As a former associate professor of history at the Army's Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, I always ask people who posit the argument that an inanimate flag is "racist" or stands for "slavery" to explain why? This normally stops them cold. Other than illogical and emotional arguments, they cannot defend their theses. This irrational attack on the Confederate Battle Flag only started about ten years ago under the auspices of political action groups needing a convenient target to assail and has absolutely no basis in historical fact. As a teacher of history, I really like to deal with facts, not emotions, which so easily are manipulated by those who don't know their history.

After hearing the arguments regarding "racism" and "slavery", I decided to do some detailed research into the origins of the Confederate Battle Flag since I taught courses on the War Between the States. However, I notice with interest that the groups attacking the Battle Flag never attack the US flag. The answers which are sometimes provided to the question "why?" the Battle Flag is attacked include: "it flew over a country trying to maintain slavery and segregation" and "it's used by racists". These argument are fallacious. In fact, these argument might easily fit the US flag if we wished to take this line of illogic. Interestingly, if any flag could be labeled "racist" or a symbol of "slavery", it would more rightly be the US flag if the same parameters of condemnation are used.

First, the US flag (Stars and Stripes) that we know today was first flown in 1777. It flew over legalized slavery until 1865 when slavery was ended by Constitutional Amendment. This means that slaves were sanctioned legally by the United States under the Stars and Stripes for about eighty-eight years. In fact, under the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation (as pointed out aptly by black author Lerone Bennett in his recent book on Lincoln), slaves were not freed in the areas controlled by the Union (US) Armies. This effectively prolonged slavery under the auspices of the US Stars and Stripes with the protection of the US government. Segregation continued for another eighty-three years in the US armed forces until halted by Presidential proclamation in 1948. It continued in Northern schools and society until the 1954 Brown vs Topeka (that's Kansas) Board of Education. If segregation is "racism", racism was sanctioned in the US armed forces until integration was completed in the early 1950s. Northern schools were (and many still are) segregated, which is "racism", and none of these were under a Confederate Battle Flag. So, guilt by association, the US flag is "racist" as demonstrated by the prima facie evidence that it flew over legalized slavery supported by the US government and it flew over official segregation ("racism") sponsored and sanctioned by the US government.

The other argument is interesting indeed: "The Battle Flag is used by racists", therefore, "it is a racist symbol". If the Battle Flag is used (misused) by racists, then what about the other symbols they misuse? Yes, please address the US flag and the Christian cross used extensively by the KKK and other racist organizations. Herein lies the inconsistancy. If the US flag and cross are not condemned as well, then this is outright hypocrisy! This is clearly a double standard if we condemn the Confederate Battle Flag but not the other symbols used by racists.

Of course the Battle Flag was only one of many used by the Confederacy. It was designed to identify military units on the battlefield. The primary purpose of flags in the nineteenth century armies was to identify unit locations and assist in battlefield identification. The "Battle Flag" obviously derived it's name from this purpose. It was never called the "Slavery Flag" or the "Racism Flag". This is all substantiated fact. There is absolutely no evidence that can be inferred that the flag was designed as a symbol of racism .... any more than the US flag which flew over slavery and segregation --- racism --- was designed to stand for "racism".

So all this hoopla by the anti-Confederate Battle Flag folks is much to do about nothing. It is invented rhetoric designed to attack a symbol which is convenient. If the facts be known, then the anti-Battle Flag folks would be hauling down our Stars and Stripes. That won't happen any time soon for reasons which are intuitively obvious to the casual observer. Or maybe they aren't obvious. As long as people are not willing to study the facts they will attempt to change history to fit their emotions. This is all part of the dumbing down of America and fits nicely into the stereotypes promulgated by those who think that the sinking of the Titanic started WWII.