US Regions, Immigration, and Culture: A Deep Dive
New England
Includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. From the 17th to the 19th century, New England was the cultural and economic center of the country, despite not having large expanses of rich farmland or a mild climate.
The Mid-Atlantic
Comprises New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The region’s largest states, New York and Pennsylvania, became centers of heavy industry, including iron, glass, and steel.
The South
Extends from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas. This region also includes West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. The South is perhaps the most distinctive American region. The American Civil War (1861-65) devastated the South socially and economically, yet it retained its unmistakable identity.
The Midwest
Spans from Ohio to Nebraska, including Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, parts of Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado. The Midwest is a cultural crossroads. The region’s fertile soil allowed farmers to produce abundant harvests of cereal crops such as wheat, oats, and corn, earning it the nickname “the nation’s breadbasket.”
The Southwest
Covers western Texas, portions of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and the southern interior part of California. The magnificent Grand Canyon is located in this region, as is Monument Valley, the starkly beautiful backdrop for many western movies. Monument Valley is within the Navajo Reservation, home of the most populous American Indian tribe.
The West
Includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. The West is a region of scenic beauty on a grand scale, known for its amazing forests and many mountains; the landscape here is beautiful.
Native Americans
The first Americans arrived more than 20,000 years ago from Asia. In 1492, Columbus discovered the New World, where around 1.5 million natives lived; he called them Indians. By the 19th century, the government created Indian reservations. By 1920, some tribes had disappeared, and others had lost their languages and most of their culture. Children of immigrants often grow up bilingual.
The Golden Door
In 1776, Thomas Paine argued that the British were not the “fathers” of Americans. In the 1780s, three out of every four Americans were of English or British descent. In 1847, the number of Irish immigrants reached around 110,000; today, there are about 39 million Americans of Irish descent. By 1865, one in five Union soldiers was a wartime immigrant. Today, 22% of Americans have German ancestry. Ellis Island, part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, was the doorway to America for 12 million people until 1954.
Language and Nationality
In 1950, fewer than 4 million US residents were from Spanish-speaking countries; today, that number is about 27 million. 50% of Hispanics in the US are Mexican, with the other 50% coming from other countries. 33% of Hispanics live in California.
Limits on Newcomers
The Statue of Liberty was a signal for many immigrants to come to the US, but native-born Americans worried about admitting too many foreigners, fearing job losses. In 1924, Congress passed the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act, setting limits on how many people from each country the US would admit. Prior to 1924, U.S. laws specifically excluded Asian immigrants. The law that kept out Chinese immigrants was repealed in 1943, and legislation passed in 1952 allowed people of all races to become U.S. citizens.