Essay On The Rebel Flag

While Kathryn Engel’s humiliation was only witnessed by her oppressors, another man was less fortunate. Michael Scipio, a mentally impaired african american man, was forced to sing and dance while videotaped by a local police officer, “A middle aged black man signs and makes strange noises, apparently at the direction of a police officer…. “Go ahead, do your song,” the person behind the camera says on video”(Murphy 3). Scipio reports that the officer took advantage of his mental illness by ordering him to sing and dance and “made him feel like a fool”( Murphy 1) before sending the video to several family members, friends and coworkers. The same police officer posted another photo, this one included a racist caption and featured a black man riding in the back of a truck. Thankfully, all officers involved in this awful event were fired and Michael Scipio was issued a formal apology. Police officers should not be allowed to humiliate and dehumanise others just because their victims are powerless.

A lawsuit was filed on March 21, 2016 by Fresno Police Sergeant Cervantes who is suing Fresno Police Department and three other detectives. He states workplace harassment and discrimination due to his Hispanic ethnicity. Further details state, “Sgt. Paul Cervantes accuses Sgt. Tim Tietjen and Detectives Brad Alcorn and Cary Phelps of smearing his reputation with false accusations and spreading rumors that he’s a dirty cop. Tietjen, Alcorn and Phelps are white.”(Lopez, para.2) Such accusations can lead to further tensions, costly legal battles, and government investigations. Sergeant Cervantes seeks unspecified damages, attorney fees for discrimination, retaliation, defamation and malicious prosecution. He also states he has been subjected to such discrimination and harassment since January 2008 to the present. Furthermore, it is not the first time Fresno Police Department has been sued for similar incidences. There is an ongoing problem in the department that needs to be resolve.

The start of the Confederate flag controversy was due to the request of the NAACP to remove the flag off of South Carolina’s Statehouse. This request is based on the fact that they, the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag is one of hate and discrimination. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently whom are called the pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on the Statehouse. Liberals tend to be in the favor of the anti-flag groups, and conservatives are more likely to be supporting pro-flag groups. Both sides use evidential logos to prove their arguments, and pathos to show how wrong the other side is.

“Symbol of a brave past or banner of treason?” Kevin Baker asks this in his article titled That Flag. This is the question that many people have tried to answer. The Confederate Battle Flag has been used to send many different messages to the public, and depending on who you talk to it holds different meanings. As explained in the article titled Political culture, religion, and the Confederate Battle Flag debate in Alabama written by Jonathan I. Leib and Gerald R. Webster. The article explains that, “Many traditional white southerners view the Confederate Battle Flag as emblematic of the sense of duty and sacrifice of their ancestors during the Civil War and Reconstruction. They argue that the Civil War was not about the institution of slavery

When you see the American flag, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Is it a war? A relative? A political leader? What? For me, I usually think of the Star Spangled Banner. I grew up on a military base in Germany. If the flag were being raised or lowered, you would see soldiers, and even civilians, standing at attention, saluting the flag. In a parade, as the flag was being carried in front by one of the brigades, everyone held his or her hand over his or her heart as the flag passed that person. Even in the theaters, before the movie would start, the Star Spangled Banner would be played while scenes of American flags in battles and peacetime were on the screen and everyone would stand, either at attention or with

The controversy of the showing of the confederate flag is something huge. You have the bunch that does not like the flag, and then there is the group of individuals the support and fly the flag with pride. There are five states that have laws, in their own state, that state it is illegal to burn or deface the confederate flag. On surface, these state laws would seem to conflict the 5-4 decision made by the Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson. The controversial case in 1989 that held up the burning the flag as an act of protected free speech. (As it is stated under the First Amendment.)

When a self-proclaimed white supremist gunned down 9 members of a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, last week, more than just racial violence once again entered the national spotlight. Among those slain was the church's beloved pastor, Clementa Pinckney. Pinckney was also a Democratic state senator who served as such since 2000.

The Confederate flag has been around since 1861, as a symbol of endless war, and detestation towards African Americans. Today, 154 years later, some states still incorporate the confederate flag into their state flags. The Confederate flag does not show progression in history, rather it is offensive to many groups and should be put to rest, because it does not promote unity in America. The Confederate flag holds America back and keeps our country stuck in the past.

Grey uniforms, so often pierced with bullets from the other side, were proudly donned by the men of this nation from 1861 until 1865. These men fought tirelessly and honorably for their beliefs, and throughout each battle, carried the battle flag of the Confederacy. Throughout the Civil War, this flag took six different forms, for design flaws led to confusion on the battlefield. Each soldier, standing tall, did not fight for a flag, but under it. As an emblem of courage and honor, and a representation of their way of life, the “Rebel Flag” still stands as a symbol of pride in the southern United States. South Carolina’s contest of whether or not to permanently lower the flag flying over state grounds has aroused the question of the true meaning of the “Navy Jack” banner. American history has lent endless resources to the discovery of this meaning. The causes of the war, the history of the Confederate Flag’s origin, the truth about racism and slavery, and the disproving of supposed offensiveness of a piece of cloth all play an integral role in the argument opposing the flag’s removal.

Many people are now asking the question “Should the United States ban the Confederate flag because of a shooting incident that is causing a ton of controversy. Yes the banning of the flag is a good reaction to the recent shooting that happened in South Carolina. The assailant wanted was trying to start a race war by murdering nine people while showing his confederate opinion. Many people still feel the pain of the past because the south justified what they did when they used the flag. While some people are celebrating if it comes down, others are protesting its removal. Many people still support the flag because of what it truly represented and not what people think it represents. The state’s decision to take down the flag is the right one, not only because of the shooting that happened, but also because of the history it carries.

The union Jack rebel flag or also known by the name of the Confederate Flag. It was created during the U.S. Civil War to represents the southern states. The First Official Flag of the Confederacy The pattern and colors was way too similar to the star and strips of the union flag. So making bit of a confusion of the battlefield. The first edition of the rebel flag had seven stars to represent the first official confederate states. South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

The summer I spent at Harpers Ferry was the summer following the Emmanuel shooting in Charleston. The summer when the Governor and Legislature of South Carolina decided that it may not be such a good idea to be hoisting the banner of a group formed to kill the soldiers of the United States Army on American soil to establish a government guaranteeing slavery in perpetuity on the grounds of the state capitol might be seen as a endorsement of white supremacist violence. Said legislature, of course, could have in no way been able to come to this conclusion when they began flying the rebel battle flag, in 1961, as they were busy contesting school desegregation and with the concerning news that buses of Freedom Riders were being fire-bombed and beaten by Klansman a few states away.

Morals. Everyone has them, although they may differ. It is taught to us when we are young children to always be polite and kind to others. Yet adults, those who are supposed to be the most mature, show less humanity than children, and go out of their way to offend other people. The Confederate Flag for example. It is shown on cars and flying outside of buildings, but what is the point? Those flaunting the flag must know that others may take offense to it. The Confederate Flag is symbolic of a racist past and should be banned from public places because hate groups have adopted it and weaponized the flag to create division and oppression.

Within the past week or two there had been a brutal attack in Virginia, because of the different views and opinions on the statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee, if it should stay or be removed. I have come to believe that since the general was a “Confederate’” general that the question arose, should Mississippi be to able to keep its state flag presenting the emblem of the confederate flag, or should it be stripped from the sky. In this essay I will present to you why I believe that the Mississippi flag should stay flying high in the sky. I will also present when, why and how the flag is important to us as a country.

For some southerners, the red, blue and white ensign, also known as the rebel flag, is a symbol of regional heritage and a tribute to ancestors who fought in the Civil War. While for other Americans, including Barack Obama, it is a reminder of the ‘systemic oppression and racial subjugation’ that took place in the era of slavery (Ryan). The confederacy established on December 20th, 1861, with South Carolina being the first state followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Within those eight states, which lead them to become “The Confederate States of America”, with the capital being located in Montgomery(Ryan). The confederate flag, which was carried in the battle field, migrated over time to become the all purpose