Historical Traditions in Philadelphia and in the Middle Atlantic Area: An Editorial
THERE are plenty of epics in Pennsylvania, but there is no one tradition that binds all its people with a sense of common background and achievement. There is one story in Philadelphia, another in Lancaster, and a third in Pittsburgh. Nor is there any tradition common to the Middle Atlantic area, of which Pennsylvania is a part. Quite different is the situation in other regions, where both state and sectional consciousness are more apparent. Citizens of Norfolk and Roanoke share the same memories of Old Virginia. And they are something more than Virginians—they are all Southerners. In like manner, those who hail from such points as New Haven and Portsmouth will identify themselves as New Englanders. From Ohio to Kansas, men declare themselves Middle Westerners. But who ever heard citizens of New York, Philadelphia, and Wilmington in joyous affirmation of their common origin as