The Southeast Region of the United States West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida

Florida Florida is in a part of the United States call the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt stretches across the country from Florida to California. States in the Sun Belt have a mild climate all year long. A mild climate means that it is usually warm and sunny there.

Everglades National Park, Florida A vast covers the southern tip of Florida. It is known as the Everglades. A swamp is a low area of land that is covered by water at least part of the year.

More than 300 kinds of birds live in the Everglades. Alligators, crocodiles, turtles, snakes, and otters live in the park as well.

Florida’s sunny climate makes it a popular place to visit. People from all over the world travel to Florida for vacations. People who travel for fun are called tourists. About 40 million tourists visit Florida every year. Some come to enjoy the sunshine and beach. Others come to visit places like Disney World.

John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida Alan Shepard was launched into space from Cape Canaveral in a rocket. He was the first American in space. Today, Cape Canaveral is the home of the space shuttle. Visitors to the center learn all about space exploration.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Jamestown, Virginia England’s First American Colony In the spring of 1607, settlers from England chose this spot on the James River to build a colony. Virginia began to grow tobacco and the colony began to make money.

Virginia In 1619, a Dutch ship arrived. Its cargo included 20 Africans. They were sold to the colonists as servants and slaves. This was the beginning of slavery in the colonies. AncestorsAncestors are a relative who lived long ago.

Appalachia AppalachiaAppalachia is a mountainous region is located in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Appalachia has no exact borders. It covers most of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states (including North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia)

Appalachia strip minesToday most coal comes from strip mines. Strip Mines are surface mines. Miners use heavy machinery to strip away the dirt and rocks covering the coal. Then they use giant shovels to dig the coal out of the mountain. Bluegrass is the traditional music of Appalachia. It is played on banjos, guitars, and fiddles.

Appalachia is too hilly for much farming but is rich in minerals. Minerals Minerals are natural substances found in rocks. The region’s most important mineral is coal. Coal is used to heat homes and produce electricity. About ½ of this country’s electric power comes from burning coal. In the past, miners dug tunnels into the Appalachian Mountains to get at the coal hidden inside. These mines were dangerous places. Many people died in mining accidents.

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is in the center of the Mississippi Delta region.Memphis is in the center of the Mississippi Delta region. The Mississippi Delta is a large area of land.The Mississippi Delta is a large area of land. It stretches from Kentucky and Arkansas to the mouth of Mississippi River.It stretches from Kentucky and Arkansas to the mouth of Mississippi River.

A river’s mouth is where it empties into the ocean. A delta is a triangle-shaped area at the end of a river. Soil carried downstream by the river builds up to make a delta. Delta soil is fertile and good for farming.

Image of a Delta

In the early 1800’s, that rich soil attracted cotton planters to this region. Cotton was a valuable crop. Many planters brought slaves with them. Slaves did most of the work of planting and picking cotton.

Slaves led hard lives. They worked from sunup to sundown most days of the year. They had no right to choose what they wanted to do. They could be bought and sold like cattle. Slaves would sing about their sorrows and these songs came to be known as blues.

New Orleans Birthplace of jazz – African American musicians living near here created this new style of music. There are many kinds of jazz. The oldest is called Dixieland.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana’s nickname is the Bayou State.Louisiana’s nickname is the Bayou State. A bayou is a stream flowing through swampy land.A bayou is a stream flowing through swampy land. In the 1700’s, French colonists from Canada settled along Louisiana’s bayous. They called themselves Acadians. Over time, they shortened to Cajuns.In the 1700’s, French colonists from Canada settled along Louisiana’s bayous. They called themselves Acadians. Over time, they shortened to Cajuns.

Gulf of Mexico Many people who live near the Gulf Coast are oil workers. petroleumAnother name for oil is petroleum – a thick, black, oily liquid found underground. The state of Louisiana has 23,000 wells that pump oil out of the ground.

Drilling for oil Drilling for oil under the ocean is not easy. rigsOil workers build huge platforms, called rigs, to hold their machinery. Then they drill down under the sea until they find oil. Once the oil is pumped out of the Earth, it is sent to a factory called a refinery. Here it turns petroleum into useful products. Known best as gas for cars.

Petrochemicals Oil is also used to make petrochemicals. That is just a big word for chemicals made from oil. These chemicals are used in all kinds of products from medicines to plastics. You are probably wearing a petrochemical product right now!!

Natchez, Mississippi Plantation – a large farm. Early 1800’s – cotton planters settled in this area. They spent their wealth building huge homes. Wealth depended on having slaves to work the land. President Lincoln believed slavery was wrong but the southern planters did not agree.

Plantations

The American Civil War It took a war to settle the argument about slavery. This war lasted four long year. Much of the Southeast was damaged during the fighting. 600,000 people died during the war.

One good thing came out of this terrible war…SLAVERY WAS ENDED FOREVER!!!!!

Montgomery, Alabama Civil Rights Memorial located here honors 40 Americans who were killed during the civil rights movement.

Free…not really! After the Civil War, blacks in the South were free…but they were denied many of the rights other citizens had. SegregationSegregation – separation of people because of race. African Americans could not go to school with whites, eat at the same restaurants, drink from the same fountains, or use the same bathrooms.

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement began as a struggle to end segregation. It started in Montgomery in That year, a preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr. led a protest against segregation on buses Bus segregation was ended in Montgomery as well.