The Civil War and Racial Hate in the US South
Sarah Walker (UNSW); Michele Rosenberg (University of Essex); Federico Masera (UNSW)
Abstract
This paper studies the effect of the American Civil War on the geography of racial hate in the US South. We construct a new dataset of the universe of Confederate soldiers, their residence before the war, and their military deployment. Communities whose soldiers participated in more violent battles increased their support for segregation and exercised higher violence against Black Americans. These towns developed a stronger cultural attachment to the war and transmitted it to future generations through memorial organizations, Confederate monuments, and names. The war’s legacy persists, shaping hate crimes, white supremacist rallies, and police killings of Black Americans today.