Of Confederate Flags, Slavery, Treason And Patriotism

By Dustin Mendus

Flags are remarkably simple things. They are pieces of colored fabric occasionally with symbols adorning them, generally in a rectangular shape — sans the few odd flags out there — or strange pennants.  The meaning of these flags varies per flag, of course; and as time has come and gone, a few flags have been shunned by history, but the meaning ascribed to them is always interesting.

Many people may not know what the Soviet naval flag looks like, or the flag of the Royal Navy, but the flag of the Confederacy’s naval flag is well known, and ignorantly waved around by some in our country. Sometimes they’ll be polite and have “Heritage, not hate” plastered on them. However, this “heritage” façade is shameful at best.

The disgusting lie that the Civil War was not about slavery has been puppeted by ignorant people. Yale University’s online Avalon project holds the secession declarations of the states of Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, all four of which openly declare and make the case for secession from the United States around slavery. The Texas declaration openly stating a variety of things which should make Confederate flag flappers bow their heads in shame:

“…the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.

“That in this free government all white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights; that the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free.”

The Texas declaration of independence does make sure that slavery isn’t it’s only issue, though.

“For these and other reasons, solemnly asserting that the federal constitution has been violated and virtually abrogated by the several States named, seeing that the federal government is now passing under the control of our enemies to be diverted from the exalted objects of its creation to those of oppression and wrong, and realizing that our own State can no longer look for protection”

The seven states being named earlier on include: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa.

The facts are there, the secession of confederate states from the United States is clearly over slavery, which is an economic issue. The southern economy was built on slavery. Removing slavery ran the risk of destroying the southern economy, so these states declared themselves as a separate entity from the United States, uniting under the Bonnie Blue Flag. The CSA’s flag would change multiple times during it’s short history, by the way.

This leads me back to my original point about flags. What do the “stars and bars,” popular symbols of “rebel pride” (ugh) represent? They’ve become a powerful stand in for the true Confederate flags, symbols of rebellion and treason. Flying this naval jack or any other Confederate flag is flying the banner of an enemy which brought America her bloodiest battles, taking many of her sons and daughters to untimely ends, the same enemy aside from the British which truly threatened our own soil.

And these people, these “proud Americans” are often willing to tell immigrants to go “back to their own country!” Perhaps we should send these hateful “Americans” with their confederate flags out of our country with the next batch of “illegal” immigrants that is sent home. The “‘illegal” immigrants are risking their lives to cross the border and living in hiding to get a tiny sliver of American living. These “rebels” hide behind free speech and “heritage” to send a strong, hateful message to people they don’t like.

Dustin Mendus is an undergraduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He focuses on cultural geography.