During the final two years of the Civil War, it became obvious that Southern planters ____________.

A) were willing to accept momentous changes in their lives in order to bolster the Confederate war effort
B) recognized that the idea of states' rights had been a casualty of the war
C) were the only element left in the South that still supported the Confederate government
D) were more committed to their own selfish interests than to the creation of an independent Southern nation

During the final two years of the Civil War, Southern planters were more committed to their own selfish interests, such as maintaining their control over slavery and their property, than to the creation of an independent Southern nation. They resisted calls for the freeing of slaves and other measures that could potentially harm their economic interests. This selfishness and unwillingness to make sacrifices for the larger cause of the Confederacy weakened the war effort and contributed to the ultimate defeat of the Southern states.