Thank You AGD!!

[AutomagRT1483]

My family were not racists. Unlike common belief, most people that served the Confederacy were not racist. The people that ran it were of course. It is a symbol of my family's military heritage is because thats where it began in the Civil War. Members of my family fought on both sides of that war as well as both sides of World War 2.

Thanks for the compliment though.

[Konigballer]

I'm just jokin' with u man Hey, you said your ancestors served with Hood in Tennessee, I from Franklin and I'm sure u know what happened there! Mine served with Lee in the Army of Northern Virginia. One relative died at Gettysburg but another made it all the way to the surrender at Appomattox. I just saw u were from Wisconsin? and figured u were one of those yankees that buy reb flag stuff and have no historical tie to the south, my bad.

[AutomagRT1483]

Thats cool, I get crap when ever I post anything about it over in the friendly corner. But then again, no one takes the time to read a post over there before they flame ya.

[Pvt.Opium]

They are great arnt they. Sweet gun!

[minnimag]

thats an awsome RT. But about the confederate flags. Im reading The Killer Angels which is a really great book about Getysburg and i just dont understand the whole southern confederate thing. For me, my family has always lived in Quebec then my grandparents moved to Fall River Massachusets to work in mills, i dont understand what the condfederate flag means to people today.

[hitech]

Originally posted by minnimag
I don't understand what the confederate flag means to people today.

The civil war was fought over slavery. There may have been other factors, but if those who owned slaves were allowed to continue that practice the war wouldn't have happened. The confederate flag was the flag of those fighting to keep slavery legal. Hence, it is a symbol of slavery to many (myself included). Since the only slaves were "black", it has also become a symbol of racism.

[alkafluence]

Originally posted by hitech


The civil war was fought over slavery. There may have been other factors, but if those who owned slaves were allowed to continue that practice the war wouldn't have happened. The confederate flag was the flag of those fighting to keep slavery legal. Hence, it is a symbol of slavery to many (myself included). Since the only slaves were "black", it has also become a symbol of racism.

That's not entirely correct. The war was initially fought over State's rights.

Considering the firing on Fort Sumter which occurred on April 12, 1861 was pretty much the opening of the war. It was only a little under two years later, on Jan 1, 1863 that Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates and emphasizes the enlisting of black soldiers in the Union Army. Only then did the war to preserve the Union become a revolutionary struggle for the abolition of slavery.

[AutomagRT1483]

Originally posted by minnimag
thats an awsome RT. But about the confederate flags. Im reading The Killer Angels which is a really great book about Getysburg and i just dont understand the whole southern confederate thing. For me, my family has always lived in Quebec then my grandparents moved to Fall River Massachusets to work in mills, i dont understand what the condfederate flag means to people today.

Read that book for my Civil War class last semester. Again, those flags represent the start of my families military heritage. Its not like I have a swastica on there, thats another focal point of my family's military heritage which I care not to be part of. But, I do find it interesting that my family has fought on both sides of the Civil War and World War 2. Either way, Im not getting rid of the confederate flag patch or the barrel condom. My family did not fight for slavery, they fought for independence in the Civil War. And thats the reason the war started, thus proving that it was caused by states rights. The fight for slavery started two years later after Antietem.

[Lohman446]

Although there were several large groups strongly, vocally, and violently opposed to and supporting slavery, and the civil war did end slavery, they were not really related.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a military strategy designed to put the south in dissarray. Not only did they have to contend with the Northern army they also had to contend with slaves that now had a reason to escape - face it, Maryland was a lot closer than fleeing to Canada.

As for this feeling of the North doing this out of goodness.. one must question it. Think of the freed slaves sent to Liberia, think of the hardships and cruelties the African-Americans faced/face after the war both in the North and South, as well as the West. The Civil War was not about slavery... the abolishment of slavery was as much an attempt to "punish" the south as were several things done by the north afterwards/during.

Now, having said that, let me state that I do not take sides as to any decisions made then - freeing of the slaves was morally right, a seperated south (and further fragmented) would at best have left us as Europe now, at worst as Africa now (with all the infighting). I was not there, I did not live in the time, I cannot judge the right or the wrong of the entire situation - I will say that this country benefitted strongly though from the Civil War, and the freeing of the slaves that was the result of it, even if it was not the intent.

[minnimag]

i dont meen to say that i dont understand because i do understand what the flag means to some people. By reading Killer Anggels i have found that the cival war was not just about slavery, infact to the soldiers fighting it was more about the rights of southeners and the infrigenment upon these by the north. I respect people with a military herritage who wish to respect it by showing the confederate flag because it is part of there history but as an American who has never lived below the mason-dixon line (except for Puerto Rico) i dont not connect myself with the military herritage most people say the confederate flag represents. Instead by default i possibley incorrectly associate it with things such as slavery. Fortunately i am reliseing this is not the correct connection. So yes, i guess i do understand what the confederate flag "means" but do i associate with it, no.

by the way i'm 16 and in AP English (college level english) next year... now if only we could work on that spelling

[hitech]

Sorry guys, you can couch it any way you want, but the fight over individual state's rights was because of slavery. If that single issue weren't there the civil war would have never been. There is no other "issue" you can say that about. The bottom line is that the confederate states were formed to protect slavery. Slavery is a terrible part of our heritage. We need to acknowledge it.

[AutomagRT1483]

Correction, the Tarriff of Abominations and how the Union sent troops into South Carolina to enforce it, is what kicked off the whole issue of secession from the Union. Then it flowed into states rights, in which slavery was being protected under. My bad.