Why is the South so conservative?

[Hotblack Desiato]

Charts detailing racial trends in the US indicate a very high African-American population trend across the Southern states.  In most elections, those have been the states that elect Republicans by very healthy margins.  However, in states up north, especially the New England area, there is a very low population of non-whites.  Exit polls show that more than 90% of African-Americans vote Democratic, so how can the South be so conservative and the Northeast be so liberal?

Whites in the northeast tend to be better educated and less religious than whites in the south.

Theoretically, the South should still be somewhat more liberal than it is today because of the high African-American population.  In 2008, McCain shouldn't have carried states like Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, etc. with such large margins.

Not really. Blacks vote democrat for affirmative action and for welfare.  That doesn't make them liberal overall when it comes to social or economic attitudes. Remember, blacks are the most anti-gay group in the US.

[Hotblack Desiato]

Another question is why has the south become more conservative in the last 40 years?

The Southern Baptists arguably even endorsed the Roe. v. Wade decision when it happened. Now it seems like the anti-abortion position dominates the south at every level. Maybe the conventional view that the right alligned toward the views of the south isn't quite correct. Maybe the south has also alligned toward the views of the right.

Roe V. Wade was the bridge too far. Without it, you'd keep more of the catholic vote and at least part of white dixie voting democratic based on economics.