The Battle Of The Confederate Flag

On January 1992 the NAACP put in affect a boycott on South Carolina to pressure the state to remove the Confederate flag off of its Statehouse in Columbia. The boycott is what initially brought life to this issue. The NAACP’s removal 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 Confederate flag is a sign of heritage and should stay on South Carolina’s Statehouse. Anti-flag articles are more likely to be found published in well-known Liberal magazines, when credible pro-flag articles were hard

Instead, the South relied heavenly on Slaves to do the labor of picking cotton and the Northerners’ exportation of manufactured machinery to them. The climate in the south was perfect for their most valuable export; cotton, so growing them was easy. As the southerners bought bigger plantations for the growth of cotton, the worse slavery had grown. Therefore, the southerners had this social construct that the slaves were their biggest possessions because of the 4th highest ranking they had on income, they also had a mindset that the slaves were like family, and believed Africans needed the help of white men. The grossing on their beliefs justified slavery in the South, although much of abolitionists in the North had a different opinion on the matter. Northerners believed slavery was uncivilized and deprived from the equality the constitution had stated; however, the daily lives of the Southerners treating the slaves like property didn’t change at all.

In America the confederate flag is often known as a symbol of slavery and abuse. Daniel Barkley argued a completely different argument in this text. He stated the confederate flag was removed from South Carolina’s State Capitol because African Americans began to make this their “black power flag”.

In the past couple of year, there has been a controversial battle over the flying of the Confederate Flag on government buildings. The controversy has really started to stir up in the southern states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia. On January 30, 2001, the state of Georgia changed its flag, removing the large Confederate battle cross from the 1956 design and replacing it with the state seal of Georgia. Now, the state of Mississippi is the only state that fearlessly displays the Southern Cross in its state flag. Though several Southerners see the Confederate Flag as a symbol of southern pride and heritage, many others see the flag as a dishonorable reminder of slavery and segregation in the south. Although this flag is under great controversy in the southern states, there is no reason why this flag should not be flown from government buildings because it isn’t demoralizing African Americans in the symbolization of slavery, segregation and domination although it is used by many hate groups across the united states they too need a history lesson because the confederate flag only started as a battle flag that some blacks fought under and held with pride.

Within the United States of America, arguments, involving the Confederate Flag, are solved every sngle day. However, some controversies have managed to carry on from the 1800’s until present day without any solution. The text and symbolic meaning behind the “Confederate Flag” is a perfect example. The Confederate Flag is one of America’s most embattled symbolic controversies. Created in 1861in a battle between the South, Confederates, and the North, Union, two men by the name P.G.T. Beauregard and Congressman William P. Miles designed and created a flag that would represent the true southern pride and demands that would not only bring about conflict with one half of the nation but also with our American society today.

The Confederate flag has now become a hot issue for South Carolina, which is the last state to have the original Confederate flag still flying on its Statehouse. What got the State’s attention was the economic boycott of South Carolina that was announced on January 1992 by the NAACP to pressure the State to remove the Confederate flag off of its Statehouse in Columbia. The NAACP’s removal 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 Confederate flag is a sign of heritage

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.

One of the most trending topics in America right now is the Confederate Flag and whether or not it 's racist. 42 percent think the flag represent southern heritage and the other 42 percent think it 's racist and should be taken down. 75 percent believe it 's racist and only one in ten will agree that it is southern heritage. Depending on what region is asked about if it is racist, there are different answers. The Midwest say it is racist and the south, of course, say it 's not racist. A poll showed that African Americans, Democrats, and the highly educated were more likely to perceive the flag negatively. The Confederate States of America came into existence on February 4, 1861. It had six states at first and they were the Deep South. Those states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana. After April 1861 four upper south states joined. They were Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. They made they 're own court system and congress. It reflected a lot of the American government. The confederate flag should be taken down because it is a symbol of hate, rebellion and racism.

The secession of the South right after Abraham Lincoln’s election asserted that the South would not have slavery abolished (Corrick 21). Differences in views on slavery caused several states in the South to threaten to secede (Ushistory). The South supported slavery and held pro-slavery movements in several states, while the North believed that slavery was not constitutional and should be abolished (Civilwar.org; Cavendish). However, the North did not make any laws proclaiming the legality of slavery, but pushed the abolishment of slavery across the United States even further. Due to the secession of the southern states, tensions inevitably increased between the North and the South, thus leading to the start of the Civil War.

1. The southern commissioners, politicians and committees made many arguments to try to justify secession. The southerners tried to argue that allowing colored people to participate in their government would lower their standards and affect them. Charles B. Dew elaborates on what the southerners said, “Our fathers made this a government for the white man,” Harris told the Georgians, “rejecting the negro, as an ignorant, inferior, barbarian race, incapable of self-government, and not, therefore, entitled to be associated with the white man upon terms of civil, political, or social equality.” An argument made to justify secession was that allowing colored people to be free would disgrace white people and affect their social rankings.

“Countless white supremacy groups, use the flag often, and the 21-year-old white man who confessed Friday to killing nine black people at a historic church in Charleston, S.C, rocked the “rebel flag” on his license plate and took numerous pictures with the controversial flag.” Belton, Danielle. “Southern pride or Jim Crow’s death rattle? Everything you need to know about the confederate flag”. 23 June, 2015. Web. 30 August, 2015. Jim Crow laws were state laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. For decades, the confederate flag was scampered during remembrances of the war and then for the most part was packed and out away. It was still a novelty until 1948. But, that was the year it went from Civil War indelible to political football, when he raised the wrath of pro-segregation Southern Democrats, also known as “Dixiecrats”. With the advancement to end the Jim Crow Laws, the flag got more and more popular among the segregation set, and was being used into many southern state flags and began to be flown alongside South Carolina’s state flag. A signal phrase that introduces quoting or paraphrasing.

When I first came across the Negative Views assignment, I immediately thought of the Confederate Flag. It was an obvious choice considering all the attention and the controversy surrounding it in the past few weeks. For me personally, if I was asked six months ago what I thought about the Confederate flag, I would say I loosely associated it with the term “redneck.” I looked up the definition of “redneck” on Internet Slang and it said redneck means, “Unsophisticated rural person from Southeast USA.” That is a good explanation of what I think of when I think of the word “redneck” and when I associate it with the Confederate Flag. There was a mild negative association with this flag. But I need to back up a bit before I continue.

The American South. An area full of rich history and the home to some of the nation’s largest conflicts throughout history, such as the civil war and the civil rights movement. Southerners have always been proud of their heritage despite its rocky parts and display it for all to see with a 150 year old flag. This is proving to be problematic, though, as the Confederate flag they are all so proud of, is really only 50 years old and has been associated with ideals of white supremacy and racism. Some Southerners and other Americans choose to not believe the truth about the flag, others were never taught the truth. However, it is incredibly important in forming an opinion on the flag, and to whether or not the flag must be removed from state buildings. And the truth is, due to its historical affiliation to racist whites in the South, white supremacy groups, and recent events such as the Charleston Shooting, the Confederate rebel flag should not be flown on state buildings as it is not culturally sensitive to African American people who have been targeted by these people.

South Carolina also accused the Northern states of instigating “a war [that would] be waged against slavery until it shall cease throughout the United States,” (South Carolina) through the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. In Georgia’s declaration of secession, the reasons for secession are cited as “numerous and serious causes of complaint” (Georgia) against the non-slave holding states that were centered on “the subject of African slavery” (Georgia). In Mississippi, the consensus in the same; Mississippi’s position in the issue “[was] thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery” (Mississippi) and goes to list many reasons pertaining to slavery for its secession, most notably 1) The North “has made combinations and formed associations to carry out its schemes of emancipation” (Mississippi), 2) “has nullified the Fugitive Slave Law in almost every free State in the Union” (Mississippi), and 3) “advocates negro equality” (Mississippi). For these as well as other reasons all pertaining to slavery, the Confederate States seceded from the Union. In the Southern States, as seen through the declarations of secession from the Confederate States, the people, along with the governments of those states all supported secession based on issues arising from the conflict over slavery.

The South wanted to free the slaves, however, they understood the “negative” political impacts. The North wanted to free the slaves, but they were very divided within themselves. Once ex-slaves gained the right to vote as a full human being (Black Suffrage), the Republican party arose to shape our country. (Roark, 471) With ex-slaves gaining the highly deserved power, the Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K.) was developing to support the democrats and restore “White Supremacy”. (Roark, 471) The political division raised what I would call a second Civil-War within the American government.