US Regions Lecture Outline PDF

American cultural regions The state is not the same as a region - state boundaries in the US are usually arbitrary, not really a recognition of preexisting historical or geographical distinctions; therefore, division into regions is more natural (but unofficial). 4 main regions: Northeast – N...

American cultural regions The state is not the same as a region - state boundaries in the US are usually arbitrary, not really a recognition of preexisting historical or geographical distinctions; therefore, division into regions is more natural (but unofficial). 4 main regions: Northeast – New York City, New England, Mid-Atlantic States South – Virginia to Texas (except Missouri) Midwest West – west of Great Plains + Hawaii, Alaska The Northeast The Northeast - sub-region: New England Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut smallest region but historically dominant role (the American Revolution began there, center of abolitionism) hilly, not much farmland shipbuilding, fishing, trade (mid-19th c. possessed world´s largest merchant marine in the world) simple, wood-frame houses, white church steeples, small towns New Englanders considered shrewd, thrifty, hardworking, inventive, independent; often called “the real Yankees” The Northeast - sub-region: The Middle Atlantic New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland (West Virginia) urban center - New York early settlers – farmers, fur traders more diverse than New England: Dutch – along lower Hudson River, Swedes in Delaware, English Catholics founded Maryland, Quakers Mennonites, Amish in Pennsylvania 19th cent. – there were major centers of heavy industry (iron, glass, steelworks) The Midwest From Ohio to the Rocky Mountains; from Great Lakes and N Dakota to Kansas and the Ohio River urban center – Chicago small towns, barbed-wire fences for livestock, huge rectangular fields of wheat and corn called “the nation’s breadbasket”: “If tickled with a hoe, the land would laugh with the harvest.“ people there considered open, friendly, straightforward, down-to-earth, traditional, conservative the Republican party formed there in the 1850s to oppose the extension of slavery Midwest – painter Grant Wood The South strong historical consciousness (defeat in the Civil War) Lowland South – large cotton plantations, large number of slaves → after the Civil War majority of the population uneducated, poor Upland South – inland, poorer soil → smaller farms, few slaves, mountains – life hard, isolated associated with hospitality, friendliness, strong family values, relaxed, unhurried life style but also with dangerous independence, romantic charm, violent prejudices emphasis on personal honor and valor → major contributor to military forces distinctive dialects cultural inventions, such as blues, jazz (associated with New Orleans); country (country western) - Nashville – „musical capital“ rich literary tradition (Southern Renaissance, 1950s, William Faulkner, Flannery O´Connor, etc.) The West A very large and diverse region, therefore, needs to be divided into smaller sub-regions (or even “sub-sub- regions,” i.e., smaller distinctive regions within a sub-region) to describe it meaningfully. sub-region: The Southwest drier and emptier than the Midwest strong Native American cultural impact first colonized by Spanish sub-region: the interior Southwest: o Native American and Spanish influence - the oldest cultures in US o Arizona, New Mexico o harsh climate the Navajo sub-region o Arizona, New Mexico, Utah o home of the Navajo nation the Mormon sub-region: o Utah, SE Idaho o Salt Lake City is the headquarters of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) o about 7 million Mormons live in the region o high moral, educational, and health standards sub-region: Pacific Southwest California (called the Golden State) – largest population, Los Angeles – largest city; Hollywood; Silicon Valley – a global center of technological innovations wine production (introduced by Spanish missionaries; now about 90% of US wine produced there) desirable climate in the coastal area Gold Rush (1849), San Francisco earthquake (1906) Eastern part – Yosemite Nat. Park sub-region: Pacific Northwest Northern Cascades – Mtn. Rainier, Mtn. St Helens (volcanos) Washington (nicknamed the Evergreen State), Oregon urban centers: Seattle, WA, Portland (OR) The Rocky Mountains sub-region: Montana (Little Bighorn – the place of the battle; Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho people fought against a deliberate attack by the U.S. Cavalry, led by G. Custer, who violently enforced policies threatening Native peoples’ traditional way of life), Idaho (nicknamed the Gem State for its deposits of minerals, silver; unofficially also called the Potato state due to its common crop), Wyoming, Colorado (well-known for its skiing centers)  Yellowstone National Park (1872) (Rocky Mtns. are also in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, but these are considered part of a different sub-region due to cultural, historical and climatic differences) Alaska Largest state of US, the 49th state of US, sold to US by Russia About 500 000 inhabitants; native: Indians, Eskimos, Aleut; Russian fur traders Oil, fishing, fur, military bases Gold rush (Yukon, Klondike 1890s) Tourism Towns: capital Juneau, Anchorage Hawaii Volcanic islands Ancient Polynesians migrated to Hawaii in 300 AD 1778: discovered for Europeans by James Cook Early 1800s: Chief Kamehameha united the islands, established a monarchy sugar, pineapple, nuts, coffee, now tourism the 50th state of the USA in 1959 (known as the Aloha State), governed by the US since 1900 ethnically mixed population capital Honolulu, a naval base in Pearl Harbor, beach Waikiki