The Nation's Nature: How Continental Presumptions Gave Rise to the United States of America

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the nation’s nature the nation’s nature how continental presumptions gave rise to the united states of america james d. drake university of virginia press Charlottesville and London University of Virginia Press ∫ 2011 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper First published 2011 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Drake, James David, 1968– The nation’s nature : how continental presumptions gave rise to the United States of America / James D. Drake. p. cm. ‘‘Winner of the Walker Cowen Memorial Prize for an outstanding work of scholarship in eighteenth-century studies.’’ Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-8139-3122-7 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn 978-0-8139-3139-5 (e-book) 1. United States—Historical geography. 2. Geographical perception—United States—History—18th century. 3. United States—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600–1775. 4. Nationalism—United States—History—18th century. 5. United States—Territorial expansion. 6. United States— History—Revolution, 1775–1783—Causes. I. Title. e179.5.d827 2011 973.3%1—dc22 2010051962 For Haley, Hanna, and Monique Every continent has its own great spirit of place. Every people is polarized in some particular locality, which is home, the homeland. Di√erent places on the face of the earth have di√erent vital eΔuence, di√erent vibration, di√erent chemical exhalation, di√erent polarity with di√erent stars: call it what you like. But the spirit of place is a great reality. — D. H. Lawrence, Studies in Classic American Literature ...