The Confederate Flag acts a divisive tool in the current USA population that affects all the people. There is no doubt that the original purpose may not have been to elevate the white supremacy, but things have changed. Today, the Confederate Flag symbolizes racial hatred and segregation.
Ryan (2015) noted that George Wallace brought out the perspective of racial discrimination associated with the Confederate Flag. With the Confederate Flag flying high in the White House in a civil rights discussion with Robert Kennedy (the then attorney general), Wallace declared “segregation today, Segregation tomorrow, and Segregation forever.” The declaration did not only point out the hidden meaning of the flag but also explicitly showed what the leaders thought it should represent.
The existence of the Confederate Flag dates back to the secession war between the North and the South. The South-North war was due to slavery. If the results of such were the Confederate Flag, it’s logical to conclude that it reminds the South of the Slavery. The perception of the North towards the South did not necessary change and, therefore, the flag is a covert symbol of slavery. I believe it is from this perspective that the Supreme Court ruled out that state, such as Mexico refuse certain designs in their specialty licenses such the Confederate Flag. That means that it is no longer mandatory or of any significance importance to the people.
Although some of the Southerners believe that the flag is a symbol of unity and an honor to their ancestors, the meaning might no longer be the same. Typically, the understanding of a symbol is derived from the current populations. The past generations might have had different social, economic, and cultural settings that allowed the Southerners to view the Confederate Flag as a benign symbol to them. However, with the changes in civil rights, and politics, the people have changed the way they view national matters including the flag. These changes are inevitable, and, therefore, with up to 58% of the Democrats feeling that the flag is a racial symbol (Tesler, 2015), there is no doubt that is the case. It is noteworthy that these changes originate from the direct and indirect experiences that the people have such as the Charleston shooting.
Work cited
Ryan Rosanna. “‘Racism, white supremacy and defiance’: A brief history of the Confederate flag.” ABC. ABC July 2, 2015. Web. July 19, 2015. Available at <http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/a-brief-history-of-the- confederate-flag/6586196>
Tesler Michale. “Democrats increasingly think the Confederate flag is racist. Republicans don’t.” Washington post. Washington post July 9 2015. Web. July 19, 2015. Available at <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/07/09/democrats- increasingly-think-the-confederate-flag-is-racist-republicans-dont/>
