Deep South: Difference between revisions
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The "Deep South" is usually defined in opposition to the [[Old South]] including [[South Carolina]], [[Maryland]], [[North Carolina]], [[Virginia]], [[Delaware]], and often [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and also further differentiated from the inland [[Border states (Civil War)|border states]] such as [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[West Virginia]], and [[Arkansas]] and the peripheral southern states of [[Florida]] and [[Texas]]. The [[Upland South]] (or Upper South) is another southern region distinct from the Deep South. The estimated population of the Deep South as of 2007 is around 21,000,000. |
The "Deep South" is usually defined in opposition to the [[Old South]] including [[South Carolina]], [[Maryland]], [[North Carolina]], [[Virginia]], [[Delaware]], and often [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and also further differentiated from the inland [[Border states (Civil War)|border states]] such as [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[West Virginia]], and [[Arkansas]] and the peripheral southern states of [[Florida]] and [[Texas]]. The [[Upland South]] (or Upper South) is another southern region distinct from the Deep South. The estimated population of the Deep South as of 2007 is around 21,000,000. |
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===Florida's Place in the Deep South=== |
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Although [[Florida]] is geographically the southernmost continental state, it is sometimes excluded from contemporary uses of the term "Deep South" due to the significant amount of migration into [[South Florida]] from other regions after [[World War II]]. However, parts of the state, especially northern regions such as the [[Florida Panhandle|Panhandle]], can be included in the characterization, with an unofficial "Southern" line possibly running from northern [[Hillsborough County, Florida]] above [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] and [[Pinellas County, Florida]], and extending northeast above the [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Daytona Beach|Daytona Beach]] and [[Palm Coast, Florida|Palm Coast]] metropolitan areas; below this line, the culture tends to be more "Northern" due to migration from other regions. However an exception to this line is the rural southern inland area around [[Lake Okeechobee]], older communities such as [[Fort Pierce]], and the [[Everglades]] region, also known as the [[Florida Heartland]], which is still very culturally tied to the deep south due to ranching and agriculture being the center of the region's economy rather than tourism. |
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===Urban Areas in the Deep South=== |
===Urban Areas in the Deep South=== |
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Revision as of 09:27, 5 August 2007
The Deep South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the American South, differentiated from the "Old South" as being the post colonial expansion of Southern States in the antebellum period.
Attempts to Define
There are various definitions of the term:
- South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana (Six of the seven founding members of the Confederate States of America
- Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana (From the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy)
- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi (From the National Endowment for the Humanities)
The "Deep South" is usually defined in opposition to the Old South including South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and often Georgia and also further differentiated from the inland border states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Arkansas and the peripheral southern states of Florida and Texas. The Upland South (or Upper South) is another southern region distinct from the Deep South. The estimated population of the Deep South as of 2007 is around 21,000,000.
Urban Areas in the Deep South
Urban areas in Southern states such as Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and the Piedmont Triad, all in North Carolina; the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas in Virginia; as well as Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, in the post-war era have also absorbed waves of migrants seeking economic opportunities and warmer climates. This migration, according to some, has diluted some distinct cultural traits of the region. On the other hand, the blending of diverse cultural traditions is integral to the South's distinct urban cultures, such as in New Orleans, Louisiana; Birmingham, Alabama; and Jackson, Mississippi.
Politics of the Deep South
For most of the 19th century and 20th century, the Deep South overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party, viewing the rival Republican Party as a Northern organization responsible for the American Civil War, which devastated the economy of the Old South. However, since the 1964 presidential election, the Deep South has tended to vote for the Republican candidate, except in the 1976 election when Georgia native Jimmy Carter received the Democratic nomination. Since the 1990s there has been a continued shift toward Republican candidates in most political venues; another Georgian, Republican Newt Gingrich, was elected Speaker of the House in 1995.
Literature
- Adam Rothman. Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005 review
