Your Intentions Do Not Matter In front of an otherwise respectable-looking suburban house, a banner waves in the wind from a flagpole. As you look more closely, expecting to make out the stars and stripes, you see instead a different arrangement of red, white, and blue. "Stupid rednecks," you think to yourself as you see that flag flutter on the breeze. What motivates a person to fly the Confederate battle flag in front of their house? Ask them, and you may receive various answers. Some of them will point to history. I could do that. Some of my ancestors fought in North Carolina regiments during the Civil War, serving under that offending flag until the army surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Although they served on the wrong side (and across the lines from others in my family), I respect the devotion and bravery of …show more content…
They will claim that although the flag was created for a specifically Confederate purpose, it has come to represent the distinctive culture and values of the American South. They might even note that although that culture included a nasty racist past, the American flag has its own negative baggage to carry around as well. The defender of the Confederate flag might note that it wasn't their flag under which various Presidents and Congresses dispossessed Native Americans of their lands, driving them ever farther to the west. Another group of flag fliers might suggest that this symbol indicates their political views. Feeling that the Federal Government has become too powerful and has grown too intrusive in our lives, these people take up the flag of the states-rights South, not to champion slavery or racism but to argue for individual liberty. That helps to explain why you might find the flag flying in areas hundreds of miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Finally, you might find some unregenerate racists clinging to the Confederate flag and wishing to return slavery. Honestly, they're not worth my
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 South Carolina people see the confederate battle flag as a symbol of history instead of a symbol of hate of different racial backgrounds. There was two different types of confederate flags one flag was for battle and the second flag was for a national flag. On March 4, 1861 the first official confederate national flag was used at the inauguration of President Lincoln. The first flag was like the United States flag it was red white and blue. The confederate flag was red with one big band of white in the top left comer of the flag was blue box with seven stars. This is how the flag got a nickname of “Stars and Bars”.
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
During this time The Confederate Flag was “also periodically flown by the Ku Klux Klan” (Hanson.) A contributing factor to the Ku Klux Klan’s efforts in detaining a race from their full economic, social, and political advancements, was the Confederate Flag. The history that the flag holds brought the Confederate Flag into a scene of hatred towards another race, and the platform for the inequality against the second half majority of the American Public. At the time of the iconic Civil Rights Movement, “the Confederate flag represented state resistance to the rights of African Americans.” (Teaching for Change.) Man against man, fighting for two different things in a time of spite. These were the years of brutal force, the idea of integration in the school system and other political, social, or economic jobs, were being fought with physical abuse, but also with a flag of a tortured
The union’s victory over the conference and the return to a united country engendered patriotic fervor that was embodied in this symbol. When large numbers of immigrants entered the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the flag was appropriated as a symbol of nationalism and patriotism groups that felt that the cultures and custom’s of the new citizen’s threatened national unity and security. (“flag”) I thank that the confederate flag should not be inside government buildings because it could be races to some people.
Nine people were killed in a church in south Carolina. The killer a several pictures that showed him with the confederate flag. So the South Carolina government voted to take down the flag.This caused a lot of debate. I believe that the confederate Flag stands for bravery in what you believe in. I think that the government is overreacting with this whole situation.
The Pro Flag side, which consisted of Mr. Kennedy and Mr.Aldridge, argued that the flag is a representation of southern heritage and history. They feel that removing the current flag is dishonoring their ancestors and the cause they fought for. They stated that the state flag represented freedom from an oppressive government. They also expressed that they felt the flag itself neither hurts
The history of the Confederate flag all started with the Civil War. According to Thomas G. Clemens, the Confederate flag was initially authorized for units of the Confederate armed forces during the American Civil War. It was originally designed as a Confederate national flag by William Porcher Miles of South Carolina, rejected by the Confederate Congress, and then adopted by the Confederate army (Clemens, 2016). After the Civil War, the Confederate flag was used to represent Southern Heritage and honor while being in connection with white supremacy. During the mid-twentieth century, the Confederate flag began to show up everywhere in America and sadly through the efforts of the Ku Klux Klan, the flag became more tied to racial violence and intimidation (Clemens, 2016).
The Confederate Battle Flag was once known as the “Southern Cross” and represented the eleven states in the Confederacy, along with Kentucky and Missouri. The Confederate flag was used to identify the people who still believed in the institution of slavery and did not agree with its abolishment. Additionally, the flag was a popular symbol for white supremacy. With the stigma it possesses, it is not surprising that people today are upset that the flag is still widely flown. This is seen especially when it is showcased on government buildings. A government speaks for the people of that area. By having the flag on its building, it is saying that the people still believe in what the flag represents. There is a lot of controversy regarding the
The Civil War was a time of intense hate and destruction in the United States. The Confederate flag is used to pay homage to those that fought in the Civil War for the South. The thirteen stars represent the states that seceded from the Union and founded the Confederacy. These states did not withdraw from the Union due to slavery; they actually seceded because of lack of power and rights. When the Confederate flag is displayed in the correct way, there is nothing wrong with it or the principles that it stands for; however, society today sometimes portrays the flag in the wrong sense. Many people use it as a flag of white supremacy and pro-slavery. The Confederate flag actually means much more. It helps remind the people today of the intense
The Confederate flag is a symbol of southern heritage and southern pride. Just because the south had a lot of slaves doesn't mean that everybody wanted a slave. Most of the people in the war on the Confederate side did not even own slaves, they were fighting because they wanted to keep
This article tells the history of the confederate battle flag. It tells how the rebel flag we see much today isn’t even the original flag that represented the confederate flag. The rebel flag we see today is actually the 4th flag used to represent the confederates. This article also tells what the flag represents. The 12 stars represent the 12 southern states. It also represents the departure from the union. This article also brings up the topic slavery and why it played a big part of the departure from the union.
The author mentioned that some citizens are still perturbed by the Confederate flag. While the number is slowly waning, many citizens were a part of the civil rights movement. They watched racist people protest against them using the flag as a symbol of racism, oppression, and hatred. To some, the flag may serve as a permanent reminder that racism is not truly dead in America.
Now that we have established the technical origins of the flag, the task is to trace how it has arrived at the status it holds today. The flag was a symbol of the Confederate States of America, the losing party in the Civil War. Volumes upon volumes have been written about the causes of the Civil War, but most historians agree slavery was the one single issue without which the war could have been avoided. The war was not fought over slavery in the South, but slavery in the territories, especially those acquired from Mexicoin 1848. Southerner's feared any kind of government regulation of their "peculiar institution," and saw the outlawing of slavery in the territories as a sure sign that slavery in the South would soon end as well. Southerners
The symbol of the Confederate Battle Flag has been adopted as a representation of groups who resort to nefarious actions to promote a malicious agenda. The original intent of promoting the heritage represented by the flag has been replaced by racist and oppressive actions perpetuated by its banner. Many people have had negative experiences with the Confederate symbol. One man recounts a time when he first saw the Confederate flag as an indication of hate; he remembers being about twelve years old watching Ku Klux Klan members entomb an acquaintance while carrying the Confederate flag (Confederate Flag Debate CNN). The University of Mississippi’s student body has just