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Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian:
The South’s “Lost Cause”

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1. What does the commemorative postcard (source 1) suggest about the state of affairs in the South thirty years after the official end of Reconstruction?

The Union’s Civil War victory held strong, and white southerners had repudiated the Confederate cause.

White southerners sought to honor the bravery of their forbearers in the war, but they did not endorse the goals of the Confederacy.

White southerners were somewhat ashamed of their Confederate past, but they still honored the sacrifices made by Confederate citizens.

Although the Confederate government had been defeated, Confederate values were alive and well among many white southerners.

Correct. The answer is d. Source 1 suggests that the further the Civil War receded into the past, the more popular the Confederate cause had become among white southerners. The enthusiasm of this crowd suggests that, among white southerners, the values of the Confederacy were alive and well at this time.

Incorrect. The answer is d. Source 1 suggests that the further the Civil War receded into the past, the more popular the Confederate cause had become among white southerners. The enthusiasm of this crowd suggests that, among white southerners, the values of the Confederacy were alive and well at this time.

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2. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) Constitution of 1894 (source 2) stressed that the organization worked to “preserve material for a truthful history of the war.” What does the evidence in this feature suggest about how the organization conceived of the truthful history of the war?

The war was a heroic lost cause in which white southerners bravely fought to preserve their rights, freedoms, and way of life.

The war was fought primarily by non-slaveholding white men on behalf of wealthy southerners who sought to maintain slavery.

The Civil War was a tragic event that resulted from the white southerners’ political missteps and their desire to maintain an unjust institution.

Abraham Lincoln did not intend to abolish slavery and did the right thing in waging war to defeat the Confederates and the preserve the Union.

Correct. The answer is a. The evidence presented in these documents reveals that the UDC’s conception of the “truthful” version of the Civil War was that it was a glorious lost cause that southerners had fought in order to preserve their rights, freedoms, and ways of life.

Incorrect. The answer is a. The evidence presented in these documents reveals that the UDC’s conception of the “truthful” version of the Civil War was that it was a glorious lost cause that southerners had fought in order to preserve their rights, freedoms, and ways of life.

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3. What does the advertisement from the McNeel Marble Company (source 3) suggest about the economic status of most whites in the South in 1905?

The South’s economy was booming, and whites had plenty of discretionary income to fund Confederate memorials.

Southern whites struggled economically but placed a high priority on efforts to commemorate the Confederacy.

Despite their pride in the Confederacy, most white southerners could not easily afford to donate to the UDC.

White southerners had plenty of money but no interest in funding Confederate memorials.

Correct. The answer is c. The advertisement, which suggests that UDC chapters spent years planning memorials before they could afford them and which emphasized the company’s liberal lending terms and effective fundraising plans, indicates that although many southern whites had pride in the Confederacy, few could easily afford to donate funds to purchase memorials.

Incorrect. The answer is c. The advertisement, which suggests that UDC chapters spent years planning memorials before they could afford them and which emphasized the company’s liberal lending terms and effective fundraising plans, indicates that although many southern whites had pride in the Confederacy, few could easily afford to donate funds to purchase memorials.

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4. Based on the evidence in sources 4 and 6, what would a historian conclude about which groups’ interests were served by the South’s “Lost Cause” associations?

Former slave-owning families and their descendents

Poor and yeomen whites who had fought for the Confederacy

Poor Confederate widows and orphans

Slaves and their free descendents

Correct. The answer is a. Sources 4 and 6 reveal that both African Americans and Confederate veterans who had been privates in the army were offended by the activities of “Lost Cause” associations that glorified Confederate officers and portrayed slave owners as benevolent and generous. These sources make it clear that Confederate commemoration served the interests of those who had benefitted most from plantation slavery.

Incorrect. The answer is a. Sources 4 and 6 reveal that both African Americans and Confederate veterans who had been privates in the army were offended by the activities of “Lost Cause” associations that glorified Confederate officers and portrayed slave owners as benevolent and generous. These sources make it clear that Confederate commemoration served the interests of those who had benefitted most from plantation slavery.

Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian:The South’s “Lost Cause”

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Quiz for Thinking Like a Historian:
The South’s “Lost Cause”