Race and the Confederate Battle Emblem

Author's note: Recently I interviewed Juan Williams on his book This Far By Faith (Harper Collins, 2003) and the discussion turned to history and our own problems in Georgia reconciling the use of a Confederate battle emblem on the state flag. After making my case, Juan said that it was the most insightful representations he had heard and a unique and compassionate point of view. So I decided to dust off the many columns I had written on the issue, restate my case and see if I could give it some legs. I am a proud conservative and I hope that you find this both compassionate and conservative.

Four centuries ago, Africans were brought to the Americas as slaves. Every major group of people have had people enslaved at different points in history, whether with masters or by circumstances.

Upon integrating the use of slaves into everyday life in America, some slave owners took it upon themselves to introduce them to Christianity. The Africans came from many different traditions of spiritual practice and the slave owners did not think that the Africans could embrace the concept of God, but they did.

Some Whites saw that African slaves not only learned about Christianity but also embraced it. It led to those White to question whether the slave was sub-human. This questioning was the seed in which the abolitionist movement was born.

By the time of the Civil War, it was clear to most Americans that slavery was wrong. Most White Americans still believed that slaves were inferior to Whites, but they did believe as President Lincoln did. He believed that was that a man, any man, should be paid a days pay for a days work.

The Confederacy has been glamorized and glorified. The men who fought and died for "The Lost Cause," believed they were defending their way of life and states rights. Most were drawn into it to protect what little they had and to them the St. Andrews Cross was revered and was an honorable symbol of men who gave their very best for their way of life.

The truth is that slavery was waning in the South and most Southerners did not own slaves. Slavery was the "Lost Cause" and the economic benefit was lost also. This effort to destroy the union failed and our country, America, is stronger because of this struggle.

How did the Confederate emblems, especially the St. Andrews Cross, become such a politically incorrect symbol? It was not what happened as it flew over the Confederacy during those 4 years of war. It was what happened afterwards in the dark days of Jim Crow until the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

We, the fine White people of the South and other regions, allowed our sacred symbol that stood for the blood that poured out on the battlefields of the North and South to be desecrated. We looked the other way when groups like the Klan and more recently, The National Alliance used that symbol as a symbol of hatred and intimidation to Black Americans in this country.

We must take responsibility for that. We must accept that while we were looking the other way the sacred nature of those symbols were destroyed. It was our inaction that led to the view that most people have of the Confederacy today.

In fairness, it must be noted that the Sons of the Confederacy went to court in 1981 to keep the Klan from using the St. Andrews Cross. But that was too little, too late and the damage had been done.

The cries go out for heritage and history, but where were those cries for the 100 years between the end of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Why was history so dispensable during that dark time in our history?

Most Whites want to be nostalgic about the 1950's in America, but we must come to understand and empathize that this is from our point of view. Blacks have a very different point of view of that time. While they benefited from the prosperity, they were not guaranteed the basic rights of Americans.

That brings this discussion to the present. There are two factions in this fight. One side wants to wipe away all references to anything from the Confederacy. They do not want to see any sign that this period in our history every existed. The other side wants to be bold and proud of a history they see as being attacked.

Here is what has to happen. First, the history of Civil War and the Confederacy must be preserved and taught. We do not learn from history that we do not know. It is appropriate to be memorials, museums and displays, even in state capitals or on their grounds. If the state was part of the Confederacy, then that history is part of their history.

However, Confederate symbols should not be used in state flags or state symbols. They represent the tearing apart of a country and should be studied in that context. When men came to ask Gen. Robert E. Lee to fight and rise up again, he said, "Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans." We are all Americans and in my state where we are battling the issue regarding our state flag, we are all Georgians.

To solve this debate we need to draw on history, but the history of the whole state. The first Georgia state flag was the first flag of a state to be adopted in this new United States of America. That flag represents the entire history of the State of Georgia. We should reinstate that flag.

Whether it is Georgia or any other state of the Old Confederacy, we must put these issues to bed. They all have great economic opportunity ahead of them. The South has become a very desirable place to live and work and we should look forward with that in mind. We should learn the lessons of our history but embrace the future.

This debate should be over. South Carolina has come up with an acceptable solution in putting the battle emblem on the capital grounds as part of a Confederate memorial. Mississippi is still working on its strategy. Georgia should be the leader in making this a respectful nod to the truth of the history while embracing the long and rich heritage of all the people of Georgia.

Governor Perdue (R-Ga) needs to be out front on this issue and lead. He needs to say where he stands and call for action on this issue. Our future as a leader in the region and in the country is at stake.

Martha Zoller hosts a daily political talk show for WDUN AM 550 in Gainesville, Georgia. She is a regular contributor to local and national news programs. You may email your comments to her at [email protected]