Skip to main content

Debunking the myth of the Lost Cause: A lie embedded in American history - Karen L. Cox

2,528,790 Views

12,330 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In the 1860’s, 11 southern states withdrew from the United States and formed the Confederacy. They seceded in response to the growing movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery. Yet barely a year after the Civil War ended, southern sources began claiming the conflict was about state’s rights. How did this revisionist history come about? Karen Cox examines the cultural myth of the Lost Cause.

The Lost Cause was a revisionist narrative of the Civil War that claimed slavery was not a cause of the war. Who coined the term?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Karen L. Cox
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Narrator Christina Greer
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

More from Everyone Has a Story