American Character

April 11, 2016
Journalist Woodard starts more strongly than he finishes in this engaging study of the history of the waxing and waning of American political philosophies. He opens with a trenchant review of how the Pilgrims "have been made pawns in a rhetorical struggle between champions of individualism and those of the common good," a clash he persuasively deems "elemental to the American experience." Linking this volume with his earlier book American Nations, Woodard expands on that volume's division of the country into 11 rival regional cultures (e.g. Yankeedom, Deep South, the Far West, the Left Coast), by analyzing shifts in views of the role of government, starting with England's American colonies in 1607, and continuing to the present. He makes no secret of his own political biases (accusing George W. Bush of presiding over "the most craven diversion of public resources to the rich and powerful in the nation's history"), which could limit his audience. But the book's larger failing is in its prescription for progress, a "political movement championing the fairness doctrine," which as described here seems indistinguishable from traditional moderate liberalism.

January 15, 2016
Longtime national affairs writer Woodard (American Nation: A History of Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, 2011, etc.) builds on his previous analysis of the country's regional differences to focus on the conflict between individualism and collectivism that defines our national character. As in his previous book, the author, currently the state and national affairs writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram, maintains, "our country has never been united, either in purpose, principles, or political behavior. We've never been a nation-state in the European sense, but rather a federation of nations" like the European Union. Each region has distinct characteristics: Yankeedom, for example, which spread outward from its Puritan origins in Massachusetts, holds that "collective institutions" ensuring the common good take precedence over individual freedom. Conversely, Tidewater (Virginia, Maryland, southern Delaware, and northeastern North Carolina) historically has been "a country gentleman's paradise...fundamentally conservative, with a high value placed on respect for authority and tradition, and very little on equality or public participation in politics." Other regions include Greater Appalachia, Deep South, Midlands, Left Coast, and Far West, each championing individualism or collectivism based on its history. After the historical overview, the author posits some recommendations for present-day political parties. Although we have inherited a legacy of revolution against a king, making us "vigilant against the rise of an overarching government that might deny us our individual potential," Woodard sees that the vast majority of Americans believe that the "American Way" means "pursuing happiness through a free and fair competition between individuals." Politicians must reassure voters that fairness is "the central issue of our political discourse" by proposing tax reforms and investments in education that "would help keep the playing field even." Woodard thinks Democrats are more likely than Republicans to embrace such proposals and therefore to "capture a reliable majority" in the majority of the disparate regions. Thoughtful political theory for divisive times.

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March 1, 2016
The U.S. Constitution provides ample evidence to support either side in our current, increasingly fractious ideological divide. There are strong protections of individual rights of religion, speech, property, and due process in criminal proceedings. There is also recognition of the obligation of government to promote common defense and general welfare and even of the need, with limitations, to expropriate private property. Woodard illustrates that the clash between our efforts to protect individualism and use state power to promote collective or communal aims has been a constant theme in our history. This is not an original observation, but Woodard effectively reinforces it by describing the manifestation of that clash from the colonial period to the present. More problematic is his viewing these epochs and clashes through the prism of the supposed regional nations that divide the U.S., as posited in his American Nations: A History of Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (2011). Though he takes a broad-brush approach, this is a useful reminder that free, democratic societies constantly strive to balance public needs and individual freedom.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)