Why the south fought the civil war and why the north won by edward h. The lost cause was sort of a longing for a romanticized past that never really existed, but wasnt really an active desire for secession. Comprising a full and authentic account of the rise and progress of the late southern confederacy the campaigns, battles, incidents, and adventures of the most gigantic struggle of the worlds history ebook written by edward alfred pollard. Comprising a full and authentic account of the rise and progress of the late southern confederacy the campaigns, battles, incidents, and adventures of the most gigantic struggle of. The confederate move ment to produce southern classical textbooks aimed primarily at the. Comprising a full and authentic account of the rise and progress of. But the udcs primary focus was on insuring that southern schools used only those history books loyal to the lost cause. How southern socialites rewrote civil war history vox. A new southern history of the war of the confederates 1866 and the lost cause regained 1868, wherein pollard originated the longstanding pseudo. Evidence reported by scannerchristopherjones for item lostcausenewsout00poll on april 25, 2007. John kelly, the civil war and americas textbook debate time. By 1940, the lost cause narrative dominated textbooks nationwide. When originally published in 1867, this book was described as comprising a full and authentic account of the rise and progress of the late southern confederacy the campaigns, battles, incidents, and adventures of the most gigantic struggle of the worlds history, drawn from official sources, and approved by the most distinguished confederate.
Other signs of the lost cause s existence in the south can be currently seen through both civil war monuments and a few state flags, but this paper discusses lost cause textbooks. The story comprised a defense of the souths peculiar institution slavery, secession, and the war. Primary source material was also discovered that showed how confederate organizations. They had won, as books that taught the true history of the south poured into.
The lost cause of the confederacy is not exactly history. Myths and realities of the confederacy written by william c. A new southern history of the war of the confederates pollard, edward on. Veteran civil war historian davis, expanding on themes delineated in his earlier books a government of our own, 1994, etc. This myth of the lost cause has been wildly successful and has guided a majority of civil war historical interpretations in the century and a half since appomattox. It was a campaign to portray confederate leaders and soldiers as heroic, and it targeted the minds and identities of children growing up in the south so they. But the lost cause myththe idea that the civil war was not about slavery but about northern aggressionstill has a. Mar 17, 2021 10 facts about the lost cause of the confederacy 1. I had some limited knowledge of the lost cause, but the word cult hit my. Davis states that it is impossible to point to any other local issue but slavery and say that southerners would. One of the most successful propaganda campaigns in american history was developed to obscure the role of slavery in the civil war. Jul 26, 2015 if ever a cause deserved to be lost and stay lost, its this one. Feb 18, 2021 that oath is an anti confederate oath and yet here was the flag of treason by that great american. In looking at the lost cause of the confederacy, the author, who is a serious historian of the civil war, has pondered a great deal about the elements of the lost cause myths of the south and has, in a very implicit way, sought to address those concerns without inflaming the audience of proconfederate readers who are likely to be the biggest market for a discussion like this one.
How i learned about the cult of the lost cause history. The phenomenon facilitated the reunification of north and south during the reconstruction era, the lost cause became. The messed up history of the lost cause of the confederacy. What trump shares with the lost cause of the confederacy. According to him, the confederates fought for some substantially good things.
Oct 20, 2016 to adherents of the lost cause, a term coined as early as 1866, the confederacy fought to uphold the supposed virtues of the antebellum south, advanced by leaders who were exemplars of old. Daughters of the confederacy unveiling the southern cross. A meticulously documented challenge to previous views about the extent and effectiveness of confederate manpower in the last year of the civil war. William jones, baptists, and the development of confederate memory is an objective look at the antebellum south that focuses less on the what and where of that time in history and more on the how and why.
The lost cause was popularised by an 1866 book of the same name written by virginian edward a. Confederate groups, including womens associations, worked to fund and organize cemeteries, memorialize the war and its soldiers, and honor the lost cause of the south. Its hard to have a lost cause if the cause isnt lost. The lost cause is the name commonly given to a literary and intellectual movement that sought to reconcile the traditional white society of the southern united states to the defeat of the confederate states of america in the civil war of 18611865. The lost cause in some ways won the civil war fair.
In his washington post profile of one of the leading contemporary proponents of the lost cause, reporter paul duggan called the negationist narrative a gauzy fiction. Through an examination of memoirs, personal papers, and postwar confederate rituals such as memorial day observances. Still to this day, many i know in louisiana believe the civil war was more. Grant said, that was, i believe, one of the worst for which people ever fought but dont tell shelby foote that. Cornerstone of the confederacy university of tennessee press. Focusing on stephenss pronouncement of slavery as the confederacy s cornerstone, this book is a fresh, fullbodied treatment of white supremacy and its legacy, and of the remarkable staying power of the lost cause s most inconvenient truth. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Five myths about the lost cause the washington post. Myths and realities of the confederacy, a critical examination of mythical claims made by neoconfederates and lost cause members regarding the confederacy and the american civil war. Will contain warped interpretations of slavery and the civil war. Osterweis, the myth of the lost cause hamden, conn archon books, 1973 investigations home. Aug 16, 2008 the term lost cause emerged at the end of the civil war when edward pollard, editor of the richmond examiner, popularized it with his book the lost cause, which chronicled the confederacys demise. Here is a quick description and cover image of book the cause lost. Confederate veterans, united daughters of the confederacy, and the sons of confederate veterans worked with state governments to expel textbooks deemed unfriendly to the south in favor of history books which promoted the lost cause.
The book s timeliness is somewhat coincidental moore is a selfproclaimed civil war buff and. Now we have the beginnings of an edit war over whether. The term lost cause first appeared in the title of an 1866 book by the virginian author and journalist edward a. Simpson tells it, a militant form of confederate nostalgia that had by 19 permanently stamped the cult of the lost cause upon the national. Its a pseudohistorical form of denial propagated by the descendants of civil war veterans who possibly didnt want to give up their slaves. Although fosters work covers the years 1865 to 19, you can definitely draw parallels between that time period and some americans recent calls for secession following president obamas. The lost cause by edward pollard is a seminal work in the development of a southern white historical tradition recalling, celebrating, and.
Mar 04, 2021 the confederate states seceded from the united states over slavery. Foster explored the importance of the lost cause mentality in the south from 1865 to 19. The term swiftly came into common use as a reference not only to military defeat, but defeat of the southern way of lifea phrase that generally referred to the south of the antebellum period, when plantation slavery was still intact. The myth of the lost cause and civil war history book. A controversial museum tries to revive the myth of the. Edward alfred pollard february 27, 1832 december 17, 1872 was an american author, journalist, and confederate sympathizer during the american civil war who wrote several books on the causes and events of the war, notably the lost cause. Mar 12, 2018 to the lost cause, rewriting the narrative of the war was as important as erecting monuments, and it largely worked. Nov 29, 2017 the lost cause by edward pollard is a seminal work in the development of a southern white historical tradition recalling, celebrating, and interpreting the fallen confederacy to those who were part of the fouryear experiment and to their children and grandchildren. These are four, but not all of the tenets of the lost cause. Defeat, the lost cause, and the emergence of the new south, 1865 to 19. Myths and realities of the confederacy by william c.
Lost cause textbooks, as well as newspaper articles, board minutes, and confederate veteran articles regarding textbooks, are the main subject material of this paper. And thats hard to find in ah, because the central conceit of nearly all alternate history featuring the us civil war is that the confederacy wins. After lee and grant met at appomatox court house in 1865 to sign the document ending the long and bloody civil war, the south at last had to face defeat as the dream of a confederate nation melted into the lost cause. The myth of the lost cause and civil war history bloomington. The lost cause narrative in these history textbooks promoted the following. Feb 05, 2021 the key to seidules rejection of the lost cause was his realization, while teaching military history at west point, that the confederate leadership committed treason to protect and expand. In your book, you look to unravel the myth of the lost cause, which recasts the confederacy s defeat as a story of american heroism. Myths and realities of the confederacy modern war studies paperback by william c. Davis blamed the enemy for whatever of bloodshed, of devastation, or shock to republican government has resulted from the war. Comprising a full and authentic account of the rise and progress of the late southern confederacy the campaigns, battles, incidents, and adventures of the most gigantic struggle of the worlds history library of american civilization.
A list of recommended reading on the lost cause is courtesy of the atlanta history center. The lost cause reading list history detectives pbs. The lost cause was popularised by an 1866 book of the same name. Jan 08, 2021 the lost cause mythology built around donald trumps claims to have won the 2020 election will outlive him and potentially fuel a dangerous reactionary political movement for years to come.
Professors book analyzes religion and the confederacys. The lost cause of the confederacy is a racist ideology which furthered the idea that slavery was just and moral, under the ruse that it brought worthwhile economic prosperity. Apr 10, 2019 at its annual reunion in atlanta in 1919, the united confederate veterans ucv set up a committee to promulgate the lost cause version of history through textbooks. Generations of southerners were taught to glorify the confederate general. Interesting and informative, this work says much about the shifting, decreasing, and resurging meanings of the confederacy and the lost cause over time. Mar 26, 2021 on the lost cause of the confederacy harriet coombs history hit march 26, 2021 in april of 1865, following four years of bloody and arduous battle, confederate general robert e. At its heart, the lost cause was a mystique of chivalric southern soldiers and the noble confederate leadership embodied in jefferson davis. Lee issued his farewell address effectively ending the american civil war. This is a very interesting book concerning confederate manpower.
Mar, 2020 the lost cause by edward pollard is a seminal work in the development of a southern white historical tradition recalling, celebrating, and interpreting the fallen confederacy to those who were part of the fouryear experiment and to their children and grandchildren. The 1881 publication of the rise and fall of the confederate government by jefferson davis, a twovolume defense of the southern cause, provided another important text in the history of the lost cause. The name, the lost cause, was hatched as a way to build a positive mythological model of the confederacy. The relationship between jefferson davis and this generals was interesting. The lost cause of the confederacy, or simply the lost cause, is an american pseudohistorical, negationist ideology which advocates the belief that the cause of the confederate states during the american civil war was a just and heroic one. It brought together the most prominent confederate heritage associations ucv, udc, and sons of confederate veterans scv. How the lost cause narrative became american history. Jul 15, 2015 the lost cause mythos itself has a history. Apr 12, 2009 the lost cause by pollard, edward alfred, 18311872.
Defeat, the lost cause and the emergence of the new south, 186519 by gaines m. Rolle has written four books on various aspects of california history and is the editor of the road to. Lost cause myth of the confederacy encyclopedia of arkansas. On the lost cause of the confederacy realclearhistory. Confederacy fought because of slaverys presence in the south. The lost colony of the confederacy is the story of a grim, quixotic journey of twenty thousand confederates to brazil at the end of the american civil war. As a result of this educational movement, students throughout the south, both black and white, were taught the. A new southern history of the war of the confederates. The book provides a lot of information on the politics in the confederacy during and, to some extent, after the civil war. Folks are kind of talking about the lost cause as an idea, but theres not necessarily a deep understanding of what thats really all about. Developed by white southerners, many of them former confederate generals, in a postwar climate of economic, racial, and social uncertainty, the lost cause.
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