Should Americans Honor the Confederate Flag?
By El Veasey
Copyright 2001 El-Veasey Publishing
It's an on going question and debate: is the Confederate flag a symbol of African-American oppression or just a symbol of White Southern pride?
Some say that the discrepancy is just a difference in perception between blacks and pro-Confederate flag whites. That African-Americans perceive the flag as a negative symbol for various reasons and pro-Confederate flag whites perceive it as positive symbol for various other reasons.
Well let's see if we can get to the bottom of what this difference of perception is all about!
Let's try something novel and look at the historical facts of the issue.
The topics are Southern White Supremacy, African-American enslavement and why the civil war was fought.
Simplistically put (note I said simplistically), the civil war was fought because anti-slavery sentiment and the abolitionist movement were increasing in the Northern anti-slavery states to the point where there was, an increasing demand for the Southern slave holding states to abolish the slave trade.
But the economic power of the slave holding states was based on free slave labor. So rather than relinquish that power base or their system of White domination of African-Americans, they decided they'd rather relinquish their citizenship as members of the United States of America.
So rather than relinquish these two prime values of the "Southern way of life" (free slave labor and white supremacy) they seceded from the United States and even fought a war against the United States to maintain these values! Those values were entangled with the idea of the "Sovereign Rights" of states to govern themselves and to decide what system of state government and economic policies they would maintain. The slave holding states were in agreement that they had the "Sovereign" right to decide the political agenda of their state's government, including maintaining their large economic investment in the African slave trade.
So although the civil war "wasn't" fought directly over slavery, (the direct cause was to save the union meaning the United States) it was fought indirectly over slavery, because the slave holding states were being pressured by the growing abolitionist sentiment in the North to give up the slave trade, which the slave holding states felt impinged on their "sovereign" right to govern themselves. They wanted to show that they couldn't be forced to give up the slave trade unless they wanted to and they didn't want to!
They were more concerned about protecting their rights and their freedom to govern themselves then they were about, the hypocrisy of maintaining a system that deprived others of that same right and freedom to govern themselves. And although there has been a long history of humans enslaving one another, that doesn't relieve the slave holding states of their responsibility, for their participation in the slave trade, does it?
They created their own country " The Confederate States of America". With their own president, Jefferson Davis, and Vice president, Alexander Stephens, their own congress, currency and of course their own flag, as a symbol of the values that their country maintained and believed in. The states of that country were: South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky.
So what does the Confederate flag symbolize? The answer is:
Exhibit A:
The first thing it symbolizes is that, its anti-United States of America! The slave holding states separated from the United States rather than give up their economic system based on free slave labor.
Exhibit B:
The second thing it symbolizes, concurrently, with the first thing is Southern White supremacy! They wanted to retain African-Americans in a perpetual system of servitude and bondage. They were willing to kill, to wage war etc., in order to maintain their white supremacist way of life and keep African-Americans in a condition of economic and cultural servitude.
Exhibit C:
The third thing it symbolizes is that: they were willing to kill or maim any white persons who disagreed with these values or who supported the political and cultural equality of African-Americans or other non-white Americans, for that matter.
Exhibit D:
The fourth thing it symbolizes is a virulent hatred of interracial marriages, dating or any interracial race mixing of any kind.
Closing Argument:
And although there were a few African-Americans fighting as Confederate soldiers and a few who were themselves slaveholders, doesn't mean that the Confederate flag wasn't or isn't a symbol of White supremacy and the domination of African-Americans.
(Note: The United States Army, during the "Indian wars", used reservation or domesticated Indians, to track down other members of their tribe, or other tribes who wouldn't willing submit to the domination or the extermination of their people or way of life. Once their spirit and wills were broken down, (through starvation and other means) some of the reservation Indians were willing or in some cases reluctantly willing, to fight for those who were trying to imprison or exterminate, them, their people and their way of life.)
The more obvious racists know exactly what the Confederate flag stands for. And although some of them say, "It's just a symbol of white pride" (white pride may be one of its minor meanings) its dominant meaning is white power and white domination over African-Americans and other non-white groups. One glaring fact that supports this statement is that, at all those Aryan, Neo-Nazi, Klan group, Skinhead rallies, where the Confederate flag is proudly displayed, you hear them angrily shouting, "White Power! White Power! White Power!" not "White pride! White Pride!" (Doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it?)
Some pro-Confederate flag whites say their "flag" has nothing to do with racism or white supremacy, only with pride in their Confederate heritage.
The Aryans, Neo-Nazis, Skinheads and Klan groups didn't pick the Confederate flag as their symbol, willy-nilly out of a hat! They picked it because they knew what its true heritage and meaning is! A heritage they're trying to revive again, as in the "South will rise again" meaning the anti-United States "Confederate states of America" (the white supremacist dominated, racially segregated south).
A nation's flag is a symbol of its, spirit, values and ideals. The spirit, values and ideals of the "Confederate States of America" was an intense, hostile feeling of being anti-United States of America! Of being pro-White supremacist and pro-domination of African-Americans, of being willing to violently overthrow the United States government to maintain their system of white supremacy and free slave labor! And a willingness to kill or maim any whites (race traitors) that disagreed with or opposed these values!
So if I were to mount a case against the displaying of the Confederate flag in or over federal and local state government buildings. My main reason would be because, it represents the heritage of a country that was anti-United States and anti-the ideals and values for which the United States ideally stands and because it was the battle flag of a domestic foreign country!
That the people who created that flag were so against the values and ideals of the United States, that they willingly gave up their United States citizenship and even fought a war against the United States in protest of those values. (I realize that there has been and still is a discrepancy between the ideals and the practices of the United States, but that's not the bone of contention here).
I think that's preponderance of the evidence and reason enough, to justify banning it from display in or over any United States government buildings or any United States buildings for that matter.
There are those who say, the Confederate flag is part of their heritage, and that their forefathers fought for what they believed in and should be honored. Well not to be disrepectful but, I think it's debatable, whether what their forefathers fought for was honorable or not and whether or not the United States should honor the flag of a country that fought a war against the ideals and values for which it stands!
That would be tantamount to saying that the United States should start honoring Nazi war heroes and their flag, because they are part of the heritage and history of some of it's citizens! (The Nazis and "The Confederate States" virtually share the same white supremacist racial ideology: note the current linking up of the Neo-Nazis, Aryans, racist Skinheads, and Klan groups whom you'll all see proudly displaying the Confederate flag along side the Nazi flag at their rallies!)
So when you see the "Confederate flag" being displayed it's an insult, a slap in face to the United States, because it’s the battle flag of a domestic foreign country, the anti-United States, "Confederate states of America"! (White supremacists groups still use it as their battle flag!)
The only flags flying over United States buildings should be the United States flag. Not the separatist "Confederate states of America" battle flag! (This flag is still separating us, as you can see by the recurrent controversy still being generated by this flag.)
The United States flag doesn't generate that controversy or separatism among us! It unites us around the fact that it's the true flag of the citizens of United States! And there's no controversy or debate about that!
The main reason why the controversy over the Confederate flag has been confined to the Southern states is because 13 of those states, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky, were originally part of the anti-United States, "Confederate States of America!
A lot of southern whites didn't own slaves and a lot of them were only fighting the civil war to protect what they thought was their states' "Sovereign" right to govern themselves. While the states "Sovereign" right to govern themselves was the obvious focal point for non-slave holding whites to rally round and risk their lives for. The real focal point was the "Sovereign" right of the rich slave holding whites to maintain their profitable system of white supremacy and free slave labor if they so desired. And they did so desire! [But that’s how rich politicians and business owners throughout history have gotten the common people to fight and die for something they may gain no economic or social benefit from]
If the slave holding states didn't feel they were being forced to end the slave trade against their wills, the "Sovereign" right of states to govern themselves would never have been an issue, now would it?
If you ask most people whom the civil war was fought between, they'd say between the north and the south. As if the war was fought between the northern and the southern regions of the United States, but that's not true! The civil war was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate states of America (a domestic foreign country).
So how do you the jury find in this case? Should the United States of America honor the battle flag of a domestic foreign country (the anti-United States "Confederate States of America") who seceded from the union and fought a war against the United States and values for which it stands?
Closing Comments:
Why is it when pro-Confederate flag whites (and most of us) talk about the South and Southerners they automatically assume this means white southerners? What about the million of African-Americans who were born and raised in the South (not to mention other ethnic groups) and whose families have lived in the South for hundreds of years, aren't they Southerners too? This shows you just what South they're referring to when they say the "South will rise again!"(The white dominated racially segregated South.)
Those who aren't participating in racist practices or beliefs in the present, shouldn't be held responsible for the beliefs or practices of their group or relatives, who did so in the past or who currently do so. Every individual or groups of individuals are to be held responsible for the beliefs and practices that they hold and perform today! If you're white, you shouldn't feel guilty or as if you have to defend racists or their ideology, because you feel a link to them because of skin color or culture. If you don't do the racist things they do or hold the racist attitudes they do, you have nothing to defend or feel guilty about.
Disengage yourself from your color identification with racists or white supremacists and identify with your essential identity as a human being! Then you won't get caught up in trying to minimize or defend white racists or their ideology, because you'll be free to see them for what they really are; the good, the bad, the ugly, warts and all, without feeling guilt or shame about what you see because you're white! The same goes for Blacks who identify with Black racists.
What I’ve written is not meant to offend anyone. It’s just a feeble attempt to throw a clarifying light on an ongoing, divisive current underlying the American Psyche that we all need to do something to correct. Something that’s impeding the progress of that great, unlimited potential for better and healthier racial relationships, embodied in the psyche of the American People!
So is the Confederate flag a symbol of African-American oppression or just a symbol of White Southern pride?
It's both! But more importantly,
Its the flag of a country that was anti-United States Of America and the ideals for which it stands!
Just to make it clear. This article is not about slavery.
It’s about why the Confederate flag in all of its forms shouldn’t be honored by the United States of America. And that reason is, because this flag in all of its forms is the flag of a foreign country, the Confederate States of America; a country that fought a war against the United States and the principles for which it stands: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and individual rights for all U.S. citizens.
That’s why it shouldn’t be honored or allowed to be flown over or displayed in any federal or state government facilities.
That’s the main reason. Slavery is the secondary reason.
It’s the same reason we don’t honor and wouldn’t fly or display the Nazi flag over or in any federal or state government facilities.
May the Light never cease to Lighten your Minds!
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
|
SEND ARTICLE TO A FRIEND
