Texas is not the South but the South wants it to be (Houston: home, living in)

[TexasRoadkill]

As a young man I used to say, "Anyone North of IH10 were Yankees and any land west of Kerrville was Mexico" LOL

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

California (at least the south and eastern portions, I haven't spent much time in the northern parts) is way more Southern than most people expect. I'd describe LA as only slightly less Southern than Dallas.

What exactly is southern about anywhere in California? I'm curious.

[High_Plains_Retired]

I've said this before but, for those who think this old tired topic is somehow a new subject, many of the cotton farmers here on the South High Plains (Lubbock area) are derived from families who moved out of east Texas when the boll weevil came to Texas from Mexico. In the past, the old cotton producing areas of eastern Texas were very definitely tied culturally to the Deep South.

Time, generations and immigration, however, are fast forcing change in all cultures in the U.S. including what is called the culture of the "Deep South."

No culture, no matter how old and seemingly stable, is secure in light of time and change.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by walker1962

I think ACU's presence in a small city is reflective of it being more religiously influenced than the big cities of Texas. Similarly, I should have mentioned McMurray State as indicative of a conservative, southern character as that Abilene-based college is affiliated with Methodists denomination.

Ah I see.

[joseayala77]

Depending how brainwashed u are. Depending how much time you spend in front of the dumbbox. Depending to what extent you allow Hollywood and NETFLIX dictate your thoughts, then yes, Texas is the south.

But if you are not a slave to the dumbbox and you do your research, then you'll realize how diverse Texas is. How it's not the "Deep south". You'll realize how many international Boer citizens actually live in tx. Especially Houston.

Texas does not feel like the south. If you're talking Georgia, Alabama etc

[Redlionjr]

This thread gets made at least every other month. Texas has southern roots but is not entirely southern in the same way as other states in The Deep South are culturally. Houston and DFW both have roots but now have so many transplants and such an international population that the southern roots is just another piece to the culture. Not really the dominant culture anymore. Atlanta is similar to that as well albeit a little more southern than those 2 metropolitan areas in Texas. Austin doesn't really feel southern either. It's when you get to East Texas/ South East Texas and pockets of Central Texas that truly feel like the Deep South. East Texas and South East Texas especially. There's not enough transplants moving into those parts to influence the areas to change culturally. There's still heavy black populations and strong religious politics that tie into the Deep South culture.

[turf3]

Texas has a history that is very distinct from that of the Old South. Just as one example, African American slavery, cotton agriculture, and the other agricultures that were pursued with African American slaves, only had a history of 24 years in Texas at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War in contrast to the other states of the South where that economic system had been in place since the 1600s.

[Enean]

Tired of it. Seriously, Texans fret over this, and the rest of us don't care. I've commented that it's south, because, it's south. It may not have all the characteristics of some other southern states, but if it's south, because it sure isn't anywhere else. All states in any region are not the same...not a one of them.

[C24L]

Originally Posted by walker1962

I think ACU's presence in a small city is reflective of it being more religiously influenced than the big cities of Texas. Similarly, I should have mentioned McMurray State as indicative of a conservative, southern character as that Abilene-based college is affiliated with Methodists denomination.

ya your right that Abilene is more religiously-inclined than Dallas,Fort Worth,Houston, S/A, and Austin.

[Redlionjr]

Originally Posted by turf3

Texas has a history that is very distinct from that of the Old South. Just as one example, African American slavery, cotton agriculture, and the other agricultures that were pursued with African American slaves, only had a history of 24 years in Texas at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War in contrast to the other states of the South where that economic system had been in place since the 1600s.

You couldn't be any more wrong with this statement. Texas wouldn't be what it is today if it wasn't for White settlers migrating to the territory for the pursuit of slavery. Decades before Texas became a state, White settlers came to Texas as slave owners and brought with them enslaved Africans. I recently found out that my Great Great Great Great Grandfather was an enslaved African from Virginia. The sick white slave owner "purchased" him in Virginia and later moved to Jonesville, Texas 20 minutes outside of Marshall,Texas. My ancestor gained his freedom and would later settle in Marshall. White "Settlers" were coming into Texas as Slaver owners while Mexico owned Texas. Majority of these "settlers" came from Slave holding states in the South and came so in droves due to soil exhaustion and stiff competition when it came to owning land. Not to mention there were even White "settlers" who didn't own slaves in the Southeast but migrated to Texas looking to get into the slave business in the new territories in the state.

Even before Mexico won it's independence from Spain in order to get Texas, the area still had a distinct history of Slavery. Because of Spanish control, slavery had a different approach. In fact freeing enslaved Africans was pushed throughout Spanish Texas. During this period many enslaved Africans escaped to Spanish Texas and joined Indigenous tribes or settled in parts of East Texas as freedman or runaways. Some intermarried with indigenous and Spanish people and created a class of mulatto's in area's around and in San Antonio. Galveston was used as a port of entry to smuggle enslaved Africans into the United States and sale them in New Orleans. During this time the importation of enslaved Africans was considered Illegal in United States. Also you had many more enslaved Africans that escaped into Mexico via Texas.(what is considered Mexico to this day) Their descendants still live in Mexico to this day.

The problem with a lot of White Texas historians is they like to only recognize slavery in Texas when it became a State. This completely ignores the most important events that took place and helped make the state what it is to this very day. It's easy to say Texas wasn't like those other southern states because we only had 20 years of slavery. Yeah that was 20 years as a State. But the events that led to those 20 years of Statehood is the biggest pieces to the historical puzzle. Tensions were a constant theme between Anglo "settlers" and Mexicans because those Anglo's didn't want to follow the program. They wanted to bear arms, speak English legally under Mexican rule, be apart of the legal system and continue to OWN SLAVES. That's why historians leave out those details when talking about the Alamo or the birth of Texas.

Easier to sell you the idea that Texas was full of heroic larger than life White Men who fought the tyrannical Mexican army, than to tell you these were racist sexist and entitled White Men who fought for the right to own slaves and not accept rules in what was than a foreign land. The truth isn't good for tourism I guess.

Bottom line, Texas while having a distinct culture different than most of the south(Louisiana also had a distinct culture as well since they were under Spanish and French rule before Americans took over) the culture is still heavily rooted in the Deep South. It's a reason why Marshall was going to be considered the capital of Missouri during the Civil War by a Missouri Confederate sympathizer. It's a reason why segregation and Jim Crow Laws were prevalent in Texas after the emancipation of slavery like other southern states.