Jackson And Lee: Character Analysis

A legacy is a complicated thing, especially when it deals with reputation. One’s reputation is affected by subjective trends in popularity, and often has as much to do with the social climate at the time it is established as it has to do with the person. Jackson and Lee both undeniable have created legacies that rely on an idealized representation of their character. So far, this paper has discussed the various ways that Jackson and Lee distinguished themselves in the war, how they were perceived by the South during war, and examples of how manifestations of their legacies exist today. Still, the question remains: How did these legacies affect the understanding of the Civil War? Following the end of the Civil War in the South, the Lost Cause was a set of beliefs developed by white southerners that romanticized the Confederacy and often distorted southern …show more content…
Their blunders were minimized and overwritten in favor of casting them as saint-like figures for Southern history. Lee in particular was admired by later political leaders in the South who sought to live up to the ideals of southern gallantry and nobility associated with his character (Janney). These portrayals of Jackson and Lee fail to represent them as regular beings. While both men deserve credit for the critical role they played in the war, it should be noted that the more unflattering depictions of them are consistently shielded from public discussion as to not stain their idealized legacy. Such characteristics include the facts that Jackson himself owned slaves (Fredriksen), and while Lee did oppose the institution of slavery, he did not do so on any moral ground (“Robert E. Lee”). The Lost Cause ideology built upon already romanticized figures to create southern idols out of Jackson and Lee that did well to ignore their flaws and present an overall idea of the Civil War as something honorable and