The lost cause is the belief that the Southerners were honorable in their fight against the north and that its fight was very heroic. The South believed any state had the right to secede, a point the North strongly denied. The Lost Cause portrayed the South as more Christian than the greedy North. This belief came about in the 18th and 19th century. The Southerners believed that the central problem of the war was not slavery and that stressed secession as a defense against a Northern threat to their way of life and said that threat violated the states' rights guaranteed by the Union. There are many symbols throughout the south that provide examples of this “Lost Cause”, General Robert E. Lee’s god like persona after the war, the Confederate flag being rampantly portrayed throughout the South and lastly the humongous monuments being erected throughout the south. The novel and movie Gone With the Wind also proves this point.
The biggest symbol can easily be identified as General Less, thus the reason many claim Lee as the figurehead of the Lost Cause. Lee was cast as the ideal antebellum Southern gentlemen that selflessly served when his people needed him. Lee was considered a great General that nearly overcame a David vs. Goliath situation in beating the North. In fact Lee accepted responsibility for defeat at Gettysburg but the Southerners did not believe this and in fact blamed a separate individual for the loss. General E. Lee is the epitome of the South.
The confederate flag can be seen all throughout the south. In fact up until recently this flag was even on many state buildings. The state of Georgia had a state flag very similar to that of the confederacy up until 2001. The flag reaps the frustration and despair of the Southerners, which is why it became such a big symbol of the South.
Another big symbol that highlights the South’s feelings toward their loss can be seen through the numerous monuments all through the conf...