'A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Lost Cause'

The Lost Cause was a southern ideology that was created after The Union Army defeated the South in the Civil War. During Reconstruction in 1877, the establishment of ladies' memorial associations created Confederate cemeteries, and introduced the first Confederate monument, while the Lost Cause later became more focused on the military aspect rather than the original idea of honoring those that fought (Cox, 2008) Also, there controversy surrounding the “Lost Cause” mentality because Southerners maintained that the war was about the rights of states and fighting against the control of the federal government, not slavery, furthermore Southerners felt defeated after the war and knew that they had been outnumbered, had less, weapons, and less technology (Cox, 2008). Southerners also maintained that the war they …show more content…
The Thomas Nast cartoon produced was during the presidential election campaign of 1868, it illustrated the idea that the Democratic party suppresses the rights of black Americans and shows opposition to Reconstruction legislation (Black History, n.d). The image illustrated the black soldiers underneath the Democratic figures and the injustices put upon them, it also shows a Union veteran trying to grab a ballot box, while holding an American flag (Black History, n.d.). Southerners were determined to maintain the idea of the “Lost Cause” because they felt that the southern way of life, which included slavery, being right even by God. (Janney, 2009). The South knew that slavery in the plantations was important to their economy. The South also felt that Christianity was the main goal of having slaves by converting them as they were considered malicious. After the war the South still believed that they were just in their fight in the Civil War and this led to a reaffirmed prejudice and old confederate