The Myth of the Lost Cause

In my humble opinion, the history of the history of the Civil War is actually more interesting than the history of the Civil War (with all apologies to James MacPherson and those like him who write so beautifully and knowledgeably about the conflict).

The Myth of the Lost Cause, a way of looking historically at the War, sprang up just a year after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Started by an historian-journalist named Edward Pollard, the Myth asserted that the South’s cause was noble (state’s rights) and that its men were only beaten by superior Union numbers (men and resources). In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Southern historians, and eventually many mainstream historians from across the country, were able to argue that the War had little if anything to do with the expansion of slavery. So pervasive was the Myth during the first half of the twentieth century that we can see it clearly delineated in films from Hollywood’s Golden Age—Gone with the Wind, The General, Santa Fe Trial, and numerous others. For heaven's sake, Birth of the Nation was the Myth "written with lightning" (as Woodrow Wilson might say). 

Personally, I will go with a quote from a more recent film, Night at the Museum: “North wins... Slavery is bad... Sorry... Don't want to burst your bubble but South, you guys get Allman Brothers...and... Nascar. So just chill!”

The more I understand about historiography, the more I like it!