Question

Why is the Confederate battle flag such a controversial symbol?

write in 300 words

Answer 1

In 1860-61, eleven southern states seceded from the United States to protect the institution of slavery, forming the Confederate States of America and precipitating the Civil War. During the war, the Confederacy and its military forces used a variety of flags, but the flag that became most associated with the Confederacy was the so-called "battle flag." Organizations such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans adopted the flag as a symbol of Southern heritage but the flag also served as a potent symbol of slavery and white supremacy, which has caused it to be very popular among white supremacists in the 20th and 21st centuries. This popularity extends to white supremacists beyond the borders of the United States.

Today, the use of the Confederate flag is often controversial. While a number of non-extremists still use the flag as a symbol of Southern heritage or pride, there is growing recognition, especially outside the South, that the symbol is offensive to many Americans. However, because of the continued use of the flag by non-extremists, one should not automatically assume that display of the flag is racist or white supremacist in nature. The symbol should only be judged in context.

More recently, the flag has often been seen at Donald Trump rallies. While following the Charleston shooting the now President declared that Confederate flag should be “put in the museum,” he subsequently described the potential removal of such symbols as “changing history… changing culture”.

The flag remains a divisive symbol even in these southern states which it once represented.

Earlier this year, YouGov asked more than 34,000 Americans whether they believed the flag most represented heritage or racism, including the 11 former member states of the Confederacy .

☰
Search

News
Confederate flag meaning: What the American Civil War symbol represents, and why many people think it’s racist
Debate around Confederate symbols has reignited in the US following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests around the world
author avatar image
By David Hughes
June 12, 2020 8:27 am
Updated 32 minutes ago

The death of George Floyd in police custody and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests around the world have reignited debate in the US around the Confederate flag.

Confederate monuments have been targeted since a video of Mr Floyd’s death prompted widespread revulsion across the globe, with protesters claiming that they celebrate America’s racist past.

Statues of prominent Confederate figures have been toppled, while plans to have the names of members of the Confederacy removed from military bases and other government assets are gaining momentum.

The i newsletter cut through the noise
Enter your email

However, Donald Trump has said that will “not even consider” renaming bases named after Confederate generals, claiming that the facilities represent part of “a Great American heritage”.

BRUNSWICK, GA - MAY 07: American and Confederate flags fly at a residence in the Fancy Bluff neighborhood on May 7, 2020 where Ahmaud Arbery lived in Brunswick, Georgia. Arbery was shot and killed during a confrontation with an armed father and son in the nearby Satilla Shores neighborhood on Feb 23. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Debate around Confederate symbols has intensified in recent years (Photo: Getty)
What is the history of the Confederate flag?
The Confederate States of America, known as the Confederacy, refers to the unrecognised republic which fought against the United States during the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

It comprised of seven southern states – South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas – which declared their secession from the United States.

These were joined after the American Civil War began by Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.

The agricultural economy of the Confederacy was heavily reliant on the labour of slaves, a system threatened by the victory of Abraham Lincoln – who opposed the expansion of slavery – in the US Presidential Election of 1860.

In a speech known as the Cornerstone Address, the Confederate Vice-President Alexander H Stephens outlined the central, white supremacist ideology of the Confederacy.

A motorcyclist flies a Confederate flag while showing support during a protest outside the State Capitol in Olympia, Washington on May 9, 2020. - The Washington State Patrol estimates about 1,500 people rallied against Governor Jay Inslees stay-at-home order. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
Protesters fly the Confederate battle flag in a rally against coronavirus lockdown measures in the US (Photo: AFP/Getty)
He said: “Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.

“This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.”

The Confederacy used several different flags during the American Civil War, with the first design, dubbed the “Stars and Bars,” eventually deemed too similar to the “Stars and Stripes” of the US national flag.

This led to the adoption of the Confederate “battle flag,” which used a blue saltire with 13 stars against a red background.

Although it was never formally adopted by the Confederacy, this is the design that came to represent the American South, and is the iteration most commonly seen today.

The state flag of Mississippi is the only design which still directly references the Confederate flag, featuring its design in the top left corner, although the state flag of Georgia follows a very similar design to the earliest flags of the Confederacy.

Keith Weber of Centralia, Washington holds a flag that combines a Gadsden flag from the American Revolution with a Confederate flag from the American Civil War as he talks to protesters holding flags with US President Donald Trump on them as people demonstrate against Washington state's stay-home order at the state capitol in Olympia, Washington, on April 19, 2020. - Hundreds protested on April 18 in cities across America against coronavirus-related lockdowns -- with encouragement from President Donald Trump -- as resentment grows against the crippling economic cost of confinement. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo: AFP/Getty)
What is the controversy around the Confederate flag today?
Despite the defeat of the Confederacy in the American Civil War, the battle flag continued to be flown in the southern states. During the Second World War, various US military units with links to the American South flew the flag as an unofficial emblem.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the flag began to be used more widely as a symbol of segretation during the civil rights movement, with the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan hate group (which was formed in the 1860s by former Confederate officers) using it as an emblem.

Due to this association, and its association with the Confederacy’s stated ideals, the flag is considered by many to be a representation of slavery, racism and white supremacy.

However, for others, predominantly in the American South where it is still displayed, it is still seen as a symbol of heritage, and the distinction between the culture of the southern states and the rest of the USA.

While it has been a controversial issue for generations, debate around the flag has intensified in recent years.

Following the Charleston church shooting of 2015, in which nine African Americans lost their lives, numerous photographs emerged of the white supremacist shooter Dylan Roof posing with the flag.

Tensions increased when many flags were flown at half-mast in South Carolina, included that of the state government’s building, while the battle flag flying over the nearby Confederate monument was not, due to state law.

COLUMBIA, SC - APRIL 6: Confederate flag supporters demonstrate on the north steps of the capitol building 06 April, 2000 in Columbia, SC. The US southern state is split into two factions -- those for and those against the Confederate flag remaining above the capitol building. The "Get in Step with the People of South Carolina" march, led by Charleston, SC, mayor Joe Riley, started in Charleston on 02 April, 2000 and proceeded approximately 120 miles to the captial of Columbia to protest the flag's placement above the capitol. (Photo credit should read ERIK PEREL/AFP via Getty Images)
The Confederate flag regained prominence during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s (Photo: AFP/Getty)
More recently, the flag has often been seen at Donald Trump rallies. While following the Charleston shooting the now President declared that Confederate flag should be “put in the museum,” he subsequently described the potential removal of such symbols as “changing history… changing culture”.

The flag remains a divisive symbol even in these southern states which it once represented.

Earlier this year, YouGov asked more than 34,000 Americans whether they believed the flag most represented heritage or racism, including the 11 former member states of the Confederacy .

While it was only in Arkansas and Louisiana that more people considered it a symbol of heritage, Alabama and Florida were exactly split and most of the remaning seven states reported only a very narrow majority for those that considered it racist.

The YouGov polling found a clear age divide, with Americans over 55 tending to believe that the flag represented heritage, while the vast majority of younger groups saying that it represented racism.

It also found that while white Americans were divided (those who were college-educated believed it racist, those who weren’t considered it a symbol of heritage), an overwhelming majority of black Americans said that the flag represented racism.

Please rate my answer