Week 6 Lesson 3

Another one of my students asked me why we have "red" (Republican) and "blue" (Democrat) states.

Another good question!

First, I want to say that we don't really have states that are 100% Republican or Democrat. There are Republicans, Democrats, and people who aren't either living in each state. Instead of red and blue, America looks more like this:

But, different regions, or parts of the United States, have different cultures.

What are the regions of the United States? They are different parts. A region is a place that has similar culture, weather, and characteristics. For example, Western Washington and Western Oregon have similar weather, plants, animals, and culture, so we say that they are in the same region, the Pacific Northwest. Washington state has a very different culture, economy, weather, plants, and animals than Texas or Florida. Those states are in different regions, or parts, of the United States.

Regions are not the same as states.

Also, regions don't have borders, like states or countries.

Different people have different opinions about where the regions, or parts, of the United States start and stop. For example, some people might say that our state, Washington is in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Some people might say that Washington is in the West with Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and other states. Which is right? They both are!

Washington State is in the Pacific Northwest region inside the United States. It is also inside the big region of The West.

This can be confusing!

Here are two examples. These maps are of regions in the United States. You do NOT have to memorize or study these maps. Just look at them and see how different people think about different parts of the United States.

Take this quiz about American regions to test your reading.

What is a stereotype? A stereotype is a mistaken idea or belief many people have about a thing or group that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true.

One stereotype about Americans is that they are loud and happy. Is this true? Maybe it is partly true, but it is not true of every American, all the time. Some stereotypes can be very rude or harmful.

Here is a map of the United States. It shows what stereotypes people in the United States have about each other.