AH Challenge - liberal south, conservative Northeast

How could the US have developed so that, as of today, the southeastern part of the country is noted for being secular and politically liberal, with little religious involvement with poltics, while the northeast and the west coast are noted for their political conservatism and widespread, politically active fundamentalist Christianity?

Also - the POD must be after the end of the US Civil War in 1865

I somewhere read that in Latin America the diverse races (whites, blacks, natives) mixed more frequently, forming a truly multi-racial society. Maybe if there are more kids born from white-black couples (OK, the plantation owners might not, but what about the "poor whites", or more people of French / Spanish descent in the South?), the Southern society might mellow a bit, be less puritanic than the North, people would like to dance and celebrate more often, smoking marijuana could become acceptable for all parts of society (Straha would like it )... and meanwhile, the North-East would be disgusted about the Southron decadence.

You said that the POD must be after the Civil War. In the North it's easy to have a Comstock figure win the Presidency and establish a more strongly religious US, even an established Congregational church, while in the South the Baptists and Methodists work for the separation of church and state.

Is this plausible?

Let's see...

After the Civil War, the Radical Republicans gain full control of the US government upon Lincoln's death, institute draconian military rule of the southern states, including permanent disenfranchisement of anyone who fought against the Union, and institute radical abolitionist and racial equality policies. This is done in philosophical alliance with certain New England abolotionistprotestant church groups (Congregationalists, northern Baptists, and others) which ultimately gain considerable control over the ideals and programs of the Republican party on other issues as well (temperence, etc,). Churches which remained lukewarm or divided over abolition are subjected to unofficial discrimination. The North becomes very puritan. THe US Govt also uses Christian missionary activity among southern blacks as the main tool for educating and uplifting them

Meanwhile in the south, white resentment and hostility to the more dictatorial northern occupation and long term black/carpetbagger rule is worse than in OTL, but is driven completely underground by harsh repressive measures. White southerers turn to racialistic, semi-fascist political philosophies, which blame, among other things, the northern churches for their loss of power. The strong evangelical Chistianity of blacks, mission work by northern churches in black communities, and inclusive teachings of Christ only reinforces this view, which makes all Christians suspect. Finally, during the early 20th century, the southern whites finally regain political local auhtority, although in a context when minority black rights are still strictly protected by (the more intrusive) Federal govt. Majority white dominated state governments use there new political authority to strictly limit the role of religion in public life, including banning all government sanctioned expressoins of religion.

--Maybe if there are more kids born from white-black couples (OK, the plantation owners might not, but what about the "poor whites", or more people of French / Spanish descent in the South?), ---


OTL it was pretty common for plantation owners and other relatives to father children with slaves( Queen with Halle Barry).Those children were usually made to work in the house but were rarely given their freedom and hardly ever acknowledged by their white fathers as their own.While mixing happened in the lower classes it still wasnt very common because of the race/class struggle that the rich used in the South.A real allaince between poor whites and blacks would have threatened the rich white class so they always made it clear through their treatment of blacks that no matter how poor they were the whites were still better than blacks.This meant that the poor wites sided with and kept the planters in power ,fought for them in the Civil War and limited the amount of interracial unions between blacks and whites.