If you are interested in history, have Confederate ancestors, participate in Civil War re-enactments, or live in the American south, you are almost definitely familiar with the Confederate flag. The meaning of the flag is basic… it represents the Confederate side in the Civil War. Yet, there is so much more to the flag than this. For example, the Confederate flag we know today was not the official flag of the Confederacy during the Civil War. It was one of many battle flags used by different Confederate military units. The term “Stars and Bars,” which many people today use to refer to the flag, was a term reserved for the official first national flag of the Confederacy.
You may also have one of a wide range of feelings about the Confederate flag. It may instill pride in you because of your association with your southern Confederate ancestors or your southern upbringing. You may also feel the flag is a relic of times gone by that represents bad things to enough people to make it offensive to display in the modern world except in educational settings. Whatever your feelings are about the Confederate flag, they are perfectly valid, and you are likely to encounter people who feel the opposite of it than you, and their feelings are perfectly valid, too. The Confederate flag is something that evokes strong emotions one way or another in most people, especially those in the south.
If you are interested in the real history of the Confederate flag, here are some things you will enjoy learning...