The document summarizes the key points of the Lost Cause interpretation of the American Civil War, which aimed to justify the Confederate cause after the war. The Lost Cause claimed that (1) slavery was not the primary cause of the war, (2) secession was constitutional, and (3) the Confederacy was defeated only due to the Union's overwhelming resources and numbers rather than military or political weaknesses of the Confederacy. It also promoted the ideas of Southern nobility and chivalry and downplayed the harsh reality of slavery. The Lost Cause interpretation became popular in the late 19th century through memorials, art, films and other cultural artifacts that romanticized the Confederacy while ignoring the central role of slavery.

1. The Lost Cause 101

2. Colbert Report, April 13, 2010

3. Main Points of the Lost Cause Interpretation
1. Slavery not a cause of the war
2. Secession was constitutional
3. North had overwhelming advantages—South never
had a chance
4. Southern nobility and chivalry, personified by
Robert E. Lee
5. South a Christian society, North a materialistic
society
6. North started the war
7. Slavery was a benign institution

4. Slavery not a cause of the war
 Before and during the war,
Confederates frank that this
is a war to defend slavery
 Alexander Stephens on the
Confederate government: "Its
foundations are laid, its
cornerstone rests, upon the
great truth that the negro is
not equal to the white man;
that slavery . . . is his natural
and normal condition."
Confederate Vice President
Alexander Stephens

5. The Confederate Constitution
 Article I, Section 9, Paragraph 4: "No bill of
attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or
impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall
be passed."
 Article IV, Section 3, Paragraph 3: "The Confederate
States may acquire new territory . . . In all such
territory, the institution of negro slavery, as it now
exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized
and protected by Congress and the territorial
government."

6. Alabama Ten Dollar Note

7. ―Rich Man’s War and a Poor Man’s Fight‖
From the diary of James B. Lockney, 28th Wisconsin
Infantry, writing near Arkadelphia, Arkansas
(10/29/63): "Last night I talked awhile to those men
who came in day before yesterday from the S.W. part
of the state about 120 miles distant. Many of them
wish Slavery abolished & slaves out of the country as
they said it was the cause of the War, and the Curse of
our Country & the foe of the body of the people--the
poor whites. They knew the Slave masters got up the
war expressly in the interests of the institution, & with
no real cause from the Government or the North."

8. After the War, the Story Changes

9. Secession was constitutional
―Whenever any form
of government
becomes destructive of
the ends for which it
was established, it is
the right of the people
to alter or abolish it,
and to institute new
government…‖

10. North had overwhelming advantage…

11. …over the Agrarian South

12. Southern nobility and chivalry

13. Lost Cause Myths About Slavery
1. Slavery brought savage
Africans to civilization and
Christianity
2. Masters and slaves formed
loving families
3. Most slaves remained loyal
during the war
4. Many slaves chose to remain
with their masters after the
war
5. Many ex-slaves were worse off ―Saving his Master‖

14. Art of the Lost Cause
The Lost Cause, Henry Mosler (1869)

15. Harpers Weekly, 1865

16. Death of General Robert E. Lee (1870)

17. Lee Relics

18. Lee Death Mask
―Americans in all regions would do
well to recommend this man's life
as a model for their sons. Lee came
as close to being perfect as a
human being can be. He was tall,
handsome and bright, and finished
second in his class at West Point
without a single demerit . . . He
never spoke ill of anyone, even his
enemies. He never took credit for
victories, but he always accepted
personal responsibility for defeats.
He was a devout Christian.‖
--Charley Reese, 2005

19. Monument Building—1880s to 1920s
Unveiling ceremony for Confederate
monument at Salisbury, 1909

20. Pensacola Confederate Memorial

21. Stone Mountain – 1928-1964

22. Birth of a Nation, 1915
Clip 1

23. Gone With the Wind, 1939
 Trailer
 Clip 1
 Clip 2

24. Tarzan Movies

25. Modern Relics of Lost Cause