America Means Many Things

Americans have been deeply divided since the days of Jamestown and Plymouth. The original North American colonies were settled by people from distinct regions of the British Islands, and from France, the Netherlands, and Spain, each with their own religious, political, and ethnographic characteristics.

Woodard, Colin. American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (p. 2). (Function). Kindle Edition.

In his book, American Nations, Colin Woodard traces America’s roots through eleven difference cultural stories. Anytime we’re talking about “America” or “American values,” we must assume the person across from us might not share the same narrative or historical backdrop.

There are two ways to react to this. One is to huff and puff. The other, lean into your natural curiosities about others.