Before beginning, it seems important to clarify which states are being referred to by regional identifiers such as South and Deep South. There is of course some variation in which states are included in each region, but for the purposes of this website, the South refers to the Old Confederacy – the eleven states that seceded from the Union to form the Confederates States of America during the American Civil War. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The Deep South traditionally referred to the seven Confederate states that had seceded before President Abraham Lincoln took office on March 4th, 1861. However, due to cultural shifts brought on by immigration and migration occurring in recent decades, Florida and Texas are often no longer included under this term. Throughout this website, the Deep South refers to the remaining five states that first seceded. They are Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The map on this page is intended to give you a visual reference for understanding how the regional identifiers came to be.
