Neo-Confederates facts for kids

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans marching in Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.

Neo-Confederates are groups and people who see the Confederate States of America and its actions during the American Civil War in a good way. Groups like the League of the South and the Sons of Confederate Veterans still believe that the former Confederate states should be able to leave the United States.

What Does "Neo-Confederate" Mean?

A common version of the Confederate battle flag, also called the Southern Cross.

A black X on a white background, used by the League of the South.

The first national flag of the Confederate States, used from 1861 to 1863. It was known as the Stars and Bars.

The second national flag of the Confederate states, used from 1863 to 1865. It was called the Stainless Banner.

The third national flag, adopted in 1865, just before the end of the American Civil War. It was also known as the Bloodstained Banner.

Five flags often seen at neo-Confederate events.

How the Term Started

The term "neo-Confederate" has been used for a long time. Historian James M. McPherson used it to describe groups from 1890 to 1930. These groups tried to make history books say that the Civil War was not about slavery. They also wanted to show that the Confederacy did not rebel and that its soldiers were only defeated because they were outnumbered.

Another historian, Nancy MacLean, used the term "neo-Confederacy" for groups in the 1950s. These groups were against Supreme Court rulings that called for racial integration, like Brown v. Board of Education.

In 1954, Leonard Levy, a historian, used the term. He wrote that some historians showed "blindness to the moral issue of slavery." They also felt upset about the rise of Black people and modern industry.

Historian Gary W. Gallagher says that neo-Confederates do not want to hear that keeping racial control and white supremacy was very important to the white South. However, he also warns that the term "neo-Confederate" can be used too much.

The "Lost Cause" Idea

What is the "Lost Cause"?

The "Lost Cause" is a way of looking at the American Civil War that tries to make sense of the Confederate States of America's defeat. People who believe in the Lost Cause often say that the Confederacy fought for a good reason. They also see Confederate leaders as brave and honorable. They believe the Confederacy was defeated not because the Union was better, but because the Union had more soldiers and resources.

These groups often think that the common history of the Civil War is "false." They also tend to criticize the Reconstruction period after the war. They do not agree with giving Black Americans the right to vote.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) says its goal is to "preserve a true history of the 1861-1865 period." They claim that "preserving liberty and freedom was the main reason the South decided to fight the Second American Revolution."

Historian James M. McPherson explains that the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) was formed to fight against "false history." This "false history" taught Southern children that their fathers were "rebels" and had committed many wrongs. Much of what the UDC called "false history" was about how slavery led to the war.

A leader of the United Confederate Veterans wrote in 1898 that history books could make Southern children "think that we fought for slavery." He worried this would "fasten upon the South the stigma of slavery."

Why the "Lost Cause" Matters

Historian Alan T. Nolan calls the Lost Cause "a way to explain things, a cover-up." He says that after the war, Southern leaders needed to explain the disaster. Nolan believes the Lost Cause story is wrong because it does not truly deal with slavery and Black people. He says it takes away the true purpose of the war for the United States. It also removes Black Americans from their important role in the war.

Historian David Goldfield notes that some Southerners are very sensitive to criticism of their past. He suggests this shows their deep connection to their view of history. It also shows they might have doubts that they made mistakes.

When asked about "neo-Confederate revisionism," historian Brooks D. Simpson said it is "an active attempt to reshape historical memory." He believes it is an effort by white Southerners to find reasons for their actions today. He says that if these groups control how people remember the past, they will control how people think about the present and future.

What Neo-Confederates Believe

Changing History

Neo-Confederates often have different ideas about the American Civil War and the Confederate States of America. They often criticize Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the history of Reconstruction.

They often say that Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea involved terrible acts against Southern civilians. However, most historians say that Sherman targeted buildings and supplies, not people, to end the war faster.

Slavery is rarely mentioned by neo-Confederates. When it is, they usually do not defend it. They deny that slavery was the main reason the Confederacy started the Civil War. Critics often say that neo-Confederates are trying to "change history" or are "defenders" of the Confederacy.

Neo-Confederates have been accused of making slavery seem less important in causing the Civil War. They also misrepresent how much Black Americans supported the Confederacy. Some neo-Confederate groups claim that "thousands of African Americans had served in the Confederate army." They say that most Black people during the war "supported and defended, with armed resistance, the Cause of Southern Independence."

Historian Bruce Levine says that their focus on "Black Confederates" tries to make people believe the war was never fought over slavery. Instead, they say it was about loyalty to the South, self-government, Southern culture, or states' rights.

Neo-Confederates also care a lot about honoring the Confederacy and its soldiers. They want to honor Confederate veterans, their cemeteries, and the different Confederate flags. They also want to honor Southern cultural identity.

Political Ideas

Neo-Confederates have different political beliefs. But they often believe in a limited government and states' rights. They also believe that states have the right to leave the United States. Some also believe in Southern nationalism, which means they think people in the Southern United States are part of a special and unique culture.

Neo-Confederates often want a national government with less power. They strongly support states' rights. They also believe that states have a legal right to secession. They openly support the idea of Southern states leaving the United States again. For example, the League of the South wants the "independence of the Southern people" from the "American empire."

Most neo-Confederate groups do not want a violent revolution. Instead, they want a peaceful separation, like when Czechoslovakia split into two countries. Many groups believe the United States might break up into 50 separate states, like the Soviet Union did. They think the Confederacy could be brought back then.

Neo-Confederates are usually against the civil rights movement. They see it as the federal government having too much power. Historian Nancy MacLean says that neo-Confederates used the history of the Confederacy to explain why they were against the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Culture and Religion

Neo-Confederates promote a traditional Christian culture. They support showing Christianity in public, such as monuments of the Ten Commandments and displays of the Christian cross. Some neo-Confederates see the Civil War as a fight between Christian beliefs and anti-Christian forces. Some also believe in an "Anglo-Celtic" identity for people living in the South.

Economic Ideas

Neo-Confederates usually support a free market economy. They want much lower taxes than there are now in the United States. They also do not want to use fiat currencies like the United States dollar. Some want a very extreme type of laissez-faire economic system, where the government has almost no role.

Other neo-Confederates believe in distributionism and show populist ideas. Some even believe the Confederacy was Socialist, pointing to writers like George Fitzhugh.

Neo-Confederates and Libertarianism

Historian Daniel Feller says that some libertarian writers, like Thomas DiLorenzo, Charles Adams, and Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, have created a "marriage of neo-Confederates and libertarianism." Feller writes that what connects them is their dislike of big government. They see the Civil War as creating a huge government that took away personal freedom. They believe the Civil War was a step backward for liberty, not forward. These writers often say that slavery was just an excuse for the government to gain more power. They see federal control as the war's worst outcome and dislike Abraham Lincoln.

Gerald J. Prokopowicz, a historian, notes that some critics do not want to recognize Lincoln's role in freeing slaves. They also have libertarian views toward the Confederacy. He says some people romanticize the Confederacy as a "libertarian paradise" that was destroyed by Lincoln.

Some thinkers who have shaped the modern neo-Confederate movement have worked with libertarian groups. These people often insist on the South's right to secede. Their views on the causes and results of the Civil War are often very different from what most historians believe.

Neo-Confederate Views and the Republican Party

Historian Nancy MacLean writes that since the 1960s, the Republican Party has become a place for neo-Confederate ideas. She says that the party, which once prided itself on saving the Union, now includes people who admire the slaveholding South and the Jim Crow South.

MacLean says that this connection to neo-Confederate views is not just about race. It is also about a political idea that romanticizing the Old South and secession could help conservatives. They wanted to reverse the changes that came from the New Deal.

MacLean writes that even into the 21st century, mainstream Republican politicians continued to connect themselves with ideas, symbols, and groups inspired by the neo-Confederate Right.

Criticisms of Neo-Confederates

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) often reports on the "neo-Confederate movement" in a critical way. A report by the SPLC in 2000 described several groups as "neo-Confederate." Another article in 2003 focused on how Abraham Lincoln was being criticized more in the South. The article quoted a leader of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who called the Confederacy "the last real Christian civilization on Earth."

A review called "Whitewashing the Confederacy" said that the film Gods and Generals showed a false, pro-Confederate view of history.

Neo-Confederate Groups

• Abbeville Institute
• Council of Conservative Citizens
• Dixiecrats (States' Rights Democratic Party) (no longer active)
• Flaggers (movement)
• Ku Klux Klan (first and third versions)
• League of the South
• Sons of Confederate Veterans
• Southern Historical Society (no longer active)
• Southern Party (no longer active)
• United Daughters of the Confederacy

See also

In Spanish: Neoconfederados para niños