The Geometry of a Nation
A nation is not merely a landmass; it is a shared psychological construct defined by its values. When those values are forgotten, the construct dissolves. This instrument catalogs 100 Core Value Vectors—from the Puritan covenants of 1630 to the Digital Rights of the 2020s—that define the American "Greater Good."
The Purpose: To serve as a navigational beacon. In an era of "Vector Drift," where definitions are warping and the consensus is fracturing, this Standard provides a fixed coordinate system anchored in primary historical data.
Total Vectors
100Spanning 393 Years
📊 The Shape of the Standard
An analysis of when these values were codified and the thematic pillars they construct. Note the high density of value formation during the Founding Era and the Rights Revolution.
The Arc of History: Vectors per Epoch
Distribution of the 100 values across historical eras.
Hegemonic Composition
Breakdown of values by primary thematic category.
The 100 Vectors
A chronological traversal of the American experiment. Click to expand each era and view the full historical citations.
1. The Colonial & Founding Era
1630 – 1789 • Establishing the Geometry
Charity & Community
"We must delight in each other... mourn together, labor and suffer together."
Liberty
"Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Equality
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
View All 25 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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2. The Republic & The Crisis
1796 – 1865 • Testing Endurance
The Rule of Law
"A government of laws, and not of men."
Government of the People
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people."
View All 11 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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3. The Modern Era
1886 – 1963 • Expanding the "We"
Inclusion / Sanctuary
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Desegregation
"Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
View All 14 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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4. The Rights Revolution
1964 – 1980 • Codifying the Promise
Equal Opportunity
"Full and equal enjoyment... without discrimination."
Exploration
"Not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
View All 15 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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5. Digital Dawn & New Millennium
1991 – Present • Networked Crisis
Marriage Equality
"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law."
Truth-Telling
"We cannot hold the torch of freedom if we are afraid to see the truth."
View All 15 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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6. The Timeless Standard
Implicit • The Unwritten Laws
The Underdog
"It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog."
The Unfinished Work
"This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected."
View All 20 Vectors (Full Citations) ▼
| # | Value | Historical Context & Signal |
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📉 Diagnostic: Vector Drift Analysis
Hegemonic analysis detects a "Hum"—a dissonance between the original value (The Ideal) and its modern warped interpretation. This scatter plot visualizes the "Idea Mass" vs. "Worldview Scope" for key values, showing the drift from "Truth" (Balanced) to "Minimization" (Warped).
The Ideal (Top Right)
High Mass, High Alignment. The value is understood in its complex, demanding form (e.g., Liberty as Responsibility).
The Drift (Middle)
The value loses context. Mass remains, but scope shrinks. "Liberty" begins to drift toward "License."
The Minimization (Bottom Left)
The value is inverted or hollowed out. It becomes a slogan used to justify its opposite (e.g., Patriotism as Exclusion).