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Essay on the confederate flag
Essay on the confederate flag
Essay on the confederate flag
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The confederate battle flag, also known as the old Dixie flag strikes as a controversial topic. The flag sparks many ideas as to what it represents, symbolizes, and is viewed as by the general public. Given the the history behind the flag one should have a chance to see an explanation of the true meaning and history of the flag before choosing a stance. It will show the true meaning of America and history. The Dixie flag should not be banned or made illegal in any county, city or state. During the civil war the flag was created for the confederate states of the civil war to identify the soldiers of the south. Today many people view it as racist or as a white supremacist symbol. The true meaning of the war and why it was fought was not about …show more content…
race but soldiers of war. The flag is meant to symbolize history and the south but it shows how some may desecrate things and pose an evil view on certain subjects. Making the flag illegal suppresses the voices of many southern folks. Southerners take pride in their family and heritage and taking away their freedom of what symbolizes it takes away their basic human rights. According to the first amendment all citizens of the United States of America are allowed rights to religion, assembly, petition, press, and most importantly speech; which is what is currently being suppressed to country folk. The confederate flag represents not only freedom from the north but the power to stand up for oneself. To many southerners they take pride in their heritage, to the extent where it becomes a tradition. The flag is a matter of pride and heritage but not hatred therefore there is absolutely no reason to ban the Dixie flag. The civil war was fought from the years April 12th, 1861 and the war ended in the spring of 1865.
The confederate army, commanded by Robert E. Lee, represented the south. While Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Union in the the north. The war was fought in thousands of locations from southern New Mexico to the Florida coast. Around 3.5 million soldiers served and approximately 620,000 soldiers lost their lives. According to “The Confederate States of America” published on March 18th, 2013, “the war was fought due to the fear that they would discredit democracy and create a fatal precedent that would fragment the country and no longer would there be a United States.” This means that the confederate states were afraid that the union causing the north to abolish democracy causing the United States of America to split up causing states to become their own country. The confederate states of America consisted of 11 southern states. The 7 Deep South states, successful in the succession, included (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas). All 11 states however attempted and fought in order to succeed from the union due to the fear of fragmenting the United States of America and abolishment of slavery which would corrupt the economy due to president Abraham Lincoln's election. The south saw the confederate flag as a way to freedom. The civil war was their opportunity to rebel and become free of policies they did not agree with. Having the rebel …show more content…
flag represent the confederate states fighting for freedom impacts and puts the symbolism of freedom on it. In a way it is much like Haiti. The slaves revolted against the country due to slavery. The revolt was successful and now the flag is represented for many meanings other than freedom; and is celebrated as Haitian flag day. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson July 4th 1776, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator which certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This piece from the Declaration of Independence means that no matter what religion, race, gender, beliefs, age, or traditions all people are given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The Declaration of Independance was created to clarify and justify the actions of the second continental congress, which assumed powers of the government. The declaration also justified and was written for King George and the world to read, it affirmed the tyranny and hypocrisy of the English parliament. Everybody is allowed to practice their own religions and express their beliefs no matter how wrong or right. However the confederate flag is being banned in many states suppressing the beliefs of most southern people. Not only does this play under the Declaration of Independence but also under the constitution of the United States of America. The first amendment states that all people are given the freedom to religion, assembly, petition, press, and most importantly speech. Not only will the banning of the rebel flag takeaway the freedom of expression and belief but also suppresses the freedom of speech. In recent cases such as Texas v. Johnson, a decision by the Supreme Court of
the United States that invalidated the prohibitions of desecrating the American flag enforced in 48 out of 50 states. This shows how if the freedom of speech in burning a national symbol that many have died and sacrificed for is legal, having pride in a family's heritage during the civil war should also be legal. The dixie flag is like any other flag, they all represent and stand for a purpose. It is no different from the american flag or state flags. “It is obvious some racist desecrate the flag for their pathetic cause, but they also desecrate the American flag and the cross. Are they also racist?” stated by an unknown author from the New York Times. The following statement serves a correct and valid point. Due to the negative publicity of those who desecrate and hide behind the flag with the wrong morals and beliefs, they set a permanent view on not themselves but the dixie flag. An example of the desecration of the rebel flag would be the notorious group, the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan is a notorious extremist group who are known as white supremacist, white nationalist, anti-immigration, and nordicism. They use the nazi flag and confederate flag along with their own to symbolize their extremist group. The Ku Klux Klan are much like the terrorist group, ISIS. They pose a negative impact on their community. The muslim community and religion are often looked down upon do to the recent attacks and activities occurring with ISIS.
The Civil War, beginning in 1861 and ending in 1865, was a notorious event in American history for many influential reasons. Among them was the war 's conclusive role in determining a united or divided American nation, its efforts to successfully abolish the slavery institution and bring victory to the northern states. This Civil War was first inspired by the unsettling differences that divided the northern and southern states over the power that resided in the hands of the national government to constrain slavery from taking place within the territories. There was only one victor in the Civil War. Due to the lack of resources, plethora of weaknesses, and disorganized leadership the Southern States possessed in comparison to the Northern States,
A numerous amount of generals and soldiers of the south had a predisposed idea regarding what every person was fighting for, and from the looks of it, they were more so on the same page. When referring to what the war was being fought over, Englishmen Pickett used an analogy that gives reference to a “gentlemen’s club”, and not being able to maneuver out of it (Shaara 88). The men believed that the war conceived out of the misinterpretation of the constitution in regards to what or what not they had the right to do. In all, a large number of those fighting believed that the confederate army fought to protect the southern society, and slavery as an integral part of
D. W. Griffith's film "Birth of a Nation" shows that the South fought the war not only to protect slavery, but also to preserve a whole culture, a way of life. Their wealth and identity belonged to the land they lived on. Southerners fought to protect sovereignty, pride, identity, and their decision to secede which was under attack by a despot - President Lincoln. Few of the southerners could give up their culture without a fight.
Why did the southern states believe they could win the civil war? The southern states, known as the Confederacy were very confident going into this war that they could successfully defend their rights' and their way of life. They had many reasons for being so confident. First, the southern leaders were sure the north was not going to have a full-scale military conflict. They thought that a compromise and peace agreement could be reached after a short period of fighting. Second, the south was going to fight a defensive war. Third, the southern lifestyle made them familiar with firearms and horseback riding. Therefore they would be better soldiers than the northerners. Fourth, the south had a great source of wealth in its cotton exports and felt they would be able to fund the war. Last, the south thought that France and Britain would come to its aid. The south didn't want to defeat the north they wanted a compromise. Therefore, the north would not have the authority to govern them. The south did not have to win the war, it just had to keep the north from winning. On March 7, 1861 Jefferson Davis selected John Forsyth, A. B. Roman, and Martin J. Crawford to represent the Confederacy in a meeting with Lincoln's administration. Not trying two overpower anyone, the Confederate leaders said they simply wanted to be left alone. The Confederates thought to defend its region from being taken over and to keep its armies from destruction they would have to fight a very well planned out defensive war. The Confederate armies did not have to invade the north to win that kind of war. They need only to endure long enough to force the north to the decision that th...
In the spring 1861, years of building tensions between the northern states and southern states resulted in the American Civil War. In 1680 an anti-slavery Republican, Abraham Lincoln was elected president causing seven southern states to secede from the union. These seven states included--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas--. These seven states formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865 and claimed more than roughly 620,000 lives.
The Civil War was unlike any other war ever fought in America and had many effects on the home front for both the North and the South. It is stated to be the first ever total war, which is a war against not only the civilians but also the armies. The Civil War is also considered the first modern war fought by the U.S. troops. Lincoln asked volunteers to sign up for only three months. Many people thought the war wouldn’t last long. However, the war continued on for four years. The Union armies had around 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men and the Confederate army had approximately 750,000 to 1,250,000 men. The entire North and South society was affected by the war and desired for many social and economic assets. The Civil war brought new military techniques which caused the armaments to be more destructive. Ironclad ships and railroads were sufficiently used within the war. The north had a motive; they wanted to weaken the South’s longing to victory. The North tried to achieve this last motive by inflicting wholesale destruction upon the South (Janda, 1995). More than a hundred people seemed to be spies or secessionists in Maryland. In time, they were arrested due to not being faithful to the union and their state. Pro-secessionist newspapers were shut down, and telegrams and mail were censored (Perret, 2004).
The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their life styles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces along with many other Northerners believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout. One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1, 1863.
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
Stripes and stars forever, right? Well, what exactly does that mean? The American Flag can be seen almost anywhere. From the high-school, to the ball park, and even in our homes, the American flag stands as a symbol of all that is good and true in America. When one thinks of the flag, they usually think of the blood that was shed for this country. It was shed so that we could have liberties, such as, freedom of speech and expression, which fall under the first amendment rights of the Constitution. However, when you think of a burning flag, what comes to mind? One might say it shows disrespect and hatred to a country that has given so much. In the case of Texas v. Johnson, Gregory Lee Johnson was accused of desecrating a sacred object, but, his actions were protected by the First Amendment. Although his actions may have been offensive, he did not utter fighting words. By burning the flag, Johnson did not infringe upon another's natural human rights. He was simply expressing his outrage towards the government, which is within the jurisdiction of the First Amendment.
First, the South couldn’t have won the civil war because state’s rights prevented unification of the South. The very issue that created the Confederacy helped to destroy it. In waging war, the South faced problems of politics and government that greatly complicated its problem of economic mobilization. No one would deny the troublesome effect of the conflict generated by differing ideas of how best to protect liberty and to organize southern society for the war effort. Southern people insisted upon retaining their democratic liberties in wartime, which proved fatal for the South. They had to struggle with a “confederacy formed by particularistic politicians [that] could hardly be expected to adopt promptly those centralists polices which victory demanded” (Donald, p. 26). Individual state governors fought bitterly with Jefferson Davis to prevent him from consolidating power to fight the war. They withheld troops and supplies while the Confederate Congress spent its time arguing over the rights of the states instead of prosecuting a war of national survival. Many internal conflicts within the South were acquiring and weakening the South’s unity. Internal conflicts caused confederate officials to choose between moving troops from the coasts and strengthening their armies, or leaving the...
Therefore, the flag presents a symbol of southern pride and heritage. With that being said, all Americans should be allowed to live in a country where they feel safe and free from hatred. If a historical symbol fuels hatred, violence, and fear, then the display of such a symbol would only misinterpret the meaning of the land of the free. Although there are many pros and cons to the Confederate flag, it is only just to ban the flag.
Many people are very offended by burning America’s “national symbol” and view the act as “un-patriotic” and extremely disrespectfu8l towards the nation, its history and heritage. Many Americans believed that flag burning and desecration should be criminalized. However, other citizens believe that flag desecration is protected under the constitution and should be legal.
The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, or simply the Civil War in the United States, was a civil war fought from 1861 to 1865, after seven Southern slave states declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America . The states that remained in the Union were known as the "Union" or the "North". The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, especially the extension of slavery into the western territories. Foreign powers did not intervene. After four years of bloody combat that left over 600,000 soldiers dead and destroyed much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring national unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began.
During the war, eleven states seceded from the United States: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The southern states that chose to secede from the nation formed the Confederate States of America. The Northern states still considered themselves as the United States and strove to restore the rebellious Southern states to that union. The President of the United States at the time was Abraham Lincoln. The Confederate States of America also had their own president, Jefferson Davis. The casualty of the Civil War would surpass all American wars up to Vietnam War combined.
What is the controversy with the flag burning right? Well flag burning, for most people, happens to be a huge issue seeing as though it is repulsive or anti abolitionist in a certain state of mind. These people constantly ask the question, can flag burning be punishable by law? Flag burning cannot be punishable by law, nor should it be, “no matter how uncomfortable they make others feel or how much people disagree the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed that the right to desecrate the flag is included in the Constitution’s protection of speech (Flag).” Desecration and Flag Burning are forms of symbolic speech. What is symbolic speech? you may ask, well “symbolic speech is seen as a representation of one's beliefs or messages in the