1. What is the power of place in creating an American identity?

2. Kate English 3 AP 2 nd 25 May 2004

3. As I began my research, the topic question produced several other slightly less global questions that needed to be answered in order to create the thought processes needed to answer the main question.

4. Perhaps the most important question that developed asked whether or not there actually is a prevalent and important American identity. Is there really a tie that binds Americans in ways that it could not bind other nationalities?

5. As I did my research, authors claimed both to agree and disagree with whether America actually has an identity with some uniform characteristics, or if the American identity consists only of a mixture of regional identities with no true bond.

6. As Leinwand argues in his book, Patriotism in America, America has managed to unite through patriotism, while “in modern Europe, Africa, and Latin America patriotism has served to fragment nations- that is, to divide them into rival camps with seemingly insurmountable ethnic grudges and religious hatreds- in the United States patriotism has united a land of continental proportions and a people from ever section of the globe.”

7. Leinwand, however, also makes the concession that “at home, separatist currents are beginning to erode the concept of an indivisible nation, and there are some who question whether an indivisible nation is worth saving. Abroad, the breakup of the old Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia are examples of the formidable currents that can destroy nations, currents from which America may not be immune.”

8. Obviously, the United States has not always been united completely, as the secession of the South during the Civil War proves. Fragmentation of America seemed to be the answer then, and this separation, and the consequences of it, has forged both strong differences and strong alliances between pieces of the nation.

9. Most of the research seemed to argue that while Americans are united loosely through patriotism, most Americans draw the line at nationalism, and tend to only have a symbolic respect for their country, and avoid the aggressive connotations of nationalism.

10. To answer whether there is an American identity, sources usually agree that Americans in the majority tend to carry a patriotic attitude toward their country and therefore create an a loose connection between regional groups. This connection serves to create enough uniform characteristics to reasonably assume that there is an American identity which we can all somewhat relate to.

11. Next, the American identity, such that it is, needs to be defined to reveal exactly how much power the sense of place has upon the American identity.

12. As Dr. Weatherby asserted in our interview perhaps the most bonding tie between Americans of all areas is the idea of “Americanism.”

13. However, between regions the definitions, and the responsibilities that come with these definitions, differ as widely as the people do. According to Dr. Weatherby, one point of similarity remains in our perception of pluralism, and the effects it has on both our social and political ideals. Majorities, and minority parties which compete for interest, seem to be present across the nation, and the public seems to be content with this form of organization.

14. Past this point of agreement, regional identities seem to take over, and people begin to relate much more strongly to an area closer to home than the entire country.

15. These discrepancies depend on demographic characteristics of the region, such as the level of recent immigration, and cultural ties such as entertainment, religious affiliation, and ethnic makeup.

16. Dr. Weatherby has taught at Cal-Poly, in San Luis Obispo, and also at Howard Payne, in Brownwood. As I interviewed him, I asked him to contrast these two areas, to give a sense of the vast differences between the two places. Perhaps the most significant area of difference relied on the fact that California has high levels of immigration, and does not carry the same sense of traditionality that a place such as Brownwood does.

17. As we look at regional differences, we notice that a lot of the discrepancy is caused not necessarily by the place in itself, but rather the people gathered in one place.

18. “It’s become increasingly likely that people live near those who share similar views of the world… Regions pull away from each other economically and politically, and the widening distance makes it increasingly difficult to find civility, much less consensus, in national debate.” Bill Bishop and Richard Florida

19. Apparently, people are beginning to divide themselves by where they live on purpose; the process is no longer a random assortment of people who end up in the same locale. Cities develop through job-seeking, and people are beginning to choose neighborhoods, etc. on criteria such as political beliefs, and other defining characteristics.

20. The American identity is a combination of these regional identities strengthened by the binding tie of patriotism. The power of place has incredible impact on the American identity, as the power of place first affects the regional identity, which in turn contributes to the formation of a national identity.

21. Bishop, Bill and Richard Florida. “Oh Give Me a Home Where the Like-Minded Roam” Star-Telegram 30 March 2003, Sec. E: 1,6. Leinwand, Gerald. Patriotism in America. New York: Grolier Publishing, 1997. Weatherby, Joe. Personal Interview. 20 April 2004.