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The relationships that stemmed from these groups’ publicly-oriented endeavors reflect the changes in the way men and women interacted inside and outside the home. These upper-class white women worked together for a common cause, a theme which would become more and more prevalent across the country towards the end of the nineteenth century.<ref> Mills, Monuments, 134.</ref> While these were not the close bosom friendships many women of the time experienced, they fulfilled the purpose of creating a larger community outside of the home. In the wake of the loss felt by so many households, these organizations served a crucial role in recreating the larger sense of community among the Southern aristocratic class, whether for good or ill.<ref>Mills, Monuments, 134.</ref>
The monuments erected by the various women’s organizations across the ex-Confederate states and the rates at which they were installed can be viewed as a representation of the political situation in the South.<ref> . </ref> Particularly in the state of North Carolina, the number of the monuments erected allows historians to map out the rise and fall with the certain political shifts, such as when Confederate veterans retake control of the state government or when African-Americans were no longer active within the state government.<ref> . </ref>
This diversion of funds fundamentally contradicts the narrative of the federal government and the free community.<ref> . </ref> It is during these periods that there is the most power in white women gathering to crowd the state legislature buildings and use their feminine presence to guilt the politicians into passing funding for their monuments as this is when there is the closest pre-established relationship between the two groups.<ref> . </ref>
The manner in which Confederate women's groups lobbied for government funds showed one aspect of their savvy in manipulating images of traditional womanhood. Rather than present themselves in a way which could be perceived as threatening to those men who were in positions to aid their goals, they instead portrayed both their organizations and efforts as in need of male assistance.<ref>Mills, <i>Monuments</i>, 18. </ref> This is particularly evident in the planning of dedication and memorial ceremonies - where male speakers who were sympathetic with either the local Ladies Memorial Association or the later chapters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy were placed in the front with a backdrop of aesthetically pleasing female figures. These female backdrops were often the relatives of prominent Confederate leaders or community members. This helped to reinforce that their importance and significance to the proceedings came through their association with men rather through their own merits - further allowing the women to continue their mission without causing affront through what would have been perceived as non-feminine pursuits.
