I'm very into civil war history, and I've developed admiration for the firm resolve that the Confederates showed against such overwhelming power.
There's a reason why my profile picture is of the Battle flag, and not the Confederate states flag, I'm honoring the soldiers, not the government. I disagree with the government's decision to secede. The only grounds in which I'd be understanding is in how slavery is to be abolished, the fact of the matter is that we can't just free them and then walk away. They need help integrating themselves into society, as they've been deprived of a proper education and they won't truly be free until they can setup a business and be successful on their own.
Even then, I still would remain firm that this needs to be resolved within the Union, not through secession. The soldiers didn't have any say in that, the Union soldiers came down to plunder and scavenge, and they could either stand there, like cowards and watch, or dawn a grey uniform and fight them.
Those who chose to fight against such overwhelming odds deserve my respect, and this firm resolve would come in handy later when US forces fought the Germans in Europe when they were technologically outclassed, impossibly outnumbered, and perpetually surrounded. Yet they fought, fought, and fought some more and pushed the Germans back until Hitler was cornered from everywhere, and his brutal dictatorship was at an end.
Those American soldiers were strong and brave, just like the Confederates were strong and brave when they fought for the security of their families. And less than 1% of the southern population owned slaves, compared to the 4 Northern slave states, in which 5% owned slaves. And those 4 Northern slave states remained slave states throughout the war.
I admire bravery and determination when I see it, and men who are surrounded, blockaded, outnumbered, and haven't had a bite to eat in months, yet they still fight to the end, they're warriors, and I will honor them.
What does the Confederate battle flag represent to you?
It was a way of life. People say it was about slavery, but how many of you are slaves to the government and big corporations? Just remember that it was the US Army that performed genocide against the American Indian and treated them worse than the blacks. We all have our own heritage, both good or bad.
Honestly I know I need to judge people individually but I cannot help having a negative reaction to this flag. There is way too much negative baggage connected to this flag. It makes me cringe at first.
They were no different than the US Army. At least they treated their slaves well for the most part. The US Army massacred the American Indians, stole their land, and penned them up on reservations. They were treated worse than blacks.
That flag represents dedication, resolve, and unyielding commitment. It represents Southern heritage and pride. The flag does not represent slavery to me.
I believe that the power of the people lies in states’ rights and responsibilities. The federal government should have absolutely no say in a private citizen’s life and livelihood. Let alone have the right to wage war on its own people in order to establish a corrupt power unsupported by the US Constitution. I got news for ya, slavery didn’t end. People are still being bought and sold right here in the USA. We just call it “human trafficking” now. But the federal government is a bloated and corrupt organization that enslaves us all with the underlying threat of financial marginalization or another civil war. This whole nation will burn to the ground before we have any meaningful liberties again. Over thirty other nations outlawed the sale of human beings without the use of military force against their citizens. If you think that war was about slavery, you don’t really understand the world you live in.
I think it has a double meaning... It was once a flag down by people who supported slavery who happened to be from the south. Today its meaning has to do with southern pride. It's hard for people to differentiate the two meanings. It's like trying to repurpose the nazi flag years after its original usage.
I'm with you. That flag represents pride in where you live, and it remembers the soldiers who fought to protect their land. The higher-ups may have been fighting for states rights, or slavery, or whatever, but the average soldier was fighting to protect and defend his land, his family and his friends.
It is wrong go try to erase that aspect of history.
Do you post this once a month or something? The primary focus of the Confederates was the preservation of slavery, with other reasons supporting this central theme.
It represents a regime that declared war on the United States and was defeated. I don’t think it deserves to be flown much like the Nazi or Vichy flags. We remember the defeated regimes in history books not monuments
Re-read what I wrote, you'll see that it's not so simple.
I disagree with secession, slavery should've never existed anywhere, and for those who suffered from it, I'm seriously sorry.
There's a reason I have the battle flag on my profile picture, and not the Confederate states flag. I admire the firm resolve of the soldiers, not the politicians.
Their firm resolve came in handy in overthrowing an insane genocidal dictator (Hitler) when they gaced such overwhelming odds.
I love America, and I'm glad the Union emerged victorious, and thus the United States didn't balkanize.
Confederates were constantly outnumbered more than 2 to 1, surrounded, and blockaded, just like US forces were after the Normandy invasion. But they kept fighting with everything they had, they refused to give up, and they pushed such overwhelming German forces back again and again, until the battle for Berlin, which saw the awful regime defeated.
Now, are there any other questions you'd like to ask me? Or are you too comfortable being simple minded?
US soldiers in WW2 fought against an enemy with better technology, logistical support, 2-3× the manpower, and the natural advantage that comes with being on the defense.
Our boys fought so hard against those German soldiers, they refused to pull back, they wouldn't give up, they fought until Europe was free from the horrible regime that was oppressing them and murdering tens of millions of innocent people.
That's the firm resolve that's required to be victorious against such overwhelming odds. It's the same resolve that Confederates showed when they fought armies 2-3× their size while surrounded and blockaded.
Like I said, I don't agree with secession, and slavery should've never existed anywhere, least of all in America. No pun intended, that ship sailed long ago, and states had different ideas about how to free them and move forward, an unwillingness to talk on both sides saw tensions flare, and it led to war.
Let's not make those same mistakes when it comes to being unwilling to hear eachother out and allow tensions to rise
Less than 1% of the Southern population owned slaves at the time. And as for being traitors, by that logic, we are all traitors.
The British government spent all of their money protecting us during the 7 years war, and when they tried to collect taxes, we rebelled against them, and formed our own country.
"You people"? I was born in Connecticut, and I spent the first 18 years of my life there.
My parents also spent nearly the entire lives there, as did the families before them, the families before them, and the families before that.
So chances are my ancestors fought for the Union. It's hard to determine for sure, since heritage companies charge an arm and a leg to find anything out.
But chances are that my ancestors either stayed in Connecticut, and worked, or they fought for the Union.
Again, less than 1% of the white population in the south owned slaves, yet almost every able bodied man in the south fought in the Confederate army at some point.
If you seriously think those men were willing to die for some miserable, POS slave owners at a plantation up the road, then you're delusional.
My theory is this, you value federalism more than statism. You believe the federal government must intervene when state governments make decisions you disagree with. And you're trying to paint those who think states should have more sovereignty as slave owners, that way, you don't have to argue states rights vs the federal government.
You pretend it's just a simple conflict, so you don't have to admit that you're more of a federalist, since being a federalist isn't so popular these days.
No, the Federal government needs to intervene when states make unconstitutional decisions. We have had years of that in the South and it's still going on. I wish they had been successful with succession.
I agree, when a state government oversteps their boundaries, the federal government needs to intervene.
The problem then comes where the federal government is the one interfering and violating constitutional rights, what do you suppose should happen then?
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