An Open Letter to People Who Think the Confederate Flag Represents Southern Pride

Dear People Who Think the Confederate Flag Represents Southern Pride,

Okay, now before you call me a "libtard" or a "snowflake" (both which I have been called before when engaging in this discussion), just hear me out. In exchange for your ear, I will promise not be condescending. I will promise not to spit on your beliefs, nor be derogatory in any way. However, I cannot promise that I won't try to change your opinion. If, after reading this, you still stand strongly by your beliefs, then so be it. My concern with this issue is that many people throw around claims about the Civil War and Civil Rights without being educated about what they are saying, which unfortunately has become a frightening trend under President Trump. As a history student and someone who is very passionate about education, I feel as though it is my responsibility to make sure that you can formulate the most knowledgable opinion as possible. So, please try to approach this article with open-mindedness.

Let's begin by getting this out of the way: the Civil War happened because of slavery. Not state's rights, not taxation, not because of the North's industrialization. For whatever reason, historians still debate the cause of the Civil War, and these arguments have trickled down through society, which has resulted in a vast miscommunication among Americans. I can assure you, though, that there is substantial evidence that points to slavery.

The question of slavery plagued Congress for decades, and by 1860, the powder-keg was ready to explode, especially following the election of Abraham Lincoln, a Northern yankee, to the presidency (it should be noted that Southerners' outrage about Lincoln's election is valid, as in many Southern states, Lincoln did not even appear on their ballot). Many of you will argue that other things caused these tensions to overflow, and of course, there are many factors that cause a country to go to war. However, none of these other reasons carry as much gravity as slavery. If you don't believe me from this one paragraph, allow me to provide you with further evidence behind my argument, which will inevitably demonstrate the true history behind the Confederate Flag.

Slavery had been hotly contested since before the revolutionary war, when big names, such as Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin, often criticized the "peculiar institution" (a euphemism for slavery in the 19th century) for its inhumane practices. However, the debate was tabled during the 18th century, since America was still trying to establish itself as a legitimate government within the international community.

Later on, as Manifest Destiny (the claim that Americans had a right to conquer any land they wished under the decree of God) took hold, the question of slavery was constantly debated in Congress. How would we decided which states would be free? Which states would allow slavery? Would it always remain geographical? Several compromises emerged over time in attempt to keep all parties satisfied, but these debates intensified so much so that in 1836, Congress passed "The Gag Rule" which forbid any discussion about slavery on the floor. This is the political equivalent of sweeping an elephant under the rug.

Eventually, the monumental issue had to come out, especially when violence began to flare up around the country. Two notable examples include the fights that emerged under the Kansas-Nebraska Act beginning in 1854 and the Charles Sumner-Preston Brooks brawl in 1856.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act, engineered by Stephen Douglas, proposed that those residing in the Kansas-Nebraska territory would vote to determine if they would live in a free or slave state. This technique, known as popular sovereignty, resulted in a deadly outbreak between Northerners and Southerners, who moved to the territory just to vote in the election, which would unavoidably sway the balance between free and slave states. When each side got wind that the others were also voting, it did not end well. "Bleeding Kansas" resulted in 56 deaths by the time that the violence ended in 1859.

Another instance of blind violence occurred directly on the Senate floor. Charles Sumner (R-MA) was a fiery abolitionist who delivered an impassioned speech urging Congress to eliminate slavery. During his speech, he called out several pro-slavery congressmen, which enraged one of his peers, Preston Brooks (D-SC). When Sumner concluded his speech, Brooks attacked and beat him with the metal tip of his cane in front of the entire Congress. Northerners were furious and distraught, while Southerners sent Brooks replacements for his cane, which broke during the fight.

All of these debates and moments of violence over the hot-button topic culminated in the 1860 election, and when the victor was not favorable to the South, they rebelled. When South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20th, 1860, it was for no other reason than to protect slavery, the institution they believed to be threatened by the industrializing and wealthy North. And while there are numerous other factors that led to the Civil War occurring when it did, the why behind its beginning is clear.

Now, I could go on and on about the Civil War and the intricacies of the 19th century, but I'd like to return to the real reason for this letter.

The Confederate Flag was created to, obviously, represent the newly founded rival to the Union. While it became a badge for Southern pride for 19th century Americans, that pride was born from the racist and backwards attitudes that led the secession movement. A flag that salutes the soldiers who fought to preserve the "peculiar institution" is a representation of pro-slavery sentiments.

The pride that the Confederate Flag represents is a proudness that came from the enslavement of other human beings. It was not a proudness of the agrarian lifestyle, nor of geographical location. It was a proudness of the fact that the South rebelled against the Union to preserve a practice deemed unlawful.

To wave the Confederate Flag today is to be proud of ancestors that did not value people who looked different than them. To wave the Confederate Flag today is to be proud of the rebels who turned their backs on the Union to solve their problems through war, and not through negotiation and understanding. To wave the Confederate Flag today is the biggest insult to our now unified country, and the men who fought to protect it.

So, the next time you want to show off your Southern pride, maybe try waving the flag we all salute.

Yours truly,

P.S. Do you really want to side with the losers of the war?