Sunbelt South Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sunbelt South - Essay Example The book continues in this vein moving along the time line until the second world war from whence a tremendous change starts sweeping through the south; altering its identity amid strong global influences. This change is witnessed amid strong resistance from the south’s white leadership who try to stem the new influences that threaten to change the status quo that has existed and given the south its distinct identity up to that point in time. Cobb uses a huge base of historical and literary references to illustrate his points and succeeds in providing a very balanced and unbiased account of the state of the south. The only criticism that can be leveled his way is the lack of reference to the medical situation through out the narration. The health maladies that plagued the south at various durations over time have also had an impact on the self- identity of the south and deserved some mention as well. To illustrate the state of the south since the Second World War, we have to r ely on the available literature and Cobb is a renowned historian of repute especially concerning the south. The study of the south is intricately interwoven with the history of America and its only fitting we look at it to understand the state of America since the end of the second world war. ... The image of the south has undergone change all through its existence and none is more profound than the change experienced after the Second World War and intensified during the civil rights era. The white supremacists fought hard to cling on to the status quo from this period but the winds of change were blowing harder and getting even harder to ignore. The very definitions of the southern way of life as it was known up till then were shaken to the core. The African Americans were at this time examining their southern heritage more keenly and openly and beginning to embrace their southern heritage amid their championing of their black identity. There is a distinct feel of the south’s development and evolution being dissected in the book and its wide array of relevant topics got fromfrom the national ascendance of southern culture and music, to a globalized Dixie's allure for foreign factories and a flood of immigrants, to the roles of women and an increasingly visible gay pop ulation in contemporary southern life. The heart of the book illuminates the struggle for Civil Rights. For instance the author refers to a time when Jim Crow still towered over the South in 1945, but Cobb shows that Pearl Harbor unleashed forces that would ultimately contribute to its eventual downfall. Rising black political influence outside the South and the incongruity of combating racist totalitarianism overseas while condoning the same at home, created the opportunity for returning black veterans to organize the NAACP's postwar attack on the South's racial system. This assault elicited not only vocal white opposition but also led to increasing violence that climaxed in the murder of young Emmett