Let’s Consider Possible Purposes of the Confederate Symbols
Symbolism such as the Confederate Flag and Confederate statues can be used for at least three purposes:
(1) To remind and teach people about Confederate soldiers who stood for slavery and against the union and to teach that such a stand was honorable and is therefore honored by statues and other symbols.
(2) To remind people that there existed and possibly yet exists people who stand for slavery and who oppose a nations where all people are treated with equity. We must be aware of them and stand against them when they raise their racist head. Yet we should stand in an honorable constitutional manner.
(3) To remind people that there existed and possibly yet exists people who believe they can successfully secede from these United States of America for whatever reason they can conjure up. We as a nation must be aware of them and stand against them when they raise their succession head. Yet we should stand in an honorable constitutional manner.
Number of Confederate Symbols and When Dedicated
According to an article on politico.com, “1,503 Confederate symbols are on display across America. Most are in the South. 179 are in majority black counties. While the symbols are a nod to the Civil War, the majority were dedicated between 1900 and 1920, when the South enacted Jim Crow laws.”
The article is based on an April 2016 research report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Correlation between Confederate Symbols and White Supremacy?
Some believe Confederate symbols were created and exists to promulgate the ideology of White Supremacy and what some think to be the “rightness” of American Slavery. Thus, some people say there is a correlation between support for keeping Confederate symbols and White Supremacy. Not everyone sees it that way. I am not sure there is necessarily a correlation between the two regarding all people. Some people might do so in their minds and hearts while others might not do so. Yet, the potential for there to be far too many who do correlate the two must be heavily considered. To the extent that such a correlation is true, Confederate symbols have no value in our nation’s public sphere.
If they are to exist, Confederate symbols belong in museums, cemeteries, or similar places.
Confederate symbols should not be worn/displayed at schools or similar public places as the Confederate cause was a historically suppressed rebellion against the nation reach to be a perfect union consisting of equity for all persons regardless of race.
Such symbols should be taught in school less the nation forget but they should not be celebrated anywhere.
Some people believe taking down the Confederate symbols will ease racial tension between blacks and whites and lead to greater equity for blacks in America society as a whole. Well, may it will and may be it won’t. But I suppose a compromise that gives such improvements a greater chance would be worth it for all citizens of the USA.
