The Emergence of “Middle West'’as an American Regional Label

Abstract

Though acknowledged as the heartland of the United States, the Middle West has been little studied as a cultural region. A survey of contemporary popular literature reveals that “Middle West'’was first adopted as an American regional label in the 1880s, with Kansas and Nebraska as its core. The term originally distinguished the relatively settled central plains both from the pioneer zone in the Northwest (the Dakotas) and the culturally different Southwest (Texas and Indian Territory). After about 1903 contemporary writers began to use Middle West in an expanded sense, adding to Kansas and Nebraska states of the northern plains and the Old Northwest. This practice was universal by 1912. Cultural traits traditionally associated with the regional label explain much of the expansion. Writers said the Middle West epitomized the pastoral ideal and enjoyed the best aspects of youth and maturity. These traits matched the general American self-image, and the expanded Middle West after 1912 was seen as the cultural core of the nation. Challenges began about 1915, but nationalistic fervor accompanying World War I prevented such challenges from gaining credence until after 1920.

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