|
Sponsored Links
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the&_160;South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. Because of the region's unique cultural and historic heritage, including existing Native Americans, early European colonial settlements, importation of numerous enslaved Africans and growth of a large proportion of African Americans in the population, reliance on slave labor, and legacy of the Confederacy after the American Civil War, the South developed its own customs, literature, musical styles, and varied cuisines. In the last few decades, the South has become more industrialized and urban, attracting internal and international migrants. As some parts of the South are among the fastest-growing areas in the nation, they are developing new cultures. As defined by the United States Census Bureau,[3] the Southern region of the United States includes 16 states and the District of Columbia (with a total 2006 estimated population of 109,083,752, and 36% of all U.S. residents lived in the South, the nation's most populous region) and is split into three smaller units, or divisions Other definitions include The popular definition of the "South" is more informal and is generally associated with those states that seceded during the Civil War to form the Confederate States of America. Those states share commonalities of history and culture that carry on to the present day. The "border states" of the Civil War- specifically Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware roughly form the northern boundary of the "South". These states have a history of straddling the North-South divide, which was made clear when they did not secede during the Civil War even though they allowed slavery. Depending on the context, these states may or may not be considered part of the South.
|
American South Subcategories
American South Articles
|
|
