Louisiana's history. Each chapter focuses on a particular subject such as recreation and leisure, disease and death, ethnicity and race, or education. In addition, individual chapters look at three major events in Louisiana history: the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Organization by topic allows the reader to peruse the entire work or look in depth only at subjects of special interest. For readers interested in learning even more about a particular topic, a list of additional readings follows each chapter. Before we journey into the social and economic past of Louisiana, let us look briefly at the state's political history.
    [Show full text]
  • Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office Resource Guide
    LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY EDITION 2019-2020 Small Business resource guide How to Grow Your BUSINESS in South Texas 1 2 CONTENTS Lower Rio Grande Valley Edition 2019-2020 Local Business Funding Assistance Programs 8 National Success Story 26 National Success Story Rebecca Fyffe launched Landmark With the help of a 7(a) business Pest Management with the help acquisition loan of $1.1 million, Mark of the SBA-supported Women’s Moralez and John Briggs purchased Business Development Center. Printing Palace in Santa Monica becoming small business owners. 11 Local SBA Resource Partners 29 Need Financing? 13 Your Advocates 30 SBA Lenders 14 How to Start a Business 33 Assistance with Exporting 19 Write Your Business Plan 34 Investment Capital 22 Programs for 35 Federal Research Entrepreneurs & Development 23 Programs for Veterans 36 National Success Story Forest Lake Drapery and 24 Local Success Story Upholstery Fabric Center in Physical therapist assistant and Columbia, South Carolina, dog lover Kim Novak combined rebounds thanks to an SBA her two great loves with a third— disaster assistance loan. entrepreneurship—thanks to guidance from the SBA. 38 National Success Story Three Brothers Bakery weathers two hurricanes with the help of the SBA’s disaster assistance program. 40 SBA Disaster Loans 41 How to Prepare Your Business for an Emergency 42 Surety Bonds Contracting 44 National Success Story Evans Capacitor Co. of Rhode Island, a leading manufacturer of high-energy density capacitors, gains contracting success with SBA assistance. 47 Government Contracting 48 SBA Contracting Programs 50 Woman-Owned Small ON THE COVER Kim Novak, photo Business Certification courtesy of K9 Conditioning & Rehab Services 3 Let us help give voice to your story.
    [Show full text]
  • These Separate Schools: Black Politics and Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-1930
    These Separate Schools: Black Politics and Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-1930 By Rachel Deborah Bernard A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Waldo Martin, Chair Professor Mark Brilliant Professor Malcolm Feeley Spring 2012 Abstract These Separate Schools: Black Politics and Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-1930 by Rachel Deborah Bernard Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Berkeley Professor Waldo Martin, Chair “These Separate Schools: Black Politics and Education in Washington, D.C., 1900-1930,” chronicles the efforts of black Washingtonians to achieve equitable public funding and administrative autonomy in their public schools and at Howard University. This project argues that over the course of the early twentieth century, black Washingtonians came to understand their two-pronged goals of administrative autonomy and equitable allocation of resources in both their public schools and at Howard in terms of civil rights. At the turn of the twentieth century, many African Americans in Washington defended their educational institutions as venues for individually demonstrating their own good citizenship and respectability, in other words as means to social and economic uplift. By the 1910s and 1920s, however, they spoke about equal educational opportunity as a civil right, guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution. Also, while these struggles for educational equality began in the public schools, they were soon taken up by leaders at Howard University and its law school. In addition to educational equality, administrative autonomy was another key part of black Washingtonians’ rights agenda.
    [Show full text]
  • The African-American Emigration Movement in Georgia During Reconstruction
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History Summer 6-20-2011 The African-American Emigration Movement in Georgia during Reconstruction Falechiondro Karcheik Sims-Alvarado Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Sims-Alvarado, Falechiondro Karcheik, "The African-American Emigration Movement in Georgia during Reconstruction." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2011. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/29 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMIGRATION MOVEMENT IN GEORGIA DURING RECONSTRUCTION by FALECHIONDRO KARCHEIK SIMS-ALVARADO Under the Direction of Hugh Hudson ABSTRACT This dissertation is a narrative history about nearly 800 newly freed black Georgians who sought freedom beyond the borders of the Unites States by emigrating to Liberia during the years of 1866 and 1868. This work fulfills three overarching goals. First, I demonstrate that during the wake of Reconstruction, newly freed persons’ interest in returning to Africa did not die with the Civil War. Second, I identify and analyze the motivations of blacks seeking autonomy in Africa. Third, I tell the stories and challenges of those black Georgians who chose emigration as the means to civil and political freedom in the face of white opposition. In understanding the motives of black Georgians who emigrated to Liberia, I analyze correspondence from black and white Georgians and the white leaders of the American Colonization Society and letters from Liberia settlers to black friends and families in the Unites States.
    [Show full text]
  • Subregions of the United States
    145-149-Chapter6 10/16/02 10:18 AM Page 145 Main Ideas Subregions of the • The United States is divided into four major economic and cultural subregions. United States • There are both similarities and differences among the subregions of the United States. Places & Terms A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE America’s back roads were the beat of New England metropolitan reporter and author Charles Kuralt for more than 20 years. Beginning megalopolis area in the 1960s, he traveled by van through every region of the country. In the Midwest the West his “On the Road” series for television, he reported on the uniqueness the South of the lives of ordinary Americans. He said that he wanted to make these trips off the beaten path because most people traveled across the Connect to the Issues country on interstate highways without seeing the “real” America. diverse societies While Whether he visited Minnesota’s lake country or a small New England diversity can be a strength, it town, Kuralt spotlighted America’s regional diversity. In fact, one of has also been the cause of the key strengths of the United States is the variety of life in its tension and conflict among regions. subregions—the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. The Northeast As you can see on the map on page 134, the Northeast covers only 5 per cent of the nation’s land area. But about 20 per cent of the population lives there. The six northern states of the subregion—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut—are called New England.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Tennessee.Indd
    352 TENNESSEE BLUE BOOK A HISTORY OF TENNESSEE 353 SECTION VI Tennessee 354 TENNESSEE BLUE BOOK A HISTORY OF TENNESSEE 355 A HISTORY OF TENNESSEE The Land and Native People Tennessee’s great diversity in land, climate, rivers, and plant and animal life is mirrored by a rich and colorful past. For all but the last 200 years of the 12,000 years or so that this country has been inhabited, the story of Tennessee is the story of its native peoples. The fact that Tennessee and many of the places in it still carry Indian names serves as a lasting reminder of the significance of its native inhabit- ants. Since much of Tennessee’s appeal for her ancient people as well as for later pioneer settlers lay with the richness and beauty of the land, it seems fitting to begin by considering some of the state’s generous natural gifts. Tennessee divides naturally into three “grand divisions”—upland, often moun- tainous, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee with its foothills and basin, and the low plain of West Tennessee. Travelers coming to the state from the east encounter first the lofty Unaka and Smoky Mountains, flanked on their western slope by the Great Valley of East Tennessee. Moving across the Valley floor, they next face the Cumberland Plateau, which historically attracted little settlement and presented a barrier to westward migration. West of the Plateau, one descends into the Cen- tral Basin of Middle Tennessee—a rolling, fertile countryside that drew hunters and settlers alike. The Central Basin is surrounded on all sides by the Highland Rim, the western ridge of which drops into the Tennessee River Valley.
    [Show full text]