The author describes eleven rival regional "nations" in the United States (Yankeedom, New Netherland, the Midlands, Tidewater, Greater Appalachia, the Deep South, New France, El Norte, the Left Coast, the Far West, and First Nation), and how these deep roots continue to influence our politics today.

In the beginning, North America was Indian country. But only in the beginning. After the opening act of the great national drama, Native Americans yielded to the westward rush of European settlers. Or so the story usually goes. Yet, for three centuries after Columbus, Native people controlled most of eastern North America and profoundly shaped its destiny. In Facing East from Indian Country, Daniel K. Richter keeps Native people center-stage throughout...

At the beginning of the 17th century, three ships arrive in "The New World," to found the settlement of Jamestown, in what will become the colony of Virginia. The English see a pristine Eden, and the inhabitants of the great native civilization see invaders. Captain John Smith -- sent on a reconnaissance mission to scope out "the Naturals'" fortifications -- is quickly captured and sentenced to death by the chief. At the last moment the chief's favorite...

A recreation of the first Thanksgiving reveals the actual events during the three days that the Wampanoag people and the colonists came together.

"In Masters of Empire, the historian Michael A. McDonnell reveals the pivotal role played by the native peoples of the Great Lakes in the history of North America. Though less well known than the Iroquois or Sioux, the Anishinaabeg, who lived across Lakes Michigan and Huron, were equally influential. Masters of Empire charts the story of one group, the Odawa, who settled at the straits between those two lakes, a hub for trade and diplomacy throughout...