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The issue of whether the Confederate Battle Flag (or even the use of the emblem of the Mississippi state flag) depends on how you choose to view it. For a large majority the flag represents a group of people who fought against the abolishment of slavery. Because of this view, the flag is seen as a symbol of hate, and perhaps even wishful thinking on the parts of individuals who are inherently racist and wish for the "old south" where slavery was common.
Being that i'm from the south myself, does not mean I subscribe to this view. In fact, I find this particular stereotype of the Confederate Flag to be wrong. But rather than make this statement just because of where I live, I will offer a fact-supported statement that is meant to at least give better understanding to those who are against the flag.
The Civil War began because southern states decided to succeed from the Union. They decided to succeed from the Union because they feared that the rest of American (The North) were trying to modernize them. Basically, most of the South were afraid of change. And while change did include the abolishment of slavery, it included other things as well. In fact, slavery did not become a main focus of the war until later on, and even though the Civil War has been labeled as North and South fighting over slavery, the war runs deeper than that.
In fact, a select group in the North (Copperheads) did not look down upon the issue of slavery. The "Copperheads" did not mind slavery, so if they fought in the war and they weren't fighting over slavery, then how can one suggest that the entire war was about slavery to begin with? It wasn't. It just happened to be a simple way of explaining the war with no regards to how truthful the statement may be. Anyway, the outcome of the war did include the abolition of slavery, and incidentally included the abolition of succession as well.
If the South succeeded because they were afraid of change (including slavery issues or not) and the end of the Civil War saw the end of succession, then how can one bypass fact and just write the entire ordeal off as a "war over slavery"? They can't. Well they can, but that doesn't mean they are entirely correct.
The confederate flag may indeed be a symbol of hate for some, but not for all, or even most people. The flag serves as a tribute to relatives who died during the Civil War. As none of the people who fought in the Civil War are around today, I would find is incorrect to just assume that every single person
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Confederate flag: Heritage or hate?
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