On July 4th, Americans remember and celebrate the Declaration of Independence. The nation pauses to commemorate the actions of the Founding Fathers, who led the way in the effort—now known as the American Revolution— to break apart from Britain. The American flag flies proudly across the land, its red, white and blue, its stars and its stripes, serving as a symbol of American pride. The flag of the Confederacy, however, is often met with scorn, revulsion, and censorship, as many Americans see it as a symbol of an ideology irreconcilable with modern views on equality and individual liberty. The Civil War, fought between the Confederate states and the union from which they seceded, is remembered in a far different (and darker) light than the Revolution. But in both conflicts, a subset of a larger constituency sought to break away from actual, perceived and potential limitations on economic activity and political and social equality, and the larger body sought to preserve the hegemony of the pre-existing government. Strangely, comparisons between the origins and fallouts of the two conflicts can indeed be drawn, if only to a limited extent. Both the American Revolution and Civil War centered around an effort to resist what the separatist party viewed as an oppressive overarching government. In the 1770s, the colonists sought to liberate themselves from the control of "Mother England." The British had imposed a series of revenue-raising taxes which the colonists considered
The American Revolutionary war began in-part because of economic struggles England faced after securing safety for it’s colonies during the Seven Years War. England needed to increase their taxation on the colonists after the war to pay off its war debts. Prior to these taxes, the colonies were wholly content while under the wing of the British Empire. Not only because the protection the British provided, but also because of their deep reverence for the Motherland. Colonists were angered by with Parliament due to their lack of acknowledgement towards colonists rights and opinions. Colonists stood together in a defiant motion towards liberation from England’s tyrannous acts of lawless duplicity. Before British government was able to fully
American colonists left Britain with hopes of living in the freedom offered by the new land of immigrants and colonies. Instead, they were blindsided by the unfair treatment of the British, and were taken advantage of by the unwarranted power the Parliament had over the colonists. After years of being left alone by Britain, the Americans were threatened once again by the unprecedented control of the British Parliament as they were determined to be the strongest imperial power in the world. After enduring unfair taxation without representation as well as restrictions on trade set in place by the British, American nationalism sprouted and led to the Boston Tea Party, or the start of the Revolutionary War.
The American Revolution was precipitated by the irritation of the wealthy due to tax acts imposed by Britain on the colonies. The rich did not like the taxes because of the negative effect the tax acts had on personal financial interests, but the Colonial masses were convinced by men like John Dickinson and Patrick Henry; Dickinson wrote extensively on how the British collection of taxes on the Colonies was illegal and Henry believed taxation shouldn’t be allowed unless the Colonies were properly represented. The writings of John Locke were also influential in creating interest for breaking away from Great Britain.
In my paper I will be discussing the Confederate Flag and its controversy in history and in todays views. The Confederate flag has been a negative symbol in American society since the 1800’s. It has been only recently that the Confederate flag has been brought back to life as a contemporary issue. In recent times the flag has been used as a motivation for racial strikes and other rebellious acts bring the issues of the flag and the controversy behind it back to life. The major questions I seek to answer in this essay it why the controversy of the Confederate flag only been brought back up recently and why the confederate flag was created the way it was. And the overall motivation behind its creation. The Confederate flag has only recently been brought back as an issue because of the recent racial attacks and an overall rebellious acts that swear under the confederate flag, back in the early 1860’s the confederate flag was first used to represent the southern states because the south was wanting to secede from the northern states. Because of the major shooting in Charleston controversy behind the confederate flag sparked back up. Major retailers like Walmart and Amazon and stopping the sale of the Confederate flag because of its growing symbol of racism. The Confederate flag has shifted from being viewed as the southern states to viewed as a symbol of racism. what does the future hold for the confederate flag and will it become a rare item?
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.
In the American Revolution, the British had firm control over the colonists and began implementing harsh acts to receive money. After the 7 years war, there was a huge money deficit and the British needed a way to regain their financial loss. This led to excessive taxation, which angered the colonists. They felt they were not given a voice in the government and that if they are going to give their money, they should have a voice. The colonists continued to protest these new rules and eventually caused the English Civil War. These struggles from the past led to new rules for the colonists and eventually the Declaration of Independence, which stated that all men were equality. The colonists and British would continue to fight through a revolutionary
The American Revolution was the uprising of the existing thirteen American colonies to gain independence from Britain in the mid 1700’s. The American colonists began questioning Britain’s authority as early as the French and Indian War. During the French Indian War, the colonies wanted to defend themselves against the French in North America. They asked King George for permission to raise armies in order defend themselves. Although their reason to raise an army was sincere, George II was suspicious of the intentions of the colonial government and disapproved their petition. After the French Indian War, Britain decided to raise money by taxing the American Colonists for reparations. Taxes such as the Stamp and Tea Acts created controversy
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.
By 1763, nationalism within the colonies started to grow towards their new country. After the British started enforcing new taxes and establishing restrictions on colonial life, resentment of Great Britain by the colonies was at an all-time high. These new imperial policies intensified the colonists’ commitment to republican values and to their property rights, which eventually helped bring about the American Revolution. Over the 13-year period stretching from 1763 to 1776, the colonists became increasingly divided from Britain and began to desire independence.
Is America more racist now than it was 60 years ago? Of course not, yet America is more polarized than it’s ever been. Even on issues that are mere trifles, Americans cannot seem to agree upon anything. One of these seemingly pointless issues is whether the rectangular Second Confederate Navy Jack and the Battle Flag of Northern Virginia, or as many people call the “confederate flag”, should be banned. It is difficult to discern what exactly set off this movement, the fact of the matter is that the confederate flag has been used for years with no apparent backlash, but has become an issue of controversy. This debate has raised legitimate concern especially in regards to its use amongst federal institutions such as South Carolina flying it over the State House. However, this movement has pushed its way past that into the personal realm. Many have come to the belief that it must be banned on all accounts. Certainly, believing in something enough to fight for it is admirable— something that truly defines what the USA stands for; however, when emotion is used to wrongfully conclude, and in this case, ban a flag without true factual evidence, there becomes a problem. The basis of this argument is that the flag inherently represents racism due to the Southern United States’ history of slavery. This thesis, although noble in motive, neglects the facts of history and logic. The “confederate flag” should not be banned on a personal basis because it would wrongfully and fictitiously
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.
However, the devout supporters continue to back the flag. With the notion of “pride and heritage, not hatred” (Jones 1), supporters often argue for the recognition of their ancestors who fought in the Civil War. White Americans thoroughly educated on the Civil War and the Confederate States of America’s signature flag display distaste for the Southern symbol, while ironically enough, those who wave the flag with pride illustrate a lack of understanding about the Civil War and the role the South played in it (Priston & Strother 1). Flyers of the battle flag proposition that the flag signifies the history and legacy of the south, while those in opposition declare that the flag illustrates the struggle to control, discriminate, and promote white
During my junior year of high school, I had shown my virtuous nature to a girl who is no longer my friend. I am someone who has morals and values that I feel very strongly about. Of course, everyone has their own values and morals, and I accept that, but when it is hateful, it is something that I cannot stand. I had a friend who supported the confederate flag. She always had said racial slurs, which I tried to ignore because I wanted to keep the friendship. However, I realized she was wrong to say and to support the flag. I strongly believe that the confederate flag is a sign of hate. I know everyone is entitled to their opinions, but racism is purely wrong. One day she was wearing a confederate flag belt, and I called her out for being racist.
About a decade before the American Revolution happened in 1775, there were lots of tension building up between the colonists and the British. The colonists did not like being under British rule and control because they liked freedom and wanted independence. However, the British government attempted to raise tax revenues by imposing more taxes on the colonists to pay for the leftover debts from the Indian-French War. Some of the laws passed include the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Tariffs of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773. Some events that escalated the tension include the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, etc. The colonists were justified in rebelling against Britain.