Starting with the Civil War, describe the political evolution of the South and its current political trends. What was the main catalyst for change in the South? How did this change occur? What is the political character of the South today?

What would you tell a national political candidate to expect from the South in the near future?

An ideal response will:
1. Discuss how the South has historically had a common political identity that is distinct from that of the North due in part to competing economic interests, and that secession and the Civil War helped to reinforce those differences.
2. Explain how Lincoln's action of emancipating the slaves and the experience of Reconstruction transformed the South into a reliably Democratic region.
3. Explain how the South is becoming increasingly less distinct due to changing economic patterns and an increase in the number of people moving to the South from other regions of the United States.
4. Explain how these factors have also contributed to the shift in partisan loyalties of southerners, beginning roughly in the 1960s, from Democratic to Republican at all levels of government.
5. Discuss how a national political candidate can expect the South in the years ahead to remain solidly Republican.
6. Provide a clear and effective conclusion.