Had the confederacy succeeded in achieving independence it could be claimed that it had become a nation. I don't question that regimes in place in the South created the institututions you list. These would all be necessary for the appearence of nationhood. However, since the original act of revolt was unjustified, illegal, and ultimately unsuccessful the confederacy doesn't meet the definition. I can call myself the governor of Alabama but unless I am legally elected I am not justified in using the title.

Correction. The confederacy was never a "nation." It was a collection of states illegally in revolt against the constitutionally legitmate federal government.

I'm surprised so few people have recognized the WWII-era prototype for the IUD. (Let's take a moment to remember the sacrifices made by the volunteer testers of that time.) It's a Trap T-shirt, Black XXL.