The Lost Cause Thesis

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“The Lost Cause” The dictionary defines ‘lost cause’ as a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable. After the Civil War “The Lost Cause” narrative depicted the unsuccessful movement to end slavery. While slavery was the main motivation of the South to participate in the Civil War, the Confederates dispute of the Union brought about a war in which the Northern and Western states fought to preserve the Union and the South fought to establish independence as a new confederation of stated under its own constitution. Southern whites to this day struggle to admit that the cause in which their ancestors fought in the Civil War in defense of slavery. The Southerners began to memorialize their failed cause when they established …show more content…

A few Southern leaders blamed each other, questioned unity and discipline and commitment to the Southern people. General Le, Johnson, Pickett, Grant and others chose to stay and face their fate and they knew that they should continue the conflict. Some states began to rebel and not acknowledge land deeds if that would happen today it would be a criminal offense. Grant rejected the Lost Cause argument that the South had simply been overwhelmed by numbers. Grant argued, “This is the way public opinion was made during the war and this is the way history is made now. We never overwhelmed the South ... What we won from the South we won by hard fighting.” (The Lost Cause. Civil War …show more content…

Celebrations of generals and common soldiers began materializing in the latte 1880’s, this helped form and chose John B Gordon as its leader to commit to a reconciliation between the New South and the North. Annual reunions of the three groups, the Southern Historical Society, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans formed and primarily celebrated the sacrifice and heroism of the soldiers and honored the South. Sadly, as the veteran generation died off the Confederate reunions became less and less. Some Sons and Daughters organizations held on but as the ceremonies of the Lost Cause declined so did the interpretation of the war of the southern culture. Grant rejected the Lost Cause argument that the South had simply been overwhelmed by numbers. Grant argued, “This is the way public opinion was made during the war and this is the way history is made now. We never overwhelmed the South ... What we won from the South we won by hard fighting.” (The Lost Cause. Civil War

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