Defenders of the Confederate flag say there is nothing inherently controversial or racist about it. It was adopted by the Confederate armies because the official Confederate national flag, the “stars and bars”, looked too much like the Union’s stars and stripes, and Confederate troops were killed by friendly fire in the smoke and confusion of battle. Its design was based on the cross of St Andrew, featuring in the Scottish and United Kingdom flags. But what the Confederate flag means to most black Americans today, and to millions of their countrymen, is all too plain. The designer of Georgia’s 1956 flag was an explicit segregationist. The state legislature voted for the new flag after Denmark Groover, a state lawmaker, said it was created to “serve notice that we intend to uphold what we stood for, will stand for, and will fight for”. Such remarks cannot be unsaid, nor unheard. But while “history cannot be unlived,” in the words of Maya Angelou, people can still change. Half a century after pushing Georgia’s new flag, Groover returned to the state legislature to support changing it. Many other white southerners have trod a similar same path, first clutching the Confederate flag in a burst of reactionary racism, then insisting the symbol had nothing to do with slavery or segregation, and finally, as Groover did, admitting the obvious: “It has become the most divisive issue on the political spectrum and needs to be put to rest.” Hearts and minds in South Carolina have changed more slowly. The state’s most recent decision on the flag merely moved it from above the capitol to a monument in front. Yet arguments that the flag should not be seen as a racist symbol sound increasingly hollow. Reference: http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/confederate-flag Pros: CONS Reference: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/pros-and-cons-flying-confederate-flag-50808 Political issue The flag debate is quickly becoming a major political issue ahead of the state\'s crucial first-in- the-South presidential primary next year. Many Republicans, including Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, have avoided taking a position on the flag, though Jeb Bush highlighted his role in removing the flag from Florida\'s Capitol in 2001. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton forcefully called on Americans to discuss racial divisions but hasn\'t weighed in specifically on whether South Carolina should remove the flag from the Capitol complex. Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said the issue is worth a conversation, is under pressure to convene a special session to take up the flag question. That\'s unlikely to happen but Republican state Rep. Doug Brannon has already committed to introducing a bill to remove the flag when the legislature convenes in January. That effort will face stiff headwinds. Reference: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/21/politics/south-carolina-confederate-flag-debate/ Solution Defenders of the Confederate flag say there is nothing inherently controversial .

1. Defenders of the Confederate flag say there is nothing inherently controversial or racist about it.
It was adopted by the Confederate armies because the official Confederate national flag, the
“stars and bars”, looked too much like the Union’s stars and stripes, and Confederate troops were
killed by friendly fire in the smoke and confusion of battle. Its design was based on the cross of
St Andrew, featuring in the Scottish and United Kingdom flags.
But what the Confederate flag means to most black Americans today, and to millions of their
countrymen, is all too plain. The designer of Georgia’s 1956 flag was an explicit segregationist.
The state legislature voted for the new flag after Denmark Groover, a state lawmaker, said it was
created to “serve notice that we intend to uphold what we stood for, will stand for, and will fight
for”.
Such remarks cannot be unsaid, nor unheard. But while “history cannot be unlived,” in the words
of Maya Angelou, people can still change. Half a century after pushing Georgia’s new flag,
Groover returned to the state legislature to support changing it. Many other white southerners
have trod a similar same path, first clutching the Confederate flag in a burst of reactionary
racism, then insisting the symbol had nothing to do with slavery or segregation, and finally, as
Groover did, admitting the obvious: “It has become the most divisive issue on the political
spectrum and needs to be put to rest.”
Hearts and minds in South Carolina have changed more slowly. The state’s most recent decision
on the flag merely moved it from above the capitol to a monument in front. Yet arguments that
the flag should not be seen as a racist symbol sound increasingly hollow.
Reference:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/confederate-flag
Pros:
CONS
Reference: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/pros-and-cons-flying-confederate-flag-50808
Political issue
The flag debate is quickly becoming a major political issue ahead of the state's crucial first-in-
the-South presidential primary next year. Many Republicans, including Mike Huckabee and Rick
Santorum, have avoided taking a position on the flag, though Jeb Bush highlighted his role in
removing the flag from Florida's Capitol in 2001. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton
forcefully called on Americans to discuss racial divisions but hasn't weighed in specifically on
whether South Carolina should remove the flag from the Capitol complex.
Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said the issue is worth a conversation, is under pressure to convene a
special session to take up the flag question. That's unlikely to happen but Republican state Rep.
Doug Brannon has already committed to introducing a bill to remove the flag when the

2. legislature convenes in January.
That effort will face stiff headwinds.
Reference: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/21/politics/south-carolina-confederate-flag-debate/
Solution
Defenders of the Confederate flag say there is nothing inherently controversial or racist about it.
It was adopted by the Confederate armies because the official Confederate national flag, the
“stars and bars”, looked too much like the Union’s stars and stripes, and Confederate troops were
killed by friendly fire in the smoke and confusion of battle. Its design was based on the cross of
St Andrew, featuring in the Scottish and United Kingdom flags.
But what the Confederate flag means to most black Americans today, and to millions of their
countrymen, is all too plain. The designer of Georgia’s 1956 flag was an explicit segregationist.
The state legislature voted for the new flag after Denmark Groover, a state lawmaker, said it was
created to “serve notice that we intend to uphold what we stood for, will stand for, and will fight
for”.
Such remarks cannot be unsaid, nor unheard. But while “history cannot be unlived,” in the words
of Maya Angelou, people can still change. Half a century after pushing Georgia’s new flag,
Groover returned to the state legislature to support changing it. Many other white southerners
have trod a similar same path, first clutching the Confederate flag in a burst of reactionary
racism, then insisting the symbol had nothing to do with slavery or segregation, and finally, as
Groover did, admitting the obvious: “It has become the most divisive issue on the political
spectrum and needs to be put to rest.”
Hearts and minds in South Carolina have changed more slowly. The state’s most recent decision
on the flag merely moved it from above the capitol to a monument in front. Yet arguments that
the flag should not be seen as a racist symbol sound increasingly hollow.
Reference:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/confederate-flag
Pros:
CONS
Reference: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/pros-and-cons-flying-confederate-flag-50808
Political issue
The flag debate is quickly becoming a major political issue ahead of the state's crucial first-in-
the-South presidential primary next year. Many Republicans, including Mike Huckabee and Rick
Santorum, have avoided taking a position on the flag, though Jeb Bush highlighted his role in
removing the flag from Florida's Capitol in 2001. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton

3. forcefully called on Americans to discuss racial divisions but hasn't weighed in specifically on
whether South Carolina should remove the flag from the Capitol complex.
Gov. Nikki Haley, who has said the issue is worth a conversation, is under pressure to convene a
special session to take up the flag question. That's unlikely to happen but Republican state Rep.
Doug Brannon has already committed to introducing a bill to remove the flag when the
legislature convenes in January.
That effort will face stiff headwinds.
Reference: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/21/politics/south-carolina-confederate-flag-debate/