Jordan Rogers

Mr. Carey
HIS 332
May 1, 2014

The Souths New Regional Identity

There were many changes regionally in the post-Civil Rights South. In the readings the
authors give examples on how the South has changed and stayed the same through this era. The
South after Civil Rights actually started to flourish a little more and started to become more
Americanized or modern. This was good for the Souths economy but many were starting to
fear that because of the new changes going on in the South that their old culture would be
forgotten. However this is not the case for the South with certain ways of southern living and
culture still going on today.
After Civil Rights in the South most of the United States expected the South to fall down
and not get back up. Although the South had a terrible decline in the economy it was now
opened more for economic development. Black people started to migrate back into the South
looking for jobs and a more simple way of living (Cobb 238). James C. Cobb tells about how
black people during this era did refer to themselves as Southerners. Blacks not only saw the
South as their home but also as their ties to Africa. Blacks felt as if they had a relationship with
the land. It was easier for blacks to move back to the South than for whites. This was shown
when James Morgan went back to his Mississippi to interview Morgan Freeman. Morgan

expected for Freeman to be apprehensive towards the state but found the contrary. Freeman says
I really am a product of the South, easy-living, easy-going, quiet and gentle (Cobb 266).
With black people feeling more welcome to come back to the South than white people
this definitely has changed the identity of the South. Other ways that changed the identity were
white people not being bothered by living with blacks. In 1942 nearly all whites said that black
and whites should attend different schools. By the 1970s there were 16% of whites voting
against it and by the 1980s there were only 5% of whites who said that they would not want
their children to go to school with black children (Reed 92). One other way that the Souths
identity changed was by the mid-western influence in the area. The South turned into just like
everywhere else in the United States. Some accepted this change but others saw and began to be
frightened by these changes, fearing that they would lose the Old South forever. For example
Josephine Humphreys wrote story telling of the super market being the human trust in the
future (Cobb 253). But just as Bear Bryant overcame his adversities in The Death of Bear
Bryant so did the South. This showing that virtue can lead to success.
There were certain ways that the South stayed the same also. With Civil Rights the South
started changing its ways on segregation. With the South not bothering with segregation
anymore they were able to focus on what was important in the South again like politeness and
manners. For example in the story about Bear Bryants funeral Wilson describes how everyone
in the South came to Bryants funeral no matter if what church denomination, race, or
background. Everyone came to show respect to the Coach. This is how the South stayed the
same. No matter race or anything when something bad happens everyone in the South is there
for each other. (Wilson 40)

The South identity changed a lot during the post-Civil Rights era. But the South will
forever be the South. There is no place like it and no matter if you are black or white, if you
were raised in the South it will always be the place that you call home.