Since its creation during the civil war, the perception of the Confederate flag has changed considerably. Originally used as a battle flag for the Confederate States of America during the civil war, the flag has been perceived as a symbol representing many different ideas. Early in its history it was perceived as a symbol for southern pride and identity. However, beginning during the civil rights movement, the flag came to be perceived as a symbol of racism and white supremacy throughout the South, especially by African Americans facing much discrimination. Today, there is still uncertainty regarding the flag, simply because it has different meanings to different groups of people. Articles by Danielle Fox and Michael Martinez discuss the controversy
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Many people believe that the flag’s implications of white supremacy and slavery are too great to be ignored. Martinez states that “the emblem is a rude reminder of a degrading, disgraceful period in American history when whites treated black slaves as subhuman” (Martinez). Additionally, James Forman states that "It has [its] moment of creation as a flag for slavery, and it has its moment of resurfacing in public space and resurfacing in government space in the 1950s and '60s as a symbol of white resistance to integration and black equality" (Fox). Moreover, shortly after the end of the civil war, “the use of the Confederate battle emblem by ardent segregationists as a symbol of the days of Jim Crow unequivocally made it offensive and degrading in the eyes of many blacks” (Martinez). These groups, along with many white southerners who committed acts of violence towards African Americans, further stained the meaning behind the …show more content…
The banning of the flag would result in a domino effect of removing all traces of memory left behind from the Confederacy; however not all monuments of the confederacy should be removed. Although the flag has many white supremacist meanings and should be banned people should think twice about removing all traces of the Confederacy. For our country was born out of conflict and rough times, and to attempt to completely destroy all monuments from a certain time-period would be a tremendous loss to America’s
Many people believe that the flag’s implications of white supremacy and slavery are too great to be ignored. Martinez states that “the emblem is a rude reminder of a degrading, disgraceful period in American history when whites treated black slaves as subhuman” (Martinez). Additionally, James Forman states that "It has [its] moment of creation as a flag for slavery, and it has its moment of resurfacing in public space and resurfacing in government space in the 1950s and '60s as a symbol of white resistance to integration and black equality" (Fox). Moreover, shortly after the end of the civil war, “the use of the Confederate battle emblem by ardent segregationists as a symbol of the days of Jim Crow unequivocally made it offensive and degrading in the eyes of many blacks” (Martinez). These groups, along with many white southerners who committed acts of violence towards African Americans, further stained the meaning behind the …show more content…
The banning of the flag would result in a domino effect of removing all traces of memory left behind from the Confederacy; however not all monuments of the confederacy should be removed. Although the flag has many white supremacist meanings and should be banned people should think twice about removing all traces of the Confederacy. For our country was born out of conflict and rough times, and to attempt to completely destroy all monuments from a certain time-period would be a tremendous loss to America’s