There’s an interesting controversy brewing in the Carolinas.
Advocates in North and South Carolina are fighting to have a
region made up of 58 counties recognized as a national heritage
area, specifically focusing on the contributions made by the
Carolinas during the American Revolution. The national heritage
designation is a way to celebrate, protect and preserve what
makes a region unique and can be used as a tool for tourism.
Examples of places with a national heritage designation include
the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area and Iowa’s Silo
and Smokestacks National Heritage Area. Sounds like a good idea
to me. So what’s the problem? A recent National Park Service
study was completed, and the counties were told they did not
meet the necessary criteria for the designation. In the
published results, one of the reasons cited was that there is a
lack of distinctive cultural traditions in North and South
Carolina from the 18th century that have carried over into
today’s everyday life. These distinctive