d Return to LSI Articles

The South as it own Nation

The American South, culturally the most distinct region of the United States and once an independent nation, has the population and the economy to form one of the most powerful nations on earth. A Southern nation composed of only the eleven States of the former Confederate States of America, (i.e. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia), would have 74 million people, the thirteenth most populous in the world. It would have more people than France or Britain, and almost as many as the united Germany. In economic power, a Southern nation composed of the above eleven States would have the fourth largest gross domestic product (1990) figures, after the remainder of the United States, Japan, and Germany.

A Southern nation could be larger or smaller than the above eleven States. The Census Bureau defines the South as the former Confederate States, plus Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, with the District of Columbia thrown in. Politically, however, the South is best defined as the eleven Confederate States, plus Kentucky and Oklahoma. This is the South as defined by the Congressional Quarterly. The Census Bureau and Congressional Quarterly Souths each have the largest population and gross domestic product of the four major U.S. regions. Even the eleven State old Confederate South has more people than any other major U.S. region, and a gross domestic product larger than that of the Midwest or the West and essentially even with that of the Northeast.

A Southern nation composed of ten of the historic Confederate States, all except Texas, unique in a number of ways, would have 56 million people (about the size of France, Italy, and the United Kingdom), and the sixth largest gross domestic product of the nations of the earth.

Without Florida also, a State with many Northern migrants, a nine-State South would retain 43 million people and have a gross domestic product not much below that of the United Kingdom. Even the five States of the Deep South, (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina), alone have 22 million people, not far below that of Canada and four million more than Australia. Their gross domestic product is roughly in league with that of Canada, Brazil, and Spain.

HOW AN INDEPENDENT DIXIE WOULD COMPARE TO THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD IN POPULATION AND GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

The following tables give the comparisons:

Population
1993 data, in thousands

Source: For nations of the world, The World Bank Atlas, 1995 (Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 1994). For U.S. States, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1994.

Gross Domestic Product
1990 data, In millions of U.S. dollars

Source: For nations, Statistical Yearbook, 1992, (New York: United Nations, 1994). For U.S. States, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1994.

Congressional votes over the past thirty years demonstrate how much more attuned to the conservative values of Southerners an independent Southern nation would be. On a number of key votes, reflecting a wide range of policy issues, the Southern Senators or representatives or both in the U.S. congress have cast majorities contrary to the votes of the U.S. Congress as a whole. On immigration, school prayer, abortion, busing, balanced budgets, size of government, taxation, and Supreme Court appointees, to name some of the issues, public policy during the past thirty years would have been decidedly different if the South had been an independent nation. These policy changes would produce a significantly different country, more in keeping with the desires and the cultural lifestyles of a majority of Southerners.

These votes cover social, economic, governmental, and foreign affairs policies. They are only selective. For purposes of this inquiry, the South is the Congressional Quarterly South of the eleven States of the historic Confederate States of America plus Kentucky and Oklahoma. These States do form politically the Southern region of the United States.

A STATISTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF HOW THE U.S. CONGRESS DOES NOT GOVERN DIXIE THE WAY THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE WOULD GOVERN DIXIE IF WE WERE A FREE AND INDEPENDENT NATION

The following chart compares the Congressional vote of the Southern States and the entire United States, including the Southern States, on twenty-six votes during approximately the last thirty years. In each case the South voted differently from the United States as a whole, whether in a straight majoritarian sense, or in a requirement for a supra majority (a majority greater than 50%).

SOCIAL ISSUES

Immigration U.S. South*
(1) Immigration Reform Act of 1965 - (Major reform which opened U.S. to massive third world immigration) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives 318-95 34-75
U.S. Senate 76-18 10-15

(2) Immigration Reform Act of 1986 - (Amnesty to illegal aliens) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives 238-173 49-70

(3) Immigration Act of 1990 - (Increased legal immigration by about 40%) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives 1990 264-118 54-60

(4) Amendment to strike legal immigration reduction from Smith immigration bill Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 21 March 1996 238-183 54-79

Welfare U.S. South*
(1) Amendment to delete House passed cap on welfare benefits - (Federal money to children born to welfare recipients) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, September 1995 66-34 10-16

Crime U.S. South*
(1) Prohibition of federal habeas corpus appeals in cases that had a "full and fair" hearing at the State level. Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1991 208-218 77-47

(2) Brady Bill - (Federal gun control measure providing for a waiting period for handgun purchases) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1993 238-189 57-79

(3) Assault Weapons Ban Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1994 218-216 45-89

(4) Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994
(Included assault weapons ban and provisions expanding federal power) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1994 235-195 51-82

School Prayer U.S. South
(1) Constitutional Amendment of 1971 - (Right to voluntary prayer in public buildings) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1971
(Rejected; a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote for passage.) 240-163 84-23

(2) Bar Federal courts from hearing cases involving school prayer - (A "No" vote is a vote to restrict federal court involvement) This was a vote on a motion to table consideration of the bill. Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1985 62-36 7-18

(3) Sense of the Senate that the Supreme Court should reverse its rulings prohibiting voluntary school prayer Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1992 38-55 15-9

Abortion U.S. South*
(1) Constitutional Amendment to return abortion decisions to the States Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1983
(Rejected; a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote for passage.) 49-50 18-7

Protection of Women U.S. South*
(1) Amendment to repeal 1948 law prohibiting women from flying combat missions; motion to table (A "Yes" vote is a vote against women in combat) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1991 30-69 15-10

Busing U.S. South*
(1) Bar Federal courts from jurisdiction to hear cases involving public schools; motion to table (A "No" vote is a vote against busing) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1976 62-29 6-19

(2) Bar Justice Department from spending funds to require busing. (Failed) (Insufficient to override Carter's threatened veto, so no veto override vote attempted; a veto override requires a two-thirds vote) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1980 49-42 20-4

ECONOMIC AND FISCAL ISSUES

Issue U.S. South*
(1) Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment, (Rejected); A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage. Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1995 65-35 21-5

(2) Penny-Kasich Spending Reduction Package Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1993 213-219 71-66

(3) Clinton Deficit Reduction Package (With Spending Cuts and Tax increase) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1993 218-216 62-75

GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES

Issue U.S. South*
(1) Confirmation vote on Haynesworth to Supreme Court (Haynesworth was a Southern conservative nominee.) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1969 45-55 22-4

(2) Confirmation vote on Carswell to Supreme Court (Carswell was a Southern conservative nominee.) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1970 45-51 20-6

(3) Cloture rule change from two-thirds to three-fifths (a no vote is a vote for protection of Senate minorities) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1975 73-21 9-15

(4) Line item veto proposal cloture vote (Rejected; after the 1975 rules change, cloture requires a three-fifths vote.) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1985 58-40 16-9

Foreign Policy Issues

Issue U.S. South*
(1) Panama Canal Treaty Ratification Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. Senate, 1978 68-32 Rejected. 14-12**

(2) Contra Aid Vote (Aid for Nicaraguan Contras) Yes-No Yes-No
U.S. House of Representatives, 1986 211-222 86-44

Source: Congressional Quarterly

*South = Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

**Treaties require a two-thirds vote for ratification.

Paper prepared for DixieNet and the League of the South by William Lamar Cawthon, Jr. , 9 October 1995 and revised on 27 February 1997.