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Confederate battle flag hate or heritage
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Hate or Heritage
The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate AND heritage. The hate that is shown by the Confederate flag is racism towards black people, the Confederates were on the slavery and losing side of the civil war to abolish slavery. For heritage after the Dylan Roof shooting of nine black people, one man named Ron Springer a descendant of a civil war veteran wrote in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette : “It’s not about slavery, it’s about my ancestors fighting for their freedom.”. So overall the Confederate flag is both hate and heritage depending on the person and their ancestors.
...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.
known for their love of the confederate flag. The confederate flag is a sign of
“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.
To southern men, honor was everything. I dictated their standing in society, whether or not they could own slaves; it basically was a secret caste system. A man held in the highest honor experienced a good life from a social stance in the south. The honor system used in the south was related to the language used by southern gentlemen.# Honor and Slavery by Kenneth S. Greenburg attempts to explain the vernacular and customs used by men in the antebellum south. It would be hard for a person in today's society to understand the way honor was shown; it would have even been a challenge for men living in the Northern United States to understand at that time.# As Greenburg states, "Since the language of honor was the dominant language of the men who ruled the slave South, we will never understand masters, the nature of slavery, or the Civil war without first understanding that language."# To be a powerful man in the south, society also had to consider you to be an honorable man. Honor and power in the South were parallel to each other; a man with a high honor ranking was usually a prominent member of society.#
For over a century, many writers and historians theorized that the Confederate loss during the Civil War was, in fact, inevitable, and that they were only fighting a losing war against an overwhelming invading force. This idea shows the southern gentleman, in his honor, taking up arms against what was obviously a superior foe in order to preserve their state’s rights, their families, and their homes, with no hope of coming out the victor in the contest. This is a romantic notion of a time forgotten where gentlemen fought a barbaric would-be conquering force in order that their economic tyranny be forced upon the southern gentleman. This can be countered by the fact that they were only looking for a way to soothe their own defeat, that many sought post-war political gain, and that invading the north during the war was a hope to achieve victory.
The Confederate flag was used symbolically during the Civil War. For Southerner’s, the flag represented a source of southern pride as well as a way of remembering the fallen Confederates. As the Civil War proceeded, the meaning of the flag began to change. Currently, the flag is being used as a symbol of racism. Due to this change in meaning, controversy over the flag has been exponentially growing.
The symbols of the Confederacy are not just about supremacy, but also, inextricably, about class. Confederate monuments and flag signify terrorism. They were raised deliberately to send a solid message to all who strolled in their shadows about who was still in control. The majority of African Americans whose descendants were enslaved. There have been many attempts to relocate monuments, remove flags, rename schools, and change the name of various holidays (“Confederate Remembrance 3”). Confederate monuments should be taken down immediately and placed in museums where citizens who support the monuments and the heritage of what happened a long time ago can view them
Regardless of the original reasons for the creation of the Confederate Monument, whether in memory of fallen soldiers or to advance a more sinister agenda, the fact that it was created, and continues to stand today despite so much controversy serves to illustrate the ever-changing attitude of the Nation. Instead of denying or concealing turbulent times in America’s history, a monument is built to remind the people of a time when lines were not so clear. A time when the Nation faced diversity head on, to overcome and surpass obstacles that may attempt to entangle the morality of the people. The Confederate Monument in Arlington National Cemetery is an everlasting testament to America’s commitment to not burying its past, but to accept it, to learn from it, to honor it.
(Costa-Roberts) Throughout the debate on banning the Confederate flag, the people still defending the Confederate flag are considered racist. The majority of the people flying the Confederate flag is not flying it for any form of racism. They are flying it because they are proud of their state's heritage. (Simon) Why would people be so protective of a flag? The flag has been in their life for so long. Imagine growing up watching The Dukes of Hazard with your family, or walking out the door every day on the way to school and seeing it flying on your front porch. “You grow fond of the image, it’s an attachment based on an affiliation with things they love. It’s easy to associate an image with feelings of happiness and therefore form a protective affinity for objects and symbols.”
Recently a school in Virginia suspended more than twenty students for wearing clothing that had a Confederate flag on it. The school also banned students from having the Confederate flag on their vehicles. The reason theses students were displaying the flag that much was because a fellow classmate had passed away a week or two before. The family made t-shirts and decals in memory of their son. The design was a Confederate flag that had the date that the young man died and under the flag the shirt stated “Heritage not hate.”. A simple design caused this much trouble. The students that were suspended were called racist and prejudice. How could a shirt and decal that was made to remember a loved one be considered racist? The Confederate flag
A culture is the beliefs and interests of a particular group of people. About 150 years ago, a proud and noble culture was created in the Southern portion of the United States. It was created by Southerners from all walks of life, ranging from the gentry to the "good ol' boys." They loved their culture so much that they created a country. It was a country of blue skies, green hills, beautiful meadows and forests, and old-fashioned Southern hospitality. There were large plantations that grew some of the finest crops in the world. Though this country seemed Utopian, its creation soon instituted the bloodiest war in American history, the War For Southern Independence. The beautiful countryside suddenly became a battlefield. The blue skies turned gray with the smoke of rifles and cannons. The blood of Rebels and Yankees stained the grass as the meadows and forests became overwhelmed with the foul stench of death. Johnny Reb fought hard for what he believed in and what he thought to be right. Though the "boys in gray" lost the greatest battle of their lives, they and their ancestors still hold a special place in their hearts for this short-lived nation. This nation was independent for roughly four years, but the legacy of the Confederate States of America will not be forgotten.
The song “Accidental Racist” uses many cultural symbols that tend to create controversy in todays society. For example one of the main symbols mentioned in the song is the confederate flag. The context of the symbol in the song, is that the white man walking into Starbucks does not want people to miss understand his shirt which features the flag. He would like people to know that the flag is only featured due to its connection with Skynyrd and him being a fan (McKay 2). The reason a confederate flag can be related to a Skynyrd shirt, dips into the genres audience and the history of country music.