Why do some people still fly the Confederate flag?
|
| |
|
Originally published under Ask Mr. History.
Published Online: February 14, 2013 |
Why do some people still fly the Confederate flag?
Thank you,
Teri Bennett
? ? ?
Dear Teri,
There is no one pat answer for the continued flying of the Confederate flag—it depends on what it means to the individual. Some insist on flying it alongside the Stars and Stripes (preferably with the number of stars it had in 1861-65) to represent the opposing sides at historical site dedications, and of course it's a necessity for gray or butternut-clad re-enactors. In that context it may be flown out of respect to the soldiers who died for their cause, whether one agrees with it or not (especially if one had family in the gray ranks). Others, however, attach their own social or political agenda to it, such as the Ku Klux Klan, and various Nazi groups who have done much more to associate it with racism than the original Confederates may have had in mind—often concealed under the catchphrase of "Heritage." For others, the "Rebel battle flag" represents any rebellious, irreverent or anti-PC act, and sometimes it's simply flown to provoke a reaction or get attention. And then, inevitably, there are those who fly it simply to be jerks.
Sincerely,
Jon Guttman
Research Director
Weider History Group
More Questions at Ask Mr. History
 |
Loading ...
I think you should have mentioned that what most people consider the Confederate flag is really a battle flag. The 'real' Rebel flag is entirely different.
Jon
A well reasoned answer, so different than what is so often thrown up. Thank you.
I have absolutely no use for those who have, to quote you \attach[ed] their own social or political agenda to it, such as the Ku Klux Klan, and various Nazi groups who have done much more to associate it with racism than the original Confederates…\
My great-grandfather and his six brothers all served. Two were killed (Gettysburg), at least one other was wounded, at Petersburg.
My grandfather, the youngest, enlisted in a Home Guard unit when he turned 15, as Sherman was \Marching Through Georgia\. Right through their county. He was defending their home. BTW, None of my family owned slaves. They were \dirt farmers\ with no dog in that fight.
If I choose to ever fly a Confederate flag, it would not be the Battle Flag, but the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy, for the memory of those men. and the sacrifices they and many others made.