Roots of Resentment

This book redefines the understanding of rural political identity and regional resentment by analyzing novel data from the U.S. Agricultural Census, linked with meticulously chosen case studies from across the American landscape. Through an unprecedented integration of agricultural data from the late 1800s to today, this book traces the evolution of land use, economic hardship, and political affiliation, uncovering how federal neglect has historically marginalized rural communities. A primer in the history of land use policy and politics, this work vividly illustrates how specific localities have navigated, and often resisted, changes in land policy, economic restructuring, and political realignments. These narratives reveal that the roots of contemporary political divides lie not in recent events but in a long-standing, systematic neglect of rural spaces and the people who inhabit them.