frydaddy

The Confederate flag is not a symbol of slavery, hatred or racism. It was the national flag of a country that was once known as the Confederated States of America. A country that was made up of states who seceded from the union not because they wanted to keep their slaves, but because Abraham Lincoln wanted to centralize government and trample states rights. The fact is that industry was booming in the south at that time, much more so than in the north, and Lincoln wanted control of it. The southern states weren't willing to let the government come in and take over, and thus were perfectly within their rights to secede. Well naturally old honest Abe couldn't let all of our resources just slip through his fingers, but he knew he couldn't start a war simply over control either. To do that would have made him look like the bad guy (rightfully so) and damaged his legacy, which was also very important to him, possibly beyond repair. So he used slavery as his excuse to invade, because he knew it would portray him in a favorable light. Make no mistake, he didn't champion the cause of abolition because he was a great humanitarian, he did it because it was politically advantageous. In a letter to one of his General's during the war, he said that he viewed blacks as inferior, that he had no particular care for them, and that he would ultimately like to have them all sent back to Africa if possible. But the winner gets to write the history, so most people never hear a word of this. Just like they never hear that slavery was steadily being phased out anyway, because of the industrial advances that the south was responsible for. This info is out there though, and most of it can be found in a book called "The Real Lincoln". I strongly recommend that everyone read it, it's an eye opener. Turns out that the great Abraham Lincoln wasn't so great. He was a borderline tyrant who started a war that raped and devestated the south. Who turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by his armies against innocent people. Elderly, women, children... entire cities burned to the ground in the name of "freedom"..... anyway, I say all that to loop back around to this: that flag represented a country, one that was brutally and unjustly beaten and starved to death. A country whose victims of war included the slaves it was supposedly meant to liberate. The fact that some ignorant jacka $$es have used the flag for their own purposes doesn't change what it truly represents. It represents the idea that we shouldn't have government shoved down our throats, and that we should be free to make our own choices, not be forced into what the government says we have to choose from. It's an important to part of our history and it needs to be honored as such. Forget about the hate groups and focus on the facts... and read that book!

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nola_swammi

What make this book "The Real Lincoln" non fiction? Fact, Abraham Lincoln ordered Emancipation Proclamation to paved the way for African-Americans to fight for their freedom. Fact, the south was against the abolishment of slavery. Fact, Lincoln considered the Emancipation Proclamation the crowning achievement of his presidency.

10 Facts about the Emancipation Proclamation

frydaddy

Like I said dude, read it for yourself. It's not fiction, and it will blow your mind. The emancipation proclamation was just another political tool he used... just do yourself a favor and read the book. He's not the hero you think he is.

nola_swammi

It is not a symbol of slavery?
The south was fighting to maintain control over their property which at the time African American were considered property.

It is not a symbol of hatred?
It was a symbol of hating the government. That is why the "x" is crossed with stars and stripes.

It is not a symbol of racism?
Why EVERY hate group display the flag?

frydaddy

The south was fighting to maintain states rights. Lincoln and revisionist historians want you to believe it was about slavery because that's what he needed people to believe so that he wouldn't be seen as the near tyrant that he was... I'll say it one more time, read the book and see for yourself.

I don't know where you get the "hating the government" thing from, but I'm sure it's taken out of context. The south was against centralized or "big" government, Lincoln was all about it.. that's why they seceded.

As I said in my original post, the fact that hate groups use it for their purposes doesn't change what it truly symbolizes. There are hate groups who fly the American flag, should we rip it down too? Those maniacs are the minority, why are we letting them dictate what things should or should not mean?

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