The South

The South is usually identified as the eleven states that made up the Confedearte States of America which consisted of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky.^{[Citation Needed]}

Although these states once fought against the United States in the Civil War, today they are known for their patriotism. From the end of the Civil War to the 1964 election, the "Solid South" as political pundits called it, nearly always supported Democratic candidates. The Solid South began to break down in the 1968 elction, when the region split (with the exception of Texas) its electoral votes between Republican candidate Richard Nixon and Independent George Wallace. It is thought that this was a reaction to Lyndon Johnson's signing the Civil Rights Act of 1965. Today, the South is one of the strongholds of the Republican party, and is the most conservative region in the United States.

Compared to other areas of the United States, the South spends little on its public education system. As a result, the region lags far behind the rest of the nation in terms of academics, with most states reporting very low reading and test scores^{[Citation Needed]}.

The South has always volunteered and served in the Armed Forces in disproportionately high numbers.^{[Citation Needed]}