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Gulf States: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi

known as the Black Belt . Its rich, dark soil is excellent for farming. North of the coastal plain, in the eastern part of the state, is a wedge- shaped area of uplands occupying less than 10 percent of Alabama. It’s the southernmost part of the Piedmont, a plateau region to the east of the Appalachian Mountains. The Piedmont

low, flat or gently rolling land begins in the southernmost part of the state. It extends to the middle of Alabama in the east. In the west, the coastal plain stretches farther north. It nearly reaches the border with Tennessee in the far western part of Alabama. Cutting across Alabama’s coastal plain and into Mississippi is a region

Words to Understand in This Chapter

annex— to take possession of territory and incorporate it into an existing country or state. Black Belt— a region of central Alabama and Mississippi that has dark, fertile soil and that was previously home to many large cotton plantations. boycott— a mass refusal to buy a product, use a service, or have other dealings with an organization, with the goal of pressuring the organization to change its practices. civil rights movement— an extended effort, conducted largely during the 1950s and 1960s, to secure for African Americans the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to all citizens. coastal plain— an area of flat, mostly low-lying land that extends inland from a seacoast. plateau— an area of relatively flat land that is raised sharply above adjacent land on at least one side. poll tax— a sum of money that must be paid in order to be eligible to vote. secede— to withdraw from a political union. segregation— the practice of keeping white and black people apart in public. tableland— a plateau.