Depending on where a person is born, where they grow up, and their education, can influence their opinions and beliefs on many things. Stupid is, as stupid does, is a familiar saying and makes sense in reference to this subject. Flying the rebel flag causes tension and fear among people who feel it's racist and look it as a symbol of suffering and slavery. On the other hand, the supporters in favor of the flag believe it's symbolic of history, heritage, and southern pride. The controversy between people offended by the flag and the supporters, also called advocates, for the as right to fly the flag, have had an on-going dispute for many years. As far as the flag wavers are concerned, they have been questioning the security of their first amendment rights. The purpose of the first amendment is to protect our personal liberty by preventing any laws to be made that would interfere with our freedom of religion, speech, press, freedom to assemble peacefully, and to petition our government to help with grievances. The first amendment was adopted to the constitution on December 15, 1791. …show more content…
This case was known as Holmes vs Hunt. "Holmes v. Hunt." Southern Poverty Law Center. Landmark Case. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. Three black lawmakers, Alvin Holmes and 2 others brought the suit. They were offended that Governor Hunt was continuing to fly the confederate flag over the capitol after all these years. The flag had been flying since 1963. The flag was first flown by Governor George Wallace. A total of 3 lawsuits and an overlooked legislative statute finally came together and the judge ruled against Governor Hunt and ordered the removal of the flag. The 1891 statute, stated that only the Alabama state flag and the American flag was to be flown. The Governor appealed the decision, but it was later
1954's Brown vs. Board of Education case court ruling marked the dawn of desegregation in America. A short time after the sentence, South Carolina replaced their state flag with the Confederate flag, raising it above their statehouse, the Georgia and Mississippi state flags were changed to incorporate the Confederate flag, and Confederate monuments were suddenly built. The brief time period between the two events led many to believe the gesture to be the state of South Carolina's reaction and response to desegregation in public areas. Many were offended by the exhibit and confused as to whether the flag responded to desegregation or honored the state membership in the confederacy. The erection of the Confederate flag was a reaction preponderantly to desegregation and has become a contributing factor to the pain of racism; it should be lowered as soon as possible.
To the Majority Opinion it’s a flag of our nation but to the Dissenting opinion its means more than just a flag. It means “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & velour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice." In this case the Dissenting opinion gave reasons why flag burning should be banned. Eventually Congress passed the Flag Protection Act of 1989. The Act banned flag burning regardless of whether the person burning the flag intended to cause offense to
The Confederate flag is a famous symbol of the South’s side in the American Civil War. The controversy surrounding this flag has received a great bit of media attention considering how deeply affected and offended some people have become. Southerners consider themselves to be personally affected. A majority of supporters state that banning the Confederate flag strips them of their heritage, referring to the South’s part in the American Civil War. Persons who do not support the continued showing of the Confederate flag, such as non-Southerners, African Americans, and many others say that while the flag is a symbol of southern history, much of the history in the South includes racial segregations, lynchings, and slavery. As a matter of fact, the purpose of the Confederacy in the Civil War was to make sure slavery stayed an institution in America. The man who created the Confederate flag, William T. Thompson, stated this about the symbol of heritage: “As a people we are fighting to maintain the heavenly ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause” (Miessler par. 3). This alone clearly shows what the goal of the Confederacy
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 burning of an American flag is not necessarily anti-American or unpatriotic. Sometimes, the greatness and majesty of the flag is better portrayed in the powerful political and societal statement of destroying it. This act can convey the feeling of the American people that their government is not the body it should be or that it is not doing the will of the people. This is probably one of the most emotional actions they can take to get the government's attention. Some of these protestors may even love the flag as much as those who are for banning flag burning, but the burners want to emphasize the seriousness of their complaint. The act of burning a flag may be the people's way of telling the government that it is co...
On December 15th, 1971, the first X amendments to the Constitution went into affect. The first X amendments to the constitution were known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment was written by James Madison because the American people were demanding a guarantee of their freedom. The First Amendment was put into place to protect American’s freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom of petition. The First Amendment was written as follows;
The confederate battle flag, also known as the old Dixie flag strikes as a controversial topic. The flag sparks many ideas as to what it represents, symbolizes, and is viewed as by the general public. Given the the history behind the flag one should have a chance to see an explanation of the true meaning and history of the flag before choosing a stance. It will show the true meaning of America and history. The Dixie flag should not be banned or made illegal in any county, city or state. During the civil war the flag was created for the confederate states of the civil war to identify the soldiers of the south. Today many people view it as racist or as a white supremacist symbol. The true meaning of the war and why it was fought was not about
The First Amendment was written because at America's inceptions, many citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic freedoms. The First Amendment protects five basic rights. The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion,
The Confederate flag has been a prominent representation of Southern culture and heritage. Particularly, the significance of the Confederate flag in my home state of South Carolina is the symbolic representation of Southern states succeeding from the Union because of ideas by Abraham Lincoln that were not ideal to Southerners. The origin of the Confederate flag was during the Civil War when Confederate regiments could not distinguish the Union battle flag of stars and stripes apart from their own. Throughout the progression of the Civil War as southerners became known as Confederates, they began to distance themselves from symbols of the Union and sought a new symbol that represented their “confirmed independence”. The symbol later became the Confederate battle flag. As stated in the Confederate Battle Flag by John Coski, General John Bell Hood states, “To avoid dangerous confusion in action, each regiment will be required to bear the Confederate battle flag” (Coski 13). Confederate regiments were seeking for uniformity by adopting one battle flag to represent the Confederacy not only on the battlefield, but as a separate nation as well. Following the significant amount of blood shed from the Civil War, the Confederate flag did not shy away during Reconstruction. The flag ties in with southern culture because many southerners believe its representation is of their fallen ancestors who fought during the American Civil
That flag was only a battle flag of General Robert Edward Lee’s army in Northern Virginia. After the war between the North and the South, the flag became a symbol not only of those who died, but became a symbol of Southern Pride and heritage. In recent years, the flag has became a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and other groups who believe in white supremacy. The flag has also been the symbol of the “States’ Rights Democratic Party” also known as the “Dixiecrats” and was formed in 1948 to oppose civil-rights platforms of the Democratic Party (Taylor, Jessica. "The Complicated Political History Of The Confederate Flag." NPR. NPR, 22 June 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.) Former Neurosurgeon and current presidential candidate Ben Carson said that “The Confederate flag causes a lot of
Red, white and blue, most people think of the American flag, but today I would like to talk about another flag in American history, the confederate flag. This summer after the killing of nine individuals in a historic black church, the Confederate flag was removed from government buildings, markets, and games. EBay, along with Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Sears, will no longer allow items that depict the controversial flag to be sold. Alongside of eBay, the Apple’s App Store has removed all games depicting the Confederate flag. (Swick) Was this an overreaction or was this long overdue? I think that this was, for the most part, an overreaction. I believe that the flag itself is a symbol of southern pride, or remembrance of the war, not to be meant as a hate symbol.
The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate AND heritage. The hate that is shown by the Confederate flag is racism towards black people, the Confederates were on the slavery and losing side of the civil war to abolish slavery. For heritage after the Dylan Roof shooting of nine black people, one man named Ron Springer a descendant of a civil war veteran wrote in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette : “It’s not about slavery, it’s about my ancestors fighting for their freedom.”. So overall the Confederate flag is both hate and heritage depending on the person and their ancestors.
Many people are very offended by burning America’s “national symbol” and view the act as “un-patriotic” and extremely disrespectfu8l towards the nation, its history and heritage. Many Americans believed that flag burning and desecration should be criminalized. However, other citizens believe that flag desecration is protected under the constitution and should be legal.
“It isn't against the law to burn a cross or any other religious symbol—yet it would be against the law to burn a flag, if these flag amendment folks have their way” (Levendosky). If you are allowed to buy a cross and go home and burn it why should you be held to a law that is the same as that. Making a flag more than what it should be is what is making the argument such a big deal. “Chief Justice William Rehnquist, in a dissent fifteen years ago, when the Court refused to hold flag burning a crime, wrote that "the true nature of the state's interest in this case is not only one of preserving 'the physical integrity of the flag' but also one of preserving the flag as an important symbol of nationhood and unity. . . . It is the character not the cloth of the flag that the states seek to protect" (Garbus). This quote represents taking this case too far. This case should be held between a couple of people in the government, but they should have a vote that declares what's what. And if people don’t like what happens then you can keep it to
The first amendment is the cornerstone of our American society founded years ago by our forefathers. Without the first amendment many ideas, beliefs, and groups could not exist today. The first amendment guaranteed the people of the United States the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Although the first amendment guarantees us, Americans the freedom of speech, we cannot use it to cause others harm. This amendment has helped shaped Americans into what we are today, because of our right to assemble, speak freely, and worship as we please.