The death and destruction that the Civil War had wreaked on the South’s homes, businesses, towns, and families were visible as the conflict ended in 1865. They weren’t just conquered; they were wiped out entirely as well. Over half of the farm machinery was destroyed, and the country’s wealth dropped by 60 percent. Especially in light of the loss of nearly 300,000 of their sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands, many Southerners found it increasingly difficult to defend their reasons for secession and war after slavery was abolished in the country in 1865. Numerous Southerners set out to achieve this goal to keep the Confederate cause in the public eye. As a result of this, the “Lost Cause” emerged from the ashes of war. Some believed in negationist ideology, which argued that slavery was not the root of the problems in the Confederate States of America.
Specifically, the southern states seceded to protect their homes and human rights and throw off an authoritarian regime’s shackles. Those, who supported the “Lost Cause”, argued that secession was constitutional. Therefore, those who were opposed to the confederacy were not traitors. Furthermore, the southerners wanted to preserve their agrarian way of life despite encroaching on industrialism from the North. Surprisingly, they believed that slavery was something positive, in that happy, submissive, and faithful slaves were better. There was a tenet of the “Lost Cause” that the southerners were only defeated because the North had a numerical advantage in numbers and resources. Their confederate army was less compared to the Northern military, an issue that worked against their favor. These beliefs were integral to the “Lost Cause”.