In "The Language of Yankee Cultural Imperialism" Frazer shows that the residue of original Puritan colonization pushed westward from Massachusetts Bay and beyond, out of which developed what came to be recognized as "Yankee" culture. These Yankees, as descendants of the Puritan goodmen and their goodwives, were to have definite ideas not only of political revolution but also--and more tellingly--a strongly held vision of the ideal structure of society and citizenry. This was in the forefront of enlarging the scope of American territory by peopling it with those of like mind and of configuring American culture and mores in specific ways. Frazer's purpose is twofold: to clarify the issue fronts implicated in this dynamic and to demonstrate, via clarification, that the triumph of the Yankee ethos as an uninterrogated given of American authenticity is a consequence of empowered political behavior.
Adherence to standards of behavior, values, and language may not confer power, but it is an acknowledgment on the part of the adherer, so to speak, that the standards and values and linguistic conventions themselves are attributes of power. Frazer explains that early European immigrants "identified Inland Northern as the dialect of upward mobility" (60) and adopted it. He also argues that it is important to recognize that as the Inland Northern elites looked outward and moved to the frontier over the course of the 19th century, they brought their values with them and effected a very influential social construction that became identified as particularly American. While this does not mean that the descendants of Puritans who headed out for parts West were going by a 100%-Americanism handbook of some kind, but moral suasion and strongly held attitudes have power to influence all the same. Frazer cites "local standards, evolved by unofficial consensus" (59) with respect to pronunciation and other linguistic conventions.
The consensus leadership...