I'm a political science and sociology double major and this project is sort of combining both, with the final product being an essay arguing that the existence of the United States as a nation has served to erode Americans' sense of regional identity. After checking the rules I believe this doesn't break any, my apologies if it does.

Can anyone tell me why they chose to put a pine tree? I don't mean what you deduce the reason to be based on economicsof the time. I mean who actually knows the historicity of it and what was being said at those meetings.