which us state was most important to its history?
>>1183604
Virginia
>>1183651
Came here to post this.
Massachusetts
>>1183651
Yep.
Very Short List: Pennsylvania and New York. Notice how all of these are O.G.'s as well.
Proximity to National Capital. Early Colonial History, before formation of Union (part of US history). Sites of national government and congresses to determine same. Powerful states at every period of American history. Centers of Industry and Finance. Producers of Presidents and Generals (with nearby Ohio as an afterthought). Center of popuar/audiovisual culture (NYC, albeit later eclipsed by CA), which become national culture, later global culture. Sites of important, RELEVANT Civil War battles, which defined USA.
>>1183699
Oh I'll throw MA in too before someone complains. but I stop there.
Virginia, though New York was better
>>1183604
Florida.
>>1183604
History will prove Idaho will be the most important state in the Union when the greys invade in 2 centuries and Idaho becomes the seat of the world rebellion.
>>1183795
I always knew the ayyliums were weak to taters.
Thats why I keep three russets up my anus. Just in case.
>>1183804
I'd like to see the aliens' looks on their faces when I shove a tuber up THEIR butts and give em the ol' Potato Rotato.
Texas
New York has had a constant presence in american history, so i would probably give them that title
>>1183604
New York isn't just the most important state in American History, it's the most important state in World History.
>>1183604
Paranoia.
>>1183604
Utah or Wyoming
I grew up and went to Utah public school and let me tell you the history of that state is a sordid love affair of religion, Indians, Spanish, and seagulls. By the time your done you will be convinced it was the first state rather than the 47th-48th.
Whichever state each poster is from
>>1184155
Clever. And ultimately true.
New England states like Massachusetts, New York. Pennsylvania had the Declaration signed there and our first Capitol. Those three states are the most important in my opinion.
New Mexico
1. Virginia
2. Massachusetts
3. Pennsylvania
4. New York
I realize we're talking overall historical importance, but I have to say:
State of California is GREATEST State of California.
>>1183604
Virginia and Massachusetts are tied IMO. Then New York and PA.
>>1183604
In my opinion PA is. The city of Philadelphia has seen some of the most important events in during the creation of America.
New York, California, or Massachusetts.
Pennsylvania or Virginia
MA
>>1189558
>California
>greatest anything
>>1189558
>>1189634
>California
Minnesota
Kansas.
>>1183604
Wisconsin by a mile
>>1189731
Reminder that France is a shithole.
>>1189731
>having to compare yourself to Yuros to look good
>>1189731
It's also not historically relevant in anything but pop culture.
>>1189686
Damn Beecher fucking things up.
Cali
success breeds contempt
haters bounce
>>1189772
See >>1189753
>>1189776
>Reminder that the US space program would have been impossible without key Californian industries
Just have the industries somewhere else? It's not something that exclusively comes out of California. Texas was way more important in the program anyway.
>Reminder that the western half of this country wouldn't have been nearly as populated if not for the rush to California~
>what is the Oregon Trail
>>1189753
Computers dude
>>1189776
5th largest supplier of food in the world with 4% of the farms in the US
how can a single state be the best at farming
>>1189787
>only relevant in pop culture
>I don't know shit about history
>I make generalized assertions to hide my mediocre intellect
>>1189790
California is so great at farming they make people stop watering their plants so that they can farm more.
>>1189787
>what is the Oregon Trail
A dusty barely used path that settlers started to seriously use only once they needed to get to the California Trail.
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html
>>1189801
We lost 30% of our farmland through the drought and we're STILL #1 in the country
Best growing climate in the western hemisphere
This thread has reached a clear consensus (later muddied by a string of joke answers which, although I am resident in one of these and also love my home state, I know perfectly well it's not that huge in the grand scheme of things) that the four states most important to US history are NY, MA, PA and VA, in no particular order.
What can we say about these states? What do they have in common?
-They all have proximity to the present national capital.
-They are all concentrated in the same part of the world. Indeed, by dint of WV (up until its separation during the Civil War), these four /comprised a contiguous bloc of land/ (notwithstanding Virginia's Delmarva spit)
-They are all "original-13" O.G.s.
-They all have rich colonial history, predating the United States
-They comprise four of the five most populous states at the time of the Union's first official census. Indeed, at this time, the four states' souls combined, free, slave and all, comprised just shy of fifty percent of the Union's population. As of the 2010 census, their combined population yet comprises 15 percent of the union's population; none of these states had a rank lower than 14th out of 50 in terms of total population at that time.. There is some extrapolating to be done here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1790_United_States_Census
-They (with NJ, MD, VA's cession of territory for the Enclave, and the Enclave proper) often served as hosts of meeting places of the nascent government. VA proper and especially MA don't get much of the glory, on this point:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#Former_national_capitals
>>1189830
>As of the 2010 census, their combined population yet comprises 15 percent of the union's population;
Did you know that California holds 30% of the country's population.
>>1189851
You should probably stop shitposting so hard
I would add that among the 14 (as opposed to 13 by way of historical comparison, we shoehorn in the 14-spot to include MA) top-ranked states' populations of the 2010 census, 7 are O.G. 13'er colonies:
New York (3rd), Pennsylvania (6th), Georgia (9th), North Carolina (10th), New Jersey (11th), Virginia (12th), Massachusetts (14th).
Notice how all four of our "final four" states stay in this low-teens territory, souls-wise. The point being that even as the union has expanded four-fold, /people still want to live in these places/, no matter how hard it be. Some relevance index can be supposed, around here.
CA, TX, IL and FL were the later population/relevance/culture sinkholes. The rest of it never really left the above characterized contiguous region.
coolest flag incoming
>>1189830
I mis-spoke slightly here. Wiki contains a fascinating blurb on the creation of the enclave, and the history of the (retrocessed) Virginia contribution to the Enclave.
D.C. was originally conceived as a diamond, ten miles square. But of course, the west bank was given back to VA, which is why it be look like it look today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession#Virginia_retrocession
>>1189877
They also do jousting, which is cool
The historical notions of "Washington County" and "Alexandria County" (as sections of the enclave) were utterly unknown to me before I began my autistic train of thought. I have learned something new today (check wiki for
>>1183604
Either Virginia or Pennsylvania. I'd wager Virginia since it had a hand in more significant events than Pennsylvania alone.
>>1189912
And while I'm on this train of thought, we often think of the Pentagon as being in D.C., but per the above, this is false. The Pentagon is just across the way, in (now) Virginia.
I must admit that as a Murrikan, I'm having 9/11 flashbacks. Even this comparison bears making, per the above: there were four planes, targeting three (four) targets, being in two states, and (theoretically) in the enclave. As it happened, the four crashes actually occurred in three of the four states which have been under consideration (NYx2, PA, VA (D.C. metro))
The object of the attacks was to attack America Itself, in grandiose Michael Bay fashion. Notice how they didn't literally blow up Texas Stadium or Hollywood. One thing that the muslim understands which the American sometimes does not, is history.
Commiefornia, the U.S. is not the superpower it is today with out it.
>>1189859
>Make argument about the greatest state being the greatest state
>Called a shitposter by a loser on the east coast
such is life
>>1190082
you have to agree on one thing fellow califag, California has some shit tier stuff, like gun laws, and the bay area.
>>1190082
I'm not that guy, nor the OP, but you're turning this, in your own head, into a dumb pissing match which is unrelated to the actual topic of the thread.
The topic of this thread is not any one of the following:
-what state has the largest population Right Now
-what state makes the most money
-what state has the most churches
-what state is the most Epic
Rather, although the above are generally implicated in the topic (which is why they have been discussed), the topic of the thread also involves /the past and its relevance to a country's history/. Thus, per the OP, the topic of the thread IS
-"which us state was most important to its history?"
This implies some sort of weighted average of breadth and depth of historical impactfulness of a given state /as a function of time/, dry as the concept is, relative to others. It implies /rankings/. And the missions notwithstanding, the east coast just plain has it (historical and continued relevance) over the historical arc of the country, where the west just plain doesn't. When you're the region where meaningful things, in meaningful volume, are over two hundred years old, and where the wars and scars and actual struggle and actual victory are located, guess what? That means you are important to a (this) country's history. That's the eastern conference, all over.
Making movies which have of course massively impacted global culture (guess who else does this: NY), making a bunch of money, and smugly controlling unnecessary internet services isn't /by itself/ good enough for what the OP is actually talking about. For that, you need to to back up to the starting point of the country, which is the east.
And I say all of this as an American who has never been to either region. It takes more than a Black Dahlia murder AND a facebook AND all of Hollywood And Japanese internment camps AND rogue weather balloons. It takes something /just a little bit more/, to the fate of a nation. It happened out east.
>>1190082
>Did you know that California holds 30% of the country's population.
>not shitposting
>>1190112
Notice again how these RIGHT NOW-ISH quality-of-life details are not especially relevant to what the OP is talking about. Even the historical global impact of hollywood visual culture is far more relevant, on a global scale. And yet, they did not site and determine the fate of a nation as happenings in the mid-north-east tended to do, again and again, where it really counted.
>>1190220
Computers dude
>>1189851
Yeah that's great, but its not really that important at all. Florida surpassed New York's population and has roughly 20 million people. California isn't really relevant outside of pop culture.
>>1189888
As a Virginian I'm biased but I think with Virginia is called the Mother of the States, the most presidents produced by it, the first permanent settlements in North America, establishment of colonies as a result, where a large number of founding fathers are, and its involvement along side Maryland in the foundation of DC that those two plus Pennsylvania are the most relevant to the foundations of US history.
New York.
1. Virginia
2. New York
3. Massachusetts
4. South Carolina
5. Pennsylvania
>>1183604
Houston
>>1183693
This is the correct answer
>>1183604
california in terms of modern history. what with the silicon valley and what not
>>1191981
All good points, most of which I've also made. And to strengthen your argument even further, you should emphasize not only Virginia's role in the colonial period and Founding, but even further still, Virginia as principal theater of the Civil War, where America as we understand it today really begins. From Bull Run until Appomattox. Look up wiki's list of major battles; fully a quarter are in Virginia (more in what what is now West Virginia, and was at the war's beginning, also Virginia). Even Gettysburg's (pic related) PA location is an aberration from the norm of fighting in Virginia.
Lee and Stonewall Jackson were Virginians, living and dying there.
>>1183604
one of:
Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts in no particular order
>>1190071
The US would still be a superpower without it, we would just be a noticeably weaker one.
>>1183604
California.
It has influenced it's decline and eventual fall.
>>1183651
Good work, anon.
>>1192172
>South Carolina
>more important than Pennsylvania
kek
it could be argued that Texas is more historically important to the US than SC. While we're at it, might as well throw in NJ
Early Republic: VA, MA
19th century: NY, IL
20th century: CA, NY
>>1195389
Not nearly enough Spanish
>>1195389
needs more socal shit, like mexicans and filipinos
>>1195411
/thread
Michigan
>>1195389
Posting the wrong one, dude. ;)
1. Idaho
2. Nevada
3. Delaware
4. South Dakota
5. Wyoming
>>1190482
What about computers? Like all the contributions from England, Germany, and the east coast institutions like Princeton, University of Pennsylvania and MIT? Pull your head out your ass and quit being myopic.
>>1195411
so NY?
seems fair. since it both has the statue of liberty and the destruction of wtc
>>1197375
to be fair, whataburger is pretty great, better than in and out and I'm from commiefornia
Not California but give it a few decades from now and it will be California and Texas. In modern times we have done a lot, but in terms of overall US history it's hard to justify us as #1. I'd give some props to Massachusetts, Virginia and New York for now.
>>1197375
Whataburger is a patrician fast-food eatery t b q h f a m a l a m
Virginia overall, but depending on the time period honorable mention to Massachusetts, and Texas.
>>1198663
Texas peaked in the 1990s-2000s imo. It's going to become New Mexico-tier in the next couple of decades.
>>1194832
>nullification crisis
>literally starting the civil war
>not important
Pennsylvania is probably the most important in my opinion considering it used to be the captiol because of it's importance in the Revolutionary War. I think New York might be above it though.
Also, why is everyone saying Virginia?
Delaware
>>1186078
straight out of LDS aren't you?
>>1189736
fuck you
>>1200406
Read the thread. Virginia is a prominent and inportant location at every stage of American history. I'll repeat myself.
pre-Union colonies, one of which has a romantic and mysterious history (Roanoke)? Check.
Participant in and theater of revolutionary war, simultaneously producing a few presidents and architects of government? Check.
Participant in and theater of civil war, simultaneously producing brilliant officers? Check.
Home of multiple future presidents? Check.
Adjacent to present national capital? Check.
Site of visible symbol of national defense apparatus? Check.
One of three states literally impacted by the attacks of September 11? Check.
Virginia is where the enemy comes, when they're actually serious about attacking us (America). Happily, given our (America's) strategic position, it doesn't happen too often.
>>1200425
hi, i'm in delaware
>>1200572
Me too :^)
>>1200572
Been thinking about it for the whole thread.
It's funny that Delaware has proximity to all these other hugely important states we've been talking about, and yet remains the Literally Who of the Union. Even /int/ regularly describes it this way.
Joe Biden? Du Pont? Fewer county-things than anyplace else? Okay.
"We ratified the Constitution first!" IN THEORY. "A large number of businesses are incorporated here!" IN THEORY.
The truth is that there is no actual, physical place by the name of Delaware; it is a cypher, a legal fiction which is promulgated in the national literature and culture, with an alleged population so small that no one ever bothers to actually check. All those entities I mentioned above, and the incorporation registry, are in offices throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas.
There's no Delaware.
>>1200649
This is bait.
>>1189731
same as Italy apparently
>>1189790
More illegal Mexicans?
>>1183815
kek
>>1183693
>>1193164
Fahkin right ked.
This doesnt even touch on the shit that went down between "Plimoth" colony and King Phillips War.
>>1200779
nice map
>>1183604
Indiana, it's the state that secured Trump's nomination and hence presidency.
>>1200500
ROANOKE IS NC CLAY REEEEEEE
>>1183604
Idaho
Saved Irish-Americans from another potato famine.
>>1183693
Easily this or virginia.new york too
California without a doubt.
>gold, other resources mainly responsible for the US overtaking the UK economically
>responsible for the push westwards, the resulting settlement of the fly over states, the various Indian wars and the technological advance
>encouraged further American interest in the pacific (Spanish American War, Hawaii, WW2, Vietnam)
>birthplace of the counter culture of the 60s
>continues to be America's cultural powerhouse, is especially relevant in pushing America's soft power abroad
>>1205084
It's also the only reason the US had any Chinese immigrants.
>>1205084
California is garbage
>>1205098
No, Californians are garbage.
>>1205115
As a mexican immigrant in California I agree, Nor Cal is way too liberal, So Cal (not LA, haven't been there much so no opinion) is too conservative, and the valley is just rednecks and mexican americans crying MUH CESAR CHAVEZ, MUH AZTLAN, motherfuckers can't even speak spanish properly
makes me want to move back or move to arizona, the pacific northwest, or canada. dat fishing tho...
>>1205115
Both California and Californians are garbage.
New York, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio for historical events.
New York, California, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, and Tennessee for cultural contributions.
>>1205190
>Ohio
>Illinois
>California
>Texas
>Tennessee
>>1205140
>move to arizona
don't move here you filthy mexican
>>1205239
too late m8, got my U.S. citizenship years ago, your state's gun laws are too good.
But your fishing sucks so that may keep me from leaving
>>1205235
Refute any of those without resorting to greentext or ad-hominem.
>>1205265
I'm not even going to bother when you don't even know what an ad hominem is but are accusing me of using one.
>>1200678
but why?
>>1205309
I wasn't, I was simply negating the potential use of one.
>>1183604
Drunken rebellion.
