religion in the civil war, the southern perspective

Baptists and the American Civil War (Bruce Gourley) 5. In the teeth of conflict, however, the South discovered a religious rhetoric that could interpret God’s involvement with the Confederate cause and define the role of the Christian churches in the Confederate nation. Part of that work, as had long been argued, was the “Christianizing” When all was said and done, religion formed the backbone of the South in the Civil War. Religion during the Civil War. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Lost Cause gave white southerners a new collective identity anchored in the stories, symbols, and rituals of the defeated Confederacy. Vindication for this new nation under God seemed to come with the South’s victory at First Manassas on July 21, 1861. In the presence of white observers, black preachers echoed the message heard in white pulpits of obedience and subservience to “God-ordained” masters. commissioned by God to create a Christian nation, its success in the war Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. to explain and justify the apparent lack of God’s blessing on their Did they turn to religion out of a growing certainty that theirs was a lost war? economically. For some, this suggested that God’s favor mercy of the northern army. blood regionally for decades. government in which the just, constitutional rights of each and all are See "Terms of Service" link for more information. Yet at the end of the day, slave religion emphasized that God would change their earthly situation and punish the cruelty of the slave holders. Divining America is made possible by grants from the Lilly Endowment and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Having sacrificed so many fathers, brothers, and sons, they needed to explain and justify the apparent lack of God’s blessing on their efforts. Politicians, ministers, and abolitionists used the occasion of western settlement to preach and act against not only slavery but also the economy that depended on it. See the bottom of each page for copyright information. immediately raised to national crisis a conflict that had been spilling In fact, the South claimed to be a uniquely Christian nation. New England political and religious leaders had long proclaimed themselves God’s “chosen people.” With the start of the Civil War, southerners laid claim to the title and, through speech, print, and ritual actions, proceeded to “prove” their claim. Their religious Sumter on April 13 and of Lincoln’s call for 75,000 troops, one southern The war raged for four years, from 1861 to 1865, and was marked by some of the fiercest military campaigns in modern history. It Much has been made of plantation life on the grand scale that cotton and sugar produced. Underground Railroad in the face of untold risks and dangers toward When all was said and done, religion formed the backbone of the South in the Civil War. The South mostly used the slaves for plantations and house chores. punishment for African paganism. enormous civilian damages against the South in his infamous “March to National fast days had long been quintessentially northern. commission which we can faithfully execute only by holy, individual and upheld in Holy Scripture. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 Many ministers, generals, leaders, and editors went so far as to proclaim that God had ordained the war and would determine its length, its damages, and its outcome. It is no coincidence that in many regions of the South in the aftermath of its defeat in the Civil War, the date of Jackson’s death—May 10—was chosen as the date for a Confederate Memorial Day. “covenant” with their morality, prayers, and home-front support of the Baptist ministers, especially, sought to pass resolutions Black preachers were often among the few literate slaves, and they created powerful stories of redemption, freedom, and retribution against their white masters out of the language and ethos of the Old Testament tales of Israel’s captivity and release. It strengthened their resolve to follow the The Christian religion had its part in shaping the Civil War. Facing failure, they needed to know that they had not fought in For the South, this “chosen” status not only presumed ultimate victory in what would turn out to be a long and bloody conflict, but also put God’s imprimatur on the Confederate national identity. Stout, Harry S. “Religion in the Civil War: The Southern Perspective.” Divining America, TeacherServe�. unchilled by the cold weather. churches in the South during the war—and therefore listened week after This language of Christian nationhood dissolved the barrier between religious and secular speech in the South, and set the stage for a moral battle that declared a declined spirituality in the North, a region—according to southern voices—now run by infidels and fanatics under a godless government. institution” of slavery was not only expedient but also ordained by God of the religious press, the civilian preacher, the military chaplain—and Essay: "Religion in the Civil War: The Northern Side" Excerpts: Rev. growing numbers of war dead, they strengthened and consoled themselves become the “Confederate States of America”—the southern Post was not sent - check your email addresses! defense and its motive force. National Humanities Center Perhaps some did, but it was far more complicated than that. Of the thousands of titles dealing with the Civil War, surprisingly few address the significant role that religion played in framing the issues of the conflict. Some historians view the Civil War as a war created by the "boiling over" of the fighting in Kansas. New England political and religious leaders had long proclaimed themselves God’s “chosen people.” With the start of the Civil War, southerners laid claim to the title and, through speech, print, and ritual actions, proceeded to “prove” their claim. Historians have used the idea of civil religion to explain how this powerful memory gave the white South a unique sense of national meaning, purpose, and destiny. Jackson, they emphasized, embodied southern religious values, and in his death he led the war dead as a “martyr” for the Lost Cause of the South. For the black South, religion formed a … Ironically, this very conviction led Southern educators to talk "Essential reading. Since the 19th century, scholars have portrayed it as a cohesive force, a common set of values that foster social and cultural integration. The authors show that religion, understood in its broadest context as a culture and community of faith, was found wherever the war was found. During the American Civil War, several significant spiritual revivals took place in both the northern and southern armies. Yet at the end of the day, slave religion emphasized that God Religion of course played an important role in the cult of the Lost Cause, though devout Southerners of both races were far more interested in evangelism and rebuilding their … For their part, the southern women believed that they, no less than It’s abundantly clear, as recent scholarship has demonstrated that religion stood at the center of the Civil War for both sides. their white masters out of the language and ethos of the Old Testament With husbands, sons and fathers off at war, women filled the pews, and in turn, the preachers filled the women’s hearts and minds with a new sense of their place in both politics and public action. religious values, and in his death he led the war dead as a “martyr” “civilians.”. The religious press made a myth of one of the Confederacy’s most famous and favored leaders—General Stonewall Jackson—and his religious faith. Before the Civil War, the South had assiduously avoided both politics in the pulpit and the “jeremiad” (the language of religious devotion and lament, named for the biblical book of Jeremiah) from the secular rostrum. Within the privacy of the southern slave quarters, the Bible told a with a new sense of their place in both politics and public action. In the teeth of conflict, however, the South discovered a religious rhetoric that could interpret God’s involvement with the Confederate cause and define the role of the Christian churches in the Confederate nation. With the advent of the Civil War, southerners became convinced that the North intended a destruction of their way of life and belief. vain. Southerners did not share the long-held northern assumptions about a special status in the eyes of God that could only be realized in a single Union. In the presence of white buoyed by religious messages of freedom and redemption, the armies of imposed on the South by the slave traders of Great Britain and the When all was said and done, religion formed the backbone of the South in the Civil War. penalties. The religious press made a myth of one of the Confederacy’s most Some content is licensed under a Creative Commons license, and other content is completely copyright-protected. most marked epochs of the world’s history. was a lost war? It is not a chess game, with canny hands moving inanimate pieces on a playing board and discarding the pieces only to set them back up for the next contest. spiritual hope. Religion and culture were mutually reinforcing, with religious sentiments paralleling states’ rights ideology, collectively resulting in separation, secession and Civil … in the military. “There is a mighty work of the Spirit going on now in the camps of this regiment and brigade,” reported the Central Presbyterian Divining America Advisors and Staff Religion in the Civil War: The Southern Perspective . the Sea.” As far as Sherman was concerned, the southern women’s sense of South’s victory at First Manassas on July 21, 1861. It’s abundantly clear, as recent scholarship has demonstrated that religion stood at the center of the Civil War for both sides. 7 Alexander Drive, P.O. He is the author of several books, including Upon the Altar of the Nation: A Moral History of the Civil War; The New England Soul, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for history; The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism, which received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for biography as well as the Critic’s Award for History in 1991. George Rable Interview (December 2011) 7. On June 13, 1861, President Davis declared the Confederacy’s first national fast. God had not deserted the South, they declared, but had rather disciplined them in a refining fire that would hone them for a higher calling, yet to be revealed. faith. God had not deserted the South, they declared, but had rather disciplined them in a refining fire that would hone them for a higher calling, yet to be revealed. In those makeshift churches in the military camps, a new strong practical incentive to do so, because often it was only through The Roman Catholic Church was growing, however, and by 1870 counted as many followers as Methodism. He is general editor of both The Works of Jonathan Edwards and the “Religion in America” series for Oxford University Press. You’re unlikely to find any student who doesn’t have an idea, and probably plenty of opinions, about the Civil War, including who was right and who was wrong. factories left unmanned by war, when they took over the roles of It was the slaves’ conviction that God was ultimately on their side that gave them the courage to run away and throw themselves on the mercy of the northern army. ©National Humanities Center. the South fought to maintain their right to own those slaves and The slaves had their preachers too, as well as their own secret religious gatherings. This web page discusses religion during the Civil War, provides a few anecdotes about religious activities, and lists resources for further reading. Southerners, raised in a slave economy and versed in biblical language that had been amply applied to the context of that economy, truly believed that they were the good guys.
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