Quote:A racist flag? What?

I'm no southern apologist, but clearly you're not a history major.

The man who created the flag had racism as his motivation. <a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.politicususa.com/2015/07/03/confederate-flag-designer-symbol-white-supremacy-southern-heritage.html'>http://www.politicususa.com/2015/07/03/confederate-flag-designer-symbol-white-supremacy-southern-heritage.html</a>


He created it for the Confederacy, whose precepts were articulated by its Vice President, Alexander Stephens thusly

 

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But not to be tedious in enumerating the numerous changes for the better, allow me to allude to one other though last, not least. The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution African slavery as it exists amongst us the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution. Jefferson in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the “rock upon which the old Union would split.” He was right. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact. But whether he fully comprehended the great truth upon which that rock stood and stands, may be doubted. The prevailing ideas entertained by him and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically. It was an evil they knew not well how to deal with, but the general opinion of the men of that day was that, somehow or other in the order of Providence, the institution would be evanescent and pass away. This idea, though not incorporated in the constitution, was the prevailing idea at that time. The constitution, it is true, secured every essential guarantee to the institution while it should last, and hence no argument can be justly urged against the constitutional guarantees thus secured, because of the common sentiment of the day. Those ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. It was a sandy foundation, and the government built upon it fell when the “storm came and the wind blew.”


Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/'>http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/</a>


They reduced these sentiments to paper in various declarations of secession.

<a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/'>http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/</a>


It is in no way persuasive to suggest it is a way of honoring southern heritage and ancestors. Either your ancestors knew the repugnant principles upon which the Confederacy was founded, agreed with them, and betrayed this country to be racist, or they did not know the racist principles upon which the Confederacy was founded, and agreed to betray their country out of ignorance, while still advancing the aims of an oppressive, immoral and Anti American regime. Either way they are unworthy to be honored.



Despite the logical and factual contortionism engaged by confederate apologists, the fact is the rebel flag cannot be divorced from its racist principles it represents.

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