HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In the
culture of the United States The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and Social norm, norms, including forms of Languages of the United States, speech, American literature, literature, Music of the United States, music, Visual a ...
, the idea of Southernization came from the observation that Southern values and beliefs had become more central to political success, reaching an apogee in the 1990s, with a Democratic President and
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
from the South and Congressional leaders in both parties being from the South.Adam Nossiter. "For South, a Waning Hold on Politics". ''The New York Times''. 12 November 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008. Some commentators said that Southern values seemed increasingly important in national elections through the early 21st century. American journalists in the late 2000s used the term "Southernization" to describe the political and cultural effects.Michael Hirsh (April 25, 2008)
"How the South Won (This) Civil War"
''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
''. Retrieved November 22, 2008.


Description

Values and beliefs often ascribed to the American South include religious conservatism, particularly
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, culture of honor, Southern hospitality, military tradition, agrarian ideals and American nationalism. Besides the cultural influence, some said that the South had infiltrated the national political stage. In 1992, the winning presidential ticket consisted of
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, the Governor of
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
; and
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
, a Senator from
Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...
. From both parties, many leaders in Congress were also from the South. Meanwhile, according to Michael Lind, professor of public affairs at
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
, the Republican Party underwent its own Southernization as more Republican leaders called for policies and principles previously held by conservative or moderate
Southern Democrats Southern Democrats are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the Southern United States. Before the American Civil War, Southern Democrats mostly believed in Jacksonian democracy. In the 19th century, they defended slavery in the ...
. Commentators such as Adam Nossiter and Michael Hirsh suggest that politics reached its apogee of Southernization in the 1990s. Southernization of the national politics of the United States can be also noticed in presidential elections. From the Civil War until 1963 there was only one President from the Southern United States, Andrew Johnson, but since then five of the last eleven Presidents have been from the region: Lyndon B. Johnson,
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
,
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
,
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, and
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
.


Other uses

In World History, the term "Southernization" has been used to describe the influence of South and Southeast Asian Civilizations on the rest of the world. Lynda Shaffer introduced the concept in her 1994 article of the same name, explaining that it is intended to be similar to the use of Westernization for the influence of the West on the rest of the world in the early modern and modern eras. Her ideas gained popularity with other World Historians and were included in college level textbooks. Examples of South Asian influence include Hindu–Arabic numerals; the spread of Buddhism; production and overseas trade of sugar, cotton and spices; and the spread of other inventions and discoveries. The term Southernization has also been used to describe the rise of the
Global South Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
, a grouping of most non-Western countries.


See also

*
Culture of the Southern United States The culture of the Southern United States, Southern culture, or Southern heritage, is a subculture of the United States. From its many cultural influences, Southern United States, the South developed its own unique customs, Southern American En ...
* Political culture of the United States * Politics of the Southern United States *
Red states and blue states Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to US states whose voters vote predominantly for one party—the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in red states ...
* Sun Belt, the growth of the Sun Belt coincided with the process of Southernization * Flyover country


References


Further reading

* * * * {{Cite book, last=Perlstein, first=Rick, author-link=Rick Perlstein, title= Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, year=2008, publisher=Scribner, location=New York, isbn=978-0-7432-4302-5 Political terminology of the United States Culture of the Southern United States Politics of the Southern United States Regionalism (politics)