Southern Distinctiveness.James C. Cobbs Away Down South - Essay Example

Southern Distinctiveness James C. Cobb’s in his book “Away Down South,” provides a comprehensive history of South Americans, the Southern, in relation to search for distinct identity. The Southern wanted to gain a distinct identity from the Northern in terms of culture, politics and religion. In this book, Cobb argues that the southerners did not achieve distinctive identity with respect to politics, culture, and religion. However, he points out that the history of the Southern is the only distinctive feature of the South. He asserts that the quest for southern distinctiveness should be abandoned since it is both intellectually stultifying and politically dangerous. Indeed, I agree with Cobb’s statement that the search for southern distinctiveness should be thwarted since most of the debates, about this topic, usually trigger dangerous political arguments. Cobb identifies that the quest for southern distinctiveness is not an issue that originated in Southern regions of America, but it is the northerners, during the revolutionary era through the Civil War period, who begun stressing on the distinctiveness of the south (Cobb 222). It is until sectional crises of 1950s, originating from the remonstration of the southern region between 1860 and 1865, that the white southerners realized the need to create their own identity (Cobb 222). After southerners lost in Confederacy, they became obsessed with the results of Civil War and Reconstruction, which dominated their imagination of forming the New South. In the quest for southern identity, New South propagandists, by 1900, had won a contest for defining post-war southern identity. They also created a remarkably comprehensive version of defining post Civil War South identity (Cobb 226). The new identity embraced the causes of the loss including a modern industrial future for the southern in alias with the northern capital. However, the New South identity failed to recognize the plights of African American, and embraced a regime of white supremacy. It is within the context of white supremacy that people begun questioning the significance of New South identity. During the second Reconstruction after World War II, the southern region was initially perceived as a confident and militant Africa-American community (Cobb 231). However, during the second Reconstruction, many southern scholars turned their feelings about their region to shame and guilt. This led to their defeat in the Civil War; something Cobb believes was as a result of disagreements and conflicts in white identity. Ironically, instead of conceding the defeat, some of the southern governors, still had the confidence to boost that the loss was as a result of their own mistakes, but not as a result of the entire nation. While the northern America was struggling to achieve a global image, the south was struggling to become Americanized. Cobb further indicates that both the white and black Americans were struggling to claim the southern identity (Cobb 229). However, African Americans, born and bred in the southern, have embraced the New South identity in a different perspective from the white southerners. Their definition of the southern identity does not include anything that relates to Lost Cause or Confederacy, but rather with community, place, family and culture (Cobb 234). In this case, they are trying to reclaim the identity of a region that was initially owned by white Americans. This implies that the initial definition of New South identity, which was structured by white intellectuals, was not valid enough to prove the southern distinctiveness south because it failed to recognize their presence, as members of the community, yet they participated in the Civil War and Reconstruction process (Cobb 234). This also indicates that people have mixed reactions and definitions when it comes to southern distinctiveness. Therefore, the quest for southern identity should be abolished as it creates unnecessary conflicts and dangerous politics among authors and other intellectuals. Cobb highlights some mistakes that are committed when defining and discussing southern identity. For example, religion is largely discussed as a societal function of the southern society rather than as an animating spirit that is capable of compelling the Civil Rights Movements and justifying slavery (Cobb 235). Proponents of southern distinctiveness compare the south with Confederate states rather than slaveholding border-states, which were within the union but were not products of southern culture. Religion played a key role in distinguishing between the Southern and the non-Southern. Southerners claimed that they held a literalist perception of the Bible more than the Northerners. Most of them believe that it is necessary to be a Christian and act within the context of biblical teachings. This is the reason as to why the Southern and the Northern still disagree over some social issues such as gay marriages. However, despite the belief in Christianity, the White Southerners still remained silent over slavery and racial issues after the civil war (Cobb 226). As Christians, they should have been the first group to lobby for the end of slavery and racism across Latin American states and Europe. However, the Southern joined other regions in practicing slavery. This is an indication that religion is not a key factor in justifying Southern distinctiveness since the Southern used Christianity in justifying the significance of slavery and fighting black Civil Rights Movements (Cobb 235). Most protestant denominations, in the early 19th Century, began perceiving slavery as not consistent with Christianity (Cobb 223). As this conflict grew stronger, the Baptists and the Methodists disagreed over this issue and split into southern and northern branches. The Southerners, who were the strong defenders of slavery, tried presenting slavery as a moral institution that everyone comprehended throughout American States, in the 1850’s. This was based on the belief that the “white is the superior race, and blacks the inferior”. This belief permitted white community to own black people as slaves. Therefore, the distinctiveness of the south cannot be identified by religion. In this case, it is the history of southern religious belief that is distinct, in this context. In conclusion, the quest for southern distinctive should be abandon because of the dangerous politics and intellectuals stultifying that it causes. This is due to the people’s mixed opinions regarding the most appropriate definition of southern identity. The first white southerners developed the first definition of a New South identity, which embraced the Lost Cause in the Civil Wars. However, this definition failed to recognize the plights of African Americans as southerners. African American scholars, on the other hand, define a New South identity in the context of a community, family, and culture, but not as a white identity. The debate on the quest for a southern distinctiveness has led to serious conflict and dangerous politics, therefore; it should be abandoned, just like Cobb suggested in his book “Away Down South”. Works Cited Cobb J. C. Away Down South:A History of Southern Identity. London: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print Read More