From the early 20th-century United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) to the modern-day Moms for Liberty, conservative women’s groups have played a pivotal role in shaping how U.S. history is taught. Motivated by religious convictions and a belief in propagating their versions of American history, these groups have engaged in sustained political activism to influence educational curricula.
Religious beliefs about race, gender, and national identity underpin these efforts. The UDC’s promotion of the Lost Cause narrative was deeply tied to a vision of Christian identity and national destiny, framing the Confederacy’s legacy as divinely ordained. Similarly, Moms for Liberty advances a vision of conservative Christian values by advocating for restrictions on discussions of race, gender, and social justice in schools. For both groups, their activism is not merely political but theological.
Central to these educational battles is the rhetoric of “freedom.” For the UDC, “freedom” meant preserving a racial and social hierarchy in which white Christian identity was paramount. Their efforts sanitized slavery’s history and framed the Confederacy as a noble cause. Today, Moms for Liberty invokes freedom to justify banning critical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and limiting historical discussions on systemic injustice. In both movements, the language of liberty serves as a mechanism of exclusion, defining who gets to be fully included in the nation’s story.
Conservative women have been particularly powerful in shaping these narratives, leveraging their roles as mothers, educators, and moral authorities to influence public discourse. They have framed their activism as an extension of their duty to protect children, families, and the moral fabric of the nation. The UDC was composed of women who positioned themselves as the guardians of Southern history, using their social capital to influence textbooks, school curricula, and public commemorations. Their strategic activism ensured that future generations were taught a version of history that aligned with their ideological and religious beliefs.
Both groups have been highly effective in leveraging legislative power. The UDC influenced Southern state legislatures to mandate textbooks that aligned with their vision, ensuring that children learned a romanticized version of the Confederacy. In Georgia, for example, a 1903 law banned history books not approved by state committees—committees influenced by UDC members. Through lobbying and textbook commissions, they cemented a version of history that upheld white supremacy and a vision of Christian identity as central to the nation’s character. Likewise, the UDC used commemorative practices, such as monument dedications and essay contests, to instill their vision of history in school children, reinforcing their religious and ideological messages through public ritual and community engagement.
Moms for Liberty has adopted similar tactics. The group has successfully lobbied for laws that restrict discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in classrooms, arguing that such topics promote “divisiveness.” They have supported book bans, school board takeovers, and legislation targeting educators who challenge their vision of history. Their activism has also expanded into teacher surveillance, pushing for policies that allow parents to monitor classroom content, ensuring that no perspectives contradict their theological and ideological commitments.
Public education has long been a battleground where religious and political ideologies shape collective memory. White Christian leaders in the South understood this when they used textbooks to embed theologies of racial hierarchy into school curricula. The UDC’s success in shaping generations of students’ understanding of the Civil War and Reconstruction reveals how religiously framed historical narratives sustain political power. Today, Moms for Liberty continues this legacy, wielding religious rhetoric and legislative influence to define which histories are told and which are erased. Their activism—often framed as protective motherhood—ensures that conservative Christian values remain central in American education. This framing has made their activism particularly effective, as they use the image of concerned mothers advocating for their children to lend moral weight to their efforts.
The fight over history is never just about the past; it is always about the present and future. The UDC and Moms for Liberty did not merely shape how history was—or is—remembered, but actively construct the moral and national identities that future generations will imbibe. By examining how conservative women’s activism has shaped historical narratives in schools, this project reveals the enduring power of religious belief in structuring national identity, defining civic belonging, and determining whose stories are told—reminding us that the fight over history is ultimately a fight over the future.
From the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) to Moms for Liberty, conservative women’s groups have been powerful architects of historical memory. Belied by particular theological beliefs around race and gender, these groups have waged wars for control over how U.S. history is taught in public schools. The UDC’s Lost Cause narrative framed the Confederacy as ordained by God, just as Moms for Liberty invokes Christian values to challenge discussions of race, gender, and social justice in schools. Both groups leverage rhetoric of “freedom” to exclude perspectives that challenge their ideological commitments. Through lobbying, textbook influence, and public rituals, they have embedded their vision of history into American education. By examining their strategies, this paper reveals how religiously motivated conservative women have wielded extraordinary influence in shaping public education—demonstrating that battles over history are, at their core, battles over the future.