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| This is a National Flag of the Confederate States of America. |
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| This is also an National Flag of the CSA. |
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| This is also a National Flag of the CSA. |
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| This was not. |
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| Nor was this. |
Now what prompted this little rant is a lively discussion that was going on with some of my Facebook friends over a School's "Redneck Day" which of course sparked the usual discussions on the "Confederate Flag" that so many Rednecks choose to wear from time to time. One side points out that the Flag everyone sees is a symbol of Slavery, Bigotry and Oppression. The other points out that it is a symbol of people fighting against overwhelming odds for causes they believe in. The Obligatory reference to Hitler was indeed thrown in just in case you are wondering. This is a tricky subject because, technically both sides are right.
The various forms of the CSA Battle Standard and the National CSA Flags (Despite what most seem to believe, they were not the same animal as can be seen above.) were flown over a Government and an Army that were dedicated to keeping Black Slaves in chains as property as part of the South's "Peculiar Practice." The flags represent one of the darkest times in American History and remind us of a time that most people would be just as happy to forget. No matter how clean you try to make it, a very large number of human beings were treated as property and experienced horrible times. This should never be forgotten or downplayed.
However, the flags also stood for people resisting a force that they saw as Oppressive and Tyrannical. The vast majority of CSA citizens did not own slaves. Slaves, especially Prime ones were impossibly expensive and your average White Confederate could no more afford one than a White Share Cropper in the 1950's could afford a brand new car. The Average White Confederate didn't fight to keep Slavery, he fought because he believed that a force just as bad as the English during the Revolutionary War was trying to destroy his nation. He fought with the same sort of patriotism and pride under the CSA flags as a modern soldier does under the USA Flag.
I feel the same way when people object to the CSA Battle Standard as I do when I hear people object to Swastikas albeit for slightly different reasons. Swastikas in their various forms have been around for a very very long time and are a part of many different religions, spiritual beliefs and cultures (Native American and Hindi just to name a couple.) They existed long before a German Madman decided they looked cool and made one his national symbol. However I have seen several cases where Swastikas (Even one or two that didn't look exactly like the German version) were attacked because they represented Genocide and the NAZIs. Everything from fashion to a trading card game have been attacked because they chose to use Swastikas because of the "perceived" insult to the Jewish Holocaust.
Now on the one hand, the various flags of the CSA did not exist before the beginning of the Civil War so you cannot argue history. However, you can argue perceptions. Sure you can claim that the Stars and Bars flew over a nation dedicated to keeping his fellow man in chains. Of course, you can say the same thing about the various flags of the USA. Keep in mind that 4 States who stayed in the Union remained slave states during the war AND the Emancipation Proclamation ONLY freed slaves in the CSA and did not free Union Slaves. Bring in the treatment of Native Americans and the various forms of the Stars and Stripes aren't exactly sparkly white either.
To a lot of Southerners, the Stars and Bars and other CSA flags have come to represent fierce determination and drive to be independent. I myself have worn the Confederate Battle Standards many times and I promise you that I have no desire to put someone in chains or force my fellow man to work on a plantation. The S&B has become a symbol of determination and pride. If we can move past the horrors performed under the Stars and Stripes (Wounded Knee, Trail of Tears to name a couple, there are many more) and still feel pride when the flag flies, then maybe it is time to move past the horrors represented by the the CSA flags and let those who wish to wear or fly it live in peace.
Like I said in the beginning of this rather long rant, The American Civil War the darkest, bloodiest period in our nation's history. It should never be forgotten or downplayed. We should never forget the treatment of Black Chattel Slaves during that time and the long decades that would follow. "Those who do not remember the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them" still holds true today. But the flags are just flags. Images woven into cloth or burned onto paper. They are nothing but symbols and symbols can mean many things to many people. Let those who wish to fly or wear these flags do so. At least as long as the flags are still seen, nothing is ever forgotten and Nothing should ever be forgotten.
End of rant
(Oh for those who are curious, the last two flags are the Confederate Battle Standard flown by a large chunk of the troops who fought in the war and the Naval Jack which was flown by the Confederate Navy. As a side note, the modern "Battle Standard" seen by most people is actually a 20th combination of both flags. As noted in the beginning, whereas both flags saw a lot of use during the war, neither was actually the National Flag of the CSA.)
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