So I read up on the Confederate Flag. To be honest, I had never heard about this before, me being not from the United States or politically involved enough to know about it. The reason I am saying this is to establish, that this is the point of view of someone who never learned about this, someone who has little chance of being biased for these reasons. I researched about it, and now I am going to tell you everything, step by step.
SO WHAT IS THE CONFEDRATE FLAG?
The issue of slavery sparked the American Civil War (1861-65).
US president Abraham Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery and this prompted 11 southern states to secede and form their own constitution.
The flag was flown by the pro-slavery Confederate states of the American south during the war and many people see it as a symbol of a divided US, the oppression of black people and racist attitudes.
WHY IS IT STILL FLOWN?
The flag is still flown in southern states and supporters of the flag's continued usage view it as a symbol of southern ancestry and heritage as well as representing a distinct and independent cultural tradition of the southern United States from the rest of the country.
Many argue that flying the flag is a matter of "pride". But here is the problem: The use of the flag is to represent Southern pride, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that it still represents slavery.
Yes, you can get into philosophical arguments all you want about the cause of the Civil War being state's rights, but that doesn't change the core fact that had the side that the confederate flag represents won the war, slavery would have remained alive and well in the South much longer.
Despite attempts to convert it to a symbol of empowerment and autonomy, the flag still does not represent Southern pride.
"The Flag Is Just a Symbol of History – Giving It Another Meaning Is Reading Too Far Into It"
Okay, let's say that's true. But that also means we have to ask ourselves what did flying the flag mean, historically?
It was flown above a battalion fighting for the South's rights to continue to go on, as they had been – not necessarily a bad thing for white folks. But for minorities? That means slavery and mistreatment.
That flag is a symbol of the "good old days" for many people – a time of economic lucrativeness and comfort, at least for white plantation owners, and job stability for the white people they employed.
But those "good" days were terrible days for people of color, especially Black people, whose expense those comfort came at. Nostalgia for those times is nostalgia for times of slavery.
