Confederate Symbols: Article Analysis

Is the Confederate flag a symbol of Southern Culture or a symbol of racial injustice? Dictionary.com defines symbol as “a material object representing something, often something immaterial.” When the Civil War first started, the flag became a representative of the Confederate side of the war. After the war, it was thought to be rebellion. Now, it is a symbol of the Southern culture.

WATKINS GLEN (WENY) - After a gunman opened fired at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, nearly two months ago, it sparked a conversation across the country over the symbolism of the Confederate Flag. That's because the man behind the crime was seen posing in pictures with the flag, which is also viewed by many as promoting racism, rather than Southern history. The debate prompted many industries to stop the sale of merchandise showing the Confederate Flag, including NASCAR.

Local governments must make sure all bodies in the community are happy, otherwise, the unhappiness of its citizens will start to affect other areas of concern for the government, like crime and the welfare of the community. If public spaces are for all of the public, then local governments must make sure that no citizen finds the artwork or monuments displayed in public areas offensive or harmful in any way. By doing this, the government ensures happy citizens and a comfortable environment for all.

The confederate flag shouldn’t be taken down, but, if taken down shouldn’t be forgotten in the South.First of all, the confederate flag represents the history of South Carolina and the past and present . Second of all, even if the flag is taken down, the flag should be placed in a museum and the people of South Carolina should vote.Lastly, some people see the confederate flag has a racist flag, but, on the other side people think it represents the civil war and the people that died during that time. Some people believe, that the confederate flag represents racism, however, you could say that the flag represents the civil war and the people that died during that time.

When talking about hot topics such as race, religion, sex orientation, politics and the dang confederate flag, you find out things you never knew about people. By the end of the conversation, some people might look at you differently. You might look at them differently. I realize that our culture and how we were raised, play a big part on how we feel about these topics. What the confederate flag means to one person, may be different from someone else. We need to keep in mind how sensitive some of these issues are. Before your quick to dismiss how someone feels, put yourself in that person's shoes. Be careful what you say because it could be missed-interpreted as something else. For example: if you believe in the confederate flag that can

The power that comes from an object or symbol is not inherent. At one point in human history a cross was simply just two sticks laying on top of each other. Humans gave it power by using it and acknowledging it as a symbol. The case is the same with the confederate flag. It is a powerful symbol because of the connotations that humans have given it. The problem is not everyone has the same idea on what the confederate flag stands for. Gene Demby, author of When The ‘Heritage’ In ‘Heritage Not Hate’ Is More Skynyrd Than Stonewall Jackson spoke to multiple people who all have different reasons for liking the flag. Rather than see it as a sign of slavery they connect the flag to their childhood or a memory they have that has literally nothing to do with slavery. Gene’s point is that the flag is significant based on personal heritage and experiences not that of the past. Hugh Howard author of, How the North distorts Civil War history has yet another approach. He doesn’t necessarily debate the meaning of the flag, but does illuminate that most people only have one side of the story when it comes to the reasons for the Civil War. The north was in favor of slavery just as much as the south, yet nobody seems to have a problem with the Union flag. This leads to the conclusion that it isn’t the flag itself that is the problem rather the people who endorse it. Lastly Byron Thomas, author of I am a black South Carolinian Here’s why I support the Confederate flag uses the fact that he is

For the past few months there has been lots of controversy of wither or not the Confederate Flag should be taken down. The removal of the Confederate Flag had been brought up again because a man by the name of Dylan Roof had shot and killed 9 innocent people who were attending Bible study at the Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday June 17, 2015. People all over the United States have been arguing over this topic, no one can agree on wither or not we should take down the flag. In my opinion the flag and any other historical monument that relates to the Civil War should be left alone.

Confederate heritage organizations used the flag widely in their rituals memorializing and celebrating the Confederacy and its heroes. According to historynet.com “In the decades after the flag fad, the Confederate flag became, as one Southern editor wrote, “confetti in careless hands.” Instead of being used almost exclusively for memorializing the Confederacy and its soldiers, the flag became fodder for beach towels, t-shirts, bikinis, diapers and baubles of every description.” People are misusing the Confederate Flag and forgetting the true meaning of what it stands for when it was back in war times. As the dam burst on the Confederate flag material culture and heritage groups lost control of the flag, it acquired a new identity of being a symbol of rebellion and lost the historical context of the

To many southerners, The Confederate Flag is a symbol of southern heritage and the strength of their ancestors. However, the placement of this flag on Texas government issued license plates has created much backlash. Some southerners take offense to the flag. They view the flag as a representation of hatred and white supremacy. According to Rev. George V. Clark, the flag “Represents hate, something that has made people feel less than human.” Although groups such as, The Sons of Confederate Veterans, see the flag in a positive light, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, supports the rejection of the plates. Since it is such a delicate topic, he believes it is best not to “be scraping old wounds.” The nine other states that continue to provide

The Civil War was a big part of our history which had two opposing sides The North and The South. The South flew a flag know as the Confederate Flag which has lately took the meaning of racist. T.V shows containing the flag have been taken of the air along with flag companies claiming that they are no longer going to manufacture the Confederate Flag and major stores including Wal-Mart claiming they are no longer going to sell merchandise containing the flag. The Confederate Flag is a part of our history and heritage and should be allowed to displayed where pleases or shown on T.V with out people getting upset and thinking that it is racist.

Although the confederate flag was not originally created to be a hate symbol, it became one over the years. If there is any symbol or material item that offends a certain ethnic group, it can, and will most likely, be labeled as a racist insignia. When something goes as far as offending and restricting the rights of men and their equality, then it is racist and should not be tolerated to fly above a man’s home or dwelling. If an item such as the confederate flag plays such a significant role in history, it should be remembered in a museum. By putting it into a museum, it will be respected, not forgotten, and the people whose lives had been affected by the Confederate Flag are not in any situations where they feel scared, at risk of harm, inadequate or unequal; the people shall not be persecuted or feel as though they are being persecuted. The Confederate Flag should not fly amongst the people any longer. The past is the past.

There are many symbols from the Civil War that embrace and celebrate the ideals of the Confederate States of America (CSA): the “stars and bars” of the CSA flag, high schools who are nicknamed “Rebels”, and just a few miles from Lake Braddock is a major highway, the Jefferson Davis Highway, named after the President of CSA. Today, over 150 years after the creation of the CSA, these symbols need to be abolished as they are offensive to a significant number of Americans. Though there might be many secondary reasons for the creation of the CSA and the start of the Civil War, the primary reason was for the “right” of white people to enslave black people. The symbols that celebrate the Confederacy, therefore, are also symbols celebrating the

About 150 years ago, the Civil War ended, and Reconstruction era began. African American slaves were free, but were looked at as different than everybody else. It wasn’t until the late 1950s and early 60s that African Americans finally felt equal to whites. Today, even though slavery and segregation has ended in the United States, racism is an extremely important topic. African Americans and people of other races are still facing the problems they did 100 years ago. One symbol of this is the Confederate flag. The Confederacy supported slavery, a now proclaimed ‘unconstitutional’ act. The Confederate flag is still being flown in some Southern states today, and they are offending thousands of United States citizens. The Confederate flag should be taken down in all public places because it represents a crude act of African American labor, it is used by white supremacist groups, and represents a rebellious group of people.

Confederate symbols are symbols like monuments or flags that show people who were Confederate army heros or just the flag to show that they think that the Confederacy should have won. Confederate symbols represent white supremacy and Hate for people who are people too. The people most of the monuments are made for were white supremacists and they believed that so strongly they went to war for it. These people were unjust and they thought one race was superior; which it is not. These statues stand for things that most people in our country do not believe. To learn more about this topic I read an article about Confederate monuments. In the article “Are Confederate Monuments our Heritage or Symbols of Hate?” from Newsweek, it says, “For many people—perhaps especially African-Americans—Confederate symbols such

Before engaging in discourse regarding the Confederacy, it is important to understand what, exactly, it was about. The Confederate States of America were formed in 1861 as a way for the deep South to continue owning slaves, due in part to the fact that their agricultural industries depended on slave labor to operate. While they did stand for other things, the origin and primary goal of the Confederacy was to fight against those who wanted to abolish slavery. Because of this, Confederate memorabilia and monuments are fundamentally linked with slavery and racism, and this aspect must be remembered when discussing what to do with regards to Confederate monuments.