The Yankee Problem: An American Dilemma

by Clyde N. Wilson

Granny Clampett, on the TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, described the War Between the States as -when the Yankees invaded America- and, indeed, it was! Their invasion of America, however, goes back much farther than the conflict of 1861-1865. It began as soon as they dropped their anchor in Plymouth Bay. Since that time, they have meddled, cheated, and lied their way into every nook and cranny of American life. The Southern people warned others about the radical utopians of New England, and even went to war to get away from them, but to no avail. Now all Americans, not just Southerners, are subject to the whims of -those people- and their never ending mission to recreate, not only America, but the entire world in their bizarre, sanctimonious image. Dr. Clyde Wilson, in this first installment of The Wilson Files, takes the Yankee problem head-on. After decades of historical research and personal observation, he exposes and explains these pesky purveyors of mischief and mayhem! If you want to understand America, American History, and the upside-down dystopian nightmare in which we all live, you have to understand the problem. We do not have an economic problem, a race problem, a class problem, a gender problem, a toilet access problem, a drug problem, a gun problem, or any other ideological or social problem at the root of America's dysfunctional anti-culture - we have a Yankee problem!

Genres: History, Cultural, American, Civil War, Politics

118 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2016

About the author

Clyde Norman Wilson is professor of history emeritus from the University of South Carolina. He is a recipient of the Bostick Prize for Contributions to South Carolina Letters and of the first annual Randolph Society Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also the M.E. Bradford distinguished chair of the Abbeville Institute.

Reviews

[Miles Foltermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two months ago, CNN personality Don Lemon, New York Times/CNN contributor Wajahat Ali, and former Republican strategist Rick Wilson showcased their utter contempt for Donald Trump supporters in a segment that surely encapsulates the pernicious elitism that drove such voters to put Trump in the White House in the first place. In a segment discussing the then-recent confrontation between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly regarding the topic of Ukraine, all three men chose to indulge their disdain for anyone who continues to support Trump and his associates. After claiming, "[Pompeo] also knows deep in his heart that Donald Trump couldn't find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter 'U' and a picture of an actual, physical crane next to it," Wilson went on to say, "He knows that this is...an administration defined by ignorance of the world. And so, that's partly him playing to their base and playing to their audience--you know, the credulous boomer rube demo that backs Donald Trump." Adopting a mock Southern accent (poorly executed, especially given his Florida origins), Wilson then said, "Donald Trump's the smart one--and y'all elitists are dumb!" Thus began the badminton of bad imitations, as Ali chimed in with his own version of a Trump voter: "You elitists with your geography, and your maps, and your spelling."

Wilson: "Your math and your reading."

Ali: "Yeah, your reading, your geography, knowing other countries, sipping your latte."

Wilson: "All those lines on the map."

Ali: "Only those elitists know where Ukraine is."

Throughout the exchange, both Wilson and Ali boasted their best imitations of ignorant Southern clodhoppers--the people they obviously consider the contemptible source of Trump's support. And yet, in this age of identity politics, few commentators took umbrage at the fact that these advantaged CNN personalities chose to make their object of scorn a hypothetical (and presumably less privileged) redneck from Dixie. This oversight is due to a perennial "Yankee problem." Of New England vintage, this problem is equal parts arrogance, malevolence, and imperialism. Its fuel is an incorrigible presumption that Southerners are lazy and ignorant and need to be taught how to live noble Yankee lives.

In The Yankee Problem, the truly noble Clyde Wilson tackles the pox head-on with a generous dose of cultural and historical subversion. These essays, which have been previously published by outlets such as "Chronicles" and the Abbeville Institute, explore the deep cultural fissures between federalists and nationalists, agrarians and industrialists, Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians, Cavaliers and Puritans. Wilson is no Neo-Confederate. He does not attempt to exonerate the South from its participation in man-stealing. But neither does he assume that nothing honorable could ever come from the South. In fact, he shows that many noble and worthy figures have been nurtured there: soldiers, statesmen, authors, pastors, theologians. Wilson argues that there has been an ongoing Yankee campaign to suppress the memory of these treasures. I'm not sure how concerted this effort has been, but I certainly agree there's a strong presumption that New England Puritanism--rather than Southern Cavalier culture--is archetypical America. Wilson makes a convincing case that in the antebellum period, New Englanders were the strange ones--the ones who were prepared to become cultural imperialists to suppress those who diverged from them. Only during and after the War Between the States did their righteous cause and culture mythology prevail. And so it continues today.

Wilson's essays are lean, conversational, and interesting. Because they hang loosely together and were originally published as standalone pieces, there is some redundancy throughout the book. But this is only a minor problem. I do take issue with the author's characterization of postmillennialism as a "liberal" Christian doctrine. This claim variously conflates postmillennialism with Puritanism, Protestant liberalism, and humanistic progressivism. But postmillennialism is entirely orthodox and has been held by many Christians in many settings through the centuries. The conservative Southern Presbyterian theologian and pastor Robert Lewis Dabney--who receives commendation in the book--was himself a postmillennialist.

Aside from these few quibbles, I highly recommend this book.

[Joseph Raborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and important book to read, especially for the student of the American Civil War. I've been an aficionado of the history of this conflict, but this book gives tons of new information. It especially notes the subversive nature of New Englanders, to whom the epithet "Yankee" properly applies. The book describes how the New England ethos took over Northern politics from New England's embarrassment in the War of 1812 to the outbreak of the War of Secession and beyond. It also deals with how Yankee propagandists gave education, particularly concerning the Colonial period, Revolutionary War, and American Literature, a profoundly New Englander slant.

This book is a collection of essays. The weakest part of it is the fact that many examples of the Yankee character and deeds are repeated. Also, I did not like Wilson's swipe at Theodore Roosevelt, whom he calls a "sissy." (I don't know how a Medal of Honor recipient can be dubbed such.) And, classifying water boarding terrorists as immoral "Grant/Sherman" type warfare rather ignores both that we water board our own troops as part of training and that Radical Islamic terrorists deserve far worse.

All told, Clyde N. Wilson is very well versed in American history and provides the reader with insights hard to find elsewhere.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am abashed to discover that I have something of the Yankee in me. With a roughly four centuries long heritage of southern ancestors, dating back to as early as 1611 at Jamestown, this came as something of a shock. Yet, I cannot help but thoroughly enjoy this book. Wilson has a wry sense of humor that makes me laugh, even at my own expense. I have only recently been able to overcome long indoctrination about the South's shameful part in history. I have come to, first sympathize, and lately identify myself with the south's cause. Of course slavery was horrible. But only Yankee propaganda has made us believe that's what the Civil War was about. Do you still believe that? Then Wilson's book could help you to have a clearer concept of the complexities involved. But, be prepared to have cherished beliefs lampooned and crushed, and don't dare attempt it unless you are prepared to laugh at yourself as well as those self-serving Yankees.

[Vera Brackenshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book from the recommendation of a friend - someone I respect and who really urged me to give this book a read. Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second look, and as it was, the first few pages turned me off. The author blatantly insulted Yankees in almost every other sentence, and I honestly felt like I was reading heated comments on an online forum rather than a professional work. Because of that, I found it very hard to take the author seriously, and struggled to get through the last few pages.
The view, however, was an interesting one. I did find many points that I agreed with, many that made me stop and think, and many that I will be mulling over in the next few weeks. The idea that the South was not at fault for the War Between the States is not a new one for me, but the way that it was portrayed in this book does deviate from what is traditionally taught - I'm inclined to think in a good way. Overall, this was a thought-provoking, albeit difficult to get through, read.

[Jon Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pioneer work. Short, well written, and starts a conversation that should have taken place a long time ago in academia.

[JW · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles previously published, for the most part, in Chronicles magazine. Clyde Wilson is a stalwart defender of the South, and these pieces are a good showcase for his style and themes. The drawback is that the book contains a level of repetitiveness that could have been edited out. For example, “The Yankee Problem in American History” and “Those People (The Yankees)” are essentially the same article. Also, it’s not the author’s fault, but the Kindle version contains a distracting number of typos.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a repetitive rant. I bought this book solely based on the quote about Hillary Clinton. The book is a collection of random accounts from the era of the war between the states. The portrayal of the yankee type as overbearing, shrill, unscrupulous, and arrogant ring true. There were many good quotable lines.

[Ed Underfinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich collection of articles revealing several seldom discussed aspects of the Yankee usurption of a Republic

This is a well-written presentation that every student in North America should read, as well as reviewing the referenced materials.