An element of Southern pride exists even now in the 21^st century, because today there still remains evidence of a lost war on American soil and in families’ histories. This pride unites a people of a region behind the fantasy of their elegant and glory filled history, an almost exclusive club that allows Southerners to separate from all other Americans. This Pathfinder is a collection of resources discussing why there is an obvious sense of pride amongst Southerners. The most valuable resource in the answer to the question, "How and why is the spirit of the Confederacy alive today?" was by far Tony Horowitz’s book, Confederates in the Attic. But, in my research I had to look beyond Horowitz’s journey through the former Confederate states. First, I had to learn what made this War so controversial and so personal. I researched into why soldiers chose to fight and what their passion was for the War, because only by understanding the background could I then begin to see the why Southerners still believe in the Lost Cause. In addition to reading about the War itself, I looked into Southern political patterns and platforms to see how the Lost Cause had expressed itself in legislative issues. Next, I explored modern day conflicts, like the state flag debate and the John Ashcroft nomination, that resulted from the Civil War and regional differences. Finally, after reading through all of the articles, essays, and interviews, I was left with an understanding of the unanswered questions that still haunt America. The South fought and lost a War defending their answer to the question, "How much power does the government have?" This question still goes unanswered, and maybe the timeless Southern pride is the manifestation of a region that still believes it knew the answer to those questions all along.

Horowitz, Tony. Confederates in the Attic. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.

Tony Horowitz, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, presents an entertaining examination of Southern culture and the remnants of the Civil War in his book, Confederates in the Attic. This book provides the backbone of my paper and thesis with its personal interviews, first hand observations and synopsizes of historical events. Horowitz gives the reader an unbiased view of the modern South by presenting both sides of numerous arguments over race relations, economic situations, and such current debates as that on the Confederate Flag. He surpasses any other author in my research with his description of the current condition of the southern states. Horowitz, as a northerner and consequently an outsider, offers an unbiased, clear picture of the opinions of southern Americans through his southern journey. Horowitz’s book probably contributes most substantially to my thesis and conclusion with his statement, "Everywhere, people spoke of…their nostalgia for a time when the South was a cohesive region upholding values" (384). This book is not only the framework of my research but is my inspiration in choosing such a topic, because he offers documented proof about a phenomenon I had only pondered.

Maxwell, a Florida columnist, humorously examines the characteristics that distinguish the South from the rest of the nation in his article. He identifies many Southerner’s opinions on such things as the Civil War, the North, and even grits through numerous choice quotes. Maxwell even acknowledges the South’s shameful past, but states that that is just another distinguishing fact that the region possesses. "It has a special view of the nation’s history…a special regional pride…and, unlike any other area, a lasting shame" (1D). This article was simply a column that I stumbled across while reading the newspaper on vacation. But, it provides my paper with several choice quotes and is even more interesting because it is written by a black man, and a black Floridian none the less. However, these characteristics may prove to reduce possible bias in the article because Florida has not historically had the same Southern pride as other Southern states, and since the author is black the article cannot be labeled "racist." Maxwell provides the public, and my paper, with a definition of why the South is different from the rest of the world in his short, weekly column.

This book is a compilation of twelve essays in which Southern men defend their way of life on topics from their economy to their religion. This is an old book, and the opinions and language reflect the time period in which it was written. But, it is articulately written and is a great source of first hand opinion, as long as the obvious bias of the reactionary author is acknowledged. Several essays in this collection present me with a true Southern take on topics on which I lacked information. This book also helps in my conclusion, or at least it inspires different ideas as I begin to formulate a conclusion. This is because even in 1930 there was someone, even a Southerner, stating that, "No intelligent person that I know in the South desires a literal restoration of the old Southern life, even if that were possible" (Young 328).

In this work Wyatt-Brown defends the Southern code of ethics against those who believe that honor and slavery could not exist in the same culture. He differentiates between the perceived "honor" of Southern slaveholders and the ancient code of honor he states still exists, slaves or not. He states,

The inhabitant of the Old South was not inspired to shed his own or

another’s blood for the right to own slaves. Ever since man first picked

up a stone to fling at an enemy, he has justified his thirst for revenge

and for popular approval on the grounds of honor (265).

While Wyatt-Brown is obviously a Southerner, and proud of it, his book does provide a good reference piece for Southern customs, and a good example of a Southerner’s regard for the antebellum way of life, however biased it may be. It is a well written, and almost one of a kind in Northern libraries, and therefore valuable to this paper as a whole.

In this article, Blight explores the history of connection between racism and state’s rights in the context of the John Ashcroft nomination. He states that most Americans do not even understand the Lost Cause tradition that Ashcroft, and many others, admire. He states that,

Slavery was in no wise the cause of the conflict, but only an

incident…slavery slipped into an unholy marriage with state’s rights

doctrine in American memory, and despite decades of persuasive

scholarship, the divorce has never been completed (Blight).

However, Blight presents this opinion in an unbiased article that interviews and quotes both Ashcroft supporters and detractors. Blight concludes his article with an articulately written reasoning on the challenges of reconciliation. Several of his statements concerning reconciliation prove relevant to my conclusion.

This article explains the two sides of the Confederate flag debate while also offering a brief background on the conflict. This article is merely an overview of the conflict, possibly intended for high school students with limited knowledge on the topic. It is basic, however, it is a good starting point for my research on the flag controversy. It provides the basic facts on the topic that several more analytical, and more opinionated, articles omitted. For example, it explores the conflict on the University of Mississippi campus, "Head coach of UM is afraid that the presence of the flag makes for the appearance of a racist environment to outsiders" (The Confederate Flag Dilemma). This article, though unbiased, did offer a mere summary of the debates and therefore was only a starting point for more in-depth research.

In this article Cooper discusses the ever remaining North versus South controversy through the recent events of the John Ashcroft nomination and the flag debate. He concludes that since America has never resolved the "larger" questions relating to power and freedom, we as a nation remain on the battlefield. He states, "The flags may one day be redesigned, but the Civil War stays, because it was about the biggest questions we have: What is equality? Who should have power? What is America?" It is not the discussion of the Ashcroft nomination that relates to my paper, but it is Cooper’s conclusion that is incorporated in my thesis. He discusses the universality and timelessness of the conflicts that began the Civil War in a national magazine. This is interesting to me because many of the articles I have read are from obscure publications or are simply blurbs that are easily overlooked in national newspapers. But, to have Time magazine print a relatively large article such as this one, may possibly be the beginnings towards acknowledgment of this ongoing sectional conflict, and more importantly, as Cooper states, the unanswered questions it still raises.

Kirk explores the significance of the Southern influence in the Senate after the 2000 elections. He examines the independence of Southern politics, whether Democrat or Republican, in relation to the traditional fiery independence of the people of the region. Kirk also looks into the growing Republican trend in the South. When describing the South’s growing influence, Kirk states,

So marked and so constant is this high degree of Southern dominion,

in spirit or fact in the varying times, that the Senate might be described

as the South’s revenge upon the North for Gettysburg (Kirk).

However, this article goes too in depth into the political analysis of the South’s voting patterns for my paper. It is relevant as a reference point for talking about Southern parties and Southern independence, but other then those points, the article is too esoteric for my thesis.

In his article, Lind discusses the recent Republican Congressional victory as the result of a thirty year process of realignment. This realignment of political affiliations was provoked by the Democratic Party’s support of racial desegregation. Lind states that this Republican Congressional victory represents a victory for the legacy of George Wallace and the Dixiecrats. In this somewhat outdated article, written after the 1994 elections, Lind explores the Southern voting blocs in a desire to maintain the strict racial, social and economic order in the South. Lind writes that as a group, Southerners were, "fiery, voluptuary, indolent, unsteady, zealous for their own liberties, but trampling on those of others" (Lind). However, Lind’s article is much like Victor Kirk’s, in that it is a much more in depth political analysis then this paper requires, and it is an outdated analysis.

Here McPherson analyses what was going through each soldier, Confederate or Union, as they chose to fight in the Civil War. He examines numerous diaries of soldiers and letters home to families to decide what each soldier’s personal motivation was. This is an incredibly interesting book, even if it was not the most relevant source for my topic. This is only because it concentrates completely on the War, and not its repercussions, which is the focus of my paper. However, in his clearly unbiased analysis, McPherson offers reasons why soldiers fought, which, when applied to the rest of my research, translates into reasons that the Lost Cause is still around. Sounding strangely familiar, the soldiers wrote in their diary that they considered the war, "A struggle between Liberty on one side, and Tyranny on the other" (McPherson 11). McPherson’s book allows me to see the timelessness of those soldier’s words, and it also allows me to see first hand that the South has not given even an inch in its stand.

Woodward, C. Vann. The Burden of Southern History. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1968.

Woodward, a former professor of American History at Yale, writes an unbiased examination of the historical events, legislation, protests, etc. that effected the South in the pre-Civil War period, during the War, and post-Civil War. Woodward’s chronicles of the events post-War were most beneficial to me because he provided the much needed facts to prove my sweeping generalizations. As a result of Woodward’s account Reconstruction I finally was able to state, with legitimate proof, the root of the reason Southerners hate Yankees so passionately. Woodward provided quotes form such northerners as Thaddeus Stevens that helped solidify my claims.

            He was quite ready to disfranchise Southern white in great numbers and to confiscate great quantities of their land…to those who objected to humiliating the defeated foe, he replied: ‘Why not?…What criminal, what felon deserves humiliation more? (Woodward 92). 

Woodward writes for a scholarly audience, but anyone with a basic understanding of the historical events during this time period will be able to comprehend any references or generalizations that he makes.