Persuasive Essay On The Confederate Flag

The Confederate flag was used symbolically during the Civil War. To southerner’s, the flag represented a source of southern pride as well as a way of remembering the fallen Confederates. As the Civil War proceeded, the meaning of the flag began to change. Currently, the flag is being used as a symbol for racism. Due to this change in meaning, controversy over the flag has been exponentially growing. Although many would argue the original meaning behind the flag and that it is a symbol of historical culture that should not be forgotten, the flag should be banned due to its representation of racism and the seceding of the states.

The Civil War was a battle between the northern states and the southern states. The southern states wanted to secede
The Civil War was partly about slavery. Therefore, many use the flag as a symbol of hatred towards people of different descent, especially African Americans. The idea that “negro is not equal to the white man,” or white supremacy, has caused many racist attacks (Coates, 2015). Most of these attacks have involved the presence of a Confederate flag. Recently, Dylann Roof committed a gruesome attack on nine African American congregants at their local church during a bible study (Henderson, 2015). He claimed to have been motivated by the Confederate flag. Sadly, this violent attack provides a perfect example of the racism symbolically presented by the Confederate flag.

However, some southerners would argue that the initial meaning of the Confederate flag had little association to anything (Prince, n.d.). The flag initially was viewed by many southern natives as a symbol of southern heritage and pride (World Book Student, 2016). As mentioned above, the flag was flown during the Civil War when southern states were attempting to secede from the northern states. For this reason, the flag is symbolic to southern natives because it symbolizes the beliefs of their ancestors; beliefs that many lost their lives for. Therefor, the flag presents a symbol of southern pride and
With that being said, all Americans should be allowed to live in a country where they feel safe and free of hatred. If a historical symbol fuels hatred, violence, and fear then the display of such a symbol would only misinterpret the meaning of the land of the free.

Although there are many pros and cons to the confederate flag, it is only just to ban the flag. One may argue that banning the flag would deny free expression, but hanging the flag also says that racism is acceptable and the pain, suffering and cruelty endured by the African Americans has no importance. The color of a person 's skins should not be an issue, just like how religion and gender should not be an issue. The flag is a silent way of saying that one agrees with racism and the seceding of our country. Consequently, the flag should be banned.

The controversy of the confederate flag has been an issue for many years. Whether one believes in the historical importance of the flag or the negative symbolism of the flag, it is merely an opinion. However, even though there are many pros to the confederate flag, the cons seem to outweigh the