It was a society of slave owners, one of brutality to the race which was held in chains, but there seems to be an odd appealing beauty to cotton fields, sweat tea, and soft southern melodies. What is it ? How did it become this? And who was responsible for this change (particularly with regards to veterans organizations and Southern academics).
/u/commiespaceinvader led a "Monday Methods" thread about Confederate statuary that seems relevant to your question, alongside others. /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov provided a bibliography for further reading. There are also about a dozen entries in the AskHistorians FAQ on this topic.