The Wall_Spring 2023_Issue 9

Artwork: Niah Melomey, S9

rights, the same reason used for secession in 1861. Confederate flags are still an enormously common sight in the South on cars, outside houses and even on state property such as courthouses and capitols; 75% of Southerners see it as consequence of the Lost Cause. New Confederate monuments are being raised at the fastest rates since the 1910s and with a white backlash against civil movements such as BLM also on the rise, racial ignorance and illiteracy has resurged.Through the upsurge of the Lost Cause, more Americans than ever are unaware of the plight of black Amer icans and social reform is becoming ever more unlikely as the Lost Cause becomes truly entrenched. a symbol of heritage not racism according to a 2015 poll, a visible

adapted and have become even more widespread throughout the South. For example, in 2010 Texas removed slavery as the central cause of the civil war from the curriculum throughout the state, instead making “states’ rights” the main factor. In addition, the curriculum makes no mention of the KKK during reconstruction, or the Jim Crow laws that the South still defended a mere 40 years ago. Reading this far, you’re probably left wondering: if this happened in the past why are we still talking about it? Well, it’s because it has a significant and lasting impact on American civic life; the Lost cause version of History that was expunged and revised over a hundred years ago. In fact, 48% of Americans believed that States’ rights were the cause of the civil war, a fact made so

much more shocking when it includes 60% of those under the age of 30 (only 38% thought it was over slavery). We like to think that western society is becoming increasingly liberal each year, moving away from the racism of old but this is not the case; younger people are increasingly likely to trust in the Lost Cause throughout America as this belief contaminates American understanding of History.Affects are clear to see: old Confederate anthems such as Dixieland are still tremendously popular, being sung before sporting events, in schools and in households across the south.The United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of the Confederacy still have 50,000 members and have had a strong resurgence in the past few years, a direct effect of them claiming to defend states’

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