Is the confederate flag considered offensive by the majority of America?

Not a majority of Americans, just the uninformed or the socially awkward ( snow flakes). It's our country's history which is very important to what we are today and what we'll become tomorrow.

To me, the Confederate flag is heritage. I also acknowledge that one of the variants flown has since been used by ignorant hate groups. As a Southern gentleman, I apologize to everyone who has been offended by the sight of that flag. It embarrasses me when I see the flag everyone associates with racism. It sickens me that a flag which internally stirs pride is also something so tainted that I feel like I have to hide my pride, lest I be judged by ignorance and associated with that hate.

This is why I prefer the real "Stars and Bars," the Confederacy's first national flag. It is much more discreet, isn't as widely smeared with hate and racism, and invites conversation from those who actually recognize that flag. It's my way of displaying my pride without offending anyone.

Some might respond by asking why I don't just put the flag away from the get-go and carry it in my heart, so I don't offend anyone? If I take down my flag because it offends someone, then I am giving up my rights as an American. Aren't we equal, after all? It is my right as a free American to proudly display my heritage, just as it is your freedom to express yours. If someone were to approach me and tell me to haul down my flag because it was deemed offensive, I would be offended by their lack of consideration for my history. Our culture of sensitivity is destroying our diversity and freedoms. Anyone can claim anything as offensive and use that as leverage for personal gain.

This brings me to a general discourse in American history. In the years since the Revolution, the question of representation and power in the national government was heavily contested. There had been earlier threats and attempts of secession in America's history as a country. These instances were fueled by friction between states and the Federal government. The Northern states were smaller and had less power politically and economically compared to the geographically larger and agricultural South. The advent of the Industrial Revolution and its progress by the 1850s had given the North enough chips on the table to call the South's dominance that had existed since 1776. To further solidify their cause in the face of an international audience, they injected a moral dilemma that had plagued the Founding Fathers: slavery (Lincoln would eventually write the Emancipation Proclamation to prevent the South from gaining formal recognition and alliances from Europe). It had been present in the continent since the first Europeans arrived in one form or another, growing into a critical factor of economy. It was ultimately not addressed by the generation that forged our nation, so the next inherited this issue, which had further embedded itself in the fiber of our economy. Many looked to the Industrial Revolution as a possible end to slavery, which would replace people with steam equipment in the fields and factories (referring to the Irish and other immigrants up North). Some speculate that slavery would have died naturally had the Civil War not occurred.

My ancestor was born in New York in 1829 and lived there until 1850. He moved to Georgia with his family, as his father sought a better climate for his ailing wife. She died in 1851. In the decade leading up to the war, my ancestor's father built the first steam-powered mill in the state and advocated the adoption of industry in the South. This didn't sit well with the local elites, since they were agriculturalists. They drove my ancestor from their church and they were forced to find another with a more agreeable congregation. My ancestor married his wife in 1852 in the middle of the night on a back road in the rain because the town didn't approve of a Northern industrialist's son courting a Southern Belle. They thought he was after her money she was set to inherit when her father passed. Well, her father passed and she inherited the money, along with twelve slaves. Her first act was to free every single one of them. She opposed slavery, which was one of the reasons why she was able to connect so well with her husband. Rather than try to keep them for a chance to join the farming elite, he supported his wife and advocated their freedom.

When the war began, my ancestor was chief of the volunteer fire brigade and generally well-liked by the public of his town (despite being at odds with the local elite farmers and plantation owners). He formed his own company of volunteer infantry for Georgia's army as its captain, and by 1862 was in the thick of the fight in Virginia. By the war's end, he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of his regiment, elected by his men, and was killed in a charge at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9th, 1864. His men revered him so much that his body was returned to Georgia in 1866. He fought for the State of Georgia's rights as a sovereign entity, in accordance to the Constitution. His cause was as pure as that of our Founding Fathers. In short, he was fighting for a place called home.

I think many of us can agree that we do not universally approve of the situation in the country today. There is a rift between the "ruling elite" and the rest of We the People. Such was the case in the American South. Slavery was formally listed in several states' reasons for secession - because it was the plantation owners who had the money to back the Confederate Government, were the Confederacy's politicians - those who stood back to preserve their "cotton empire" while patriots such as my ancestor marched off to give their lives for their honorable cause. I dare someone to tell me that based on a study of primary resources, that all Germans were Nazis who wanted to rule the world and wipe an entire group of people out. Many were simply Germans who wanted to defend their homes and loved ones. Others were German nationalists who wanted to see Germany rise from the ashes of the Great War. They were not racists or filled with hatred. However, history is written by the winners of wars, which is why we highlight the Nazis and the Holocaust, yet quietly ignore Japanese-American internment camps that existed here in these United States.

Was the Civil War about slavery? For the elitist who stood to lose his empire at the hands of the Lincoln Administration - yes. For the American South - no. Is the Confederate flag a symbol of hate and racism? For many - yes. For some who take a moment to consider both sides of the picture and respect all angles of history - no. Regardless of your take on the matter, I ask only one thing: the right to be proud of my ancestor and honor him. I respect your freedom to take pride in your history, so why can't I?

Racism. The confederacy went to war and seceded from the union on the sole principle of slavery. It drove their economy and when the Union pushed for the abolishment of slavery the confederacy feared a collapse of their life style and economy.

It is absolutely about racism.

No. I don't care who you are. The Confederate flag is not racist. Anybody that says it's racist needs a serious history lesson

Personally, being from the south, I know the heritage and the original meaning of the flag. Now a days the flag is meant as a southern pride kind of thing that purely expresses where you're from. While some do use it still as a mark for racism, my experience is that the general use of it now is again..southern pride. I don't see anything wrong with it. I personally don't have one, but I have several friends, black and white, that show the flag with pride of home and not hate.

SGT (Join to see) Good question. I have answered this before, as this is a recurring theme. I show this in class (the flag and other symbols) when we discuss cultural diversity, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination, and racial tension. The reactions are interesting to say the least.

I believe the answer to your question is "it depends." It depends on where you are from in these United States. As a white guy from the NJ/NY Metro area, my initial reaction it is a symbol of hate. As a career Army Officer, I would say it depends the perception Soldiers seeing it. I fully understand my brothers from the south say it is about heritage and history. I also know when I was a TAC at West Point (95-97) the local USMA crowd was outraged when the Citadel Football Fans were waiving confederate flags at Michie Stadium during a football game. And, I know I made several Cadets displaying them in their rooms, take them down, and Yes I explained why.

The bottomline is this... Is someone offended by it? If the answer is Yes, then it needs to be addressed. That is what leaders do.

Or... try this. Say you are black Soldier, from say NJ, and you are reporting to your Commander for a disciplinary matter, and behind his desk his/her is confederate flag hanging from the ceiling. How would you feel?

The war between the states was not started over slavery. If you doubt this you should read the words of Abraham Lincoln regarding his beliefs, and his position on the matter.http://m.livescience.com/18863-civil-war-myths.html

To it is a dark time in or history. We need to remember that time as to not repeat it. There are too many hate groups that use that flag. To me it is anti American and should only be seen in history books or Museums. We are American's and above all else part of the human RACE. To claim that flag as part of your heritage, its like claiming to be part of a group I won't say. So yes that flag is racist.

There's no heritage, it lasted 4 yrs and they lost.

It's part of America's history. The flag itself is now simply identified with the South and no longer should be viewed as a symbol of slavery or insurrection.