The South

The South is economically, historically, and culturally a distinct region. With its warm climate and rich soil, it soon developed an economy based on export crops like cotton. These were grown on farms worked by slaves from Africa. Conflicts between the North and the South, especially over slavery, led in 1861 to the Civil War.

In the last few decades, the South has become more industrial and urban than in the past. Some parts of the South are among the fastest-growing areas in the country. But the South also preserves its traditions - for example, its emphasis on good cooking and its slower, more hospitable way of life.

Randee Falk: Spotlight on the USA; Oxford University Press, 1993, page 64