Astute observers of my forum avatar may realize that I have the Confederate Battle Flag as my background. But only for a week. I so far have tried to stay out of this debate, but I draw the line here. I also support Governor Nikki Haley's move to remove it from the capitol, but this is political correctness run amok. I don't care what views people have of it. To me it represents a deeply flawed heritage, not racism, slavery, or exclusiveness. It's history, not a history I'm particularly proud of, but there it is.
The common misconceptions are that this flag represented racism and slavery, or was flown on slave ships or whatnot. Some say it was the national flag of the Confederacy. None of those things are true.
1) I can find no accounts of this flag being flown on slave ships. None. No Confederate flag was ever flown on a slave ship. English, Dutch, Portuguese, and the New England States ships were used in the slave trade.
2) It was never the official national flag of the Confederacy. It was a flag carried into battle by armies such as the Army of Virginia and Tennessee. It was used as a Naval Jack in the Confederate Navy. There is a reason they called it a "battle flag," because it was just that.
An artist's depiction of Pickett's Charge, which took place on July 3, 1863
The CSS Richmond
3) There were three other flags that the Confederacy used during the war, none of which were this flag. Here's a fun fact: Georgia today uses a variant of the "Stars and Bars" or the very first Confederate National Flag. Yet, no outrage persists over it. Common misconceptions about the flag are that it was the "Stars and Bars" but that happened to be the first national flag of the Confederacy.
The three national flags of the Confederacy, pictured in order. The first was flown from 1861-1863, the second from 1863-1865, and the third in 1865 which was never mass produced after the Confederate States were defeated by Union troops.
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oeeYnSt2p2hz4QuouJfxDkiO8okaIwFy3LHYrJPRma2Kx7sWOQuH2hY/y3iWBAodj01gE050WZFdtPDlK4ClQ4DPhA72Tpu2QVyEUAnBG46Z1tHdMCRT4/1cR+COrCFwELgILH/iDCv/1Y1cMZ+svJSc++7D6bV6p5HjJ8WMfuyz/19SxInCBqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInCh65ME/tjX8KuKBT7xRcmxT0efHS85deL4p6RT/wVFbPwSTd1YFgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==
The "Stars and Bars" variant of the Georgia State Flag.
The original "Stars and Bars," the First Confederate National Flag
4) For people wanting to scream racism, look at the 2nd National flag. The white field with the battle flag inlay was supposed to represent the white supremacist viewpoint many confederate citizens held at the time:
The 2nd Confederate National Flag
5) For those of you who believe the American Flag has always represented freedom, you would be surprised to know that it flew over a slavery ridden America for 85 years. Yes, the Northerners owned slaves, too. So, if you want to draw parallels, the US Flag could be seen in the same light as the Confederate Battle Flag. In fact, the Klan usurped the US National flag to promote a hateful racist agenda, as seen here, just as white supremacy groups like the CCC, and the Aryan Nation have used the Confederate flag as sign of resistance:
This picture here is of a Klan march on Washington D.C. in 1925
6) The reason why I support the removal of the Confederate flag from the SC statehouse is for historical context. It wasn't designed to fly over any buildings, but over regiments in the battlefield. Nothing more. So, it is more a misrepresentation of the purpose of the flag than anything else.
People have a right to be offended, people have a right not to be. People have a right to represent their heritage. I've grown annoyed by people who see their history as offensive or repressive and must censor it to avoid causing derision. But I'd much rather represent my history than forget it. So, I'd urge you to educate yourselves on the true history of this flag.
EDIT: I changed my avatar after one hour. I'm not keeping the confederate emblem because I am not a rebel and I don't claim the Confederacy as my "heritage."
The common misconceptions are that this flag represented racism and slavery, or was flown on slave ships or whatnot. Some say it was the national flag of the Confederacy. None of those things are true.
1) I can find no accounts of this flag being flown on slave ships. None. No Confederate flag was ever flown on a slave ship. English, Dutch, Portuguese, and the New England States ships were used in the slave trade.
2) It was never the official national flag of the Confederacy. It was a flag carried into battle by armies such as the Army of Virginia and Tennessee. It was used as a Naval Jack in the Confederate Navy. There is a reason they called it a "battle flag," because it was just that.
An artist's depiction of Pickett's Charge, which took place on July 3, 1863
The CSS Richmond
3) There were three other flags that the Confederacy used during the war, none of which were this flag. Here's a fun fact: Georgia today uses a variant of the "Stars and Bars" or the very first Confederate National Flag. Yet, no outrage persists over it. Common misconceptions about the flag are that it was the "Stars and Bars" but that happened to be the first national flag of the Confederacy.
The three national flags of the Confederacy, pictured in order. The first was flown from 1861-1863, the second from 1863-1865, and the third in 1865 which was never mass produced after the Confederate States were defeated by Union troops.
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oeeYnSt2p2hz4QuouJfxDkiO8okaIwFy3LHYrJPRma2Kx7sWOQuH2hY/y3iWBAodj01gE050WZFdtPDlK4ClQ4DPhA72Tpu2QVyEUAnBG46Z1tHdMCRT4/1cR+COrCFwELgILH/iDCv/1Y1cMZ+svJSc++7D6bV6p5HjJ8WMfuyz/19SxInCBqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInChqwhc6CoCF7qKwIWuInCh65ME/tjX8KuKBT7xRcmxT0efHS85deL4p6RT/wVFbPwSTd1YFgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==
The "Stars and Bars" variant of the Georgia State Flag.
The original "Stars and Bars," the First Confederate National Flag
4) For people wanting to scream racism, look at the 2nd National flag. The white field with the battle flag inlay was supposed to represent the white supremacist viewpoint many confederate citizens held at the time:
The 2nd Confederate National Flag
5) For those of you who believe the American Flag has always represented freedom, you would be surprised to know that it flew over a slavery ridden America for 85 years. Yes, the Northerners owned slaves, too. So, if you want to draw parallels, the US Flag could be seen in the same light as the Confederate Battle Flag. In fact, the Klan usurped the US National flag to promote a hateful racist agenda, as seen here, just as white supremacy groups like the CCC, and the Aryan Nation have used the Confederate flag as sign of resistance:
This picture here is of a Klan march on Washington D.C. in 1925
6) The reason why I support the removal of the Confederate flag from the SC statehouse is for historical context. It wasn't designed to fly over any buildings, but over regiments in the battlefield. Nothing more. So, it is more a misrepresentation of the purpose of the flag than anything else.
People have a right to be offended, people have a right not to be. People have a right to represent their heritage. I've grown annoyed by people who see their history as offensive or repressive and must censor it to avoid causing derision. But I'd much rather represent my history than forget it. So, I'd urge you to educate yourselves on the true history of this flag.
EDIT: I changed my avatar after one hour. I'm not keeping the confederate emblem because I am not a rebel and I don't claim the Confederacy as my "heritage."
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