Our Political Fault Lines

The divisions in American politics are best understood as regional, not urban versus rural or coastal versus heartland. This is the thesis from Colin Woodard, the journalist and author of American Nations, a book we turn to regularly for its insights into the diverse values which underpin American politics.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Woodard argues that our political divisions trace back to the contrasting ideals of the colonial cultures on the Eastern and Southern edges of the United States. These ideals spread across the continent, helping create the institutions, symbols and cultural norms we live with today.