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As a person who didn’t grow up in the South yet has a deep connection to its past via his ancestry, I’d like to unfurl my opinion on the Confederate Flag. First of all, there exists the fallacy of composition which states (paraphrased) that you cannot apply a logical inference to a group of people based on information derived from an individual. This has been a huge political problem in our media, which has had the tendency to be both incendiary and reactionary. What this means is not to make overtly blanket statements; for example, ‘us versus them.’
Secondly, we should be open to civilly discussing multiple sides of any issue. This is our First Amendment right.
I should further say that I have ancestors that fought for both the Union and Confederate sides during the Civil War! All of my ancestors, however, lived in the South, which means that I have Southern ancestors who chose to defend the Union cause! They faced their share of difficulties, as you can imagine. My Confederate ancestors also fought for what they believed in and are equally revered by me.
My unique position on the Confederate Flag is that it is a source of pride for some southerners and should continue to waive! According to the fallacy of composition, it would be illogical to state that ALL southerners think that the Confederate Flag should continue to waive. My personal opinion is that the so-called ‘Stars and Bars’ represent a sense of southern pride; a pride in place, ancestry, history, etc. that has nothing to do with disrespecting the Stars and Stripes. That is my express opinion.
I may not share the opinion of all southerners (I never grew up in the south and don’t even think I can call myself a “southerner” lol), but I believe we can respect the history and personal attachment to the Stars and Bars without being disrespectful toward our National Flag, the Stars and Stripes. Besides, the term ‘Stars and Bars’ is actually a misnomer; that term actually refers to the Confederate Flag proper – the flag of the CSA, the Confederate States of America. What most people call the ‘Confederate Flag’ or the ‘Stars and Bars’ is technically the Confederate Battle Flag. See below for examples.
One of my all-time favorite quotes is: “you can’t have pride in your history if you don’t know the history.” It was written by one of the most preeminent Civil War historians Shelby Foote. Although Foote was best known for his non-fiction, he produced a three-volume set on the Civil War which is an indispensable read – it is about 1.5 million words! Well, this quote tells us that it is not enough to stand at a distance and have an opinion on the Civil War and the Confederate Flag, but we have to KNOW the facts and history surrounding this era. Only then will we be able to speak with some authority and have a formed opinion, whatever that opinion may be.
For instance, anyone can fall into the trap of loving Abraham Lincoln and disliking Jefferson Davis; however, anyone that hasn’t read Jefferson Davis’ The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government does not realize just how brilliant and eloquent this man was! He was an amazing thinker and there was a reason that Lincoln decided to not prosecute him. I respect both men!
Abraham Lincoln is another of my favorite historical figures. He was another brilliant thinker! His stance on the Civil War was not as simple and one-sided as most would believe; however, everything he did was to preserve the Union and to that end I have more respect for Abraham Lincoln than just about anyone else. Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years would be a recommended text to read.
The Confederate Battle Flag should continue to waive! It instills a sense of identity in those that fly it and is a piece of our national heritage! On a more fundamental level it represents a specific segment of our national citizenry, and that specific piece of our national puzzle deserves the right to be memorialized just as equally as any other. Let’s not forget the history of our nation and all of the sacrifices that our ancestors have made! That is my opinion on our Confederate Flag based on my reading and research into the history of our Nation.
Sources and further reading on the Confederate Flag:
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Confederate_Flag.htm
http://www.civilwar.com/resources/313-flags/150182-confederate-flag-history.html
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