The history of the present-day Southeastern United States dates to the dawn of civilization in approximately 11,000 BC or 13,000 BC. The earliest artifacts from the region were from the
Clovis culture. Prior to the arrival of
European colonialists,
Native Americans occupied the region for several hundred years during the
Woodland period. The first Europeans to arrive in the region were
conquistadors associated with the
Spanish Empire. In 1541,
Hernando de Soto journeyed through the southeast and crossed the
Mississippi River. The region hosted the first permanent European settlement in the
United States, with the
Kingdom of Spain establishing
St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. Four southeast states,
Georgia,
North Carolina,
South Carolina, and
Virginia, were among the
Thirteen Colonies who sent delegates to the
Second Continental Congress in
Philadelphia, which declared
independence from the
British Crown, which was established with the colonies' victory over the
British in the
American Revolutionary War. During the
American Civil War, the
Confederate States of America consisted of the southeastern states of
Florida,
Alabama, Georgia,
Mississippi,
Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Texas was a Confederate State that isn't defined as part of the southeast region.
Missouri and
Kentucky had dual competing Unionist and Confederate state governments in the
Confederate government of Missouri and
Confederate government of Kentucky, while Maryland and
Delaware were neutral southern
border states that remained with the
Union.
West Virginia split from Virginia during 1863, and also served as a border state that remained with the Union while being contested by the Confederacy and
Confederate government of West Virginia. Following the
Reconstruction era in the 1870s, many Southeast state legislatures passed
Jim Crow laws. The
American segregation era spanned from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s. In the mid-to-late 20th century, the Southeast saw many shifting changes take place population wise and economically. The Southeast started to see a spur of new economic growth in the 1930s, which stemmed from
New Deal policies such as the
Tennessee Valley Authority and the Fair Labor Standards Act instituting a minimum wage for the entire nation.
World War II further helped growth within the Southeast, as
military bases and military production drew workers from farming or low-wage industries into a new economy. With farming
mechanization picking up to speed in the 1940s, promotion of different industries, and federal spending on
defense and
space programs, the Southeast saw further economic transformation in the ensuing years and decades of the 20th century. The Southeast benefitted from its business and warm climate in its population growth during the late 20th century, as it helped in attracting job seekers and retirees from other U.S. regions. Florida in particular went from being the 27th most populated U.S. state in
1940 with 1.9 million residents, to being the 4th most populated U.S. state and having nearly 13 million residents in
2000. Southeast states such as North Carolina and Georgia saw large population growth increases as well during the late 20th century. ==Geography==