The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American
neo-Confederate nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
of male descendants of
Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates
monuments to them, and promotes the
pseudohistorical Lost Cause ideology and corresponding
white supremacy
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
.
The SCV was founded on July 1, 1896, in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
, by R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1 of the
Confederate Veterans.
Its headquarters is at
Elm Springs in
Columbia, Tennessee.
In recent decades, governors, legislators, courts, corporations, and anti-racism activists have emphasized the increasingly controversial
public display of Confederate symbolsespecially after the 2014
Ferguson unrest
The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal Killing of Michael Brown, ...
, the 2015
Charleston church shooting
An Anti-Black racism, anti-black mass shooting and hate crime occurred on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed, and one was injured, during a Bible study (Christianity), Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist ...
, and the 2020
murder of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
. SCV has responded with its coordinated display of larger and more prominent public displays of the battle flag, some in directly defiant counter-protest.
Purpose
Like the
United Daughters of the Confederacy, the SCV has promoted the ideology of the
Lost Cause of the Confederacy
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy, known simply as the Lost Cause, is an American pseudohistory, pseudohistorical and historical negationist myth that argues the cause of the Confederate States of America, Confederate States during the America ...
, a deliberate distortion of the history of the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
and
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
inextricably linked to
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...
. That ideology or mythology told the story of "faithful slaves and a virtuous South oppressed by Northern tyrants".
One of its central tenets is that the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
was fought over
states' rights
In United States, American politics of the United States, political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments of the United States, state governments rather than the federal government of the United States, ...
and not over
slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. As of December 2024, the SCV's website says, "The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South’s decision to fight the Second American Revolution."
The proclaimed purpose of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is "to encourage the preservation of history, perpetuate the hallowed memories of brave men, to assist in the observance of Confederate Memorial Day, to aid and support all members, and to perpetuate the record of the services of every Southern soldier".
Eligibility
Male descendants of those who served in the
Confederate armed forces, or one of the constituent states, to the
end of the war, died in
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
or while in actual service, were
killed in battle, or were honorably retired or
discharged, are eligible for membership. Membership can be obtained through either
lineal or collateral family lines.
Kinship
In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
to a veteran must be documented
genealogically. The minimum age for full membership is 12 years, but no minimum exists for
cadet
A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...
membership.
History
Early years
Immediately after the defeat of the Confederacy, a Confederate memorial movement emerged. In the 1890s, this movement came to be controlled by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the
United Confederate Veterans (UCV, founded in 1889), and other, less important, organizations.
Forty delegates from 24 camps and societies from the various
Southern states were called by the R. E. Lee Camp, No. 1, UCV, of Richmond, Virginia, to meet on June 30 and July 1, 1896, at the City Auditorium (present-day Virginia Commonwealth University Cary Street Gym),
for the purpose of forming a "national organization, adopting a constitution similar in every respect to that governing the United Confederate Veterans, and permanently organized under the name United Sons of Confederate Veterans" (USCV).
The preamble to the USCV constitution reads in part: "To encourage the preservation of history, perpetuate the hallowed memories of brave men, to assist in the observance of Memorial Day, and to perpetuate the record of the services of every Southern soldier". Its aims, objects, and purposes are "not to create or foster, in any manner, any feeling against the North, but to hand down to posterity the story of the glory of the men who wore the gray". On July 1, the delegates elected J. E. B. Stuart, of
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...
, son of the Confederate cavalry general,
J. E. B. Stuart, Commander-in-Chief of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Laura Martin Rose, a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
and propagandist for the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
,
received an endorsement by resolution ("without a dissenting voice") of her 1914 book ''The Ku Klux Klan or Invisible Empire'' from the Sons of Confederate Veterans during the May 1914 SCV Reunion in Jacksonville, Florida, along with a SCV commitment to "have it placed into the schools throughout the South."
In 1919, the SCV joined forces with the bigger and more active
United Daughters of the Confederacy and the United Confederate Veterans in the so-called Rutherford Committee aiming at controlling the history textbooks used in Southern schools. The committee was named after
Mildred Lewis Rutherford, the prominent historian of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Constitutional crisis
In the 1990s, internal disagreements arose over the purpose of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A traditionalist wing wanted to focus on "maintaining gravestones, erecting monuments and studying
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
history", while a more activist wing sought to increase efforts toward "fight
ngfor the right to
display Confederate symbols everywhere from schools to statehouses".
[Dan Gearino, "A Thin Gray Line", ''The News and Observer'' (Raleigh, NC), August 28, 2002; Tracy Rose]
"The War Between the Sons: Members fight for control of Confederate group"
''Mountain Xpress'' (Asheville, NC), February 5, 2003, vol 9 iss 26; Jon Elliston
"Between heritage and hate: The Sons of Confederate Veterans' internal battle rages on"
''Mountain Xpress'' (Asheville, NC), August 18, 2004, vol 11 iss 3
"The battle over flag's meaning: Arguing over the Confederacy's essence"
, ''Daily Record''/''Sunday News'', (York, PA) September 3, 2006. These activists advocated "picketing, aggressive lobbying, issue campaigning, and lawsuits" to prevent "heritage violations",
which the group defines as "any attack upon our Confederate heritage, or the flags, monuments, and symbols which represent it".
The group's more activist members gained electoral support and were increasingly elected to its leadership positions. Members of the more traditionalist camp alleged that the
League of the South
The League of the South (LS) is an American White nationalism, white nationalist, Neo-Confederates, neo-Confederate, White supremacy, white supremacist organization that says its goal is "a free and independent Southern republic".
Headquarte ...
had influenced their organization's new direction. Indeed, one ally of the activist wing claimed that thousands of Sons of Confederate Veterans members were also League of the South members.
In 2002, members and former members of SCV formed a dissident organization, Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Soon "about a hundred or so individuals and groups identified themselves on the Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans web site as supporting Save the SCV", co-founder Walter Charles Hilderman said in 2004; he declined to give more current membership numbers.
[''The Times and Democrat'', interview of Walter Charles Hilderman, October 25, 2004]
But most of the dissension had ended by 2003, and most members of SCV agreed with the heritage-preservation activities espoused by the new SCV leaders, Boyd Cathey reported in the ''Southern Mercury''.
One of those new SCV leaders, South Carolina politician and investment advisor
Ron Wilson, served as Commander-in-Chief from 2002 to 2004. (In 2012, Wilson would be sentenced to prison for running a
Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...
as part of his investment business; among those he defrauded were members of the SCV.)
In early 2005, the SCV General Executive Council sued to expel Commander-in-Chief Dennis Sweeney from office. The court initially granted the council temporary control of the organization, but its final decision returned power to Sweeney. Thirteen of the 25 council members were expelled from the council shortly after Sweeney regained control. Nine of the council members expelled were former commanders-in-chief, a status that heretofore had come with a life membership on the council. In February, Cathey wrote in the ''Southern Mercury'' that most of the members of SCV had united against the "War on Southern Culture".
By the SCV's summer 2005 convention, activists firmly controlled the council. They severed much of the longstanding relationship between SCV and the more traditionalist
Military Order of the Stars and Bars
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
(MOSB). The MOSB, founded in 1938, had been closely involved with the SCV, sharing its headquarters since 1992 and co-publishing ''Southern Mercury''. The MOSB's Commander General, Daniel Jones, citing "the continuing political turmoil within the SCV," moved the MOSB out of the shared quarters, ended the joint magazine-publishing enterprise, and separated the two organizations' finances. In 2006, for the first time, the two organizations held separate conventions.
For years the organization has been divided between racial extremists and those interested in history and genealogy.
Controversies
License plates
Georgia: In 2014, the
state of Georgia
Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia i ...
approved a battle flag specialty license plate.
Louisiana: In 1999, the
state Legislature of Louisiana approved a SCV specialty license plate. Through May 2022, about 475 plates had been issued.
Mississippi: In 2011, the Mississippi Division of SCV launched an unsuccessful campaign to honor Confederate Lieutenant General and KKK Grand Wizard
Nathan B. Forrest with a specialty license plate.
North Carolina: On January 1, 2021, the
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles determined that license plates that included the Confederate flag were offensive and stopped issuing them. In March 2021, the North Carolina Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans sued to restore the symbol, saying the Department of Transportation had acted in bad faith and that the action was driven by a lack of understanding of the state's history and hate for their inheritance as Southerners.
Texas: In 2013, the state of Texas denied a request for a
Confederate Battle Flag specialty license plate, a decision upheld in state court. That state court decision was overturned in Federal court, and the matter was ultimately heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in ''
Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans'', which held that Texas was allowed to deny the request for a specialty license plate featuring the group's logo.
Virginia: The
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
approved a specialty license plate for the SCV in 1999, but lawmakers forbade the group to display the Confederate insignia. The organization sued for the right to display the Confederate battle flag on the license plate, and won a 2001 injunction from a federal judge requiring the state to include the Confederate insignia. The injunction was upheld by the
4th Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2015, after a
white supremacist murdered nine African Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Virginia Governor
Terry McAuliffe
Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
announced that the Commonwealth would phase out the state-sponsored specialty license plate, which was then displayed by more than 1,600 Virginians. The SCV challenged the governor's authority to recall the license plates, citing the 2001 injunction. However, in August 2015, the court dissolved the 2001 injunction, citing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Texas case. Hundreds of SCV members who had the specialty plates refused to remove them from their vehicles and exchange them for new plates even after the specialty plates ceased to be valid.
Jefferson Davis Highway markers

During the late 1990s, a granite marker stone for the
Jefferson Davis Highway was removed from its prominent location in the city of
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
in
Clark County, Washington, resulting in an outcry from the local Northwest Chapter of SCV.
The marker stone was eventually placed outside of the
Clark County Historical Museum.
As Vancouver city officials continued to press for the removal of the stone from any public property within the city's boundaries, the chapter purchased land outside the nearby city of
Ridgefield, Washington
Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 10,319 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is e ...
, during 2007. The chapter then placed the marker stone and a similar highway marker from the city of
Blaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. border; the Peace Arch international monument straddl ...
, on its property which faces the busy
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
. The organization then surrounded the stones with large
Confederate flags, thus creating a prominent display within an open space that the chapter named
Jefferson Davis Park.
The chapter's actions brought public outcries, but the governments of Ridgefield and Clark County could do little, as the park is located on private property. The park's prominent location and events in other parts of the nation continue to make the park a local focus of strong emotions, which the white nationalist
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
in August 2017 has exacerbated. The vandalism of the stones on August 17, 2017, raised concern for the park, as one marker was covered in black tar or paint and the other was covered in red. In October 2017, the city of Ridgefield formally asked the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission to remove the marker from the county's Heritage Register. The Commission approved the city's request by a 6 to 0 vote.
Marshall House plaque
In 2017,
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. Marriott International owns over 37 ho ...
removed a bronze plaque that had been placed years earlier by SCV within a
blind arch near a corner of a prominent hotel in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
, that Marriott had recently purchased. The plaque commemorated
James W. Jackson, who had flown a large Confederate flag on the roof of the
Marshall House, an inn that Jackson had owned at the onset of the Civil War. The Marshall House stood at that time on the property that Marriott later acquired.
[(1) ]
(2)
(3) Text and October 2017 responses ''in''
When the
Union Army entered Alexandria during the morning after
Virginia voters ratified secession, a Union Army colonel,
Elmer E. Ellsworth, took down the flag, whereupon Jackson fatally shot Ellsworth.
[(1) ]
(2) A Union Army soldier, who subsequently received the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
for his action, immediately shot and
bayonet
A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
ted Jackson, killing him.
Shortly after their mutually fatal encounter, Jackson and Ellsworth became heroes to promoters of their respective causes, who hailed them as martyrs during recruiting campaigns.
Confederate flag installations

The SCV took a more active approach after both the election of President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in 2016, and moves by some municipalities to remove Confederate monuments and flags from public places because of their racist symbolism and historical connection to white-supremacy movements. SCV began installing large Confederate battle flags or "mega flags" on private property overlooking major highways, a project they called "Flags Across the Carolinas". In January 2018, the North Carolina chapter vowed to install one flag in every county. Antiracist activists, such as Roland Stanton, criticized the project. Stanton, president of the Durham branch of the North Carolina chapter of
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
(NAACP), said the Confederate flag: "is a symbol of oppression, genocide and slavery". Stanton described the project as "abominable and shameful", while acknowledging that the mega flag project activities were protected by the First Amendment.
In June 2020, a plane with a Confederate flag banner reading "Defund
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
" was flown over
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Built in 1969, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track is ...
during the
2020 GEICO 500, protesting NASCAR's recent decision to ban the display of the flag during its events. Sons of Confederate Veterans took credit for the flyover, arguing that NASCAR's actions were a "slandering of our Southern heritage", and "nothing less than trampling upon Southerners' First Amendment Right of free expression".
Links with extremist groups
In 2020,
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...
history professor Adam Domby was quoted in the ''
Tampa Bay Times
The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...
'' as saying of the Sons of the Confederacy: "It has pushed from its founding a white supremacist narrative of history that celebrates white men and distorts the truth."
In 2021, he told ''The Guardian'' that "throughout its history, the SCV has been linked with white supremacist groups, and historically it has avowedly supported white supremacist groups".
Heidi Beirich writes, "The conservatism of the scv's
icmembership helped the extremists in another way—it made the group disinclined to publicly admit to infiltration, to the point of suspending and threatening to expel some 300 members, including Hilderman, who called for an end to extremism in its ranks. The upshot of this strategy is that the scv is returning to its roots, which were firmly planted in the soils of Southern white supremacy."
Some SCV members, including several who hold high ranks in the organization, are also members of "more explicitly racist" organizations like the
League of the South
The League of the South (LS) is an American White nationalism, white nationalist, Neo-Confederates, neo-Confederate, White supremacy, white supremacist organization that says its goal is "a free and independent Southern republic".
Headquarte ...
or took part in the 2017 "Unite the Right rally", ''The Guardian'' reported in 2021.
Relationship with SUVCW
SCV has a longstanding and friendly relationship with the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). The Commander-in-Chief of the SUVCW attended SCV annual reunions in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2017, and 2023.The SUVCW cooperates with the SCV in preserving American Civil War graves, monuments, and markers.
Buildings and sites
The General Headquarters of SCV operates the National Confederate Museum at the
Elm Springs house in
Columbia, Tennessee. At its 2018 dedication, an SCV vice commander said the museum "will be out of the reach of the long arm of political correctness".
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
professor James Oliver said that the museum's "casting the Confederacy as a honorable force standing strong against Northern aggressors is a willful misreading of the historical truth that the institution of slavery was at the core of the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
".
The SCV also own and maintain the
Nathan Bedford Forrest Boyhood Home in
Chapel Hill where the
future Confederate general and
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
Grand Wizard
spent parts of his childhood.
Notable members
Notable members of the organization include former President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
, former senators
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...
,
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the Conservatism in the United States, conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the ...
,
Absalom Willis Robertson, political commentator
Pat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph Buchanan ( ; born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative author, political commentator, and politician. He was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He ...
, and actor
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
.
["DeLaughter Joins Sons of Confederate Veterans"]
''Jackson Free Press'' (Jackson, MS)
According to Heidi Beirich,
William D. McCain is regarded within the SCV as its true founder. McCain, who remained a steadfast segregationist throughout his tenure, was Adjutant-in-Chief of the organization from 1953 to 1993. While he occupied this office he was also president of the
University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...
and director of the Mississippi Archives. He never ceased to defend the Confederacy and its politics, and controlled the SCV "with an iron fist" until the late 1980s. He opposed the civil rights movement, claiming in a speech he gave in 1960 that "The Negroes prefer that control of the government remain in the white man's hands", and strived to prevent blacks from attending the University of Southern Mississippi.
See also
*
Jefferson Davis Presidential Library
*
Confederate Medal of Honor
*
Flaggers (Confederate flag erectors)
*
List of fraternal service organizations
*
List of members of the SCV
*
Military Order of the Stars and Bars
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Sons of Confederate Veterans Politiciansat
The Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...
*
{{WikidataCoord
501(c)(3) organizations
1896 establishments in Virginia
Aftermath of the American Civil War
American Civil War veterans and descendants organizations
Service organizations based in the United States
Heritage organizations
Lineage societies
Lobbying organizations in the United States
Neo-Confederate organizations
Magazine publishing companies of the United States
Men's organizations in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Tennessee
Organizations established in 1896