Confederate Flag Research Paper

In december of 1860 South Carolina was the first state to secede from the union. They were the first state to use the Confederate flag. Ten other states would join South Carolina in seceding from the Union. The “Rebel Flag” which we see today is what is considered to be the Confederate flag. It is also called the “Stars and Bars Flag.” There was three different versions of the flag that were used during the civil war. The Civil War started in April of 1861. When president Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a bill which outlawed slavery, the war officially became about slavery. The flag which we see today was used by General Robert E. Lee to represent the army of Northern Virginia. Although the Confederate flag was used to

The flag originally was not a hate symbol. Some people see the flag as a symbol of hate, but others see it as a symbol of their heritage, and as well as a symbol of their ancestry. (www.mirror.co.uk.) “History is written by the victor. The North won the war, so they get to write the history of why the Civil War was fought, saying that all Southerners were racist slave owners, yet 90 % of Confederate soldiers did not own slaves, and there were some black Confederate soldiers.”( Josh white). The flag was flown before, during, and after the Civil War. This does not mean it’s racist. The flag represents the heritage of the men and women who live in the southern states today. At Hudson High School, there was a group of students who raised the Rebel Flag on the school's flagpole during the night. The flag has the words “I ain’t coming down” written on it. The next day the students who were responsible for the raising of the flag were suspended. In the next few days Rebecca Doolen, who is a student at hudson, wore a t-shirt with the confederate flag displayed on it. She was sent home, along with being suspended. “It’s heritage, not hate”- Rebecca Doolen. “ Are we now going to discriminate against students who are proud of their southern heritage? We cannot pick and choose.” (anonymous statement) The principal, Greg White, then states that “the banning of the confederate flag is necessary to keep the peace, i’m a Southerner

The flag has been used in many occasions for the wrong reasons, and it affects how people think of the flag. Although it seems to be a racist symbol, it is a symbol of southern heritage, ancestry, and it hold the memory of all of the fallen Confederate soldiers. Confederate monuments mark history, it would illogical to remove them. It would be taking away a valuable part of our community. Over all, the flag is a symbol of heritage not