The Lost Cause of the Confederacy and America's Long North-South Divide

The “Lost Cause” of the Confederacy is a pseudo-historical, romanticized tale of the nobility of the Southern warrior, the morality of slavery, the chivalric virtues of the Old South, the justness of “states’ rights,” and the implacability of Northern aggression. Woven into Southern culture by groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy, it shaped and continues to inform White Supremacy, anti-governmentalism, and the division of America into two increasingly hostile political and cultural camps. We’ll trace the history of the movement from 1866 to January 6, 2021, when so many Confederate battle flags were raised at (and even inside) the U.S. Capitol.