The Changing South and Long Island

The Changing South and Long Island have commonalities. Just like the Changing South is not a culturally  uniform place, neither is Long Island despite it being a much smaller area than the vast region of the Changing South, spanning 12 states versus the roughly 120 mile long 20ish mile wide Long Island.

Religion is very different in the Changing South than it is on Long Island, it is mostly Baptist, while Long Island is predominantly Catholic. This is in part due to the fact that Long Island had a strong influx of immigration from the Irish and Italians who brought thier religion with them, and the fact that the South after 1800 did not have significant immigration.

The Changing South has distinct cultural identities that Long Island does not, such as the "Good-Old-Boys" best stereotyped by TV and movies with such classics as The Dukes of Hazzard, and Smokey and the Bandit, which happen to both feature fast cars and good driving, much like Stock Car racing which is huge in the Changing South. I wish we had this up on Long Island, alas how sad that we didn't. Now keep in mind that these media images help promote some negative stereotypes concerning the Changing South, but both of them deal with a very real issue, which is bootlegging, the transport of illegally made moonshine through dry counties, and areas.  Long Island does share that in common with the Changing South, especially during Prohibition however on Long Island much of the bootlegging was done by boat along the waterways around Long Island.

Dukes of Hazzard TV Show Intro



Smokey and The Bandit Trailer

It would be remiss of me to not talk about slavery and the Changing South. Long Island was never very big into the whole slavery scene as most farms were family run, and smaller in scope and did have such massive labor requirements as many places in the changing south. Now being raised on Long Island and a "Northerner/Yankee" I am hesitant to share this but what the heck it was a long time ago so here goes. On my mothers side of the family tree in doing a project years ago I came to find out that a man named Ninian Tannehill who bought a forge in Alabama and established a large plantation there. Later on during the Civil War, they produced ore for the Confederate Army to make munitions. Yeap it blew my mind that here I thought I was a good old northern boy, but turns out way back when I have some confederate roots. Well I feel that I have gotten sidetracked, now back to business!

http://www.tannehill.org/index.html

The South has changed significantly since the Civil War days, slavery is gone, Jim Crow Laws are gone, Black Codes are gone, seperate but equal is gone, and the Civil Rights Movement has happened. The New South is much like Long Island. Personally having family in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida and having visited all of them I can say the New South I know does not look too different from the Long Island I grew up in. With some distinct differences, at least in my opinion they, including my family have a much slower roll, so to speak than I did has a "Northerner" and I was always told I am moving to fast, to slow down and enjoy life and relax.