USA

[keitra]

What is 'a post- Dixie South'?

[Quizmonster]

'Dixie' was the name applied to the Southern States of the USA, based on the song of that name composed by D D Emmett in 1859. Certainly that was the earliest written record of the word. Basically, these were the Confederate States which fought against the Union during the American Civil War. Once that war ended with defeat for 'Dixie' in 1865, they were occupied by northern troops and underwent what was called 'Reconstruction' to unify the entire USA. 'Post-Dixie' refers to the period after 1865.

[David H]

According to a recent radio programme, Dixie is from the bilingual (French and English) 10 dollar notes, with the word 'Dix' for ten written on them. These were called dixies, and came to refer to the area they were used.

[Quizmonster]

The banknote explanation was apparently dismissed long ago. The idea that there was a connection with the Mason-Dixon Line - which by and large separated the Confederate/Union States - is also improbable. Most likely of all is that it was based on the name of the owner of extensive plantation-lands...a certain Mr Dixie! Hence, 'Dixieland' and the abbreviated 'Dixie'.

For further information on all of this, click http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=2
0000327

[JohnPPotts]

Although Dixie is a name for the American South of the Civil War period, surely a POST-Dixie South is one where the politics is not based on the Civil War (a Century and a half ago!) which returned exclusively Democrats (as the Republicans were blamed for starting the war) but voted instead for the party which closer fitted their views, ie. the more right wing Republicans. Certainly since the Civil rights movement of the 1960s (where a Democratic President imposed equal rights legislation on the South), the South has moved from being solidly Democratic to being solidly Republican.