Melissa Rohde recounted in 2015 in her blog that Colin Woodard, in his book, American Nations explained to her how America is - in fact - not a melting pot, but a myriad of distinct geographic cultures that directly link back to the first settlers that established a particular region. There are 11 nations in all, and she had no idea that she would be passing through three of them before she arrived back home in the Bay Area. And just in case you are wondering, two of the American Nations do not include the NorCal (organic, fair-trade goods and start-ups) versus SoCal (fish tacos and miniature dogs) cultural rivalry that Californians colloquially refer to.
California is a large state with three American Nations: Left Coast, Far West, and El Norte. Most of I-5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco is located through the heart of Central Valley and exists in the Far West, which is characterized by its resentment towards the government and dependence on industrialized manipulations of the land (dams and irrigation). As Rohde drove past by the "Congress Created Dust Bowl" signs (among others) on I-5, She had evidence that she was indeed driving through the Far West. Water is a contentious issue in California - and no wonder! - we are really comprised of three nations. Although there are obvious value differences between north-south and urban-rural, much of the discussions that we have in California regarding how to prioritize water is dancing around larger and deeper issues that plague our nation. See Woodward's map of the 2010 US Census data for each American Nation.
This is not uncommon with most politicized issues in the US, especially when we consider how divided Congress has become over the past decade. What really is occurring is a power struggle between our American Nations to ensure that their respective cultures are not threatened. The two most populous nations are Greater Appalachia (home to mavericks and the Tea Party) and Yankeedom (home to academic elites and common-good social engineers). Both which exist on the opposite sides of the political spectrum.
This power divide is not a new phenomena, but one that has been brewing since the first colonies settled on our eastern seaboard. Although the American Civil War is the greatest display of the fight for our value differences, there has yet to be complete resolution. We are led to believe, early in our lives, that America is a melting pot and that we are one nation with shared values and beliefs. But that's not really true. Part of the issue is that we are continuing to reinforce these cultural divides, as we tend to self-select ourselves by living in the same American Nation we grew up in or moving to one that does not threaten our cultural values. It should be no surprise that as a Massachusetts native, home to Yankeedom, that I moved to the Left Coast and found it a relatively easy to assimilate. Left Coast was in originally settled by Yankees! Recognizing that these cultural differences exist in the USA is important step for coming to consensus in our political arena.
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