There are many symbols from the Civil War that embrace and celebrate the ideals of the Confederate States of America (CSA): the “stars and bars” of the CSA flag, high schools who are nicknamed “Rebels”, and just a few miles from Lake Braddock is a major highway, the Jefferson Davis Highway, named after the President of CSA. Today, over 150 years after the creation of the CSA, these symbols need to be abolished as they are offensive to a significant number of Americans. Though there might be many secondary reasons for the creation of the CSA and the start of the Civil War, the primary reason was for the “right” of white people to enslave black people. The symbols that celebrate the Confederacy, therefore, are also symbols celebrating the
Thesis: As the debate continues on whether or not we should keep confederate monuments and symbols displayed publicly, it is important that we recognize both the benefits and downfalls of removing these symbols.
In the past couple of year, there has been a controversial battle over the flying of the Confederate Flag on government buildings. The controversy has really started to stir up in the southern states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia. On January 30, 2001, the state of Georgia changed its flag, removing the large Confederate battle cross from the 1956 design and replacing it with the state seal of Georgia. Now, the state of Mississippi is the only state that fearlessly displays the Southern Cross in its state flag. Though several Southerners see the Confederate Flag as a symbol of southern pride and heritage, many others see the flag as a dishonorable reminder of slavery and segregation in the south. Although this flag is under great controversy in the southern states, there is no reason why this flag should not be flown from government buildings because it isn’t demoralizing African Americans in the symbolization of slavery, segregation and domination although it is used by many hate groups across the united states they too need a history lesson because the confederate flag only started as a battle flag that some blacks fought under and held with pride.
Within the United States of America, arguments, involving the Confederate Flag, are solved every sngle day. However, some controversies have managed to carry on from the 1800’s until present day without any solution. The text and symbolic meaning behind the “Confederate Flag” is a perfect example. The Confederate Flag is one of America’s most embattled symbolic controversies. Created in 1861in a battle between the South, Confederates, and the North, Union, two men by the name P.G.T. Beauregard and Congressman William P. Miles designed and created a flag that would represent the true southern pride and demands that would not only bring about conflict with one half of the nation but also with our American society today.
The Civil War continues to be a major talking point today -- a war that was fought over the extension of slavery. In 2017, a contentious conversation continues as the public debates the reasons of the Civil War, whether or not it was about slavery or states’ rights, and the ethics behind having massive monuments commemorating a time of our history that was so divisive. Symbols of the Confederacy, which includes the Confederate flag and monuments depicting leaders of the Confederacy, are seen to be racist and propaganda tools used by white supremacists. However, there are those who believe that these confederate symbols are misleading and leads to the false ideas that the South was patriotic and heroic during the Civil War. Through
Over The course of time the Confederate flag has Flown in Historical battles and supported those men who went to was and fought to death under the flags stars and bars the confederate flag has even been bashed by those who may not fully understand the flag and its meaning in history. Before all of this began, a man named Nicola Marschall founded the first version of the confederate flag also known as the Stars and Bars this version of the flag was soon removed because it looked like the American flag and it was soon captured by the Union Army at Columbia. After this happened, we soon made yet another version of the flag also known
The Confederate Battle flag is one of the most recognized symbols in the United States. It is not always a welcome symbol in today’s society. Take for instance the state of South Carolina having to remove it from its statehouse on April 12, 2000. The reason it is not always welcome is because people often misinterpret its true meaning. It is not a symbol of hatred but, a symbol of southern pride and honor. The pride and honor of all the men and women who carried it the flag into battle fighting for what they believed in, Southern independence.
The Civil War was a trying time in American History; societies crumbled, lives were lost, and a nation was torn apart in order to be made whole. However, was this conflict inevitable? Were the North and the South destined to battle out their differences? Were the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln to make war on the CSA justified? While there is much deliberation on this topic, the final answer is yes to each and every question. The North and the South, though they shared many similarities, were irreparably divided over the slavery issue, such that conflict could not be avoided. Lincoln’s deliberations on the situations of the day were the only acceptable response to the issues at hand. Disagreement caused by the slavery issue
Before engaging in discourse regarding the Confederacy, it is important to understand what, exactly, it was about. The Confederate States of America were formed in 1861 as a way for the deep South to continue owning slaves, due in part to the fact that their agricultural industries depended on slave labor to operate. While they did stand for other things, the origin and primary goal of the Confederacy was to fight against those who wanted to abolish slavery. Because of this, Confederate memorabilia and monuments are fundamentally linked with slavery and racism, and this aspect must be remembered when discussing what to do with regards to Confederate monuments.
Do you want America to be a label of controversy and disagreement?Do you want pride and patriotism to just be a thing of the past? The Confederate Flag is one of the most controversial icons of American cultures,making it the reason of many disagreements in the country’s idea of right. Therefore it should be removed from public places because it has represented the melancholy history of war and slavery,a topic that should not regain power, however respect the individuals that keep it inside their property, leaving the decision to everyone that has different judgements.
There is no question that the disagreements in the Civil War between Northern and Southern states were over the economy as well as state rights. Yet, the confederate flag was a valiant symbol of slavery and the mistreatment of African American people. “The Confederacy was based on the defense of slavery, and it benefited from the usually coerced, but sometimes willing, labor of black people” (Chapter 11 pg.253). For example in the South, slavery was a major reason for why the Southern states needed to win. By losing, it meant slavery would be abolished in both Southern and Northern states. “Lincoln’s announcement gave the Confederate states one hundred days to return to the Union” (Chapter 11 pg.240). Prime example of this was when the Southern
51 years after the ending of the Civil War, you’d think that conflicts regarding Confederacy would be over. However, Confederacy issues just continue to get worse. Many Americans still believe and honor Confederate ethics. While many Americans strongly oppose the Confederacy. They believe that the Confederacy is responsible for destroying families, taking lives, and causing the bloodiest war in American history. Those Americans feel like we shouldn’t honor Confederacy and don’t want monuments or statues representing Confederacy here. Especially after hate crimes like the attack on an predominant African American church in South Carolina. It’s easy to understand why these people feel this way, as slavery and discrimination shouldn’t be represented on the “Land
While Stars and Bars have long been associated by many with slavery, the latest campaign to remove Confederate emblems has extended beyond the flag to statues, memorials, parks and even school mascots. The debate over what symbolizes heritage and what stands for hate has never covered so much ground, as efforts to remove icons that have been part of the visual and cultural landscape of the South for decades are a foot at national, state, and local levels. In one Arkansas town, the school board voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the song "Dixie" for the next school year and phase out "Rebel," the school's mascot. "They are part of our history and not all of our history is dandelions and butterflies." - Mick Mulvaney, representative for South Carolina. In Maryland, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is trying to make a plan that would change the name of Baltimore's Robert E. Lee Park. A spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings, Blake told The Associated Press she supports the name change and is willing to work with the county to find an appropriate alternative name. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have called for a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader, to be removed from an alcove outside the Senate chambers. The bust, with the words "Confederate States Army" engraved on it, has been at the state Capitol for decades. That bust is part of history, yes that guy may have been racist but that's how times was when slavery was around. It is a part of history so we can’t forget it or we might redo the whole situation over again.(“Debate over the confederate
Another avenue of views about the controversy that the Confederate flag fuels racism or gives our impressionable young men and women an avenue to racism tendencies comes from our political parties and the platforms that they adopt. Democrat and Republican Party do have different views of this controversy. As in every issue there will always be conflicting numbers that make no sense, but it seems that the Democratic Party view of the controversy had the biggest swing in recent months. In gallop polls of the 1990s Democrats were solidly behind the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride and remembering the historical value of the Confederate flag as roughly 60% of Democrats during this period had that opinion. Since the recent controversy began that number has went down to the latest poll taken in July of 2015 that showed that on 70% of Democrats now believe that the Confederate flag represents racism. With the recent debate and pictures of a young white male who killed 9 black church goers draped in a Confederate flag may surely have boosted numbers it still is a large growing concern in the Democratic Party that their thinking could have been wrong in past years.
The southern states had no life threatening reason for them to go against the North but they made it seem as if their life depended on it. What did they really secede for? Southerners thought that after Lincoln was elected that slavery was going to end, the government would become too powerful, and that the South would be controlled and told how they should live. As if the South had no choice in any matters, they ran from the problem instead of facing it because it could have been settled mannerly but they went ahead doing their own business like if they knew how to rule a country. Then, what happens? The Civil War starts. It began when the Confederate states whined and wanted the Union fort and soldiers out of their Confederate land even though they weren’t doing anything wrong or offense towards the Confederacy. On April 12, l861 in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina at Fort Sumter, a Union fort, the Confederates decided to open fire with cannons after the troops refused to
Some people argue that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism, and everyone that displays it is a racist. Kid Rock displays the Confederate flag proudly during his performance. He has received criticism from liberals because of this. Despite the fact that Kid Rock has done a lot for Detroit, which is his hometown, many people have accused him of racism because of the flag.