Borderlands Research Paper

The exclusive geography of Greater Appalachia and the settlers’ opposition to oppression developed the identity of the region and its inhabitants, which emphasized personal honor and individual liberty. As shown on a resource map of Greater Appalachia, the topography of the region excluded the inhabitants, who were known as Borderlanders, from acquiring necessary resources, such as forests or fish. The Borderlands did not have many resources at hand; items such as timber or oil were more commonly found in the Deep South (Glencoe). Additionally, as mentioned by Colin Woodward in American Nations, “With no roads, trade was almost entirely by barter” (Woodward 104). Because of limited resources and roads, the geography of Greater Appalachia prevented the

this foreign world [to be] freed from such oppression” (Woodward 104). Those who came to Greater Appalachia from Britain were escaping a realm of oppression, as they were put under harsh circumstances by their landlords. Coming to a new world was a way to escape such oppression, as evidenced by the inhabitants certainty to depart to the backcountry of the Midlands. The Midlanders accused the Borderlanders of a multitude of crime. As Woodward noted, “Officials did their best to get [the Borderlanders] out of town and onto the frontier, where they could serve as a buffer against French or Native attack” (Woodward 103). In response, the Borderlanders didn’t resist; they continued their way and thrived in the backcountry. This is evident of Britain, their home country, influenced the values of the inhabitants of Greater Appalachia. The Borderlanders made it their mission to avoid oppression, and did so by creating a society in the backlands of more civilised areas, such as the Midlands and the Deep