The United Daughters of the Confederacy: Explained
The following video features Karen Cox, author of Dixie's Daughters, explaining the background and motivations of the UDC.
The Images below are various chapters of the UDC from different cities around the United States.
Catherine Bishir writes of women's new leadership roles in her article, A Strong Force of Ladies, saying that, "it was through these memorial associations that southern white women first began to participate in organizational leadership in their communities: in such associations, whose purpose served the goals and had the approval of southern white men, women were not only permitted but encouraged to assume semi-public leadership roles."
In the video, Karen Cox as well as the narrators describe the work of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and their attempts to idolize and preserve the Antebellum lifestyle they had known. Cox describes specifically how the ladies worked through a method of indoctrination, especially in regards to teaching the youth. They sought out prominent locations for their memorial sites in order to make it nearly impossible for the sites to not be seen on a daily basis by as many people as possible. The UDC was a tremendous force behind the memorialization of the South and the Lost Cause narrative which made a lasting impact on not only the Southern region of the United States, but throughout the country as they have chapters all over the nation. Part of their success was due to their large numbers and overwhelmingly successful lobbying skills, which often garnered support from prominent members of society.
