Your stand on the Confederate Flag?

Question

I am all for the CSA flag and I think that those who are trying to shut it down are trying to shut our heritage down. Not once have I had some one actually back why they found the confederate flag offensive, and the ones that have have been proven wrong. If you find the confederate flag rasist, Why? It doesn't stand for slavery. The CSA didn't fight the union to keep slavery, they were fighting to keep their gov't. The union would have kept it if they could Abe Lincoln said to Horace Greeley,"If I could save the union without freeing any slave, I would do it." The US flag flew over slavery 70 years before the CSA flag ever existed. And which flag flew over ships bring slaves to America? I can assure you it was not the CSA. It get better; CSA freed their slaves in 1863 the union didn't untill they had to in 1868 with the passage of the 13th amendment. The confederate flag stands for a proud military heritage, States rights, and a non-centralist form of gov't.

All of those who just answered me and said they didn;t like the flag you never gave me a reason why. Those who say its past and we should move on, I say this, we have moved on but we still want to remember, many peoples fathers before them fought and this is there way of remembering. As for flying the US flag I fly it to, there is enough room in our hearts for both just as there is enough room in America for all nationalitys

Honestly, I apprectiate ALL input allthough it's clear where I stand in the matter. However, if your just going to insult me and tell me I'm wrong I'd really rather you not answer at all. I'm really glad that people (Sorry your names slipped me) futher down at the bottom posted declaring their side against CSA, you backed what you had to say. Thank you.

Answer 1

Put simply its historic because it was the battle flag of the confederacy. The low life individuals from the Klan and like minded organizations have prostituted the flag into their own banner of hate and racisim.
Your historical information is correct although I believe that you are in error regarding the release of the slaves by the CSA in 1863. Abit later than that. You are quite correct that the Civil War was foughth over secession and state's rights. The Lincoln remark is also factual and as you know slavery was not a political campaign issue until Lincoln's second term due to the lobbying and enormous push by abolitionists.
Slavery was almost dead in the North prior to the war and a great many southerners were in favor of getting rid of it except they felt that there was no alternative to it economically.
Thomas Jefferson (a Virginian) said "Slavery was like holding a wolf by the ears. You didn't like it but you didn't dare let it go". It wasn't until Eli Whitney, a New Haven, Connecticut resident came up with the cotton (en)gin(e) and that's when the south found that slavery would pay for itself with the large output of lint.

Answer 2

Musicbizandvid's answer is very articulate and thorough, and I concur.
I also note that the real debate isn't whether people should be allowed to display or fly the flag (as the First Amendment would basically prohibit any real restriction on that, subject to my right to tell you that I think it's irresponsible, for the reasons Musicbizandvid mentioned) but whether STATES and/or other government entities should be able to fly the flag (or incorporate the Stars and Bars in their own state flags). This is the real issue that bothers me: A state incorporating or flying the Stars and Bars (a) undermines the authority of the united states, saying that the South was right in its rebellion against the Union, (b) insults the ancestors of slaves by "proudly" displaying a symbol that is connected to slavery, Jim Crow laws, and exploitation of others.

Recognition of history is one thing; brazenly and proudly displaying it on the top of a state capitol dome, in implicit acceptance and encouragement of those historical events, is another.

Answer 3

you know my friend, all these closed minded i totally agree with you, and i'm even a true believer in the states forming one government but; you are so right with your clear facts and also, the CSA flag was not any kind of symbol that stood for anti- abolishing slaves, the CSA wanted mainly to keep thier own Government seperate from the union army. in closing, i feel that these closed minded people should sign up for if even one history lesson on the civil war,they would truly change thier narrow minded thinking. they should watch the movie gettysburg, it's what taught me more than i ever knew and I fully understand all of it EDUCATION is the key to understanding!!! Yourlat sentence summed it all up. actually the CSA flag is considered one of our many proud AMERICAN FLAG!!!!!!!

Answer 4

As with every flag, my opinion is that they can be flown only if there is a flag of the United States of America flown with it. And of course, the USA flag will be larger, at least 1.5x.

I also hold that same with the 'decor' that people use the CSA flag (in particular). Say it's on someone's truck. Fine, have a USA flag with it. On clothing? Eh, that's more difficult, but still possible.

Answer 5

"In Dixie I will make my stand, hooray! Hooray!"

My stand. Its a flag. It only means whatever someone attributes to it. To those of us who are caucasion Southerners, we view the flag as part of our heritage. For those of us who are African American, we view the flag as a sign of bigotry, the KKK, and slavery.

To me, the flag has virtually no meaning. Its the flag of a fallen, formerly ceceded group of rebel states that were forced back into statehood and the Union by Pres. Abraham Lincoln and the Union Army. Its the flag of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and the flag torn from Arlington and replaced by the stars n stripes.

Its the flag of a now-disgraced and once proud agricultural antebellum patriarchy.

Its the flag of the old and fallen South. A dinosaur. An ex-government of the Americas.

In short, its just a piece of cloth now that means whatever people attribute to it.

Answer 6

Unbound I would first like to point out that racist is spelled incorrectly in your post. Beyond that I would like to point out that the Confederate Flag may stand for a proud military heritage for some, however, it stands for disloyalty, betrayal, violence and separation to many others. Of course, the flags flying on the ships that bought slaves to America from Africa did not have the confederate flag flying on them. Those ships had the flags of the companies they were trading for and the countries those trading companies represented. However, that isn’t why people have an issue with the confederate flag. The issue is what happened to the slaves once they arrived here in the US and who was responsible for what happened to them once they arrived here.

Abraham Lincoln did say that he wouldn't have freed the slaves if he could have preserved the union without doing so, however, the reality is that he DID free the slaves! He may have said that because he really meant it or he may have said that because he felt he had to in order to pacify those who lost the civil war. But no matter what the reason, he DID free the slaves - no matter what his intent. The South was not only fighting to preserve slavery, however, that WAS a part of why they were fighting. They fought to preserve slavery AND their way of life. They didn't want to change to accept African Americans as anything more than property - to be used and abused as they saw fit - and they didn't want to have Northerners telling them what to do. It wasn't just one over the other. Both of those issues were at the forefront.

You are incorrect about the 13th amendment. 27 of the then 36 states ratified the amendment by mid December of 1865. The rest of the remaining states followed after (with the exception of Mississippi- a Southern state that loves its Confederate flag by the way - which didn't ratify the 13th Amendment until 1995!!!!!!!! Kentucky didn't ratify it until 1976!). The Amendment was not to free slaves in the north. In fact, it only served to free slaves in Kentucky and Delaware. States everywhere else freed slaves through the Emancipation Proclamation although, the Southern states decided to implement Jim Crow laws to control African Americans even after the end of slavery.

Now here is the interesting thing. Lincoln did say that if he could have saved the union without freeing slaves he would have, but when it came down to it he supported the 13th amendment as a way to guarantee that there would never be slavery again! He didn’t have to do that. The 13th Amendment was also symbolic because, up until that point, most of the bills passed where in support and defense of slavery.

The Confederate flag sends a message to people in the same way that displaying a Nazi symbol displays a message. You may think that symbols have no meaning, but how do you know a police officer is a police officer before he/she even says a word? Because of the way he or she is dressed! That uniform is symbolic and you know, generally, that if you need help a person with that symbol will help you. The Confederate flag is just as symbolic and just as clear when it is displayed. It's not a symbol of love and it's not symbol of togetherness. It's a symbol of separation. In fact, it was CREATED to separate the South slave states from the rest of the Union – that was the purpose of its creation. The South wanted its own flag and a way to identify its troops in battle.

This flag is a symbol of separation. It is also a symbol of a group of people willing to die rather than come together as one. This country is a union of different people, different thoughts and different ideas. I think that any proud American should look at that flag as a sad chapter of American history that pitted brother against brother, sister against sister and family against family. You can hold on to that flag if you like. My African American ancestors died for your right to believe what you want, and, if your ancestors were in this country during the time of the civil war, so did yours. Let’s focus on the things that bring us together, rather than things that rip us apart. Can't we all just get along UnboundDixie?

Answer 7

The Confederate flag is a flag, nothing more. It represents the Southern states fight to govern themselves and their belief in states rights. End of story.
For the person who said it has "become" a racist symbol to southern "yahoo's" - you do realize that is a prejudicial statement that puts you on par with the "racist yahoo's" don't you? The assumption that all Southerners or persons with Southern heritage are racist is a form of prejudice against the people who live below the Mason-Dixon.

I am of proud southern descent, and I am not a racist. The Confederate flag represents the beliefs of my ancestors - not their belief that they "had to own slaves" , but the belief in States rights to determine their own laws within their states, and not to be forced into a one governing system.

Answer 8

I am for the CSA Stars and bars. It is not a racist symbol and represents another time.

People that decry it as racist are ignorant. The vast majority of the South were not slave owners nor were they racist. Also, there were African-American regiments that fought for their country (the CSA).

Answer 9

I don't fly the US flag from 1861 - I fly the Stars and Stripes from TODAY.

That should be enough for any true American.

Take one day a year to fly other flags - Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, Mexico on Cinco de Mayo, etc.

I assume you have no problem with people flying other foreign flags all year round either.

I do.

Obviously you're free to fly any flag you want, even a swastika if that's your desire.

But I have a right to comment, as you invited people to do.

PS You're right - I didn't answer your question. I find it offensive because to me it stands for slavery, separatism and TREASON.

I'm sure you can understand why people would perceive people who wanted to destroy the USA with disgust and contempt, even if you don't agree.

Answer 10

I think it's fine,some people like certain flags and certain lifestyles. It is not hurting no one,people dislike it because most of the "Southerners" had slaves but big deal! The past is the past! Take the past burn it up and let it go.