The Confederate flag has two completely different meanings when it comes to The South and the rest of America. The Confederate flag was used by the Southern states after they seceded from America because they wanted to keep slavery. This was one of the many reasons for the Civil War. The Confederate flag to southerners represents their traditions and Southern pride. People who are from Southern states believe that waving the Confederate flag doesn’t have any racist intent to it. Although people from the South see a flag that represents Southern pride, others see a flag that promotes racism and slavery. If the flag was just about the southern pride you would see more African Americans in the South waving the flag in front of their house, but …show more content…
it isn’t just southern pride it is more than that. Flying that flag is oppressive and it inspires violence and creates a toxic environment in the very area Southern black people should be allowed to feel most at home – their own region. Some of my family members live in the South and when they see that flag they are kind of fearful. There have also been instances when they see it on government property. It is like the state approves the meaning behind that flag, but all they see is “Southern pride”. Some people in the south also believes that it is a symbol of history, and that saying it is racist is going too far. But the history of that flag is racism and oppression. White Southerners deliberately seceded from a whole country, made their own country, created a flag, and went to war for four years, because they believed slavery was a tradition that just couldn’t be changed. I believe that the confederate flag should be banned from flying on public government property. The meaning of the flag is promoting racism and slavery. If southerners want to wave their flag because they think it represents “southern pride” then they can have in the privacy of their own homes. African Americans are offended when they see that flag anywhere, I get offended also because my ancestors worked too hard to get out of slavery and fight in a war, just to have to see that flag in the modern days of the world, it is almost like a slap in the face. I think that the flag shouldn’t be displayed anywhere except museums. More than 3 million people have voted on the website Isidewith.com. There is a poll that asks if states should be able to display the confederate flag on government property, 37% of people said yes, and 46% of people said no. The confederate flag makes millions of people feel uncomfortable, when I went down south and I saw the flag in person for the first time it was scary and it made me feel like I was looked down upon. The reason that people get so upset when they see this flag is because the message behind it, slavery was abolished almost 152 years ago but the past keeps coming back up in modern day. “There is controversy over whether the government of South Carolina should continue to display the flag and fly the confederate flag at full, rather than half-mast after the cold-blooded killing of nine people at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston by a man who said he was at the church "to shoot black people."”(CNN.COM) That flag, in my opinion, doesn’t have any good behind it.
How can you go and shoot up an all black church with a confederate flag and still say that it is just southern pride? The confederate flag was and still is used and shown by white people who believe, that having slaves, having black people held captive, and used as cattle, was a good southern tradition that shouldn’t be forgotten. It shouldn’t be a flag anymore just for the fact that the southern states aren’t a different country and they are a part of the United …show more content…
States. In 2015 an African American woman by the name of Bree Newman climbed up the flagpole outside of a south Carolina statehouse in Columbia and she took down the confederate flag. What she did was brave but to some people, it was an act of terrorism. The flag shouldn’t have been up there in the first place in my opinion because the confederate flag doesn’t serve any purpose to the USA. all this flag does is tell the about the past, but if I wanted to know about the past I would go to a museum. The women that climbed the flagpole got arrested and her bond was about $3,000. Is it really a crime for taking down a flag that legally isn’t even a flag that shows a city, state, or country. Having the confederate flag on government property should be illegal. In 2015 a peaceful student demonstration at a Virginia high school ended with school administrators suspending 23 teens for wearing clothing emblazoned with the Confederate battle flag, which violates the school’s dress code, according to school officials.The students, who attend Christiansburg High School in southwestern Virginia, said they wore the controversial Confederate symbols to protest a school policy that prohibits them, which they view as a violation of their free speech.
Students are barred from wearing any clothing that could “reflect adversely on persons due to race” and specifies that “clothing with Confederate flag symbols” falls in that category. I agree with that they shouldn’t have been wearing anything that glorifies the confederate flag, but it is still their freedom of speech the wear it, but at the same time it was in the school dress code to not wear anything that was offensive to any other races. If the students knew the story behind that flag they probably wouldn’t have worn that
shirt. In conclusion, the confederate flag shouldn’t be placed on government property or any type of public property. The flag is offensive to most of America and it is just racist and it celebrates oppression and the hard times that black people had to go through, and still go through. I hope one day that everybody sees that the flag is wrong and rude and shouldn’t have any placement in America.
...more overpowering and overwhelming than any general feeling of Southern pride. America has obtained a reputation to be an accepting and open minded country, welcoming all of any race, couture and religion. The Preamble states clearly that America will establish justice and insure domestic tranquility for all. Neither of these entities are accomplished in America as long as the Confederate flag remains raised. Our nation is furthermore divided by racism through a flag that is possibly being used as a degradation tool. This battle with racism has become far too large for American citizens and anything that is viewed as racist in such a manner as the Confederate flag is, should be censored from society, in only a helpful practice. A state flag should be capable of uniting its citizens, instead of dividing them. The Confederate flag should be lowered immediately.
Ambiguity Over the Confederate Flag by Frank X Walker tells the story of life in the South during slavery. The narrator, speaks in first person for one part of the poem, while the other half is spoken from an omniescent on-looker. Through both of these perspectives readers are given two separate accounts of what slavery was like during that time. By using the principles of New Criticism readers are able to fully understand the context of the poem. Furthermore, through this technique, readers draw conclusions in response to the text. From this analysis and through close reading it is clear that there is a major tension regarding how whites viewed slavery verses how African American’s viewed slavery.
Imagine standing in front of the defaced statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee only to hear two sides of people curse, hurt each other. This situation is too familiar for people who visit Charlottesville, VA, the formerly peaceful town. The controversy between Confederate memorials never ends. Many people argue that Confederate monuments should be taken down because they become the flashpoints of unrest and violence. As far as I am concerned, confederate memorials should remain as these memorials are the legacy of history; history is value-neutral and innocent.
During winter months, basic huts were constructed from wood when it was available. During the civil war, most of the soldiers fought only 75 percent of the time. When they were not fighting, their day usually started at 5:00 in the morning during the summer and spring, and 6:00 in the morning during the fall and winter. Soldiers would be awakened by fifes and drums, then the first sergeant would take a roll call, and all the men sat down to eat breakfast. During the day, soldiers would be engaged in sometimes as many as five 2-hour long drill sessions on weaponry or maneuvers.
“The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture.” David Sarratt American Studies University of Virginia. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
Confederate Racism The Confederate flag is a famous symbol of the South’s involvement in the American Civil War. The controversy surrounding this flag has received a great bit of media attention considering how deeply affected and offended some people have become. Southerners consider themselves personally affected. A majority of supporters state that banning the Confederate flag strips them of their heritage, referring to the South’s part in the American Civil War.
America was founded on popular sovereignty and individual freedoms. What do Americans do when the freedoms given to them from birth are restricted or taken away from them? They fight! Throughout time the government has attempted to take away our civil liberties because they viewed them to be for the greater good. One huge government failure was the attempted prohibition of alcohol. It is well known that alcohol can be very dangerous and it should be restricted. However, the government went too far when it tried to take it away completely and just like their rebellious founders the American population just found ways around the law. Similarily, Carroll High School and other schools throughout the nation are severely restricting the students’ rights to express themselves through their visual appearance. The administration, relying on the crutch of limiting distractions and violence, is taking the dress code over the line and is infringing on our right of expression regardless of the lack of results that they are witnessing.
I believe people should not be able to take down the Confederate statues.We shouldn't be able to take them down because, it’s apart of our country's history, people lost their lives fighting for what they believe and we don’t want to ignore the fact that our country has flaws and we need to own up to it.
Although there are many pros and cons to the confederate flag, it is only just to ban the flag. One may argue that banning the flag would deny free expression, but hanging the flag also says that racism is acceptable and the pain, suffering and cruelty endured by the African Americans has no importance. The color of a person 's skins should not be an issue, just like how religion and gender should not be an issue. The flag is a silent way of saying that one agrees with racism and the seceding of our country. Consequently, the flag should be banned.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? There are many things that look very unpleasing on the outside but actually have a meaning bigger than just our lives. Something that has a special meaning to me is the American Flag. Imagine a dirty, old flag that is still standing after a war that many soldiers have lost their life for. Thinking about that gives the flag a bigger meaning than just old cloth. The flag stands for all of Americans loyalty to their country. It also represents the hardships our country has overcome over many decades. The American Flag stands for everybody that has fought and died for our country. One of the biggest things the flag stands for is the loyalty of our people.
Censorship even extends to school dress codes. A school dress code is a set of rules about what clothing may or may not be worn in schools. As previously mentioned, a set of criteria are used to determine whether or not student expression should be censored in schools. For censorship involving dress codes, there are two: the “Tinker disruption standard” and the “forum issue,” which determine if student expression disrupts the school day and by who it is regulated, respectively (Emert). One case involving censorship of the school dress code was of a boy who violated his school’s dress code (Nguyen). Zachary Guiles, a thirteen year old boy, had to cover up his shirt denigrating former President George W. Bush, which violated his First Amendment rights (Nguyen). The shirt showed President Bush’s head on a chicken with derogatory names. It had images of oil rigs and lines of cocaine (Nguyen). A student, who had opposite views as Guiles, notified the administration of the shirt (Nguyen). Guiles was sent home on May 13, 2004, when he didn’t cover up the shirt after being asked to. The next day, Guiles’ wore the shirt, which was covered with tape and the word ‘censored’ was written on the tape (Nguyen). The school which Guiles attended, Williamstown Middle High School in Vermont, said that the shirt violated the dress code. Guiles’ parents felt that their son’s “rights to engage in political speech” were violated, and they sued the school (Nguyen). Guiles did not win the lawsuit in December 2004, when the US District Court for Vermont ruled in favor of the school, saying the images were “’plainly offensive and inappropriate’” (Nguyen). Guiles appealed, and the Second Circuit court ruled that the images were not offensive an...
It signifies pride and heritage the exact same way that any state flag or national flag such as the Flag of the United States does. Just because white supremacist groups like the Klan have tainted this flag with acts of hatred and racism does not mean that its history lies within those lines. There have been many groups who have wanted to preserve this flag in a positive way like the Sons of Confederate Veterans do. They are a group who fight to preserve the pride and heritage of the Southern Nation. Many of these men are men of color who are taking this hallowed piece of tainted history and are trying desperately to make it whole again. So to blatantly attack this flag with its one dark segment of history and completely disregard the positive aspects of the South is completely absurd. The Confederate Battle flag should remain exactly where it is so that open-minded people can cherish it and feel free to express their heritage at any
In the Autobiography, “Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas: An American Slave,” Fredrick Douglas writes to show what the life of a slave is like, because from personal experience, he knows. Fredrick Douglas not only shows how his life has been as a slave but shows what it is like to be on the bottom and be mistreated. Douglas shows that freedom isn’t free, and he took the initiative to become a free man. Not many African-Americans had the opportunity to make themselves free and were forced to live a life of disparity and torture. Through his experience Douglas shows us the psychological effects of slavery. Through Douglas’s memory we are able to relive the moments that continued to haunt his life. Douglas’s book showed the true
“I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more, if only they had known they were slaves.” Harriet Tubman was a woman known for her important role during the time that led up to the Civil War. She was a woman of incredible strength, courage, and determination. And while Harriet Tubman is credited for giving the slaves an option as to what way they shall spend the rest of their life, the sad truth lies within the quote above. While many people like to believe that slavery was a horrendous act that happened only with small minded people from the south many years ago, that isn’t the case in all honesty. In fact, the idea of slavery was highly debated about and troubled more minds than many are led to believe. While there are
First of all, these school uniforms should be implemented into the rest of these 17 schools, because it would diminish economic and social barriers between students. However, freedom of expression does consist of the rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and to petition the government, but the first amendment does not grant people the right to act any way they want without actions taken. Numerous schools have a straightforward dress code policy enforced. If these policies are violated, then the students could face consequences for their actions.