



  11. A recognition of the legacies of enslavement.


Categories: Thoughts and Perspectives

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14 replies

  1. Great list. Couldn’t you have said “would like to see in addition to having Confederate flags removed”? They are definitely more important, but the flag action was doable even during political gridlock, so it was done.


  2. “A recognition of the legacies of enslavement.”

    Removing the Confederate flag from public places of governance would be a major step in the right direction, no? I agree with the other commenters here, it’s a both/and situation.

    Liked by 1 person

    • What about the US flag? It too represents enslavement and all sorts of other negative things. It gets so tricky. What do you think?


    • The United States flag does indeed embody many negative connotations for Americans and people around the world. The United States and its flag, however, were conceived in the spirit of freedom, liberty, and the premise that all [people] were created equal. History shows that putting these values into practice has been and continues to be an imperfect operation, and our nation’s constantly evolving debate about the meaning of these values ensures that we will always struggle to find a consensus when answering the question of what it means to be a “United Statesean” (your term!). But the U.S. flag, broadly speaking, operates under the belief that everyone–regardless of background–has a chance to succeed in life. I’d like to think that the worst episodes of our history represent a failure to implement the values embedded in the U.S. flag rather than the flag being an inherently destructive symbol of oppression, although it can be easy to see it that way sometimes.

      On the other hand, the various Confederate flags created during the Civil War represent a fundamentally different belief and premise–that people of different races were inherently unequal, that white men were a superior race and gender, and that unfreedom and enslavement were the natural conditions for people of African descent. As William Tappan Thompson, creator of the Second Confederate National Flag, remarked about his design, “As a people, we are fighting to maintain the heaven ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race.”

      The U.S. flag, then, represents ideals about freedom and equality that have been imperfectly achieved. The Confederate Flag represents ideals about unfreedom and inequality that were accepted and achieved quite easily during the Civil War.

      Your thoughts?

      Liked by 1 person

    • Not to get too picky but the US flag WAS ONLY “conceived in the spirit of freedom, liberty” for people White, Male, etc. I do agree that meanings associated with the US flag have evolved, while Confederate flags have, of course, not. Many rhetorics of the US at the time were indirect (implied exclusion), while the South was much more direct (stated exclusion).

      It’s getting late. I’ll think about it more


    • “the US flag WAS ONLY “conceived in the spirit of freedom, liberty” for people White, Male, etc.”

      Yes, of course, but if the U.S. flag and the Confederate flag represent the same ideals and principles, then I’m not sure why a white supremacist like Dylann Roof would choose to associate with the Confederate flag and pose for pictures in which he burned the U.S. flag, much less why the idea of a new Confederacy built on white supremacy would have gained so much traction in the first place. What ideals did Roof wish to destroy in the act of burning the flag while at the same time embracing the Confederate flag (among others) as his own?

      Thanks again for engaging in a thoughtful conversation with me.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Sorry for just having gotten to this one. As far as flags go, the US flag is often used in protests against women, immigrants, gay people, etc. It’s for sure touchy “comparing” forms of oppression. But, both flags are used for bad. The US flag does have good uses – such as funerals.



  1. Thoughts on U.S. Freedom, Oppression, and Flag Symbolism | Exploring the Past
  2. “The-Confederate-Flag-Is-Down-The-Rainbow-Flag-Is-Up” Meme and Philosophy is Dangerous and Inaccurate « Andrew Joseph Pegoda, A.B.D.
  3. If you’re on the Left, you need to follow your own advice: Stop altering History. | Andrew Joseph Pegoda, A.B.D.

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