Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Plus, the confederate flag made its big comeback in the 1950s and 60s as part of resistance to civil rights efforts, especially after Brown vs. Board of Education. It was the flag of segregationists and people committed to the idea that white people had a right to be superior.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Yep. And it's the battle flag of Northern Virginia, not the "Confederate Flag" in general. All those people in SC or MS (etc.) who claim they only like the flag because "my ancestors fought and died for it" are actually ignorant of the heritage they claim to be revering. Nobody from SC or MS ever lived under that particular flag or fought under it. It wasn't until the 20th century civil rights movement that that flag, which was almost nowhere to be seen for decades, made a comeback. And it was meant - and absolutely understood at the time to mean - as a big middle finger to black people and their claims of equality (as well as northerners who favored equality).
Originally Posted By skinnerbox And this cannot be stated often enough: White people were never "owned" in this country. EVER. Indentured servitude was a temporary situation. It had a time limit. And the person being held in servitude wasn't considered 3/5ths of a protected white citizen as were the African slaves. Africans, however, were held in slavery as PROPERTY. It was NEVER a temporary situation. It was permanent. It was ownership by the white master. They were never considered to be human beings. And this was the "states rights" issue that drove the South to secede from the Union. PERIOD. So anyone who flies or displays the Confederate flag is supporting slavery and the property status of African-Americans. Any other excuse offered about "Southern pride" is a load of cow manure.
