Originally Posted by warrrreagl

Oddly enough, the Southern accent is the most closely related to any English accent left in America. Southern culture is historically based on Cavalier migrations from the south of England in the mid-1600's. Most of the stereotypical Southern mannerisms - such as undying good manners, lofty prose, gentlemanly behavior towards women, and the unshakeable image of the landed gentry slowly fanning themselves in the heat - come directly from Cavalier culture. I have read several volumes that suggest if you simply added a lisp to the refined Southern accent, you would basically have the old Cavalier accent.

EDIT: Here's one of those volumes. Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, by David Hackett Fischer.