Analysis: The Lost Cause

On April 9, 1865, the Civil War ended, the Confederates gave up their fight against the Union; thus beginning the reconstruction period in America. Much of the South was devastated over the loss of the Confederacy and they had nothing to rally behind or hope for. In 1866, Edward Pollard first coined the term, “The Lost Cause”, which helped many people who originated in the South cope with life after the Civil War and keep their faith belonging to the South. The “Lost Cause” left a glaring legacy and it was the most influential movement in the country after the Civil War because it united many Southern folks, helped the Reconstruction process, and it gave women an influential role in society.
To begin with, The “Lost Cause” united many southern …show more content…
Even though the group believed in most Confederate views, they disregarded some Confederate views which helped fuse the North and the South together. The “Lost Cause” believed that the Civil War was an honorable struggle for the South which gained more respect from the Northerners. If it wasn 't for some of the universal beliefs portrayed by the “Lost Cause”, then the hostile relations would have been burning for many more years. Historian David Blight wrote: The Lost Cause became an integral part of national reconciliation by dint of sheer sentimentalism, by political argument, and by recurrent celebrations and rituals. For most white Southerners, the Lost Cause evolved into a language of vindication and renewal, as well as an array of practices and public monuments through which they could solidify both their Southern pride and their Americanness. In the 1890s, Confederate memories no longer dwelled as much on mourning or explaining defeat; they offered a set of conservative traditions by which the entire country could gird itself against racial, political, and industrial disorder. And by the sheer virtue of losing heroically the Confederate soldier provided a model of masculine devotion and courage in an age of gender anxieties and ruthless material striving. What Blight is saying is that the “Lost Cause” was a key part in mending relations with the North and South. The Confederate group …show more content…
Women were the main leaders in the “Lost Cause” movement, inspiring countless other women to join the group. Without the women having an influential role in the movement, the group wouldn’t have had the same impact on America or have been as popular. The women were the driving force in the creation of the “Lost Cause” which left a favorable legacy of the group. The United Daughters of the Confederacy was the driving force in sustaining the Confederate South and remembering the Confederate veterans. Women finally were somewhat a key part in something other than homemaking or their expected, run of the mill jobs back then. The influential role women had in the group attracted many other women to give their full support and effort into the “Lost Cause” which could only enhance the effectiveness of the group. The UDC wanted to assert women 's authority in every part of the South. They did this by writing history textbooks, erecting monuments, and by lobbying for national historic sites and museums to commemorate the veterans of the Confederacy. The UDC and the women 's fight for relevancy and more influential roles in society was the biggest reason for the group’s success. The UDC and the “Lost Cause” had a symbiotic