Exploring America’s Ethnic Voting Blocs
This American Mosaic celebrates our country as a patchwork of different peoples.
At the same time, we are dispelling the myth that America is a great melting pot. The truth is, America is a Mosaic of distinct ethnic voting blocs grouped by ancestry and culture.
Some were already here
Some came by land
Some came by sea
Some came by air
The politics of each ethnic voting bloc are influenced by their core historic political motivators. Core historic political motivators are those profound reactions to past events in the mother country - or upon arrival - that influence the emotions behind a bloc’s vote.
This American Mosaic looks at
Why did the group leave their motherland?
What was their experience upon arrival into America?
What have they contributed culturally?
And, how do the ancestors now vote as a bloc?
folkways of our families
Through books and film, we will explore the stories and emotional drivers of each immigrant group that came to America, from the Pilgrims to the Puerto Ricans.
If we can understand the core historic political motivators behind an ethnic voting bloc’s politics, it becomes easy to forge bridge points for an alliance with them. New and powerful coalitions of voters will make America even greater.
Michael’s passion for ethnic voting blocs started with his own family tree.
Michael became passionate about ethnic voting blocs while researching his ancestry. The stories of most of Michael’s ancestors began in Scotland. His forebears immigrated to Appalachia during the Scottish Clearances of the 1700s. After the Homestead Acts, Michael’s great-great-grandparents settled into Missouri where they intermarried with Germans, English, and a Swede. Michael belongs to the largest ethnic voting bloc in America: the Scots/Germans.
Largest reported ancestries*
*According to the 2000 U.S. Census
Meet the creator
In addition to sharing the stories of our ancestors, Michael is the President of Bridge Points Project, a hybrid social venture fund and SuperPAC whose mission is to end the culture wars in American politics to stop the gridlock. He is working with a team to create new and exciting coalitions of voters.