Browse Collection by Topic
To browse groups of closely related materials select a category from the list below. To learn more about a topic and the related primary source materials available in this collection, please read the Introduction for each topic.
Belles-Lettres |
Introduction
Novels and poems that serve as an introduction to the literature of Confederate authors, who despite nearly crippling shortages of ink, paper, and printing presses, produced an impressive number of literary works as they strove to create a cultural equivalent to Southern political independence.
Business and Economic Affairs |
Introduction
Proceedings and reports of private companies as well as commentaries on economic conditions.
Confederate Education |
Introduction
Textbooks newly commissioned for use by Confederate students and other materials that reflect how educators tried to build and sustain Confederate patriotism.
Confederate Official Documents |
Introduction
Documents related to the key national debates, legislation, and policy decisions in the Confederate Congress and the various government bureaus.
Currency |
Introduction
Examples of Confederate currency issued by the South's national, state, and local authorities with commentary on the impact of the confusing array of paper money on the economy of the homefront. Each example is presented in two sizes: 75 dpi and 150 dpi image files.
Home Life |
Introduction
Diaries,
Personal Correspondence
Diaries and personal correspondence provide a fascinating glimpse into the Confederate homefront, because through them readers sense an immediacy and emotional involvement that is unrivalled by the other documents in the collection.
Politics and Social Issues |
Introduction
Almanacs, books, and pamphlets that offer descriptive accounts of Confederate society or deal with such contentious issues as impressment, conscription, and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.
Religion |
Introduction
Sermons,
Denominational Publications,
Hymns,
Tracts
Sermons, hymns, and tract literature of evangelical societies that reflect how proponents of Southern independence tried to build and sustain patriotism, which they believed to be vital for establishing an enduring Confederate nationalism.
Science and Medicine |
Introduction
Works dealing with hospitals and medical aspects of the Confederate war effort.
State Official Documents |
Introduction
Alabama,
Florida,
Georgia,
Louisiana,
Mississippi,
North Carolina,
South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Texas,
Virginia
A representative collection of constitutions, laws, and convention and legislative proceedings. These materials reveal how the states wrestled with such issues as taxation, public services, governmental structures, and mobilization of resources. For documents related to a particular state, click on that state in the above list.