For decades, there have been disputes over the presence of the Confederate flag over the South Carolina State House. Some felt that the flag represented the tradition and culture of their state, as South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union. However, many others thought it was a symbol of the inhumane treatment of millions of people before the abolishment of slavery. Since slavery was such a struggle for so many people, many others feel that it is strongly offensive. Joe Davidson, author for the Washington Post and the Federal Diary, described the flag as treasonous. The United States Constitution states, “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them” which is what happened during the Civil War.
By 1861, eleven southern states had seceded from the United States of America. The Civil War should have been an expeditious Union victory. Not only did the Union contain twice as many states, and have at least three times more freed people, but ninety percent of all factories were in the North, and ninety-seven percent of all guns used in the Civil War were produced in the North. The Confederate Army was more successful than anyone believed it should have been because of its soldiers and leaders, the Confederacy’s enslaved population, and ability to not be defeated in important battles; these things lead to the extensiveness of the Civil War.
The removal of the Confederate Battle Flag. Was this a justifiable move made by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley or will this lead to more hatred among South Carolina residents and other United States citizens? The Civil War took place because of many disagreements between the Union and the Confederacy. One major disagreement, considered non-negotiable by both sides, was the ownership and sale of African American slaves. Now, the South Carolina Legislature has voted to remove the flag from the property of the South Carolina Capitol based upon recent events and the controversial opinion that this flag promotes racism. The Confederate flag and all other Civil War symbols should be removed because they convey the idea that racism is acceptable
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.
Battle flags were used during the Civil War to build morale within the soldiers, and remind soldiers of what they were fighting for. These soldiers would die fighting to make sure their flag wasn’t taken by the enemy. Unlike their southern states, the Union did not adopt the trend to have battle flags, instead the Union mainly flew the American Flag. The Confederate States of America (CSA) had three main flags during this war. These flags included the first flag, which was the “Stars and Bars”.
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.
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
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
We all have heard the romantic story of our flag. How Betsy Ross sat in her living room all night, sewing together the stars and stripes. Today, Betsy’s masterpiece still flies high all around our country, but, in many of the southern states, there is a second flag that flies with it. The Confederate flag. The birth story of this war flag is not romantic in any shape or form. During the Civil War, there was much confusion on the battlefield between the original Confederate flag, “Stars and Bars”, and our “Stars and Stripes”. So the leaders of the Confederates had their Committee on the Flag and Seal create a totally different flag to use for the battlefield, and they would use their original flag for parades. Hence, the birth of the Confederate
The confederate flag is one of the utmost controversial symbols used in the United States today. There is one question that arises to the use of the flag. Should students in Palmyra Area High school be permitted to advertise information that supports the display of the Confederate Flag in the atrium? Many people feel that the flag should not be shown and any information related to it disclosed from a school setting; however, there are some people that feel that it is their right to display that flag and display information advocating it. I feel that the flag should not be shown in a school atrium and any information pertaining to the flag disclosed from a school setting because of class disruption, case precedent and ethics.
Pro-Confederates argue that the flag we have come to know as the Confederate flag is not the same flag as the one flown on Confederate battle fields. While it is true that the flag we see today wasn’t the official flag of the Confederate states, it was flown by several Confederate Army units, including Robert E. Lee’s unit (Brumfield). After the end of the Civil War, the Confederate flag largely disappeared, but made its comeback during the Civil Rights movement. According to Malik Miah, a reporter for Solidarity, the Confederate flag was flown at the South Carolina state capitol beginning in 1962 in defiance of the Civil Rights movement (Miah). The flag had flown at the South Carolina state capitol ever since – until now. Other defenders of the Confederate flag say that the flag is merely a symbol of the heritage of the area and the sacrifice of veterans who died defending it (Lagarde). However, the history of African-American racism and the Southern heritage are intimately intertwined. Looking at the Confederate flag brings feelings of prejudice, discrimination, and
Confederate flag should not be displayed because it is associated with slavery, which represents the 11 states seceded from the union before the war. The Civil War was a time in history where African Americans were held by plantation owners as slaves, which the United States needs to move past. In my opinion, allowing the Confederate flag to be shown in schools is immoral Although, the first amendment grants everyone the right to express themselves in any way they want in public, schools should have the right to set ground rules within their walls. In the bill of rights the first amendment states “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech” (Amendment 1, Bill of Rights). Schools all over the world ban students from wearing inappropriate clothing (example; sexually explicit material, curse words) because it offends people, and it is unacceptable in a school environment.
To help narrow this divide, the confederate flag and any other symbols with possible racist connotations should be removed from the public world as much as possible. The main argument that confederate flag supporters tend to have is the fact that the flag is a “symbol of heritage” for southerners. However, if one were to look at the history of the United States, one would realize that the Confederacy was formed in opposition to the abolition of the institution of slavery. The Confederates believed in a cause that they were willing to fight and possibly die for, and that cause was one of enslaving fellow humans. One has to look no farther than the declaration of secession by the confederate states, Mississippi’s declaration states