Culture of the Southern United States facts for kids
The culture of the Southern United States is a special part of the United States. It's often called Southern culture or Southern heritage. This region has a unique history. Many people who live there feel a strong connection to their Southern identity. Because of this, the South is one of the most studied areas in the U.S.
For a long time, from the 1600s to the mid-1800s, farming was very important in the South. Large farms, called plantations, were common. This meant that society was divided based on who owned land. This made the culture in the early South different from areas further north or west. In the higher parts of the South, there were many small farmers who worked their own land. In the lower areas and the Deep South, there were more large plantations. These plantations relied on the forced labor of enslaved African people.
Important events like the First Great Awakening (1730s–1750s) made Protestantism very strong in the South. Churches became central to many communities. Over time, the South developed its own special customs, ways of speaking (dialects), arts, literature, food, dance, and music.
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A Look at Southern History
From the early 1600s to the mid-1800s, slavery greatly shaped the South. It affected the culture, politics, and economy. This included how people farmed and even led to the American Civil War. After the war, there was a period of segregation, which meant people were separated by race.
Many small farmers, known as yeoman farmers, lived in the South during the colonial period and before the Civil War. They usually owned little to no enslaved people. Their way of life was very different from the wealthy plantation owners. The Southern climate was good for growing crops like tobacco and cotton. The red clay in the soil was even used for building many unique red-brick buildings.
Native American groups also influenced Southern culture. Religious movements like the First Great Awakening helped Protestantism grow. For a long time, the South was mostly rural, meaning it had many farms and small towns. After World War II, cities in the South started to grow. This led to big social and economic changes.
Who Lives in the South?
People from Europe
When the first English colonists arrived in the 1600s, they brought their culture. Many came from southern England. Later, in the 1700s, large groups of people from Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland (called Scots-Irish) settled in the Appalachian and Piedmont areas.
Many European Southerners today have English and Scots-Irish family roots. In past surveys, many people in the South identified as having English or Irish heritage. There were also many people with German roots, especially in areas near the Midwest. French and Spanish colonists also settled in parts of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.
African Americans
Another large group in the South are African Americans. Their ancestors were brought to the South as enslaved people. African Americans make up a big part of the U.S. population. For a long time, they were nearly half of the Southern population. Even though many moved north during the Great Migration, most African Americans still live in the Southern states. Since segregation ended, many have been moving back to the South.
Hispanic Americans
Many Hispanic Americans also live in the South. A lot of them are immigrants from Central American countries. The number of Hispanic people in the South has grown a lot recently. This is due to both new births and immigration.
Religion in the South
A part of the South is known as the "Bible Belt." This is because many people there follow evangelical Protestant faiths. South Florida has a large Jewish community. Immigrants from Asia have also brought Buddhism and Hinduism to the region.
In the past, religious revivals like the First Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening changed Southern religion. Traveling preachers helped spread evangelical faiths. After the American Revolution, the Anglican Church changed its name and structure. More people started joining Methodist and Baptist churches.
By the time of the Civil War, Baptist and Methodist churches had the most members in the South. Wealthy plantation owners often stayed with the Episcopal Church. In 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention formed separately from other regions.
Historically, Catholic colonists came from Spain and France. They settled in coastal areas of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Today, there are many Catholics along the Gulf Coast. Cities like New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras, which is a Catholic tradition. In other parts of the South, Catholics are a smaller group. They often have Irish, German, French, or Hispanic family roots.
Atlanta and Raleigh, North Carolina have seen a fast growth in their Catholic populations. This is due to people moving there from other parts of the U.S. and the world. Maryland was also historically a Catholic colony. It was a safe place for Catholics from England.
Inland areas of the Deep South and Upper South, like Arkansas and Mississippi, have more Baptists and Methodists. Eastern Texas is mostly Protestant, while southern and western Texas are mostly Catholic.
Charleston, South Carolina, has had a notable Jewish community since colonial times. Richmond, Virginia and New Orleans also have significant Jewish communities. The South Florida area has one of the largest Jewish populations outside New York. Many Jewish and Muslim communities have also grown in major cities like Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston.
How Southerners Speak
Southern American English is a group of different ways of speaking English. These dialects are heard across the Southern states. This includes areas from West Virginia to Texas. Southern dialects are the largest accent group in the U.S.
There isn't just one "Southern Accent." Instead, there are many different ones. For example, people in the Appalachian region speak differently from those near the coast of South Carolina. Some people believe that Appalachian speech sounds more like old English because the region was isolated.
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) shares some similarities with Southern dialects. This is because African Americans have strong historical ties to the South.
There are also unique language groups in the South. Gullah is still spoken by some African Americans in parts of South Carolina and Georgia. This language developed because enslaved people lived in large, isolated communities. The "Yat" dialect in New Orleans sounds a bit like accents from Northeastern cities. This is due to German and Irish immigrants who settled there. Many people also know about Cajun French, which is spoken in southern Louisiana.
The South also has many Native American languages. Most of these languages are now endangered.
Different Parts of the South
The South is a very large region, so its culture can vary a lot. Here are some differences you might find:
- The Deep South was first settled by English colonists. They started large plantations for crops like tobacco and cotton. Wealthy plantation owners controlled the government. They brought many enslaved Africans to work the land.
- The Upland South or "Upper South" is different. This area includes the Appalachian and Ozark mountain regions. Farmers here grew food for themselves and usually owned few or no enslaved people. Many people in the Upland South have Scots-Irish and English family roots. Because of this, many in the Upland South did not support the Confederacy during the Civil War.
- Some Southern cities have changed a lot due to new people moving in. Cities like Atlanta, Austin, and Charlotte have grown quickly. They now have a more modern, city-like identity. However, they still keep some of their unique Southern feel.
- Many Latinos have moved to the South from Latin America. This is especially true in Texas and Florida. Cities like Atlanta and Nashville have seen a big increase in Latino immigrants.
Alabama
Southern Alabama, north of Mobile, was settled by large plantation owners. They brought enslaved people from South Carolina and Georgia. This area is known for its large African American population and its history of growing cotton. It is a classic example of the Deep South. Today, this region is one of the poorer areas in the state.
Mobile and the Gulf Coast were settled by Spanish and French people much earlier. Mobile shares more in common with New Orleans than with the rest of Alabama. Mobile still has French traditions, like a large Catholic community and Mardi Gras celebrations.
Northern Alabama was settled by English and Scots-Irish people. These were mostly small farmers who did not own enslaved people. Today, this region is still mostly rural. However, cities like Birmingham and Huntsville are growing and attracting new residents.
Kentucky
Kentucky is on the border of the South and the Midwest. It has cultural influences from both. Most Kentuckians feel they live in the South. However, Northern Kentucky is often seen as more Midwestern. Louisville is sometimes called "the Gateway to the South" and "the northernmost Southern city." It industrialized quickly in the late 1800s.
Louisville and other cities along the Ohio River had many German immigrants. This made their culture a bit different. In the 1980s, many people in eastern Kentucky identified as having English ancestry.
Most of Kentucky, outside of Northern Kentucky, shares a culture with Tennessee and the rest of the Upland South. This includes their accents and customs. Southern food is also very common. Western Kentucky is famous for its barbecue and other Southern dishes like catfish and country ham.
North Carolina
The Charlotte and Raleigh–Durham areas have grown a lot. This is due to jobs in banking, universities, and technology. Wilmington has also attracted people from the Midwest and North. Asheville attracts people who like its liberal ideas and mountain setting.
North Carolina's biggest cities have also seen many Latino and Asian American immigrants. Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham had very fast growth in their Hispanic populations between 2000 and 2004.
Oklahoma
People started settling the Oklahoma territory after the Civil War. Many Southerners who were leaving the Reconstruction period moved to the southern and eastern parts of the state. This area is sometimes called "Little Dixie." Italian workers also began arriving in eastern Oklahoma in the 1870s.
Texas
In 1980, the largest group in Texas identified as having English ancestry. Because of its size and history, Texas's connection to the rest of the South is often debated. It's been called "a Southern state, certainly, yet not completely in or of the South." Texas is very diverse. East Texas is often seen as part of the Deep South. Far West Texas is more like the Southwest.
The northern Texas Panhandle and South Plains areas are a mix. They share things with Midwestern states. The South Plains has become a blend of Southern and Southwestern culture. This is due to a growing Hispanic population.
Big cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston have attracted people from other parts of the U.S. This has changed the historic "Southern culture" there. However, Texas is usually seen as more Southern than Western. This is because it was part of the Confederacy and is mostly in the Bible Belt. Also, most of Texas uses Southern American English dialects.
Virginia
Most Virginians feel they live in the South and are proud of their heritage. However, areas like Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads have attracted many people for jobs. These jobs are often with the government or military. Northern Virginia is also connected to the large cities of the Northeast. People in these urban areas often see Virginia's culture as more "Mid-Atlantic" than purely Southern.
Virginia's culture spread across the Chesapeake region during colonial times. It strongly influenced the Lowland South. Virginia's coastal areas had many tobacco plantations. Before the Civil War, Virginia had the largest enslaved population. It profited from selling enslaved people to the Deep South. These enslaved people brought their traditions from Virginia to the Deep South.
After the Civil War, Virginia had Jim Crow laws and faced resistance to school desegregation. However, cities like Richmond and Norfolk were more progressive. They had large communities of free Black people, Quakers, and Jewish people. They also had industries and immigrants from Eastern Europe. Today, Richmond and Norfolk are seen as a border between the Mid-Atlantic and Upper South. They have Southern traits but also ties to the Northeast.
West Virginia
West Virginia became a separate state in 1863 during the Civil War. It was formed from western counties of Virginia. Many of these counties had supported the Confederacy. West Virginia still has many legacies from its Virginia past, like place names. It was the last slave state to join the Union.
West Virginia is a very Protestant and religious state. Many people have moved out of the state over the years, often for jobs in industry. West Virginia has many family farms. It produces poultry, corn, apples, and peaches.
Many Southern dishes are common in West Virginia. These include biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplings, and sweet tea. The Southern diet has been linked to health issues like obesity. The Southern Appalachian dialect is heard in much of the state.
Country music is very popular. The WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling was one of the oldest country music venues. Charleston is a major market for country music.
Maryland
Maryland is a "Border State." It has both Southern and Northern cultural traits. Before the mid-1900s, Maryland was largely Southern. However, economic growth and population changes made areas like the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area more "Mid-Atlantic."
Parts of Maryland, like Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, are still very Southern. They focus on farming and fishing. Many restaurants there serve sweet tea and fried foods. Some areas on the Eastern Shore have Southern accents. Western Maryland is considered part of Appalachia and is mostly rural. It is similar to West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Delaware
Like Maryland, Delaware has both Northeast and Southern characteristics. The rural southern parts of Delaware have a Southern culture. However, the crowded northern part, especially Wilmington, is more like the Northeast.
Beyond the Census-classified South
Missouri
Missouri is officially a Midwestern state. St. Louis was known as the "Gateway to the West." Many German immigrants settled in the northern Ozark Plateau. They started vineyards, making Missouri a big wine-producing state before Prohibition.
Before the Civil War, many settlers from Virginia and Kentucky moved to central and western Missouri. They grew tobacco and hemp. Because they brought enslaved people, Missouri joined the Union as a slave state. This area became known as "Little Dixie." Rural southern Missouri, including the Ozark Plateau and the bootheel, is definitely Southern in culture.
Midwest, Southwest, and West
Many areas of New Mexico, Arizona, and California were settled by European Americans from the South. This happened in the 1800s and early 1900s. For example, pro-Confederate governments were set up in what are now Arizona and New Mexico during the Civil War.
After the Civil War, many towns were founded by freed African Americans from the South. Southerners also moved to industrial cities in the Midwest for work. During the Great Depression, many people from Oklahoma and Arkansas moved to California. These "Okie" and "Arkie" migrants influenced the culture of California's Central Valley.
Millions of African Americans left the South for Northern and Western cities during the Great Migration. This lasted from World War I to 1970. Many moved to California for jobs during and after World War II. As a result, many African American and European American families have branches in both the North and South. Southern African-American culture, including music and food, has also been influenced by Northern and Western cities.
Southern Food and Drink
Southern food is a big part of Southern culture. People often say, "Food is Love." Southern cooking has adopted many Native American influences. Foods like "grits", cornbread, and barbecue came from Native American communities.
There are many different types of Southern food. These include Tex-Mex, Cajun, and Creole dishes. You can also find seafood and different styles of barbecue. Traditional African American Southern food is called soul food. It uses many herbs and flour.
Most Southern cities now offer many types of food, like Chinese, Italian, and Japanese. But you can still find restaurants serving classic Southern "home cooking." Popular dishes include fried chicken, corn on the cob, greens, and chicken fried steak.
Drinks
Iced tea is very popular in the South. Sweet tea, which is iced tea with sugar, is a traditional Southern drink. Most Southern restaurants offer both sweet tea and unsweetened iced tea.
Many popular American soft drinks started in the South. These include Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Dr Pepper. In some Southern areas, people use the word "Coke" to mean any soft drink.
In the past, there were many restrictions on alcohol in the South. Illegally made liquor was often linked to working-class people. Many Southern states still control how alcohol is sold. Some counties are "dry counties," meaning they don't allow alcohol sales in stores.
New Orleans is famous for its food, drinks, and celebrations. Drinks like Hurricanes and sazerac cocktails are well-known there.
The Upper South, especially Kentucky, is known for making bourbon whiskey. Kentucky produces most of the world's bourbon. The mint julep is a traditional drink for wealthier Southerners. Other bourbons like Evan Williams and Wild Turkey are also made in Kentucky. Tennessee Whiskey, like Jack Daniel's, is another famous spirit from the South.
Southern Stories and Books
Mark Twain, a famous writer, often wrote about the Mississippi River and the South. His stories often showed the unfairness of slavery.
William Faulkner was another very famous Southern writer. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949. Faulkner used new writing styles, like "stream of consciousness." He was part of the Southern Renaissance movement.
The Southern Renaissance was a time when Southern literature became popular again. This started in the 1920s and 1930s. Writers like Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Robert Penn Warren were part of this movement. They explored what it meant to be Southern.
Other well-known Southern writers include Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, and Margaret Mitchell, who wrote Gone with the Wind. Both of these are very famous Southern novels.
Southern Music
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The South has a rich musical history. Both white and Black musicians influenced each other. The South's music began before the Civil War with African slave songs and folk music from Britain and Ireland.
Blues music was created by African Americans in the rural South. Other music styles like gospel music, country music, rhythm and blues, soul music, rock and roll, and jazz were also born or developed in the South.
Country music comes from the folk music of white Southerners. Blues and rhythm and blues come from African American Southern music. However, both white and Black artists have contributed to all these styles.
Rock n' roll started in the South in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Early rock n' roll stars from the South include Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the 1970s, Southern rock bands like The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd became popular.
The South has also produced many alternative rock bands, like R.E.M. and Indigo Girls. Cities like Austin and Nashville have lively music scenes. Austin hosts the big South by Southwest music festival.
There's also a large heavy metal scene in the South. Death metal started in Tampa, Florida. Bands like Pantera and Lamb of God are from the South. This has led to the term "southern metal."
Since the late 1980s, rap music has grown in the South. This led to the "Dirty South" style. Atlanta, Houston, Memphis, and New Orleans are major centers for hip hop.
Sports in the South
The South has many professional sports teams, including NFL teams in Dallas, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta. However, people in the South are especially passionate about college football. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) are very popular. In states like Texas and Oklahoma, high school football is a huge deal, especially in smaller towns.
Basketball is also popular, especially college basketball. The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels have a famous rivalry. The NBA also has teams in Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Dallas.
Many professional baseball teams train in Florida in the spring because of the warm weather. Major League Baseball teams are in Atlanta, Houston, Texas, and Florida. The South also has more minor league baseball teams than any other U.S. region.
Even though it's usually linked to cold places, the South has five NHL hockey teams. These include the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The South is also where NASCAR auto racing began. Race tracks that host NASCAR events are found in many Southern locations. These include Talladega, Alabama, and Daytona, Florida.
Other popular sports in the South include golf, fishing, soccer, and hunting wild game. Augusta, Georgia hosts The Masters, one of golf's biggest tournaments. Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Southern Films and TV Shows
Many popular movies have been set in the South. Here are some examples:
- Gone with the Wind (1939)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- The Green Mile (1999)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
- The Notebook (2004)
- The Blind Side (2009)
- The Help (2011)
- 12 Years a Slave (2013)
After television became popular in the 1950s, many shows were set in the South. These included The Andy Griffith Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. In the late 1970s, after Jimmy Carter became the first U.S. President from the Deep South, interest in Southern culture grew again. New TV shows like Dallas and The Dukes of Hazzard became popular.
Since the 1990s, many other shows have been set in the South. These include King of the Hill, One Tree Hill, and The Walking Dead.
Some critics say that these shows and films sometimes use stereotypes. They might show Southerners as simple or silly. This doesn't always fairly represent the culture.
How Southerners are Seen in Pop Culture
Since the early 1800s, Southerners have sometimes been shown with stereotypes or jokes. This can still be seen in media, often in funny ways. For example, the 1960s TV show The Beverly Hillbillies showed a poor family from the backwoods moving to rich California.
Stereotypes sometimes show Southerners as relaxed, friendly, and carefree, but also lazy. The term "white trash" was first used by enslaved people in the 1830s to make fun of poor white people.
In the past, travelers sometimes focused on the less educated or poorer parts of Southern life. Especially in Appalachia and the Ozarks, stereotypes showed "hicks" who were isolated, lazy, or involved in family feuds.
However, since the 1930s, Hollywood has also used Southern stereotypes to show the good parts of simple rural life. This is often compared to the problems found in cities.
Comic strips also started showing Southern life. L'il Abner, created by Al Capp, was one of the first. It taught many people about a fictional Southern town called Dogpatch. This comic greatly influenced how the world saw the American South.
