“What does the Confederate flag represent?” That’s a tough question to answer.
When asking “What does the Confederate flag represent?” there are a slew of different answers that can be given. According to Wikipedia, it’s historically seen to represent “racism, slavery, and white supremacy.” However, it’s also listed as a symbol of “Southern culture, conservative politics, and historical recreation.”
The Confederate flag that is popular today wasn’t actually the official flag of the Confederate States of America. However, it was present in two of the Confederacy’s flags. It also served as the battle flag for the Army of Tennessee, Wikipedia notes.
Snopes.com founder David Mikkelson has a solid explanation for the Confederate flag’s meaning.
“Herein lies the problem with symbols: They have no inherent meanings; they have only whatever meanings people choose to read into them, and different people can associate very different meanings with the same symbol. The Confederate battle flag is now regarded in many different ways — as a symbol of slavery, as a rallying banner for white supremacists, as a quaint historical artifact, as a memorial to those who fought gallantly and bravely (even if it was in the service of cause no longer considered virtuous), as a general emblem of rebellion against authority, as a benign display of regional pride, or even as a fond reminder of two ‘good ol’ boys’ who were ‘never meanin’ no harm.'”
Despite what anyone believes the Confederate flag means, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s currently a touchy subject. The recent controversy was started following the murder of nine black people
in a church by a white gunmen. This has resulted in the flag’s removal from stores, apps and online retail website.
