The Myth of the Lost Cause: A Dangerous Ideology in 2024 Presidential Campaign

The Legacy of Lee and the Myth of 'The Lost Cause'

CNN commentator Karen Finney is the descendant of enslaved people on one side of her lineage and Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the other. She’s been watching with alarm as leading 2024 Republican candidates embrace 'Lost Cause' thinking from the Civil War.

Karen Finney

Karen Finney, the great-great-great-great niece of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, shares her personal experience of growing up in a family that proudly displayed a portrait of Lee and perpetuated the myth of the 'Lost Cause.' She describes the indoctrination she experienced from her grandmother, who admirably portrayed Lee as a benevolent slave owner and noble warrior.

She reflects on the clash between her grandmother's glorification of Lee and her own lived experience as a biracial granddaughter and the reality of her father's family, which endured the horrors of slavery, segregation, and racial violence. The myth of the 'Lost Cause' perpetuated by her grandmother did not align with the history and experiences of her family.

The work to preserve and promote 'Lost Cause' lies included efforts by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to ensure that textbooks were used to educate millions of public school children from the 1870s, well into the 1990s. These lies even appear in textbooks and curriculums used in some areas of the country today. Karen Finney expresses her alarm at the perpetuation of this dangerous mythology and its implications for America's unresolved national complex around slavery, systemic racism, and the war fought to end it.

The sign for the Social Security Administration in Madison, Wis., on July 25, 2021.

The Perpetuation of 'Lost Cause' Ideology in the 2024 Presidential Campaign

Karen Finney highlights the perpetuation of 'Lost Cause' mythology during the 2024 presidential campaign, expressing her concerns about its dangerous implications for America's unresolved national complex around slavery, systemic racism, and the war fought to end it. She draws attention to President Biden's remarks at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where he eloquently spoke to the dangers of perpetuating the 'Lost Cause' ideology and turning a loss into a lie.

She discusses how leading 2024 Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have embraced 'Lost Cause' thinking in their campaigns. She highlights instances where Trump and his opponents have invoked the myth of the 'Lost Cause' and made gaslighting remarks that echo the sentiments of her grandmother, former President Donald Trump, and others.

Karen Finney sheds light on the efforts of leading Republican candidates to rewrite history in children's textbooks, omit slavery as the root cause of the Civil War, and downplay America's history of racism and bigotry. She emphasizes the danger of perpetuating false narratives and the impact it could have on America's ongoing journey toward justice and democracy.

The Call for Truth and Justice in the 2024 Presidential Campaign

Karen Finney calls for a reckoning with the painful truth and hard-earned gains for social, cultural, racial, and gender justice in the 2024 presidential campaign. She emphasizes the importance of not indulging or ignoring counterfeit narratives, especially in the history taught in schools and in a presidential campaign.

She highlights the significance of the current era, which many historians have called a 'Third Reconstruction,' and the need to preserve the progress made in the post-Civil War period and the Civil Rights era. She warns against electing a president who is unwilling or unable to face the full truth about America's history and its ongoing journey toward justice and democracy.