The Myth of the Lost Cause

For generations, the ‘Myth of the Lost Cause’ cast a long shadow over the Civil War, America’s watershed event. The persistence of that narrative, created by ex-Confederates to justify the just-concluded conflict, remains part of contemporary America. Even today, when controversies over the appropriateness of displaying the Confederate flag erupt, many supporters claim that it symbolizes their regional heritage and states’ rights, not the era of slavery. Historian Stephen D. Engle rejects that notion and challenges the enduring Southern reverence for the Confederacy. Drawing on decades of research, Engle focuses on issues central to the myth over generations by targeting its origins during Reconstruction, its cultural endurance through the 1920s and the Great Depression, its challenges to the Civil Rights Era, and even its symbolism in rallying patriotism today.  This event is also available virtually.