Debunking the myth of the Lost Cause: A lie embedded in American history - Karen L. Cox

Summary

Between 1860 and 1861, 11 southern states seceded to form the Confederate States of America, citing slavery as their main concern. The Confederacy's Vice President, Alexander Stevens, identified slavery and white supremacy as the cornerstone of their government. Despite the Civil War's devastating outcome, a revisionist narrative, known as the Lost Cause, emerged post-war, recasting the conflict as a states' rights issue rather than a defense of slavery. This narrative was propagated by organizations like the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who worked to minimize slavery's role in the war and promote Confederate symbols. This revisionism has persisted, raising concerns about the historical memory of slavery's impact and its implications for civil rights.

Takeaways

• 🏺 Between 1860 and 1861, 11 southern states seceded from the United States to form the Confederate States of America, primarily due to the movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery.
• 🗣️ Confederate leaders, including Mississippi and South Carolina, explicitly stated that their secession was tied to the preservation of slavery.
• 🧱 Alexander Stevens, Vice President of the Confederacy, declared that the foundation of the Confederate government was white supremacy and the subordination of Black people.
• 🔥 The American Civil War, which began in 1861, lasted four years, resulted in approximately 750,000 deaths, and concluded with the defeat of the Confederacy.
• 🗣️ Post-war, there was a revisionist narrative that the conflict was not about slavery, despite clear statements from Confederate leaders to the contrary.
• 📚 The Lost Cause was a cultural myth created by Edward Pollard, who argued that the Confederacy was defending states' rights, not slavery, which was a reinterpretation of the war's cause.
• 🏛️ The United Daughters of the Confederacy played a significant role in promoting the Lost Cause narrative, influencing public memory through monuments, education, and political influence.
• 🌳 The UDC's efforts to glorify the Confederacy extended to the erection of monuments and the promotion of a sanitized version of history that downplayed slavery's role in the Civil War.
• 👤 Prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass warned against the erasure of slavery from the Civil War's history, fearing it could undermine the rights and protections of Black Americans.
• ⏳ Despite historical evidence, the myth of states' rights over slavery persists, reflecting the enduring impact of the Lost Cause narrative on contemporary understanding of the Civil War.

Q & A

What was the primary reason for the secession of 11 southern states from the United States?

The primary reason for the secession was their opposition to the growing movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery.

How did Mississippi and South Carolina justify their secession?

Mississippi identified their position with the institution of slavery, while South Carolina cited hostility from non-slaveholding states towards slavery.

What did Alexander Stevens, the Vice President of the Confederacy, claim as the cornerstone of the new Confederate government?

Alexander Stevens proclaimed that the cornerstone was white supremacy, with slavery and subordination to white people as the 'natural and normal condition' of Black people in America.

What was the immediate cause of the American Civil War according to Alexander Stevens?

According to Stevens, the immediate cause of the Civil War was the defense of slavery and the subordination of Black people to white people.

How long did the American Civil War last and what was the approximate death toll?

The American Civil War lasted four years and had an approximate death toll of about 750,000.

What was the 'Lost Cause' and who coined the term?

The 'Lost Cause' was a cultural myth about the Confederacy, which was coined by Edward Pollard, a pro-Confederate journalist, in his publication 'The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates.'

What narrative did Edward Pollard promote regarding the Confederacy's stance on slavery?

Pollard promoted the narrative that the Confederacy was not defending slavery but rather defending each state's right to choose whether or not to allow slavery.

Which organization played a significant role in spreading the Lost Cause narrative and how?

The United Daughters of the Confederacy played a key role by raising funds for Confederate monuments, placing Confederate portraits in public schools, and monitoring textbooks to minimize the horrors of slavery and its significance in the Civil War.

How did the United Daughters of the Confederacy influence the perception of the Confederacy outside the South?

The UDC increased their influence outside the South by growing their membership and meeting with Presidents such as William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson, who enabled them to memorialize the Confederacy in Arlington National Cemetery.

What was Frederick Douglass' concern regarding the erasure of slavery from the history of the Civil War?

Frederick Douglass feared that the erasure of slavery from the Civil War's history could contribute to the government's failure to protect the rights of Black Americans.

What did Frederick Douglass say in his 1871 address at Arlington Cemetery about remembering the Civil War?

In his 1871 address, Douglass questioned the call to forget the merits of the struggle and to remember with equal admiration those who fought for slavery and those who fought for liberty and justice, emphasizing the importance of remembering the true causes of the war.