Geographically, Old South is a subregion of the American South, differentiated from the "Deep South" as being the Southern States represented in the original thirteen American colonies, as well as a way of describing the former lifestyle in the Southern United States. Culturally, the term can be used to describe the antebellum period. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... Antebellum is a Latin word meaning before the war (ante means before and bellum war). ...

Geographic usage

The Southern Colonies were Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Delaware, South Carolina, and Georgia. Despite Maryland's early association as a Southern colony and later as a state, based on customs, economy, and slave ownership, its role as a union state during the American Civil War has resulted in a modern disassociation with the area known as the "Old South," a disassociation even more pronounced in the similar case of Delaware. Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,417 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq. ... Official language(s) None Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Area  Ranked 49th  - Total 2,491 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258...

The "Old South" is usually defined in opposition to the Deep South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and also further differentiated from the inland border states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas and the peripheral southern states of Florida and Texas. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... In a European context, the term Border states policy, and Border states in a specific sense, refer to attempts during the interbellum to unite the countries that had won their independence from Imperial Russia due to the Russian Revolution, the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and ultimately the defeat of Imperial...

Cultural usage

After the Civil War, many southern whites used it with nostalgia to represent the memories of a time of prosperity, social order, and "gracious living". Most blacks saw it as being a reference to the past times of slavery and the plantation. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... One may feel nostalgic for the familiar routine of school, conveniently forgetting the painful experiences such as bullying. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... A plantation is an intentional planting of a crop, on a larger scale, usually for uses other than cereal production or pasture. ...

Once those with personal memories of the antebellum South were largely deceased, the term continued to be used. It was used even as a marketing term, where products were advertised as having "genuine Old South goodness" and the like. It has been suggested that Product marketing be merged into this article or section. ... Advertising, generally speaking, is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor. ...

Certain groups now wish to rescue the term from racist connotations by stating that they desire to celebrate only the things about the Old South which were good, such as its chivalry. An important and sizeable group of this sort is the Sons of Confederate Veterans, whose group is about "Heritage Not Hate" and make a point of honoring the memories of those blacks who served with the Confederate armed forces and their descendants. An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water cooler at a racially segregated street car terminal in the United States in 1939. ... Woman under the Safeguard of Knighthood, allegorical Scene. ... Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is a historical and patriotic honor society and non-political fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history of the American Civil War and the 1861-1865 era. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans...

See also

• New South
• Deep South
• Border States
• The Solid South
• Middle America
• Deep England

New South is a term that has been used intermittently since the American Civil War to describe the American South, in whole or in part. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... In this map:  Union states  Union territories  The border states  Bleeding Kansas, the more contentious of the Kansas-Nebraska Act states stood in the path of the border states  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories The term border states refers to five slave states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland... The phrase Solid South describes the reliable electoral support of the U.S. Southern states for Democratic Party candidates from the Reconstruction era through much of the 20th century. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term Merry England, or in more jocular, half-timbered spelling Merrie England, refers to a semi-mythological, idyllic, and pastoral way of life that the lucky inhabitants of England allegedly enjoyed at some poorly-defined point between the Middle Ages and the completion of the Industrial Revolution. ...

Arts

• - Southern Arts Federation -