When we look at our flag, we, as Georgians, see a reflection or ourselves; we hold our beliefs, our heritage, our ancestor's struggles, and our memories in our flag. In the former Georgia flag, one cannot see these things. I believe the former Georgia flag was justly removed because it was a symbol of racism and bigotry, it was the result of an act of defiance, and because the state has history other than that of its Confederate participation.
The former Georgia flag was a symbol of racism and bigotry. It was composed of the state's coat of arms and the cross of St Andrew. In the Civil War, the St. Andrew Cross was the battle flag of the provisional Army of the Confederate States of America's. It represented the Confederate State's willingness to fight and die for the continuance of the enslavement of fellow human beings. Knowing that a flag is highly symbolic and reflective of ourselves, we should not wish to contain such an emblem in our own flag; we should erase "...the last remaining vestige of days that are not only gone but also days that we have no right to be proud of" (Opdyke F1).
There are those who argued that the removal of the flag on claims of its historical value as a symbol of Georgia's confederate participation. This is directly contradicted by the fact that "Georgia was a Confederate State for one point five percent of its state hood" (Auchumenty B1). This fact also makes it clear that the flag should be more representative of the state's history.
Many say that the flag should be kept because it stands as a monument to those who gave their life in the "War Between the States." This is not true, for "Our graveyards, literature, and many of our family histories will forever keep alive the memory of those who died in the confederacy" (Opdyke F1). The flag is definitely not the only remaining tribute to our ancestors.
In the year 1956, the Georgia Legislature committed an act of disgust; after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, in which segregation was found to be unlawful, the legislature created the former flag to voice their opinion concerning the ruling.
In Johnny Cash’s song, The Ragged Old Flag it says, “In her own good land here she’s been abused. She’s been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.” To me this means that people have stopped honoring all that it stands for. The flag stands for all of the battles and sacrifices the United States has had to make to get it to where it is today. People
The Black Codes were legal statutes and constitutional amendments enacted by the ex Confederate states following the Civil War that sought to restrict the liberties of newly free slaves, to ensure a supply of inexpensive agricultural labor, and maintain a white dominated hierachy. (paragraph 1) In southern states, prior to the Civil War they enacted Slave Codes to regulate the institution of slavery. And northern non-slave holding states enacted laws to limit the black political power and social mobility. (paragraph 2) Black Codes were adopted after the Civil War and borrowed points from the antebellum slave laws as well as laws in the northern states used to regulate free blacks. (paragraph 3) Eventually, the Black Codes were extinguished when Radical Republican Reconstruction efforts began in 1866-67 along with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation. The lives of the Black Codes did not have longevity but were significant. (paragraph 3)
...more overpowering and overwhelming than any general feeling of Southern pride. America has obtained a reputation to be an accepting and open minded country, welcoming all of any race, couture and religion. The Preamble states clearly that America will establish justice and insure domestic tranquility for all. Neither of these entities are accomplished in America as long as the Confederate flag remains raised. Our nation is furthermore divided by racism through a flag that is possibly being used as a degradation tool. This battle with racism has become far too large for American citizens and anything that is viewed as racist in such a manner as the Confederate flag is, should be censored from society, in only a helpful practice. A state flag should be capable of uniting its citizens, instead of dividing them. The Confederate flag should be lowered immediately.
Several corporations have been trying to campaign for the switch to the new flag. According to Douglas Blackmon, in the Wall Street Journal, former Netscape executive and native Mississippian Jim Barksdale contributed almost 30% of the money for the new flag effort. Mr. Barksdale’s concern for the state’s economic and racial problems motivated him to help campaign for the new flag (Blackmon A22). Barksdale fears for Mississippi’s economic future if the change is not made to the new proposed flag, states Blackmon (A22). Blackmon says Barksdale’s message was “that the state should furl the rebel flag not out of shame for its past but so that Mississippi’s economic development won’t be hamstrung by unfair connotations with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan” (A22). In other words, people around the nation view the original 1894 flag as Mississippi’s way of clinging to the past. Consequently, businesses would be less likely to invest and expand their corporations in the state. Potential jobs would be lost. In U.S. News & World Report, Michael Schaffer says, “Business and civil rights leaders had argued that ditching a flag associated with white supremacy would attract potential investors now hesitant to set up shop in a state that still symbolically hails the Confederacy” (30). With this in mind, possible economic opportunities could be lost as result of not changing the flag.
Stripes and stars forever, right? Well, what exactly does that mean? The American Flag can be seen almost anywhere. From the high-school, to the ball park, and even in our homes, the American flag stands as a symbol of all that is good and true in America. When one thinks of the flag, they usually think of the blood that was shed for this country. It was shed so that we could have liberties, such as, freedom of speech and expression, which fall under the first amendment rights of the Constitution. However, when you think of a burning flag, what comes to mind? One might say it shows disrespect and hatred to a country that has given so much. In the case of Texas v. Johnson, Gregory Lee Johnson was accused of desecrating a sacred object, but, his actions were protected by the First Amendment. Although his actions may have been offensive, he did not utter fighting words. By burning the flag, Johnson did not infringe upon another's natural human rights. He was simply expressing his outrage towards the government, which is within the jurisdiction of the First Amendment.
“The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture.” David Sarratt American Studies University of Virginia. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
Some states are currently threatening to leave the country because of the belief that the government has too much power over the people and the laws our country has to follow. In our society, we live by laws set by the government, and if any of them are broken, there is a punishment. These laws are set to make sure that the people of America are following the way things are ran so the country will not collapse. Although these laws are set for the safety of the people, sometimes when the government has that kind of power to make people follow certain things they should not have to follow, many issues arise. In the late 1800’s, many issues emerged between the South and the Union on whether the Southern states had the right to secede from the United States. The Southern states did have the right to secede because of political, economical, and social reasons. These reasons include numerous examples of the Union treating the South unfairly and violating the terms of the U.S constitution.
Imagine yourself wrongly convicted of a crime. You spent years in jail awaiting your release date. It finally comes, and when they let you out, they slap handcuffs around your wrists and tell you every single action you do. In a nutshell, that’s how the Black Code works. The southerners wanted control over the blacks after the Civil War, and states created their own Black Codes. After
Tensions between the North and South had grown steadily since the anti slavery movement in 1830. Several compromises between the North and South regarding slavery had been passed such as the Nebraska-Kansas and the Missouri act; but this did little to relieve the strain. The election of President Lincoln in 1861 proved to be the boiling point for the South, and secession followed. This eventually sparked the civil war; which was viewed differently by the North and the South. The Northern goal was to keep the Union intact while the Southern goal was to separate from the Union. Southern leaders gave convincing arguments to justify secession. Exploring documents from South Carolina’s secession ordinance and a speech from the Georgia assembly speech will explain how the Southern leaders justify the secession from the United States.
The West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette Case in March 11, 1943 created much controversy throughout the United States. This case questioned whether a flag salute law for school children violated the First, the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In 1941 the West Virginia State Board of Education made it a mandatory action for all students to salute the American flag at the beginning of each school day and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If students did not cooperate it would lead to harsh punishment (findlaw).
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.
Georgia has always been a state where family values and community issues are important in our society. Many people that live in the southern United States have always been historically for conservative and or republican based values, this typically involves as christan background and faith which therefore the people of Georgia would not support because most people are Christians. Also there is a code of natural law that must be taken into consideration with regards to legalizing gay marriage in Georgia. The last and final issue that must be looked at by the state is how they impose their rights to society based off of influential media. Overall Georgian’s should not legalize gay marriage in our state, because gay marriage violates natural law, it destroys our states level of morality and conservatism, and it the gay community tries to impose its level of acceptance upon our society.
Why be suppressed by a symbol deemed against African Americans when identity is purely subjective? Barkley was tired of having to constantly be reminded of a horrible time, so he took the symbol as his own and changed the meaning. He referred to the flag as representing black-power, which was the complete opposite of what society thought. This created a huge statement and made people stop and think about what an African American man was doing flaunting a confederate flag.
Their story started in 1954 when Brown v Board of Education ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. It was the first legal decision that opposed the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine that had become standard since the Plessy v Ferguson case in 1896 which propagated segregation: “'separate' facilities provided for blacks and whites were legally acceptable provided that they were of an 'equal' standard” (Kirk, “Crisis at Central High”). Little Rock, Arkansas, was on...
Georgia was admitted as a state in 1788 and was one of the Confederate States of America. It was once primarily a farm state, producing large amounts of cotton, but has since become a major manufacturing and service industry state. Georgia is named for George II of England. It is bordered by Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, and Florida.