the States vs Yankee

the States and Yankee both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
the States	Yes	No	No	No
Yankee	Yes	Yes	No	No

the States (noun)	Yankee (noun)
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776	an American (especially to non-Americans)
	an American who lives in New England
	an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)

the States (adjective)	Yankee (adjective)
	used by Southerners for an inhabitant of a northern state in the United States (especially a Union soldier)